I wrote about Elton Brand last yearwhen he was the eighth pick of the first round. The Clippers did not do as well in 2006-07 which mostly explains why Elton was not in the fantasy limelight as much, but Brand Name did regain center eligibility the year. He must be feeling pretty comfortable about his game since he has time to be a movie producer and managed to get Batman i.e. Christian Bale to star in his movie.

Elton lost in a close vote to Paul Pierce in our one-on-one tourney but when it comes to fantasy hoops, the advertising trumps “The Truth” as Brand Name will be picked before Pierce in every draft out there.

Here is a summary of Brand’s stats over the past three seasons. Three-pointers are not listed because of course, Brand does not shoot three-pointers.

2004-05: 81 G, 37:00 Min, 50.3 FG%, 75.2 FT%, 20.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.1 bpg, 2.3 topg
2005-06: 79 G, 39:12 Min, 52.7 FG%, 77.5 FT%, 24.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.5 bpg, 2.2 topg
2006-07: 80 G, 38:30 Min, 53.3 FG%, 76.1 FT%, 20.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.2 bpg, 2.5 topg

His 2005-06 season was definitely monstrous. His key shots dipped a bit last year but considering he became center-eligible, I think the difference can be minimized. Brand turned 28 years old this year, and though it seems like he has been in the league forever, he is only now in the midst of his prime years. Words to describe Brand’s fantasy game are durable, consistent and reliable. Slamonline.com recently ran a nickname contest for Brand and the winning name was ‘TNT’ i.e. “Twenty ‘n’ Ten.” I don’t know if this moniker will stick, but the sentiment is good…pencil Brand in for 20 points and 10 boards now, and two blocks too.

Last year he ranked 17th in points per game, 10th in rebounds per game and 13th in FG%. His free-throw percentage is solidly in the mid-70s. With Chris Kaman proving to be a fugazi last year, chances are good that Brand retains center eligibility. If he gets anointed the much-heralded “FC” status again, one could argue that he deserves to be picked a couple of slots further up, depending on your league’s set-up. Any league that employs two center positions would especially covet this guy.

If you’re looking for a rebuttal after Dennis’ U.S./Canada Chris Bosh piece, you won’t find any here. Brand’s name is straight-forward, so to give kudos to that, I’m only going to spit the facts. And the fact of life is you couldn’t start your team off any better at this point in your draft even if Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie were available. What about Mrs. Garrett, you say? Hmm, tough call!

Peace.

Previous picks this round:

1.1. LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
1.2. Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
1.3. Shawn Marion, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns
1.4. Kevin Garnett, SF/PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
1.5. Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks
1.6. Gilbert Arenas, PG, Washington Wizards
1.7. Steve Nash, PG, Phoenix Suns
1.8. Amare Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
1.9. Dwyane Wade, PG/SG, Miami Heat
1.10 Chris Bosh, PF/C, Toronto Raptors