July 9th 2008: Two Players Jump Ship and Create Monumental Shift in the NBA

The Sixers also have Thaddeus Young, who made huge strides last season. It’s possible if the Sixers don’t get another guard that Green would go to the bench, Iguodala would slide to SG and Young would start at SF. It all depends on Young’s progress and Green’s ability to hit open shots.

Today the Sixers became major players in the Eastern Conference. With the Pistons about to make a major shakeup of their roster it gives the Sixers a window to be near the top of the conference. They should make a lot of noise next year. They won’t win a title but have certainly taken a big step in that direction.

Meanwhile it restores order in Clipper land. They can now return to the bottom of the Western Conference. Baron Davis only has a verbal agreement to sign with them at the moment and that was based on Brand coming back. If Baron Davis is willing to take less money to have a chance at winning he will back out of his commitment because of Elton Brand. The Clippers would have a ton of cap space with no one to go after. This would make them an afterthought in L.A. They could use the money to lure Corey Maggette back but the differences between him and Coach Mike Dunleavy are too much to overcome. Considering Maggette was going to accept the mid-level exception of just under $6 million to play in San Antonio or Boston, the $10 million a year offer the Warriors have given him sounds like enough money. He’ll get to start and have plenty of touches, the things he felt he was deprived of under Coach Dunleavy. Overnight the Clippers went from an intriguing team on the rise to a ship without a captain.

The Brand move to Philly was a huge deal that will change the NBA landscape. But it wasn’t the biggest move of the day.

Standout high school point guard Brandon Jennings, who had committed to the Arizona Wildcats, has officially backed out of that commitment and will play in Europe. The team has not been announced but the move sets up a major precedent for NBA-NCAA relations. The NBA currently has the one-year out of high school rule, which was designed as a brokered agreement to allow colleges to profit off great high school players. Major conference college programs would essentially get to rent these players for a season and reap huge benefits. Meanwhile the NBA would get a safeguard against taking high school busts early in the draft by seeing them on tape against better competition. It was a cozy deal and NBA Commissioner David Stern and NCAA President Myles Brand were in discussion of extending the rule to two years. Jennings just put that to rest.

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