The BroadCast | A Conversation With Elton Brand

We're built for the playoffs. I was looking forward to actually seeing what that would look like for Ben Simmons status. He's going to be back and then it's just off to the releases to Joel and beats postseason potential. He can ramp up like no other. What he brings to our team, that's what it makes us a real competitor and contender. In we zoom with Sixers general manager Elton Brand on this episode of the broadcast, how you doing

out there, seventy Sixers pod people, It's Brian Seltzer. Hope we're doing well and that you and your peeps are staying as safe and small aren't and healthy as possible as we continue to navigate these tricky times. Last we heard from Elton Brand, at least publicly, he too was

navigating some tricky times. The circumstances were pretty surreal. It was March eleventh at the Center Mere moments after the NBA announced its decision to halt the season, the forty one year old general managers spoke at a quickly arranged press conference just outside the Sixers locker room that lasted all of two minutes. Brand Like everyone else reporters players, Brett Brown, who was seated next to him, was simply

trying to wrap his mind around the news. I guess what do you think about the fact that the season has actually come out to the point where that has suspended. Um, we have great leadership in NBA follow their lead. Is important that the fans, players, coaching staff, our staff here at the Sixers, UM, you know, remain healthy and we do everything we can so we believe in a leadership

in the league. Two months later, Brandon the seventy Sixers find themselves in a groove of going about their demanding day to day remotely. In a conversation we published on May fifth, the second year general manager reflects on how he and the Sixers have adapted to unprecedented circumstances all while eagerly hoping to at some point continue their pursuit of a championship. EB it is great to see you zoom or by any other mechanism. Just nice to see

the face. After a couple months, I see some facial hair. If people are listening this, they might not be able to see it, obviously, but there is some facial hair there a quarantine byproduct. I'm sure, right, absolutely, Brian, good to see two. Hope you and your family are healthy and safe. But yeah, some facial hair more greg protruding out than usual. But uh, you know how to teach myself how to do a haircut? I did okay job? Really? Did you yeah? Or did I do it okay job? Well,

that's what a viewers to decide. If you I think it looks great? Who who did the execution? Did you really do it by your own hand? Or do you have some personal assistance with the fam at home? No, my wife and kids did not help. I did it on my own. I don't know what the back looks like. And he used the mirror and get that fancy. But it was getting really really rough in the in the quarantine age, so I had to shave it down I

had to shave it down. I feel like, by today's standards, as long as it's presentable from the front and looks okay on a zoom or a team's call or anything like that, then you're in good shape. Right, I agree? I agree. Well, tell us for people out there who last they heard from you was the night the season went into suspension, how are you doing? Are you okay? Just from a lifestyle standpoint first and foremost, you know, lifestyle, it's been a lot of it's been a lot of ups,

a few downs. You know, it's tough. No, it's tough. My wife she's been great picking me up. We talk every morning about, you know, how must see you having the tank. I have twenty, she can step up and do eighty. And if she has twenty, I can push for eighty. And we both don't have it. We'll figure it out along with the kids. But it's it's it's it's been tough, along with work and everything else, because

I had to set some boundaries. We have meetings and zoom meetings and WebEx and phone calls and I'm on committees and back to play and when we're gonna get back to play. Every single day so it's it's it's been a lot, but I've been getting adjusted and we are where we are. It sounds like you have a full day right now. Yeah, alluded to that to it earlier.

We had to set some boundaries, you know, I had to say, hey, you know, let's enjoy part of a weekend at least, you know, let's end the zoom calls or the WebEx calls or the video conferences because we're trying to I'm talking to Adam Silver, the Commissioner, on GM agendas and return to action on a committee. We have the draft. I'm doing deep dives in the draft. Vince Roseman, as he did last year, is leading those

scouting efforts with the draft. So you free agency and all these scenarios that we have to plan for because there's so much unknown. I feel like this is probably a subject we could talk about for hours, if not over the course of multiple days, but for as much as you can in this window of time that we have.

Can you walk us through what you recall from when you found out the season was suspended to where things are now with the front office, how you guys built up the remote infrastructure to take care of the day to day that you guys need to do for a

professional basketball team. Yeah, I've rewinded a little bit further. So, you know, I was in California for the Clipper game, Laker game, Golden State Warrior game, and I don't know if they were testing before us, but there were many more cases and it was more of a hotbed at the time. So when I got back to the Northeast, I had a different sense of what was going on.

So I decided made the decision to take the scouts off of the road a little earlier than some other teams, and we went more to video work right there for the draft and for free agency. It's like, we don't know where this thing is going, but if there's a chance, I'd rather um, you know, falling on the side of safety. So we took the scouts off the road. This is before the NCAA was canceled, before all the high school tournaments were canceled and things of that nature, or the

All American games you're canceled. Um. And then that night I was just just in shock because you don't know what what's going to happen. Um. You know, we rely on the leadership of the n Nbaum and they were going with the knowledge that they had, you know at the time. So we were the first league to put the season on the hiatus, which you made me proud, and then we just went to work from there. How do we make sure our players are are in a safe environment? How do we make sure that their k

cared for? Not just physically, but you know, this can take a mental toll on you, especially you're a young person used to having friends and traveling and being around basketball your entire life. Um, you know fur Con these his family still in Turkey, Like, how do we interact and keep him engaged and mentally, mentally engaged and just just healthy all the way around. I can't imagine that there is any playbook in any line of work or walk of life that could have prepared a person, a team,

society for something like this. What did you fall back upon? How did you adapt and adjust to this on the fly? Um? Yeah, it SAIDs a human level, Like you said, society, It's like it's it's bigger than sports, it's bigger than basketball. Um, just trying to relate to everything from a human level. What do you need as a as a human, as a person, What can we do just to make your

transition with all this as easy as possible. And then on the other side, you know, as a fan, like I'm chomping at the bit to figure out a way to you know, have some some semblance of sports in our season and the team we put together and competing, and so I look forward to the day when it's deemed safe for us to do that. Amen to that.

From what I remember the night of the Pistons game at the Center, I don't think I really even paid attention to one bit of the game itself, because right after tip it seemed like there was this scroll on social media on my Twitter feed of development after development. It was first Tom Hanks and his wife tested positive. Then you saw reports coming out of Oklahoma City and what was going on there, and it just seemed like,

very quickly, there was no doubt about it. The league needed to take action and take action as quickly as it could. Yeah, now we were I was on that same path, says that the Tom Hanks. I didn't know about that one til later. But we're following what's going on with Oklahoma City, you know, against the Jazz, and you know where they're going with it, and the game's postponed, and what's going on? There's another game? I think the Sacramento Kings are playing the public are they're gonna play?

What does this mean for us? And then post game, you know, I got the news that we're putting the season on a hiatus for postponing the season and just had to address the players. And I just just went in that locker room, and the unknowns are still unknown, so I didn't know what were where we were going,

how long this would last. And I'm glad the way the league handled it all for fans who might not be familiar with how you guys communicate, but also at the same time not asking you to spill too many secrets. How do you get the message out to players in a remote world like for instance us In our world and the business side of the seventy six ers, we use Microsoft Teams and Slack, that sort of thing. So how do you stay in touch with the players on

a regular basis? Yeah, so we do, of course, you know, the org side, we have Slack, we have teams players, we use more video conference and tools sometimes like Zoom or WebEx or FaceTime. I'm a little old school. I'll just call them kind of get permission to FaceTime. I'm still I'm still in the era. This is weird to have someone just FaceTime me out there blue like I need permission, Like, hey, then if you want to FaceTime

and talk, we can do that. Players have had happy hours that I haven't been invited to, but they've They've been getting together on our own and Brett. Brett's been leading, you know, with his staff. They're preparing as you know, the season's coming back and we have to be ready for a regular season or playoffs. There are two three

times a week they're getting together. They're on the video conference and technology working and we do something with the players probably every two weeks that we just get together. I pop on, I don't stay too long. Basically, give a message and an update and let them go. You alluded to this dynamic and this tricky balancing act that you guys are currently in the midst of. Right now with the season in limbo, you have the evidence of about two thirds of the season to fall back on,

but now it's during this hiatus. If play were to resume, there is projecting out as far as what might be. How do you account for the layoff and whatever ripple effects that might have. So I guess my question is how do you do it? How do you strike that balance and walk that line? Like what are the pieces of evidence you're trying to piece together here? Yeah, So it's it's strictly scenario planting. There's there's nothing that we

can't be surprised by. So it's we don't know when the draft is, but we're assuming that the draft is going to happen, So we're preparing as you know it's going to be in June. We don't know when we're going to return, but I think we are going to return, So we're preparing like business is usual when we return. This is what we're gonna need. This is what the

players will need to ramp up and get ready. Everyone's gonna need ramp up time, UM to get back to to UM, you know, physically fit state that you can compete at an NBA level. UM, you know, free agency, what happens at this what happens is that. So it's just a lot of scenario planning so that we don't miss anything more With Elton brand in about fifteen seconds in this time of social distancing, Novocare rehabilitation is offering

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where did you think the team was at? And I think that the season was incompletely you know, we knew we need to get our players healthy. Down to stretch. You know, Joel was out, Ben was out. You know, keep mashing. We have some really good games. We proved that we could beat anybody. So this home stretch was going to be about that, just getting everybody healthy. Um, we said it all season long. We're built for the playoffs. I was looking forward to actually, you know, seeing what

that would look like. It's funny because even though the wins weren't there, on that West Coast trip, it felt like there were some good things that were happening. The vibes were positive, there was energy it seemed like not just demeanor wise the guys off the court, but in how they played. Then Joel comes back for the Detroit game, has a great night. Did you see things trending in the right direction at that point in time, it was that's that's what you want. You want to hit that

stage where you know, all cylinders are flowing shape. Broke out against the Clippers, had an amazing game. Um, you know, be Sacramento. You know, a game or two after that, after a good battle with the Lakers, great spirited battle. Um, Joel comes back, has an amazing game at home. Um. So we were just kind of putting the pieces together.

Ben Um, his rehab is going well, so when it's time to ramp up, I'm encouraged and I see him being able to ramp up and be right along with his teammates when it's when did we do return to play? So but we were trending in the right direction. So that's a little disheartening. But of course what we're dealing with is like we talked about, as bigger than basketball. But as a fan, um me being a fan of the game, it's it's a little disheartening. I wanted to

see it. I know this is probably a very obvious question and it may have an obvious answer, but the Ben Simmons that we saw this season before the nerv and pigment, if he comes back, what does that do for this team? You know, it's he's going to be back, and then it's it's just off to the racist. You know,

he's his defensive level. We went back to Brett and I we were talking about pre All Star Break in the game against the Clippers at home and the defense he played against Kauai and that level of intensity like that was high level. I don't want to even say

first round playoff basket, but I was high level. You multiple round playoff basketball in the atmosphere and that energy that he brought in, that skill set that he brought, and again Joel being healthy and having our full compliment of our team, Shakespeaw latise growth for con coming into his own in the season that he had. So we're looking to all put it together. What do you think

triggered that next step defensively for Ben? Does it go back as far as what happened this time last year against the Raptors and how he was challenged with obviously facing quiet in that series and then the series before that against Brooklyn, he had to go up against some really good guards in that series. Yeah, I think it's his competitive nature. You know, before you know him missing these games. I think he's missed one game last season.

You know, it says he's such an elite competitor, elite young player, young talent, and he just wants to win. He wants the team to win, and he wants to do whatever he has to do to have the team win. The incredible thing about Joel is that he can have games like forty nine and fourteen, like what he did in that home game against Atlanta, miss a couple of weeks, come back and then drop thirty and put up fourteen

rebounds against the Detroit Pistons. Where did you guys think that he was at right before the season was put on pause. Yeah, he was at that stage where you know, bet against Joel and b he was at that flock in focus. That's that's special. And he's so talented and when he brings that, you know what he brings to our team and to our court. That's that's what makes

us a real competitor and contender. In my opinion, we talked a lot going back to last summer after the acquisitions and the signings, and at the start of this year of this starting five and its potential. But as the season unfolded, we saw some really encouraging and strong

player development success stories. Whether it was someone like a fur Con Cork, Moise Matisse, Thible right off the bat jumping in and doing what he did, and then you referenced Shake Milton in the way that he was coming on in relief of Ben Simmons right before the outbreak of Corona. What do you think was helpful to putting some of these players on the right path as far as the player development standpoint. Um, you know, I give a lot of kudos to Brett Brown and the player

development crew for what they've done. They always had the players ready. You know, we didn't know Josh would miss as many games as he missed, or you know, for Batist to have to step up or bend to miss any games. He was really durable for Shake to step up. But once they got their opportunity that they were, they were they were engaged, they was zoned in, and they

were they were ready, and they stepped up. They really stepped up and that's what you want, added a young player, so now they have a taste of it and they only want more. They can't wait to get back so that they can continue to grow and seize the moment. Do you have any sense of what it could look

like from a team standpoint on your side? For a perfect world, let's say all clear is given for play to resume somehow, Just how the gradual bringing everyone back and then getting the team ready from a physical and mental standpoint, training wise to resume the demands of the most important time of the season. Essentially, it's it's hard

to speculate. I'm on GM calls weekly. I'm going to you know, committee that we have separate calls and return to action to return to play, We're going to study what happened during the lockout, so it's gonna need a ramp up period. We're going to make sure we have ample times so that that there's no setbacks. That's our

goal once it's teams safety, even play. For as much as you want to bring the people listening out there into the world of Elton brand in quarantine, I may throw a couple quick hitting questions at you right now. Best thing you've read so far. It could be an article, a book, anything. There's some really great articles that I read about just you know, you're like your moral bucket list. That was a great article. Um reading The Infinite Game by Simon sinek Um. What's that? What's that? Other one?

Outward mindset that Rob Nusson gave me? And he and Scott O'Neill actually meant both mentioned in it? Um. Those are those are the two that I point to that, uh, you know, I've been really focused on those. Those are kind of main ones I've been focused on. And there's some good YouTube videos and and things like that that just some make you laugh because you need a good laugh, and some make you think, like, what's the world gonna

be once we get through this? Oh? In Range, I've read Range, a book called Range that was really good. It's about being a specialist versus you're having a lot of other tools. The best thing you've watched, the best thing I've watched, I'd say a show called Nailed It. I wish I could say the last dance, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm gonna binge watch it, watch all those ten episodes or reach out to David Fox I can watch all episodes at once. But a show

called Nailed It. It's it's on Netflix, and my wife and I took the TV off the wall, so the kids have to create for a month and on yeah May first they first, um, first time back to TV. We watched Harry Potter the movie, which they haven't seen. My son's eleven. He's into the series now, he's read all the books. And we watched the show called Nailed It.

That is very funny on Netflix. Tremendous anything that you've nostalgically done, just you know, now that there is a little bit more free time for as much as you can get of it. Um, just a lot of you know, looking at pictures, you know, spending time with my wife. We'll sit through some some pictures and family and by accident, we've we've went through some of her old electronics or some of my old electronics, like we have the first iPhone.

We have computers from almost twenty years ago, like Sony vayos and this stuff still around. That kind of work still so that was cool, but that that kind of butt that uh, that nostalgia when just vacation pictures when we were traveling, I talked to my daughter about, yeah, where we're gonna go, you know, once we can move around, and she's like Paris and I want to have cheese and breads. She's never been to Paris, by the way, I'm wanna have this cheese and bread and you know,

things like that. So I'm just just trying to create good memories through this time and being grateful with my family. I never would have thought it sounds like the Brand family might be a hoarding family. I would not have pegged you for that type of guy. That's a mix, you know, like you know, it's like the centralism slash party. Why don't we wrap it up on this note. At some point basketball is going to return. We don't know when,

how soon or how long. M but what influenced what power do you see the platform of It could be the seventy six ers, it could be the NBA, it could be sports, what influence What power do you think sports will have in bringing society the world back to some semblance of normal and hopefully this is all in

the past and everyone's safe. Yeah, once it's deemed um safe, I think the platform of sports will continue to bring people together, you know, have an outlet to be together, to to laugh, to to root, to cry, to yell um. You know, just just that, just that human need of togetherness and just you know, relating and standing for something

bigger than yourself. You know, you love your city, you love your team, you want to root um, And I think that's what sports sports does and it gives us as a society, and uh, you know what, we need that right now, once it's once it's deemed safe. And listen, between seventy six ers ownership and your players as well, there have been many instances of people within the organization taking the league trying to help do something um to bring people together and and help people get back on track.

Absolutely very prideful than that, and that's the people we have in this organization and in this locker room. Elton, thanks so much for the time. Great seeing you through a computer screen. Great talking to you. Stay safe, Thanks Brian. Great hearing from Elton Brand what's been going on within the seventy six ers front office, what he and his family have been binging, and I was going about, most importantly,

trying to lead in a time of crisis. Appreciate him taking a few minutes to talk and you're taking a few minutes to listen. That'll do it for this episode of the broadcast. Be on the lookout for some more fresh content here on the seventy six Ers podcast network feed. Later on this week, we'll be releasing the latest installment of our posted up mini Caast series profile on Ben Simmons,

so you don't want to miss that. Plus, on a new episode of Tom's Talks, Tom mc ginnis talks with Chicago Bulls great Bill Wennington about what else, the ESPN megadoc the Last Dance, and coming on Mother's Day, we'll hear the story about how the mom of one of the seventy sixers veterans helped introduce her all star son to the world of professional sports. I'm Brian Seltzer saying so long for now. Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay smart out there see it.