When Ed Stefanski was hired as the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, it was tough to envision what would happen next. Would the new GM bring about fresh enthusiasm to an organization in desperate need of rejuvenation, or was the new hiring the first step in a 5- to 10-year rebuilding process?

Most probably saw it as the initial step of a franchise trying to find itself. But, in only a matter of months, Stefanski has jolted the dormant 76ers franchise into perhaps the elite class of the Eastern Conference.

It's tough to pinpoint the exact reason that Stefanski has been so successful in rejuvenating the Sixers franchise. Some of his moves, which at the time seemed pointless, have actually proved to be beneficial to the franchise.

The Kyle Korver trade seemed to have come at the wrong time. The team was struggling, and Korver was one player that fans had a certain rooting interest for. His unique shooting talent seemed to be a "piece" to the puzzle that building an NBA Championship roster has become.

When Stefanski traded Korver to Utah for Gordon Giricek and some garbage draft picks, it was tough to be optimistic on the situation. The Sixers literally gave Korver away, because it was evident that Giricek would not be a Sixer for the remainder of the season.

Stefanski justified the move as a way to "generate salary cap space for a big summer move." I tried to trust Stefanski, but honestly, what player was a) worth saving salary cap space for in the summer and b) willing to come to a franchise that was obviously in a post-Iverson rebuilding era.

As the season progressed, Stefanski continued to change the ways that the Sixers had operated in the past. Stefanski met with head coach Maurice Cheeks, and the fans were told that Stefanski had stressed to Cheeks that it was important to play the "young guys" (Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith) to determine who was worth keeping.

At the time, this move could have been looked at as almost a way of giving up for the year and truly entering rebuilding mode. However, this new, bold brand of Sixers basketball provided the fans with excitement and forced opposing teams to view each game as an imminent track meet.

The up-tempo style of play led to success as the Sixers began to win games and attract fans, and Stefanski's once questionable moves began to gain meaning. We watched Young grow from a rookie to a playoff starter, and Williams emerge as a consistent bench scorer. This innovative youthfulness, paired with the veteran presence of Andre Miller and the rising status of the team's leading scorer, Andre Igoudala, lifted the Sixers from Eastern Conference basement dweller to Eastern Conference contender.

This youth movement carried the Sixers to the brink of improbability against the Detroit Pistons. The new look Sixers found themselves leading the series 2-1 against Detroit in the playoffs, and even led at halftime of game four. However, when the Pistons finally regained consciousness, it was obvious that this Sixers team was far from contending for an NBA title.

The current roster could only take them so far, as the 2007-08 roller-coaster season showed. Despite Samuel Dalembert's development as an overall player, the Sixers still lacked a force in the frontcourt. So when free agency talk began, all roads led us to Elton Brand.

However, early in the free agency process, Brand made it very clear that although he opted out of his contract, he had no intentions of leaving the Los Angeles Clippers. Brand even campaigned for Baron Davis to become a Clipper through free agency, hoping to bring some sort of respect to the perpetually irrelevant Clippers franchise.

When Brand made that claim, it seemed as though the $11.5 million that Stefanski had been saving in his back pocket would make no impact for the current season. The only other player that seemed to fit, Josh Smith, was a restricted free agent, which made signing him quite the task.

However, one morning, everything changed. Numerous sources reported that the Sixers had negotiated a contract with two-time all star Brand. The shocking reports became a reality, and within a few days, Brand was standing behind a table holding a 76ers jersey. Stefanski had stayed faithful to his promise of "making a big splash" in the summer free agency. NBA analysts ubiquitously speculated that the move made the Sixers a top three Eastern Conference team.

The signing of Brand was symbolic of Stefanski's aggressive, innovative approach to putting together a championship team. Since his first week as GM, Stefanski has proved to be dedicated to putting a winning team on the floor each night. All of Stefanski's small maneuvers have gained relevance.

Stefanski has thrown the Sixers into the national spotlight and built a winning roster in the process. Somewhere, Billy King is crying … wiping his tears with his Chris Webber jersey. Sorry Billy, but there's a new GM in town. This is Ed's brand of basketball.