The Philadelphia 76ers are the worst team in the NBA as they have one win through 26 games and it seems they have finally gotten tired of tanking. With the help of the NBA the Sixers brought in Jerry Colangelo to help out in the front office and to help speed up the process a little bit. Even more recent then that there have been talks that Mike D'Antoni would be joining the coaching staff as Brett Brown's associate head coach but it looks like they aren't quite done with changes yet. Now it is being reported that the 76ers are considering bringing in Elton Brand and Shane Battier, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
The D'Antoni addition, which is expected to start in the next couple of weeks, was Colangelo's first move with the organization as those two have a lot of familiarity with each other from their time with the Phoenix Suns. D'Antoni is not considered a threat to Brown's job as head coach but instead he is expected to help with the offensive side of things and player development.
As for Brand and Battier it is unknown exactly what kind of roles they would be brought in to but the reported thought process for the 76ers is to bring in former players with great reputations so that they can serve as role models for Philadelphia's extremely young team. Lack of role models was considered the biggest reason for Jahlil Okafor's recent transgressions that led to his two game suspension so the idea of having Brand and Battier as role models in the organization is a solid one.
Battier retired after the 2013-14 season after a fourteen year career where he was considered a great teammate and terrific leader. Battier never played for the 76ers during his career but he has always been admired by people all around the league. He currently works as a broadcaster for ESPN.
Brand is in just his first year of retirement but he too was a well-respected leader that many people considered a great teammate. Unlike Battier though, Brand spent four seasons with the 76ers and had a couple of very good seasons towards the end of his career there so that is the clear reason they want him back in the organization.
Philadelphia seems to be in the process of making the proper changes so that the team moves forward instead of backwards like it has so far this season. Colangelo is already starting to make his presence felt a little bit and the possibility of adding Brand and/or Battier to the organization seems like a really wise idea.
