Ed Stefanski Rules

Ed Stefanski is brilliant. Billy King may have drafted many of the players that today are a big part of the Sixers' resurgence. But there's no way we get Elton Brand with BK in charge. At least there's no way we get Elton Brand and keep Andre Miller.

To recap here are Ed's masterful moves to date:

• Joins the Sixers as GM in December. Decides to spend time evaluating the product rather than making wholesale changes immediately.
• Trades Kyle Korver to Utah for a first-round pick (this would turn out to be crucial). BK would never have traded Korver, who was an on-again, off-again starter. This trade, innocuous at the time, set up the Sixers future in three big ways. First, it created cap space for a future acquisition. Second, it gave us a draft pick to use on a future acquisition. Third, it created playing time at the 2 and 3 spots so that Thaddeus Young (in particular) and Louis Williams could get more PT. This trade ALONE helped the Sixers get into the playoffs and provided the tools to snag Elton Brand.
• Stefanski saw that the team was gelling around Mo Cheeks and gave him a one-year contract extension. Philadelphians may feel that Cheeks deserves more years (and he does), but Stefanski wisely did not commit a million years to the coach before seeing more consistent results.
• Stefanski woos Josh Smith, BUT REFRAINS FROM OFFERING HIM A CONTRACT since the Hawks could match his deal. He waits to create more cap space to either snag Elton Brand or give Smith a bigger contract. Other options do not seem to appeal to Ed. When Elton considers the Golden State Warriors offer (and this is some speculation on my part), Ed swooped in and met with Brand somewhat secretly when he visited DC to speak with his agent David Falk. Stefanski realized he didn't have the money to match the Clips deal quite yet, but he felt Brand out and figured that he'd join Philly with some more cap room. So ...
• Ed trades Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth, and the first-round pick he got from Utah (Korver trade!) to Minnesota for a conditional second-round pick. This pick gives Ed the cap room to ...
• Sign Elton Brand! The press conference will be today at 5pm!!!!!!

Stefanski has now PROVEN that he is not just a good GM, but a great one. He got Elton Brand for a good value, without giving up an important piece in Andre Miller. When Andre Miller's deal expires next year he can do a number of things: 1) he can trade Miller mid-season for another piece, or 2) he can sign another good player for a decent sum and then sign Andre Miller, or 3) he can sign another player and let Miller go.

All of the prognosticators thought the Sixers HAD TO trade Andre Miller to free up space to get a guy like Brand. Instead, Ed traded Korver, Carney, and Booth. Now he also has plenty of options for the future! The man is brilliant!

For more on Ed see: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-33-29/Ed-Stefanski-
and-the-Philadelphia-Cure-to-Conference-Imbalance.html