Andre Iguodala feels like a new man with his new contract and new teammates who should take the Sixers to new heights. As such, he wants a new nickname. From the Philadelphia Daily News (via Skeets via Sixersoul):

"I don't like 'Iggy,' I don't mind 'The Other A.I.,' " he said. "It just shows the fans are watching basketball and know what I do. I want to be 'Dre, that's it.

"The A.I. thing, it's about Allen, always being in his shadow. He's a different player, brings a different element. It's like Kobe and Michael Jordan. Everybody says, 'Who's the next M.J?' You never want to be compared to another player [that way]. I just want to be me."

I totally get what he's saying about "The Other A.I." -- he's working on his own legacy, not living out Iverson's -- but 'Dre isn't much of a nickname. When I say "Iggy," every NBA fan knows who I'm talking about. Do you know how many guys named Andre are in the NBA? Well, I don't, but it's a lot, including 40% of Philly's starting lineup. Sorry man, but unless you come up with something better, it's going to be Iggy for a while.

Philadelphia really needed to keep Andre Iguodala at just about all costs, both in order to contend for a title and to avoid another season of "Willie Green, NBA starter." The money's high, but the 76ers hardly had better options. If Iguodala was planning on holding out for $80 million, well Molly just pay the man.

Of course, contracts don't get signed inside a vacuum. (That'd be awesome, though! I'd have a use for my astronaut pen.) In looking at the greater landscape, we can assess how much milk Philly got for its salt. The following graph shows each Class of '04 product whom signed a contract (this summer or last) in excess of $50 million. Average salary is shown in green. We descend from Dwight Howard at $15.8 million to Andris Biedrins at $10.5 million. The players' 2007-08 PER adjoins and is shown in (a pitiful approximation of) the players' team colors.



Iguodala received the second richest contract in this class. But based on 2007-08, four players who signed a smaller deal -- Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Josh Smith and Biedrins -- are as good as or better than Iguodala. In other words, the Sixers didn't get great value for Iguodala. Consider that Martin is a measure better and will make $11.5 million less over the next five years. Smith is two years younger than 'Dala, basically even on production today, and will make $10 million less over the next six years.

It's worth noting that the two best values among the Class of '04 elite -- Jefferson and Martin -- were signed last summer. So much for the unassailable power teams supposedly have in restricted free agency.

Is Elton Brand one of the NBA's good guys? Yeah, of course. More than just his massive skills in the low post, there's a reason why the 76ers were quick to fork over $80 million-plus to bring him to Philly. Brand's smart, personable and genuinely a nice person. Perfect "face of the franchise" material, hence the massive payday.

But just because Brand's a gentleman doesn't mean he always walks the line you'd expect. Brand was recently in New York and I got a chance to sit down with him. We talked candidly about everything from ballers bolting for Europe, to his leaving the Clippers, to his relationship with Baron Davis. Here's what he had to say:

Kim: "This might be a funny place to start, but what are your thoughts on the recent trend of American players like Josh Childress signing with teams overseas for more money when they still have offers to play in the NBA?"
Brand: "I like that. I like that situation. I like what those guys are doing. They're taking their destinies into their own hands and saying, Hey, I want to play at a high level of basketball and I want to be compensated in a way that I feel is fair for me. So if another team is going to pay me that, then I need to move to Greece or Italy, which are beautiful places, to do it, then I have to do it. I like that, it sends a message."

Kim: "Some NBA fans might be a little worried that if the league continues to lose players to Europe, then the quality might dip a little bit."
Brand: "I'd rather have the best product we can have, but we'd have to take away guaranteed contracts and do a whole bunch of stuff to have that happen. But hey, if a team's offering a guy two million dollars, and a team that's overseas is offering him four million Euros ... (Laughs)"

Kim: "... then it becomes hard to say no?"
Brand: "But why say no? For the honor and the privilege to play in the NBA? Yeah, I understand that part, because it is a privilege and an honor, but at the end of the day you're just trying to make it fair."