Sizing up the Sixers: Power forward

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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Posted: 8:24 p.m.

By Dei Lynam
CSNPhilly.com

This is the fourth part of Sizing up the Sixers, a position-by-position look at the team. Part three took a look at small forward. Up next: Center on Saturday.

Three summers ago the Sixers went looking on the free agent market for a low-post presence to bring a different dimension to their young up-tempo style of play. That presence came in the package of Elton Brand, a career 20 points and 10 rebounds-a-night guy. A separated shoulder limited him to 29 games his first year with the team, followed by an uninspired second season, where his points and rebounds dropped to 13 and six.

The franchises 80 million investment was looking bleak until Doug Collins arrived and convinced Brand he believed in his game. In most basketball circles, Brand was considered the Sixers most consistent player this past season, when he averaged 15 points and 8.3 rebounds, shooting 51 percent from the floor, his highest field-goal percentage in four years.

He was one of three forwards in the NBA this season to average at least those numbers, joining the Lakers Pau Gasol and Bulls Carlos Boozer. Interestingly enough, Gasol had the sixth-highest salary among all players this year, Brand the 17th and Boozer the 25th.

Brand has two years remaining on his infamous Philly Max contract. He will be the teams starting power forward next season in all likelihood, but after that, will his expiring contract become an incentive for a team to trade a needed piece to the Sixers for the 2012-13 season? Probably not, but even a slim possibility needs acknowledgment.

Backing Brand up at the power forward position is Thaddeus Young, who brings a completely different set of tools to the position. Brand has his sweet spots on the floor, and he is a rhythm shooter when he gets there.

Young is all about his quickness. Like Brand, his field-goal percentage was high, 54 percent, ninth best in the NBA. Unfortunately in the playoffs, Miami put the clamps on the four-year veteran and Youngs shooting percentage dropped below 42.

In the regular season, Young averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, which were comparable to his postseason scoring and rebounding statistics.

In his NBA career, Young has made 139 starts, but only one of those came this season. The reason for his reserve rolea healthy Brand and Collins' commitment to Young as a hybrid four, which Young enjoys. He likes to take advantage of the mismatch he presents most nights at that spot.

Youngs contract expires on June 30, and the Sixers are not allowed to negotiate with him until July 1, which just so happens to coincide with the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

No one knows exactly what the new rules will be, but Young would be a restricted free agent under the current contract, which gives the Sixers the right to match any and all offers. That fact that Young finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year voting says his game is respected around the league.

Obviously, he is not the rebounder Brand is, but his rebounding has improved each of his four years in the league. He was one of just 11 guys in the NBA to average a minimum of 12.7 points while attempting 174 free throws or fewer. Finding ways to get to the line and consistently making the 15-foot jumper are Youngs next moves.

Behind Young there is one more power forward, Craig Brackins. The 23-year-old rookie went to Oklahoma City in last Junes draft with the 21st overall pick and has since been traded twice. He played a total of 33 NBA minutes this season, appearing in three games.

Brackins time in the developmental league, however, proved beneficial; in 18 games he averaged 20 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

Lou Williams went down to the D-League his rookie season, and in three appearances he averaged 26 points, 4.7 rebounds and eight assists. They are completely different players, at different positions, but the point is Brackins did what he was supposed to do in that role if in fact he is an NBA talent. He put up numbers.

Youngs defense improved this past season, but he and Brackins dont give the team the necessary defensive presence at the rim that the Sixers so desperately need, and because the Sixers lack the same at the center position, there is a void that needs to be filled by someone.

On Friday we will look at big men the Sixers are looking at in the upcoming June 23 draft and Saturday we will evaluate the center position, the teams weakest link.

E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com
Related: Sizing up the Sixers: Small forwardSizing up the Sixers: Shooting guard

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