Speaker 1: In the parlor. It's a basketball ops. He's a new
Speaker 1: school Castila right there. I thought that comment from Josh
Speaker 1: Harris was great, one of the signature sound bites last
Speaker 1: week's press conference introducing the old school chevy Elk Brand
Speaker 1: as the fifteenth general manager in seventy six Ers history. Certainly,
Speaker 1: the thirty nine year old descent has been a ridiculously
Speaker 1: rapid one when you think about it. Listened two years ago.
Speaker 1: After all, Brand was still a seventy sixer himself beginning
Speaker 1: what would end up being the final training camp of
Speaker 1: his career. But as a seventeen year run in the
Speaker 1: NBA was wind again, Brand started becoming more and more
Speaker 1: interested in and in tune with the front office work,
Speaker 1: and when he was given a shot to interview with
Speaker 1: ownership about the GM opening earlier this month, he knew
Speaker 1: he had to step up faster than even I thought.
Speaker 1: But I was prepared and unprepared. Now now it'll be
Speaker 1: up to the two time All Star keep the Sixers
Speaker 1: moving along an auspicious path and towards the organization's desired destination.
Speaker 1: The Gold is the Brands Championship to these fans in Philadelphia,
Speaker 1: I'm committed to doing everything in my power and lead
Speaker 1: the team to that goal. Sit in with the recently
Speaker 1: minted new general manager of your Philadelphia seventy Sixers, Elton Brand,
Speaker 1: coming up on this edition of the broadcast. What's up everyone,
Speaker 1: Great to be talking with you on miss the first
Speaker 1: full week of preseason action for the seventy Sixers. Yes,
Speaker 1: training camp underway at the training complex in Campden, New Jersey.
Speaker 1: Coming up on Tuesday, we're gonna have the Blue and
Speaker 1: White Scrimmage presented by Independence Blue Cross at the Polestero.
Speaker 1: Hope you're able to get some tickets to that. And
Speaker 1: then later on this week on Friday, Sixers Melbourne United
Speaker 1: at the Center preseason game number one. Amazing that we
Speaker 1: are off and running. Brian Seltzer, welcoming you back to
Speaker 1: the podcast. Thank you for giving it a listen. We
Speaker 1: are going to speak with Elton Brand on this episode
Speaker 1: of the pod. And here's some other sound from people
Speaker 1: involved with Elton's career, his life the seventy sixers organization
Speaker 1: on what it means for him to have this new
Speaker 1: premier position in the seventy Sixers front office as general manager.
Speaker 1: But before we get to that, let us remind you
Speaker 1: that to subscribe to the podcast, you can do so
Speaker 1: in a couple different places Apple Podcasts, Google Play, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Pocketcasts,
Speaker 1: tune in. Just type in Sixers Podcast Network and that
Speaker 1: will take you to our feed. Who knew that less
Speaker 1: than two years ago when the seventy Sixers offered Elton
Speaker 1: Brand the chance to stay involved with the organization shortly
Speaker 1: after his retirement with the position of player development consultant,
Speaker 1: that that would ultimately lead the way for Brand to
Speaker 1: become the face of the Sixers front office now as
Speaker 1: general manager. Before our interview with Elton Brand, let's go
Speaker 1: through a couple of soundbites surrounding Brand's appointment to the
Speaker 1: Sixers GM post a little bit more first from Sixers
Speaker 1: managing partner Josh Harris on what made Brand, in his mind,
Speaker 1: the perfect choice for a modern day general manager in
Speaker 1: the eyes of the Sixers ownership group. I think ultimately
Speaker 1: that you know, Elton was the best individual for the
Speaker 1: job across the board. There were many factors in it,
Speaker 1: but you know, everyone's aware of Elton's credentials as a
Speaker 1: player and how many years he spent in the NBA.
Speaker 1: But what we learned through the process of interviewing was
Speaker 1: that he had a great vision for how we could
Speaker 1: win a championship. He was a great leader. He was
Speaker 1: extremely well thought of internally and understood our culture and
Speaker 1: what we were trying to do. So all of those
Speaker 1: things were important. You start with integrity and with integrity,
Speaker 1: and if that's not you know, you know number one,
Speaker 1: then you know you don't do it. Obviously you don't
Speaker 1: get you don't always get it right. But yeah, I
Speaker 1: think that all of that stuff was important and he
Speaker 1: was a right guy for the job. Going back to
Speaker 1: Brand's announcement is GM, which is where Harris spoke last Thursday,
Speaker 1: the support Elton was obvious. I mean, it was really
Speaker 1: amazing to just see how many people packed the mezzanine
Speaker 1: section of the Sixers facility, which was where the press
Speaker 1: conference was held. You had players, you had coaches, you
Speaker 1: had training staff, scouts, support staff also from the Sixers
Speaker 1: business building as well, so there was no doubt unanimous
Speaker 1: supports rallied behind Elton Brand. So let's hear from some
Speaker 1: of the voices who were in the crowd when Brand
Speaker 1: was rolled out as GM, beginning with Brett Brown, with
Speaker 1: whom Brand is going to have a very unique and
Speaker 1: important partnership. Brown speaking about some of his observations related
Speaker 1: to Brand going back to this past summer, and also
Speaker 1: an anecdote about Brand getting the backing of several of
Speaker 1: his colleagues Alex Rucker and Had Cohen and Mark Eversley,
Speaker 1: who were also bidding for the Sixers GM gig. The group,
Speaker 1: although they were all interviewing for the same position, are
Speaker 1: the ones that are like putting the hand up for Elton.
Speaker 1: You know, there was a incredible this thing I saw
Speaker 1: of friendship, collaboration, recognition of roles, understanding of sort of
Speaker 1: where we were at. And Elton amongst his peas you know,
Speaker 1: was one of the people that they were cheer leading.
Speaker 1: Foreign for me, just watching the group, watching Alton Brand
Speaker 1: in particular, and knowing the history that Elton has in
Speaker 1: the Late League and with the G League team, I
Speaker 1: felt confident, you know, like he's gonna be a GM.
Speaker 1: It was just a matter of when and who, and
Speaker 1: I'm thrilled it was with us. Seated pretty close to
Speaker 1: the front row of the seating area at the press
Speaker 1: conference for Alton Brand was David Fok And if you're
Speaker 1: not familiar with him, he is one of the true
Speaker 1: powerbrokers in the NBA. Big time agent Elton Brand one
Speaker 1: of his prominent clients in the late nineteen nineties early
Speaker 1: two thousands. It's the only representative Brand has ever had
Speaker 1: and David Fok was at the press conference for Elton
Speaker 1: and shared some comments about his relationship with Brand. I
Speaker 1: think Elton was one of the smattest players I've had it,
Speaker 1: that oportunity workflow, it I've worked for hundreds. I think
Speaker 1: Elton has spent a great deal of time in business ventures,
Speaker 1: both in and movies, music and venture capital. He was
Speaker 1: very intrigued by the business side, and I think just
Speaker 1: as a very natural evolution for him. Interview with Elton
Speaker 1: in a second, I promise, but just real quickly a
Speaker 1: couple more sound bites from some players who have perspective
Speaker 1: on the type of person Elton Brand is. This was
Speaker 1: Joe Ellenbid. As soon as I heard the news, I
Speaker 1: just thought about two years ago. I remember dunking on them,
Speaker 1: and we actually talked about it when he got the job.
Speaker 1: When I texted him, I just remember dunking on him
Speaker 1: really bad, and I was like, that's that's crazy. And
Speaker 1: I was two years ago. In two years ago you
Speaker 1: were still playing with us and h he's a GM.
Speaker 1: That's much respect and I was happy for amazing crazy,
Speaker 1: but that's also the reality. So cool. And lastly, why
Speaker 1: don't we play this cut from new seventy six er
Speaker 1: Mike Mascalo, the Bucknell product, before coming to the seventy
Speaker 1: six ers this offseason, had only ever played in the
Speaker 1: NBA for the Atlanta Hawks, and during his early time
Speaker 1: there he overlapped with brand. He was a great teammate.
Speaker 1: He taught me a lot. We would play pick up
Speaker 1: throughout the year, which I wasn't getting a lot of minutes,
Speaker 1: just to stay in shape and everything. And I remember
Speaker 1: one time too, I'll never forget. It was my first
Speaker 1: full year with the Hawks, and I only played about
Speaker 1: half the games that regular season, and when I came
Speaker 1: back out during halftime to shoot, I was out just
Speaker 1: like shooting, you know, because that's like what you knew,
Speaker 1: just kind of get warmed up whatever. But but I
Speaker 1: hadn't played all game, and I probably hadn't played a
Speaker 1: few games before that too, so he I remember him
Speaker 1: being like, NA, just rebound, like pass the ball to
Speaker 1: your teammates, And I thought that was really cool because
Speaker 1: it's like you can still help your team by just
Speaker 1: like whatever the work work and you're rebounding because I'm
Speaker 1: passing in. But it was just it was so selfless
Speaker 1: and that was something I'll never forget, clearly Brand leaving
Speaker 1: a very positive and impactful impression on Mike Muscala. All right,
Speaker 1: let's get to it. Recorded on media Day last week,
Speaker 1: here's our sit down with Elton Brand. Elton, first of all, congratulations,
Speaker 1: this has got to be a pretty exciting time for you.
Speaker 1: Thanks Bria. So we're gonna talk about the team, your vision,
Speaker 1: your thoughts on how things are. But I really wanted
Speaker 1: to begin by talking about you because my personal opinion,
Speaker 1: I thought the way you seemed up on the days
Speaker 1: the press conference stage, ADDIE's comfortable, humorous at times, Who
Speaker 1: are you and had a dad demeanor and your personality
Speaker 1: come together because to me, that's one of the first
Speaker 1: things that jumps off the page. I'm very confident myself,
Speaker 1: but at the same time, I'm humble, like I know
Speaker 1: that I'm not alone in this. It takes a great staff,
Speaker 1: great people, and I feel we have that we have
Speaker 1: some of the tops in their verticals around the league.
Speaker 1: So just knowing I have someone to lean on, someone
Speaker 1: to talk to, to help grow this organization. Coach Brett Brown,
Speaker 1: being with him, you know, playing with him, being around
Speaker 1: him for these years, that's just what we are. We're family.
Speaker 1: So I know that's where I get my comfort from.
Speaker 1: I know that we're together and we're unified. I'm trying
Speaker 1: to think back, at least throughout your professional career and
Speaker 1: your college career in basketball, that this high character reputation
Speaker 1: has always followed you someone of integrity, honesty. What you
Speaker 1: see is what you get if you think back in
Speaker 1: your life. Has it always been that way? Was there
Speaker 1: ever a point when Elton Brand ever made trouble or
Speaker 1: cause a ruckets or anything like? Absolutely? Absolutely, you know,
Speaker 1: just you grow up, you mature. There was sometimes that
Speaker 1: I've passed that threshold and said, look, I'm gonna try
Speaker 1: to be honest, always live with integrity, even if people
Speaker 1: don't like it or may not help propel me in
Speaker 1: a way, I still need to be honest for myself
Speaker 1: and and my mom. She helped instill that to me.
Speaker 1: What example did she said? How did she set that
Speaker 1: type of example? So a few times she was going
Speaker 1: to get the switch and I said, Mom, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: she's just said this. And always be honest with people.
Speaker 1: That would be a great trick to have, no matter
Speaker 1: what the situation, because you won't have to think about it,
Speaker 1: you won't have to remember any lives. Just be honest
Speaker 1: and be thoughtful and be fair. I know your mom, Daisy,
Speaker 1: she's been gone for about fifteen years now, But what
Speaker 1: would you think she would say of all this, how
Speaker 1: things have come together and especially in later this recent
Speaker 1: promotion that you received. Yeah, no, my mom is you know,
Speaker 1: smiling down and know she's so proud. You know, just
Speaker 1: give it all, stay focused and work hard, and you know,
Speaker 1: don't forget the morrows and the work I think that
Speaker 1: she helped in still with me, but I know she's
Speaker 1: happy and listening to managing partner Josh Harris talk about
Speaker 1: the selection process us and the package that you offered
Speaker 1: and the choice of you as general manager. Leadership was
Speaker 1: a word that was used a lot in your introductory
Speaker 1: press conference. How do you like to lead? What does
Speaker 1: leadership mean to you? You know, I like to lead.
Speaker 1: I like to lead in kind of a collaborative way.
Speaker 1: You know, at the end of the day, I make
Speaker 1: the call it's going to be me making a call,
Speaker 1: but everyone has input. I will take the input from
Speaker 1: analytics to relationships to players. But at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, I know that it's important to have great
Speaker 1: people around you, which I do have. I also like
Speaker 1: to delegate and elevate, like, listen, you can do this.
Speaker 1: You can do this. Know your role, you can do
Speaker 1: it and be strong at it. When you knew that
Speaker 1: there was a chance for you to go for this position,
Speaker 1: you said in the press conference, you stepped up right
Speaker 1: away as being that type of assertive person. Is that
Speaker 1: always something that's that's come naturally too? In one particular
Speaker 1: about this opportunity made you feel like it was something
Speaker 1: you couldn't pass up pursuing aggressively. Yeah, No, I felt
Speaker 1: I had to step up. There was two sides because
Speaker 1: I was also taking a risk. I could be in
Speaker 1: player development longer. I can be the GM of the
Speaker 1: Blue Coats. I could be VP of basketball operations for
Speaker 1: the Sixers and maybe have a five six year run
Speaker 1: and that level. On that level, hopefully someone else come
Speaker 1: in and they'll keep me around. But for this group,
Speaker 1: the group that we have here currently that got us
Speaker 1: to this spot, I just felt like, Hey, if I
Speaker 1: have an opportunity to keep this core group together, and
Speaker 1: I'm talking about the core group off the court, I
Speaker 1: need to step up and just go for it. And
Speaker 1: that's what I did. Can you take us inside the
Speaker 1: interview room a bit? I mean, what was that? Like?
Speaker 1: I gotta imagine there were a lot of really accomplished
Speaker 1: people that you were in front of, and you probably
Speaker 1: only hit a certain amount of time to make an impressions.
Speaker 1: So what was that? Like? You know, the preparation was important.
Speaker 1: You know, I really prepared, looked that vision, looked a
Speaker 1: sample questions, talked to various GMS and agents and even owners.
Speaker 1: I called a few owners to say, hey, what are
Speaker 1: you looking for in a GM? Just so I was
Speaker 1: prepared if I did get the job, but also for
Speaker 1: the interview in the room. It started off Josh and
Speaker 1: myself first, then David Blitzer and myself first, and then
Speaker 1: I knew it got real when I was meeting with
Speaker 1: Scott O'Neil, Josh and David Blitzer together and the questioning changed,
Speaker 1: like it went from that vision and our player personnel
Speaker 1: to more, well, if you get the job, how would
Speaker 1: you handle this situation? And things of that nature. So
Speaker 1: that's when I said, Okay, I really do have a chance.
Speaker 1: Did you leave the interview feeling good? Yeah, I left
Speaker 1: the interview feeling good. I was confident. I wasn't sure
Speaker 1: I was going to get the job, but I know
Speaker 1: I put my best foot forward. Have you studied leadership
Speaker 1: over the course of your life. Who are some of
Speaker 1: the people that you have paid attention to some of
Speaker 1: your leadership influences. You know, of course the ex President Obama.
Speaker 1: You know the way he communicated that that was a
Speaker 1: great way to to, you know, lead, David Falk mentor mind,
Speaker 1: he's been great in the business of basketball, you know,
Speaker 1: his leadership, his skills to lead. And then I said,
Speaker 1: Brett Brown, he's a great leader. He's a great leader.
Speaker 1: People want to work for him, people want to give
Speaker 1: their best for him, and they exude that. You know,
Speaker 1: it's the environment that makes that happen. Let's discuss Brett
Speaker 1: a little bit more. He did look like a proud
Speaker 1: mentor figure, father figure off on the side during your
Speaker 1: press conference. You just really seem to be naturally and
Speaker 1: genuinely beaming. How does a partnership between the two of
Speaker 1: you make this whole organization and operation better. Yeah, GM
Speaker 1: and a coach, they always have a partnership. If you
Speaker 1: want to win, you can't have one without the other
Speaker 1: and be successful. So we are totally aligned. We're unified,
Speaker 1: and just having him in my corner really means a
Speaker 1: lot to me because it's not going to go anywhere
Speaker 1: if we're button heads and having discussions about who fits,
Speaker 1: two doesn't fit, So us being a line just helps
Speaker 1: helps everything just go a lot smoothly. Do you have
Speaker 1: an anecdote or a story of how he's advocated for
Speaker 1: you or supported you at any point during your association
Speaker 1: with the team the last couple of years since you return,
Speaker 1: So I'll give an anecdote about just recently. You know,
Speaker 1: when I was high into discussions and it could happen
Speaker 1: for me. He came right to me and said, look,
Speaker 1: you can do this. You will be great at it.
Speaker 1: You might make some mistakes at the beginning, but you
Speaker 1: own it and you grow into it. But you can
Speaker 1: do this and I would love to have you. And
Speaker 1: that meant a lot to me. This is before I
Speaker 1: even you know, it was finalized that I would get
Speaker 1: the job. Let's talk about this year's team. What do
Speaker 1: you see, we have our core, we have our young
Speaker 1: core their first year playing in the playoffs. They're going
Speaker 1: to develop and grow our accomplished vets of course, Ben
Speaker 1: and Joe, well that's what I'm talking about, and our
Speaker 1: accomplished vets will add to that mode. They're hungry. We
Speaker 1: did not like the way we ended that season, so
Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm excited to see a lot of growth.
Speaker 1: And everyone's been working tirelessly this summer. This thing that
Speaker 1: you guys felt after the game five lost the Celtics,
Speaker 1: hadd that effect from what you observed and how these
Speaker 1: guys handled themselves in the offseason and their work ethic
Speaker 1: and drive the group was they were just upset. They
Speaker 1: were upset. They wanted more. There's more to do, and
Speaker 1: you saw that in their summer workouts. Travel schedules were
Speaker 1: based about working out, getting better, getting in the gym
Speaker 1: because they didn't like that feeling. We know. The style
Speaker 1: of play pretty much is what it is with a
Speaker 1: Brett Brown coach team, run, space, defend. Are there other tweaks?
Speaker 1: Are there's subtle tweaks underneath that that you'd like to
Speaker 1: see to try and help the core nucleus of this
Speaker 1: group get to that next step. Oh yeah, of course,
Speaker 1: the space and the pace, that's what we hang our
Speaker 1: hat on. But even you look at that and the
Speaker 1: most prolific scoring team was Houston last year and they
Speaker 1: were last in miles ran per game. We were second.
Speaker 1: So you know, just concentrated when to move, how to move,
Speaker 1: and how to be effective. That's what we're working on.
Speaker 1: Everyone talks about Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons obviously being
Speaker 1: cornerstones for this franchise. What are the next steps for
Speaker 1: both of those two players if you can break down
Speaker 1: their individual games, Yeah, now they're going to be are
Speaker 1: close to it already global superstars. Joel is going to
Speaker 1: continue to expand his range and just be more accurate
Speaker 1: from three, which he's been working on. We know what
Speaker 1: he can do in a low post. He's so dominant.
Speaker 1: Ben's going to improve his free throws, you know, around
Speaker 1: the rim, and what he's doing this play creation is playmaking,
Speaker 1: and then defensively, they're both as solid as they come.
Speaker 1: With Joel, it seems like a buzzword this offseason that
Speaker 1: people have used as bullyball. How would you define Joel
Speaker 1: playing bullyball? Can you give examples of games where he
Speaker 1: had success doing that. Yeah, he's just so physical. These
Speaker 1: just so dominant around the paint. That's where he he's unstoppable.
Speaker 1: This summer, I was tasked with trying to find guys
Speaker 1: to meet his physicality. It was impossible. I'm getting seven
Speaker 1: to two hundred and eighty pound guys. They couldn't move.
Speaker 1: I'm getting long, athletic, you know, seven one springboards, they
Speaker 1: couldn't bank. So it's just he's just a matchup nightmare
Speaker 1: for any basketball player to guard. Ben seems to have
Speaker 1: a really good way. I think, no nonsense demeanor about him.
Speaker 1: For the time you've spent around the game, is it
Speaker 1: common to come by guys that young who have that
Speaker 1: determined and focus of a mindset. Yeah, it's very uncommon
Speaker 1: to come around and be around players so young with
Speaker 1: that kind of mindset. There's just no nonsense. I want
Speaker 1: to win. I'm gonna through it. It takes to win.
Speaker 1: But that tip on their shoulder is what propels them
Speaker 1: to be great. They want to be great, and they
Speaker 1: know to be great they have to do it together.
Speaker 1: So that point that you just made the doing it together.
Speaker 1: How does a team, an organization nurture and foster the
Speaker 1: relationships that you would see something like the Golden States
Speaker 1: superstars have what obviously has been built in Houston, teams
Speaker 1: like Boston have. How do you try and grow to
Speaker 1: potential pre eminent talents winning winning cures or als? And
Speaker 1: I think last year in Boston, losing will propel us
Speaker 1: because they want to win. That's their only mindset is winning.
Speaker 1: That's all they're about. So they understand they can't do
Speaker 1: it individually and they're going to need help to get
Speaker 1: to the you know, the ultimate goal to winning championships,
Speaker 1: so that that really helps winning. That's that's all about winning.
Speaker 1: If you don't win, then you get some fraction, then
Speaker 1: you potentially add someone like another number one pick in
Speaker 1: Marquelle Faults into the mix. What do you think in
Speaker 1: your mind for you would constitute a successful season for
Speaker 1: Marquelle this year? Yeah, Marquelle, but I've seen so far
Speaker 1: it's very very encouraging. He's working tirelessly. Also, we talk
Speaker 1: about adding another piece from free agency or trade, but
Speaker 1: we may have another young talented superstar house with him,
Speaker 1: Dario Cove. They all worked hard, so we have to
Speaker 1: definitely look at that. But successful season for him? Is
Speaker 1: this being the number one pick, you know, coming out
Speaker 1: there playing, being confident in his ability, which he has
Speaker 1: been we've seen all summer, and just going from there.
Speaker 1: What are some of his skills that you feel are
Speaker 1: most ready at this point to translate to an NBA floor.
Speaker 1: You know, his ball handling skills, his passing skills, his
Speaker 1: profile to play defense at six six. If he does
Speaker 1: those things, well, he'll be fine. We hear a lot
Speaker 1: the word collaboration, and that was something that ownership sought
Speaker 1: in its general manager candidate, and as you said earlier,
Speaker 1: that's something that you're a very big believer in. Can
Speaker 1: we take a hypothetical scenario. Let's say we have player
Speaker 1: X and you have this group, this team that you
Speaker 1: guys have been working with in the offseason, and Alex Rucker,
Speaker 1: Mark Eversley, Ned Cohen, Player X comes along that you
Speaker 1: guys have to make a decision on how does the
Speaker 1: communication and the collaboration work. What are the different checks
Speaker 1: and balances things that you guys discuss. Yeah, so of
Speaker 1: course we discuss on the court. How do they look
Speaker 1: on the court. We look at the analytics and the
Speaker 1: data to see how they would fit on the court
Speaker 1: with our group. Next we go to Intel about off
Speaker 1: the court. Okay, is this guy a person? We feel
Speaker 1: like our environment and culture can help them grow. Intel
Speaker 1: may not be as positive as some other guys, but
Speaker 1: can they come to our environment and see our no
Speaker 1: nonsense style of play coach and what we have, the
Speaker 1: relationship he has with his players and can he fit in?
Speaker 1: And then last of course, goes to salary like what's
Speaker 1: this going to cost us versus our cap, versus signing
Speaker 1: other players versus signing our own players and what that
Speaker 1: would look like. Brett Brown was one the last year
Speaker 1: set the expectation the playoffs for this team. Do you
Speaker 1: set tangible expectations for this group? Do you have anything
Speaker 1: in particular in mind that you would specifically like to
Speaker 1: see this year? Yeah, I'd just like to see us
Speaker 1: build off last year, you know, build In my opinion,
Speaker 1: we're still a work in progress, but just keep building,
Speaker 1: keep growing. In the immediate future that's the goal, But
Speaker 1: the long term future is to get the championship. So
Speaker 1: this is it's more than a development year to me,
Speaker 1: but the guys are still developing. It was definitely an
Speaker 1: intriguing offseason. Four The Eastern Conference as a whole, how
Speaker 1: would you sum up the landscape now in the East.
Speaker 1: Of course, with Kawhi Leonard going to Toronto, they've improved. Boston,
Speaker 1: who we lost to in you know, Game five, they've
Speaker 1: they're getting too basically all stars back. So you know
Speaker 1: Milwaukee coach Budenhauser, he's there now, which I've played for.
Speaker 1: He's a talented coach. So yeah, the East has has
Speaker 1: gotten stronger, for sure. We lost Lebron so now it's
Speaker 1: more wide open for sure. Before we get to the
Speaker 1: regular season, you guys were taking a week and a
Speaker 1: half long trip to China. What do you hope the
Speaker 1: team takes away from that opportunity to play in China?
Speaker 1: Hopefully we get to bond. You know, it's a long trip,
Speaker 1: long ride on the airplane, buses, scheduling, just come together, bond,
Speaker 1: make that bond stronger and you know, get better. We
Speaker 1: still have games out there. We're playing Dallas, so we
Speaker 1: can grow from there. And I'm now thinking about this.
Speaker 1: In your position, you're gonna have a chance to effect
Speaker 1: the way a player comes in here, enjoy his experience
Speaker 1: and then leaves. What would you like someone to take
Speaker 1: away from their experience playing for the Philadelphia seventy six Ers. Yeah,
Speaker 1: playing for the six Ers, I want players to go
Speaker 1: to other teams or you retire, just saying they really
Speaker 1: took care of us on and off the court, with
Speaker 1: our athlete care, with our relationships, being honest, upfront, leading
Speaker 1: with integrity, just having a great, great experience when they
Speaker 1: come to Philadelphia, period, family, whatever it is. We want
Speaker 1: to make sure they're all taking care of them, making
Speaker 1: people feel good. That is so much at the essence
Speaker 1: of what Elton Brand has been about in his entire
Speaker 1: basketball life, and without question, now he's going to have
Speaker 1: an opportunity to have more of an influence in that
Speaker 1: respect than ever as the seventy six ers new general manager.
Speaker 1: I want to thank Elton Brand for taking the time
Speaker 1: to sit down on media day last week. Hope you
Speaker 1: enjoyed the chat, and as always, thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: Check your feed for a new podcast either later this
Speaker 1: week or at the start of next week, as we
Speaker 1: go deeper inside training camp coverage for the team and
Speaker 1: also preview what lies on the very immediate horizon for
Speaker 1: these Sixers, the Pacific horizon, that is, as the Sixers
Speaker 1: get set for their anticipated trip to China for the
Speaker 1: NBA China Games ridiculously, that is coming up next week.
Speaker 1: All right, talk to you next time. Take care,