You know his game is coming along Jordan said

"With all due respect and credit to them, they outworked us, pretty much their second unit They got tip-ins They out-energied and outhustled us. Our unit the second unit, certain guys didn't box out, didn't rebound, wasn't tough, and certain guys got a longer leash than others. They played longer and the mistakes were showing."I’m not sure Brand could have included any more passive-aggressive digs in that comment if he tried. Did he forget that he’s now part of that second unit And that he effectively threw his second unit teammates under a bus “Certain guys didn’t box out”“Certain guys got a longer leash than others”That smells like bench angst to me.Judging by Brand’s comments from the past week and a half, he still believes that he should be a starter for an NBA team. But unlike Iverson, Brand appears to be more of a team player, willing to swallow his pride, head to the bench, and give coach Jordan a pillar of support on the second unit until he can earn a starting role again.Also unlike Iverson, Brand seems to recognize the great opportunity ahead of him in theory, a former No. “Coming in to play the five, yeah, I could do that also I get touches and move the ball and pass the ball. It's fun playing the five, you get a lot of touches out there."Brand has noticeably improved his shooting percentage since moving to the bench, as he’s shooting at a near-60 percent clip from the field. But besides his new, improved percentage and a small uptick in points per game, Brand’s stats since moving to the bench haven’t been the otherworldly numbers Sixers fans may have held out hope for.

(And he’s certainly nowhere near his career averages of 19.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.)2009-10 stats: 13.3 PTS, 7.2 REB (3.1 OFF, 4.1 DEF), 1.1 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.4 BLK, 1.9 TO; 47.8 FG, 82.2 FTPast five games: 15.4 PTS, 7.4 REB (2.6 OFF, 4.8 DEF), 1.0 AST, 0.6 STL, 1.2 BLK, 1.6 TO; 59.6 FG, 78.9 FTWith that said, one of Brand’s biggest critics over the course of the season (his coach) seems pleased with Sir Elton’s development as of late."You know, his game is coming along," Jordan said. "Maybe he feels more aggressive, more confident against I hate to say second-line players."But as ESPN’s recap of the Cleveland/Philly game surmised in its concluding sentence, “He didn't sign a five-year deal in 2008 to ride the bench for a lousy team.”With a couple more losses like the one last night to the Wizards, don’t be surprised if Brand’s on-and-off-court demeanor begins to deteriorate. How long will he continue putting up 18/12 with three blocks if Willie Green’s the guy taking end-of-game shots in clutch situations of winnable gamesThis Christmas season, Sixers fans could be haunted by the Ghost of Iverson’s Bench-Hating Past, as it comes to life once again in the form of Elton Brand.. MFLEX Updates Fiscal 2009 First Quarter Guidance and Announces ShareRepurchase Program ANAHEIM, Calif., Jan 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Multi-Fineline Electronix,Inc. (Nasdaq: MFLX), a leading global provider of high-quality,technologically advanced flexible printed circuit and value-added componentassembly solutions to the electronics industry, today updated guidance for thefirst quarter ended December 31, 2008, which includes expected net sales ofapproximately $215 million and a gross margin percentage in the 14 to 16percent range. In addition, the Company's current business outlook indicatesthat strong customer demand for its products is continuing into the fiscalsecond quarter.The Company plans to announce final first quarter results inits regularly scheduled conference call on February 5, 2009, at which time itwill provide further comments on the quarter and its outlook for the fiscal2009 second quarter.

The timing andamounts of any purchases will be based on market conditions and other factorsincluding price, regulatory requirements and capital availability. Repurchasesof common stock will be made under Rule 10b5-1 plans, which permit commonstock to be repurchased when the Company might otherwise be precluded fromdoing so under insider trading laws. The program does not require the purchaseof any minimum number of shares and may be suspended, modified or discontinuedat any time without prior notice. Later this week, the Company intends toenter into the first of these repurchase plans, covering up to 562,500 shares. The Company expects to enter into additional repurchase plans from time totime covering the balance of such shares."MFLEX is committed to maximizing shareholder value and we feel our strongfirst quarter performance, along with the share repurchase program announcedtoday, are positive steps towards this goal," said Reza Meshgin, president andchief executive officer of MFLEX. "We believe the current share price is notindicative of the Company's long-term intrinsic value, and this repurchaseplan underscores our confidence in our business prospects.Additionally,given our strong balance sheet and cash flow from operations, we believe theshare repurchase program is both a timely and appropriate use of the Company'scapital resources."About MFLEXMFLEX () is a global provider of high-quality, technologicallyadvanced flexible printed circuit and value-added component assembly solutionsto the electronics industry. The Company is one of a limited number ofmanufacturers that provides a seamless, integrated end-to-end flexible printedcircuit solution for customers, ranging from design and applicationengineering, prototyping and high-volume manufacturing to turnkey componentassembly and testing.

Current applications for theCompany's products include mobile phones and smart mobile devices, medicaldevices, computer/data storage, portable bar code scanners and other handheldconsumer electronic devices. MFLEX's common stock is quoted on the NasdaqGlobal Select Market under the symbol MFLX. Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements thatinvolve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statementsinclude, but are not limited to, statements and predictions regarding theCompany's expected net sales and gross margin percentages for the first fiscalquarter, the Company's business outlook, demand for the Company's products inthe second fiscal quarter, stock purchases that may be made under theCompany's repurchase plans, the Company's share price, intrinsic value,balance sheet and cash flow from operations, and use of the Company's capitalresources.Additional forward-looking statements include, but are not limitedto, statements pertaining to other financial items, plans, strategies orobjectives of management for future operations, the Company's futureoperations and financial condition or prospects, and any other statement thatis not historical fact, including any statement which is preceded by the words"assume," "can," "will," "indicate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "aim,""intend," "project," "foresee," "target," "anticipate," "may," "believe," orsimilar words.