HoopsHype.com Rumors

Alex Kennedy: The Philadelphia 76ers may amnesty Elton Brand this summer, according to sources. I heard that from several people at the NBA Draft Combine. Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

Bill Ingram: Rumor also has it the 76ers are considering using amnesty to unload Elton Brand's final year @ 18mill. Looking to be players in free agency. Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Free Agency, Elton Brand 

If the Sixers do agree to let Elton Brand walk under the NBA’s amnesty clause, they will be in position to add a power forward from the crop of potential free agents in the 2012 class. Amnesty allows a team to pay a player his salary – something even wealthy team owners don’t look upon favorably – while it comes off the team’s salary cap. The power forward who has risen to the top of that list is believed to be New Jersey unrestricted free agent Kris Humphries. Just 27, the 6-9, 235-pound Humphries averaged 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Nets in the recently completed season. He shot better than 48 percent from the field. Philadelphia Inquirer

Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Free Agency, Elton Brand, Kris Humphries 

The Sixers will almost certainly have their name mentioned in connection with Humphries because, if Brand comes off the books, they’ll have plenty of cash below salary cap, which should be in the range of $58 million when it is determined later this summer. Another name you should keep your eyes on is Carl Landry (New Orleans). He’s also the kind of power forward that the Sixers may like. Philadelphia Inquirer

New Orleans Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Free Agency, Elton Brand, Carl Landry 

Brand is due $18 million in the final season of his five-year contract. While he is the locker room leader and the heart of the Sixers, his production never merited the whopping deal he signed as one of the hottest free agents around. He averaged 11 points and 7.2 rebounds this season. Brand says he understands the organization will do what suits it best, but he does not want to leave. “I want to be here, absolutely,” he said, adding that if it was over, “I definitely loved my time here.” New York Times

Philadelphia 76ers, Trade, Elton Brand 

Neither (76ers managing owner) Harris nor Thorn ruled out the use of the NBA’s amnesty provision, likely with veteran forward Elton Brand, who will make $18 million next season, the last of the five-year, $80 million deal he signed with the team in the summer of 2008. And when asked if the team is bothered by the prospect of exceeding the league luxury tax threshold – roughly $70 million – Harris said, “We’re going to be smart about it.” CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Trade, Elton Brand, Josh Harris 

Over the last two games, Brand is averaging 16 points on 59.1 percent shooting. Brand said the injury is still bothering him but he has found a way to play through it. “I feel a little better, but it’s also opportunity,” Brand said. “I played a lot more minutes than in the first [four] games. When you’re out there, you produce more.” Delaware News Journal

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

“It’s the old windsock mentality, whichever way the wind is blowing, right?” Collins said about the calls for him to bench Brand. “That’s why you stay with your pros. Right now, it’s about winning the game. Sometimes, guys aren’t going to be happy [with their playing time]. That’s OK. You don’t want guys on your team happy if they’re not playing. … It’s magnified when it’s one of your key people.” Delaware News Journal

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

For Brand, these playoffs have been rough. After not playing more than 17 minutes, 49 seconds in any of the first four games of the series, Brand looked spry enough in the first half for the Sixers to play him 18 minutes. Brand shrugged off the notion that his injuries are slowing him down. Instead, he chose to focus on what another nice game from him would mean for the Sixers. "It is what it is," Brand said of his injuries. "A lot of guys are playing with a lot of ailments right now so I can't complain. I know a lot of guys are playing with more aches and pains than me, I'm sure. Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

Martin Frank: Elton Brand on shoulder: "hopefully I can wake up one morning and say , 'Eureka! It's healed.'" #Sixers Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Injuries 

Alex Raskin: Doug Collins wants Lavoy Allen on KG but he refuses to take Elton Brandon out of the starting lineup because he "deserves" to start. #76ers Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Lavoy Allen 

Martin Frank: Brand said he saw chiropractor who works w/Celtics yesterday: "He didn’t hurt me too bad," he said with a laugh. #Sixers Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Injuries 

Sixers forwards Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand are both expected to play in tonight's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston. The Sixers said Brand has a strained neck that is impacting the left side of his body. He saw a chiropractor Sunday and was still sore Monday during the team's light shootaround. Brand said the neck has been bothering him for about a week. Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Injuries, Thaddeus Young 

Also on the injury list is forward Elton Brand, who is nursing a sore neck. Brand played only a bit over 15 minutes on Saturday, partially due to the injury, partially due to the effectiveness of Lavoy Allen, who scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in just under 20 minutes. "E.B. was struggling a little bit and Lavoy was playing great," coach Doug Collins said. "I think the guys know that at this point in time I've got to go with the guys who are playing well. E.B. is a proud guy and he's going to give everything he can [in Game 2]. If he's playing well, he'll get those minutes. When they went to a smaller lineup, it's hard to get E.B. and Spencer [Hawes] out there together." Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Doug Collins, Lavoy Allen 

Elton Brand said Taj should not be suspended for Game 6: “It was kind of like an elbow to the face,” Brand said in the locker room. “But I don’t think he should be suspended. Nothing brutal. It was like an elbow, kind of push-off. It wasn’t like a blatant elbow." Sulia

Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand, Taj Gibson 

Next season Elton Brand is owed $18.1 million in salary and could be a candidate for amnesty, though only if the player the Sixers can get is a “game changer.” “For the right person, yes,” Harris said. “Those are the kinds of things that if you do it and you do it wrong it puts you way back. You’ve got to be very careful but if it was a game changer we would consider that. It’s not something we’re afraid of. We’re a deep-pocketed, committed ownership group. But we’re going to be sensible about it. We’re not going to do that for anyone. It would have to be for someone really good.” CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

That year Wallace finished third in the NBA in rebounds per game (12.4) and second in blocked shots (3.0) but he averaged just nine points. The Pistons went on to win the NBA Championship that spring. “I know Andre Iguodala and he definitely deserves it,” said Elton Brand, a two-time All-Star. “It used to be about winning. It has kind of turned to be about stats the last few years but when I first came in the league, if you didn’t win there was no way you were an All-Star. He is winning. He’s a leader. He’s scoring. He gets rebounds. He has triple-doubles. He deserves to be an All-Star.” CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Doug Collins 

One sequence late in the second quarter epitomized how Brand was toying with him: Brand blocked two of Cousins' shots in a row on one end, then backed him down at the other end for an easy basket. Undeterred, Cousins badly misfired on a turn-around jumper against Brand and then let Brand get separation for a catch-and-shoot on an inbounds play. "When you play the young guys, you've definitely got to show them you've got something," said Brand, who was 10 for 14 from the field. "I hit one shot and he's like, 'Nice shot.'" Brand smiled at that point and added, "I'm like, 'That's not a nice shot. That's a shot I do all the time.'" CBSSports.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Elton Brand 

Scrap any thoughts you have about the Sixers ditching Brand, because sources with knowledge of Philly's thinking have made it clear that it's not an option, even with $35.2 million left on Brand's contract through 2012-13. Sixers coach Doug Collins is Brand's loudest supporter in the organization and will inevitably convince new owner Josh Harris that the focus should be on Elton's passable 2010-11 production as opposed to the big money he's still owed. ESPN.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Elton Brand 

In other words, the lowest-paid guys in the league will lose significantly more in one month than the average American will make in an entire year. But let’s look at some of the bigger name players’ losses: Dwyane Wade will lose $2.64 million this month, while his teammates LeBron James and Chris Bosh will both lose out on $2.72 million. Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Elton Brand all will lose between $2.75 million and $3 million, and there are still ten players that will lose even more than that. Four players—Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Rashard Lewis, and Kobe Bryant, would’ve made over $20 million in 2011-2012, and the losses they take are the most drastic. Garnett and Duncan will lose about $3.6 million, Lewis will lose $3.77 million, and Bryant, the highest-paid player in the league, will lose almost $4.3 million. HoopsWorld

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Elton Brand, Deron Williams, Rashard Lewis, Lockout, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett