Sixers continue to keep Brand on bench

This is not necessarily Bulls related, but the strangest thing about Saturday’s 94-88 win over Philadelphia is how Sixers coach Eddie Jordan refuses to play Elton Brand in the fourth quarter.

Brand went to the bench with 44 seconds left in the third and never returned, making it six times in the last seven games that he’s sat out the entire fourth quarter.

The veteran power forward had a decent game against the Bulls, hitting 5 of 11 shots for 11 points and 6 rebounds. Backup Marreese Speights went to the locker room early in the fourth, but still Jordan didn’t send in Brand.

This situation hits home, because plenty of media members, myself included, respect Brand for being one of the most solid citizens we’ve met in the NBA. As usual, he faced up to the snub in the visitors’ locker room.

“It will come around, I’m confident,” Brand said. “It’s really difficult when you’re losing and you’re not playing.”

The former No. 1 draft pick of the Bulls in 1999 missed most of the last two seasons with a torn Achilles tendon and shoulder surgery. But he insisted his health is fine.

“I feel good. I’m definitely confident that when the minutes come around, I’ll produce,” he said. “I haven’t played the fourth quarter in a while. That’s winning time. That’s when you get fouled, get to the line, things like that. I could get 6 rebounds and 5 points in a quarter.”
Brand is in the second year of a five-year, $80-million deal he signed to jump from the Clippers to Sixers in 2008.

When asked about his playing rotation, Jordan said he kept Brand out because center Sam Dalembert (8 points, 12 rebounds) was playing well.

“With the Bulls’ lineup out there, we needed him to guard the rim and carry us with his defense,” Jordan said of Dalembert. “He was instrumental in our run at the end.”

CIRCUS MOVES IN
This was the Bulls’ final home game until Dec. 2 because of the annual circus road trip. They are 5-4, making this is just the second time since 1999-2000 they’ve had a winning record at the start of the circus trek.

I thought Saturday’s win over the Sixers was nearly a carbon copy of recent home victories over Charlotte and Milwaukee. The Bulls got off to a sluggish start, fell behind, rallied to take a comfortable lead, then nearly let it get away at the end.

Philadelphia isn’t very good – out of four wins, it’s beaten New Jersey twice and New York once – but does have one of the more athletic lineups in the Eastern Conference. So the Bulls piling up 21 turnovers isn’t a huge surprise.

They did shoot it a little better, with Kirk Hinrich (19 points) and Brad Miller (14 points) providing some actual bench strength for a change. Hinrich knocked down his first 6 shots of the night, then missed the last 4.

BUCKS ROOKIE EXPLODES
Here are some interesting league notes:

--If you haven’t heard, Milwaukee rookie guard Brandon Jennings erupted for 55 points in a win over Golden State on Saturday. Seeing him on video, it was obvious he had incredible speed, but I doubt if anyone knew he would shoot so well right away and stay under control. The Bucks might win two major awards – Jennings for rookie of the year and Scott Skiles for coach of the year.

--Here are the Eastern Conference standings as of Saturday night: Atlanta is No. 1 at 8-2, followed by Miami at 7-2, Boston at 8-3 and Milwaukee in fourth at 5-2. The Bulls are tied for eighth with Toronto and Detroit.

The Celtics are already looking tired, losing to the Hawks and Pacers this weekend.

--The Bulls’ first stop on the circus trip is Sacramento on Tuesday. The Kings have won four in a row, even with leading scorer Kevin Martin out with a broken wrist. Tyreke Evans might be Jennings’ only competition for rookie of the year.