I like to think we compete with whatever team we have out there, but I feel a lot better having Elton Brand behind me.
Are you a publisher? Try Daylife's Intelligent Content Services Platform
I like to think we compete with whatever team we have out there, but I feel a lot better having Elton Brand behind me.
Mbah a Moute has had a rough go of it with the guys we've had him guard this year ... He's had to guard Kevin Garnett and in the same game he's had to guard Paul Pierce. He's guarded (Andre) Iguodala in the same game as Elton Brand. We're asking him to guard different sizes and skill sets of players and almost every night he's done a very good job.
I'm a big Elton Brand fan ... One of the interesting phenomenons in all of sports is the integration of major personnel and major talent that's supposed to happen instantaneously. In a chemical game, and that's what I call basketball, without necessarily playing a scripted offense, that takes time. Elton's a good guy, a heckuva player and a hard worker. That's going to come. It just takes time.
You can't live in the past. At the end of the day, we need him. We need Elton Brand. We need him real bad.
We thought that he hadn't fully recovered [last season] and may not until the middle of the season, until he recovers his physical stature again ... I'm sure he worked hard at it. He's a proven NBA player. All that being said, it's still an adjustment and there's still a change going on. I think the team has young talent and is going to improve as the season goes on.