Moses II? Brand brings hope of sequel to Philly

Steinmetz: Artest a good or bad spark?

Maurice Cheeks was the point guard in Philadelphia when the 76ers added veteran big man Moses Malone before the 1982-83 season, believing he could be the centerpiece they needed to win an NBA title.

Elton Brand returns to the Eastern Conference, where the Sixers could make a big move. (Getty Images)

Could it be happening again 26 years later? Maybe not, but at least the issue can be raised. The parallels are there, putting a glimmer in the eye of Philadelphia fans once again.

Cheeks is now the coach. Andre Miller, whose career stats are similar to what Cheeks once had, is the point guard. Andre Iguodala is the athletic, rapidly rising perimeter player with star potential.

And Elton Brand was the biggest free-agent acquisition of the summer. He will start this season as one of only four active players with career averages of better than 20 points and 10 rebounds. That club includes Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who have combined for nine NBA titles.

Brand is no Moses Malone, but he does bring the Sixers a strong interior presence at both ends that will earn them immediate respect. And it doesn't take much to rise in the still weak East.

"We just got to the playoffs last year. We still are trying to get ourselves to that elite level," Cheeks told reporters in Philadelphia last week, trying to downplay any comparisons to the early '80s. "Moses took us over the top, but we already had been to the Finals (the year before). I hope that we get to the level where we are saying that he (Brand) was that final piece."

If you think the Boston Celtics won't be hungry enough to defend their title and are looking for a potential dark horse to emerge this season from the Eastern Conference, the 76ers might be the good long-odds bet.

They are going to be one of the most improved teams in the league. That's hard to dispute. They might also become one of the best.

The Sixers finished 40-42 last season, but they closed with a flourish, winning 22 of their final 34 games to reach the playoffs for the first time in three years. They also put a scare into the veteran Detroit Pistons by winning two games in a best-of-7 first-round series, leaving a we-want-more taste in their mouths.

With major salary cap room this summer, they went on a serious shopping spree. They first courted Atlanta's rising star Josh Smith, but he decided to stay home. They landed Brand with a five-year, $80 million deal. They gave Iguodala, their own free agent, similar money over six years, anchoring their future to this duo.

The timing might be just right. Miller, 32, is coming off his finest season and now is eager to prove he can win in the playoffs. He and Cheeks, the once and present point guards, spent time together this summer plotting the course.

They are expecting Samuel Dalembert, 27, to show considerably more improvement and become one of those typically late-blooming centers. They added veterans like Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff and Kareem Rush to improve their depth.

Under Cheeks late last season, they became a dangerous team because they were athletic, aggressive and defensive-minded. They didn't have a low-post scoring option, and they didn't have good shooters, either. They were slashers, always a threat to reach the free-throw line.

They were among the league leaders in the hustle categories. They were second in the NBA in offensive rebounds. They were fourth in steals. They had the third-stingiest defense in the East. They gave fits to more experienced teams like the Celtics and Pistons.

And now they have a workhorse in Brand to add to that philosophy. In nine NBA seasons, he has averaged 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. When their slashes to the hoop are cut off, they have a go-to scorer around the basket. It's security. It's instant reliability.

For them, there is no more looking years into the future. Brand makes their future now. During the tumultuous Allen Iverson era, they reached the 50-victory plateau only once (2000-01) and rode it to the NBA Finals.

The feeling now -- with Brand -- is that the foundation is more solid, more secure, more real. With Detroit fading, there is no reason the 76ers can't have the same aspirations as any of the other rising contenders -- Cleveland, Orlando and Toronto. If the Celtics stumble, it's anyone's game in the East. And anyone could be Philadelphia.

"Elton is going to open up some new areas for us. He gives us more options," Cheeks said. "I certainly see us as improved. We just have to believe in how good we can be and try to reach that."