Elton Brand Looks Like a Boozer

why does he have to explain anything? he opted out of his contract but made no promises, no handshake deals, no wink-wink head nods

when he opted out, he was a free agent and the best offer won

I actually heard that Brand pinky swore to stay with the Clippers. Maybe the Clippers tried to use that binding agreement against Brand and lowballed him? Brand is too smart for that, though. It seems he kept his options open by crossing his fingers.

HA HA! Exactly. Maximus called it on one of the other threads (I believe it was BD's latest post) before everything even broke. Brand went with Falk, and he was going to have to take far less money from the Clips than what was expected to sign Baron. And Falk just wasn't going to let that happen to a guy coming off an injury when more money was being thrown at him. Fingers crossed indeed!

I know. And I believe in loyalty and everything, but I would wait to pass judgement on Brand until we know exactly what happened. Two things: 1) He's bailing on LA - a place where he loved to live, had a serious interest in the entertainment industry, and just signed a good player and friend of his. It's not like he's bailing on Minn to go to LA or something. 2) The Clipps know this is a business. If another team comes into the picture it changes the situation.

He and baron are friends. Supposedly, he told Baron that he was going to opt out with the Clippers to leave room for the Clippers to bring Baron there. In this agreement that he had with baron he said that he would be back with the Clippers and stay with Baron. Now, instead of being with Brand like he thought he would, he is stuck with no one (granted they still have cap space to do something). It's not about promising to the Clippers that he would be back, it about lying to his friend Baron.

Its called Karma...Baron lied to his coach, team, fans, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, but hey thats only like 7.5 million people...I guess we should focus on Elton lying though...

Ah, i'm lovin it.

No actually Baron told him to go get the money, and said to go to golden state. You should be pissed at the clippers stupid owner who basically told Brand that he would be just as happy if Brand didn't take the money because he didn't want to spend it. After that Brand decided to head back east to be with his family since he clearly wasn't wanted by the Clippers. If it was about money he would have taken the 90 Million Deal that the Warriors offered him.

Agreed. Granted I would be pretty pissed if he did that to a team I was a fan of.

What's everybody favorite line??

"It's a business"...and that it is...

or "it is what it is" most famous line in all of sports

note: my feelings change completely if reports are accurate that he did indeed have a wink-wink deal in place

http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2008/07/08/whew-now-lets-play-catch-up/

I don't know if it was a wink-wink deal, but he (said he) opted out because he said he wanted to give the Clips salary cap flexibility to sign an impact player like Baron Davis. The understanding was, at least by the press covering the story, that Brand would be willing to take a little less money because he was so impressed with how the Celtics stars sacrificed for a common good. (Now, it's important to note that none of those guys were asked to take a pay cut.) So the Clips do what he asks, and sign Baron (for a little too much if you ask me, considering Davis' other options), but Brand passes on a deal that is comparable to the Sixers' deal. I'm really shocked by this. I thought Brand was a high character guy and his hobby (movie producing) would have kept him in LA.

I've lost a lot of respect for him over the last week.

I'm with you JohnPaulsen. And I am very disheartened that, unlike Boston's three, if he did have a wink-wink deal in place he may have been less than forthcoming about his true intentions. And if he pulled a fast one on the Clips then I'm on the lost-respect train with you. I don't believe for a minute that every single athlete falls under the stereotype of the "greedy athlete". There have been plenty that have passed on more money to remain with their teams (obviously, it is not as big of a news story). But THIS is precisely a situation that explains why athletes are stereotyped.

I've got to add that I was never a Brand fan - because he's a Dukie and I'm a Heel. But right is right. And this ain't right (or doesn't seem to be, anyway).

I'm sure that Elton Brand is devastated that you've lost a lot of respect for him. Give me a break. He is a professional athlete. If someone offered you $10 million more dollars to do what you do professionally, you mean to tell me that you'd turn it down to avoid disappointing your fans? He wants to win, the Eastern Conference is a much easier place to do that, his family is from the east coast and he has a family now, and he's getting more money. He obviously had some doubts as to whether the Clippers could ever field a winner.

I don't think that's the issue here. If Elton kept his mouth shut, opted out, and then signed with Philadelphia, that's one thing. The problem here is, he made assurances to the Clippers that he was going to re-sign, but that he wanted to give them financial flexibility to bring in some help. According to media reports, he specifically told them to bring in Baron Davis - which they did immediately. So it was more than a broken promise - it was a broken promise that's now costing the Clippers $65 million because, without Brand, Baron Davis is virtually useless (unless the Clippers by some miracle snag Josh Smith, or Tim Thomas somehow becomes good).

Break it down for us, Oflarity. Well said.

bdnookie, oflarity explained the issue well, but I'd add that I don't really care that Brand is or isn't devastated by my loss of respect for him. He was probably my favorite player before this, and now he's not. The LA Times is reporting that the Clips offered $75 M ($7 M less than Philly) and were willing to renounce their rights on a few other players to get it to $81 M, but Falk wouldn't return their calls. Brand chose Falk to represent him, and that says a lot about Brand.

You should be pissed at the clippers stupid owner who basically told Brand that he would be just as happy if Brand didn't take the money because he didn't want to spend it. After that Brand decided to head back east to be with his family since he clearly wasn't wanted by the Clippers. If it was about money he would have taken the 90 Million Deal that the Warriors offered him.

Yea, i dont believe it was about the money...i just really think he didn't want to be in L.A. anymore, the Sixers could have offered him the same amount the Clippers did and he STILL would have sign with Philly..

I mean if he really wanted to stay in LA, with Baron davis around and 7 million less...i think he could have made that sacrafice and stayed if that was what he really wanted to do...

He probably thinks since he is in the east it will be easier for him to win a title...and i would disagree...you will probably reach the playoffs...but there still isnt going to be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow...

If he didn't really want to be in L.A., why did he say it was his intention to re-sign with the Clippers? And why did he say he was opting-out to give the Clippers flexibility to sign an impact player?

Based on the news that came out today, it sounds like David Falk is the one responsible for most of this... though Brand hired him to be his representative, so the buck stops with him.

whats with all the chain yankin then......why do these guys feel the need to jerk the fans and front office off?

I have no idea, Annt. It would have been different if management was not committed to Brand (i.e. Baron Davis). But they did everything he asked. *shakin' my head*

agreed, i understand $ is priority, and as an athlete you don't always wanna show your hand first but he siad jump front office how high and before they finished asking how high he was out the door! SMH too!

Boozer's was a club option that the team turned down to give him more than the second-round salary that he was on, to pay him more. Not to mention, the Clippers owner isn't a blind guy...

Thank you, someone understands the difference.

Its only because I have to relive it every season that I watch Anderson Varejao toss up running 360s...

LMAO, Scott.

what the hell im a sixers fan and you cant take back a pinky swear!! yeah right if the clippers wanted him they would have kept him and it is alot harder to find a big man in the nba then a pg

"if the clippers wanted him they would have kept him".... what?

Who cares! Hes our now, the Clippers have always sucked and will always suck, just another chapter in their losing saga. All Philly needs is a shooter and watch out

Listen people when it's all said and done,this is a business so you got to make the best decisions for you and yours,Baron did it,so why can't Elton do it??

Because he said he would re-sign if they signed an impact player like Davis and went back on his word. He has every right to sign with whomever he wanted to, but he shouldn't have said that if he wasn't going to follow through.

Sixers fans should be very happy. My problem is with what Brand did to the Clippers.

My thoughts exactly. I am disappointed about how this whole thing went down. I think Brand shouldn't have made that statement unless he was absolutely sure of his decision. I also think Brand and Davis would have been a powerful force. But now we will never know. I wonder what Baron is thinking. It was because of Brand that he made that move. Not a good look for Brand!

Were the Clippers offering the same amount of money as Philly?

No. I think Philly offered $10 million more.

Ultimately, with everything the Clips were trying to do the difference would have been somewhere between a $1 and $7 million difference.

Money Talks and Loyalty takes a hike!!!!!! Put yourself in that position John,what if somebody throw all that money at you????Brand had season ending in jury,he is not getting any younger...... John I'm rolling wit Jerry McGuire ''Show Me The Money$$$$$"

Just saw your question to me, Cooper. In the end the Clippers offered more money than the Sixers. Falk didn't want Brand to re-sign, I think he made it happen. But it's Brand's fault for hiring that guy to represent him.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3483045&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines

AGAIN You should be pissed at the clippers stupid owner who basically told Brand that he would be just as happy if Brand didn't take the money because he didn't want to spend it. And told him he wouldn't talk to him on the phone. Who wants to play for someone that could care less if you sign or not and has audacity to tell you it. Your Owner sucks! He has always been cheap and he let go two of your best players.

can you post a link to this quote of the Clippers stupid owner? thank you.

Yep. Here is a link to the press conferance. It is in the Middle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulLc6nbcwSM

he should of stayed with the clippers
Brand and Davis could have been a force
76ers are wack the only reason they made the playoffs is cause there in the east

He doesn't have to explain anything. They let him hit free agency, and he did what players do in FA - they get offers thrown at them, and they take the one they like. He really doesn't owe Baron Davis anything. Players sign contracts and move to different teams based on what they feel is best for themselves, not what suits other players. Maybe when he "told" the Clippers he was going to stay he meant it, and then changed his mind - he's entitled to do that if he wants. He's only doing what every other player does, and if Baron Davis has an issue with it, he can cry himself to sleep every night on his huge pile of money.....and it really doesn't matter if people think the Sixers are "wack" or whatever, because clearly Brand disagrees.

No, he's not necessarily "entitled" to do what he wants. He made a promise to the clippers knowing that they would make personnel decisions in reliance on that promise. The clippers did in fact rely on that promise to their detriment when they threw $65 million at Baron Davis. That's enough to assert a legal cause of action. Obviously I don't know enough of the details to determine how viable that claim would be here, but if I'm on the clippers' legal team, I'm definitely looking into it.

geez, look at me, throwing out the "sue the bastard" response. I disgust myself.

LOL yeah you don't know crap obviously because there was no verbal agreement between Brand and the Clippers. It is a bull crap rumor. He never said it. He opted out of his contract and he had a rigth to do it. Business is Business. There was never an agreement with Baron Davis either. Baron actually told Brand to go for the money instead of signing with the Clippers. Brand was actually going to take the 80 million from the Clippers instead of the 90 from the warriors until the stupid owner said that he would be just as happy if Brand didn't sign the contract because he really didn't want to pay him the money. Coach went to bat for Brand and got him the contract, but the stupid owner opened his big mouth and BLEW the deal. ..........Honestly long term you are better off if you get Josh Smith.......He is a freak and only 22 years old. Long term he will be a perenial All-Star. He has a different skills set than Brand and need to work on his jumper, but with Davis at the point. It could be a sick combination. Also he is a very hard worker. He busts his butt to get better and in a few years you will be glad you have him instead.....Good luck and hopefully Golden State doesn't outbid you for Smith.

Dude. I know you came back nice in the end. But I beg to differ about your opening line. Oflarity DOES know crap. And I love the crap he knows about. That being said, the Clips have some serious regrouping to do.

Davis is not pissed at all. He told Brand to go for the money and to sign with golden state. Baron knows how it is. This wasn't about money anyway. It was about a stupid owner telling brand he could care less if he signed the contract or not and it is about the fact that Brand wanted to return home to be close to his family in the East!

Yeah, but I bet Elton probably smells a lot better the Boozer does...lets ask AK...

I'll tell you what - after watching his press conference, he doesn't look like a Boozer. He looks like a class act.