Daily Dose - 76ers In the News Archives - June 2005

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sixers want to be patient with Williams
Don't even think about it. Don't even think about comparing 18-year-old Louis Williams, the 76ers' second-round draft choice Tuesday night, to Allen Iverson, their four-time NBA scoring champion.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Bogut ready to show his worth to Bucks
Now that the NBA draft is over, Andrew Bogut is ready to show the Milwaukee Bucks just what they got with the No. 1 pick.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Staley picks up another honor
What more could Dawn Staley possibly ask for? The last 12 months probably have been the most rewarding times of her life.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sixers' Free feted for work in community
Dawn Staley wasn't the only person recognized yesterday for contributions to the Philadelphia community.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Chef Coleman needs help
CHEF Jim Coleman is having trouble finding anybody to underwrite some of the costs of his catering some city receptions at Saturday's Live 8 concert.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers' draft pick ready to make leap
Louis Williams, who had said he would put his pro dreams on hold if he wasn't a first-rounder, will forgo college for shot at the NBA.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | 76ers shut out in talent show
NEW YORK - They wouldn't move - these kids in tailored suits, built like grown, conditioned men, ready for a professional world willing to drop millions on them by announcing their names.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- A hit-or-miss night
With the NBA draft concluded, the real question now is: Will the players look as good on the court as they did in their draft-day duds Tuesday night?

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- For Staley, a double take
Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley joined a select group yesterday when she received her second John Wanamaker Athletic Award.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Fancy gifts at odds with cause?
Bags of swag await the Live 8 celebrities

11. Calkins Newspapers -- Williams sets focus on making Sixers roster
ATLANTA - Louis Williams waited under the glare of the bright lights, frequently looking over his shoulder at one of the many TV screens in the Buckhead sports restaurant.

12. Camden Courier Post -- Williams' style similar to A.I.
76ers' pick may take years to develop

13. Camden Courier Post -- The only way to win is not to play
The NBA Draft came and went, and it continues to be one of the weirdest nights in pro sports.

14. Trenton times -- Williams' payoff seems long-term
PHILADELPHIA - So how soon should Sixers fans expect to see Louis Williams, the high school sensation they tabbed with the No. 45 pick in the second round of Tuesday's NBA draft, wearing their uniform?

15. Wilmington News Journal -- Draftee Williams: Successor to A.I.?
PHILADELPHIA -- In many ways, comparing the 76ers' newest draftee, Louis Williams, to Allen Iverson can be the greatest compliment and the biggest curse.

16. Allentown Morning Call -- Why the Sixers drafted A.I. Jr.
PHILADELPHIA | Louis Williams likely will be among the last class of high school phenoms to make the jump directly to the NBA.

17. Allentown Morning Call -- Que surprise: France done proud at draft
We might have expected that Tuesday night's NBA draft would turn into a big night for guys from the University of North Carolina.

18. USA Today -- Open season on free agents
NBA free agency begins Friday, and in an era when teams are looking to run and score more, thanks in large part to the success the Phoenix Suns had with that approach, it's a shooters' market.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Small step for Sixers, giant leap for kid
THIS WAS anything but a day of reckoning for the 76ers. All it was, was the No. 45 pick in the NBA draft. That's No. 45, Snellville, Ga., high schooler Louis Williams, out of a total of 60. All it was, was a minor piece of a puzzle that remains more jumbled than the front office wants to admit.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Talent drew Sixers to Williams
He didn't accept an invitation to work out for the 76ers. Their front-office staff has not interviewed him. He declined a chance to play in the NBA predraft camp in Chicago. His advisers thought he might be a late first-round draft choice.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Bucks go with their Bo-gut
Andrew Bogut, the 7-footer from Australia, was chosen first last night in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first player in 5 years with U.S. college experience to be drafted No. 1 overall.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Warrick sweats out draft
NEW YORK - Hakim Warrick said that none of the teams he worked out for revealed its cards.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Matt Walsh: All dressed up, no place to go
Matt Walsh threw a party last night. His friends came, some from as far away as Boston and Washington, D.C. His family put out a great spread at their home in Holland. The champagne was on hold in the fridge, some five bottles ready to be uncorked. The NBA was a no-show.

6. Philadelphia Daily News -- Undrafted Jones could be headed back to Hawks
As the college underclassmen were deciding early last week whether to remain in the NBA draft, one NBA scout said, "There is always somebody who will tell you what you want to hear."

7. Philadelphia Daily News -- Mansion's Thomas isn't picked; looks to summer leagues
Some players anticipated the start of the NBA draft knowing their night would yield all or something-still-pretty-good.

8. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | It's all about business
SNEW YORK - It was another big night for worldwide basketball, and International Basketball Association prime minister David Stern couldn't have been happier.

9. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dick Jerardi | Cutting the fat Unlike NFL draft, NBA show moves quickly
IT WAS 7:46 p.m. last night when the third pick in the NBA draft was announced. Imagine those same 15 minutes in the NFL draft, time enough for Mel Kiper's hair to become the length of a battleship and one pick to be made.

10. Philadelphia Daily News -- Thinking big
IN THIS CITY of Live 8, it's a good time to pay attention to the philanthropic work and heartfelt common sense of former Sixer Dikembe Mutombo.

11. Philadelphia Daily News -- 'Ordinary People' feel the love
CONSIDER LAST NIGHT a warm-up for Will Smith.

12. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Will Smith in Denim?
DON'T BE surprised if Will Smithturns up at his pal Jazzy Jeff's post-Live 8 party at Denim (1712 Walnut) Saturday night.

13. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers choose high school point guard from Georgia
The 76ers waited more than 31/2 hours before making their only pick in the NBA draft last night, and then went for their first high school player since they chose Darryl Dawkins in 1975.

14. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers Notes | Game plan: Keep Dalembert, Korver, Green
The 76ers yesterday took the first step toward trying to preserve their young nucleus for next season by extending qualifying offers to center Samuel Dalembert, forward Kyle Korver and guard Willie Green.

15. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Phil Sheridan | A top draft pick wasn't in the plans because Billy King has made his moves.
If you were sitting around last night, hoping Billy King would work some magic and trade up to the top of the NBA draft, you're probably disappointed today.

16. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Bucks pick Bogut with top selection
NEW YORK - The 58th NBA draft last night provided college players an opportunity to reestablish their turf.

17. Philadelphia Inquirer -- On the NBA Judge the skills, not the skin, when it comes to today's NBA
NEW YORK - If you like the NBA, there is one thing you have to do if you really want to enjoy the game in the future. Stop it with race.

18. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Warrick is hoping wait was worth it
NEW YORK - He was the last man standing in the green room and, admittedly, he was a little green with envy.

19. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Did Walsh hear bad advice?
Matt Walsh, a standout from the University of Florida and a Germantown Academy graduate, was not selected in last night's NBA draft.

20. Philadelphia Inquirer -- No draft call, so Jones must plot his future
It had been an agonizing decision for Dwayne Jones - whether to declare for the NBA draft or return for his senior season at St. Joseph's. Now he has another one to make.

21. Daily Local News -- Sixers select high school guard
PHILADELPHIA -- For the first time since 1975, the 76ers drafted a player straight out of high school. Then, it was Darryl Dawkins, taken fifth overall.

22. Daily Local News -- Bogut, Tar Heels rule first round
PHILADELPHIA -- In the days leading up to the NBA draft there were few players who were consensus picks.

23. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers nab prep star with 2nd-round pick
PHILADELPHIA - The 76ers were committed to taking the best player available with the 45th pick in Tuesday's NBA draft.

24. Calkins Newspapers -- Dalembert, Korver, Green get offers
PHILADELPHIA - Billy King insisted the Sixers top offseason priority was re-signing restricted free agents Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver and Willie Green.

25. Calkins Newspapers -- Walsh, Jones not picked in draft
Two players with local ties who had declared early and kept themselves eligible for the NBA Draft were not picked Tuesday night.

26. Camden Courier Post -- Sixers land guard from high school
PHILADELPHIA You kept wondering if the 76ers were going to make a trade to move up in the NBA Draft, but it never happened. They came in with the 45th overall pick, a second-round selection, and they ended the night with the 45th pick.

27. Camden Courier Post -- Sixers move to keep three young stars
PHILADELPHIA In a move that comes as no surprise, the 76ers extended qualifying offers to Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green and Kyle Korver Tuesday, making the trio restricted free agents.

28. Trenton Times -- Sixers draft high school star
PHILADELPHIA - If you shrugged your shoulders and said "Who?" when NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik announced the Sixers had chosen Georgia high school guard Louis Williams with the No. 45 pick in last night's NBA Draft, the Sixers seem convinced it won't be long before you find out.

29. Wilmington News Journal -- 76ers take high school guard from Ga.
PHILADELPHIA -- The NBA draft is typically a time for a team to plan for its future. The 76ers did that twice Tuesday.

30. Wilmington News Journal -- Getting to the point in the NBA draft
PHILADELPHIA -- After an early flurry, the run of point guards in the NBA draft didn't materialize as expected, when it seemed like teams would grab players they hoped could turn into floor generals for years to come.

31. Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers take care of business
PHILADELPHIA | The 76ers took their first dip into the high school pool since the Darryl Dawkins era Tuesday night when they selected 18-year-old guard Louis Williams out of South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga.

32. Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers take high-schooler
PHILADELPHIA | Last week, the 76ers said whoever they take with the 45th pick in the NBA draft probably wasn't going to be help them this season.

33. Allentown Morning Call -- Maybe the NBA is finally getting the point
NEW YORK | This was the Mouse that Roared Draft, the triumph of the little guy.

34. Reading Eagle -- Sixers select Georgia teen in draft's second round
PHILADELPHIA It is possible that the posterity of both Billy King and Tony DiLeo will look back proudly at the 45th overall pick of Tuesday night's NBA draft.

35. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Jack picked by Nuggets, traded to Blazers Louis Williams taken in 2nd round by Sixers
Jarrett Jack uniquely plants his feet in two basketball worlds - one in the history of the game, the other in the moments that presently shape his own experiences.

36. Athens Banner-Herald -- Georgia signee is 45th pick
ATLANTA - Louis Williams' confident expectations of being an NBA first-round pick gave way to the disappointing reality of being a second-rounder late Tuesday night.

37. USA Today -- NBA gives last call to high schoolers
NEW YORK - Martell Webster jumped into history Tuesday night during the NBA draft at Madison Square Garden as the first high school player taken in the final year prep stars will be eligible to enter the league directly out of high school.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- A quick glance at who might be available by the time the Sixers pick
Who's No. 45? Last year, it was Bernard Robinson, going from Michigan to the Charlotte Bobcats. Two years ago, it was Florida's Matt Bonner going to Chicago.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- No. 45 pick in '02 still hopes to reach potential
YOU'RE A GUY the scouts call a diamond in the rough, a guy who - because of your college's or high school's style of play, a too-deep roster, a serious injury, academic problems or a clash with your coach - never had a chance to unlock your potential.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | FOURTITUDE
NEW YORK - Hakim Warrick knew the stigma. In today's mixed-up climate of the NBA draft, being a senior - unless, of course, it's a high school senior - is somehow considered a negative.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sports in Brief | Deportation case of Elliott will move
The deportation case of jockey Stewart Elliott, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness last year aboard Smarty Jones, will move from Philadelphia to Newark, N.J.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- For high school players, one last opportunity
NEW YORK - They are all grandfathers, though none has yet turned 21.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Phil Sheridan | Nobody knows these players
There's nothing more predictable (and obnoxious) than reaching a certain age and turning into one of those guys who thinks everything used to be better.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- As with Cheeks, 76ers look for a rare rose to flower
Every once in a while, a team gets lucky in the second round of the NBA draft. One of those times for the 76ers came in 1978, when they took a painfully shy point guard from West Texas State named Maurice Cheeks.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Australia's Bogut is likely top pick
Andrew Bogut was defined during his two seasons at Utah by what he accomplished on the basketball court. But something Bogut didn't do has made him the favorite to become the No. 1 pick in tonight's NBA draft.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Lots of stars-to-be in '05 galaxy
The 58th annual NBA draft, scheduled for tonight at New York's Madison Square Garden Theater, isn't ripe with marquee names or intriguing story lines.

10. Daily Local News -- King looking to deal for more picks at NBA Draft
PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers spent last week working out numerous players, calling teams around the league and generally doing their homework.

11. Delaware County Daily Times -- With No. 45 pick, draft night is uncertain
PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers spent last week working out numerous players, calling teams around the league and generally doing their homework. The finale is tonight when the NBA holds its annual draft (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). The Sixers hold the 45th overall pick, which is midway through the second round. They traded away their first-round pick in the deal that brought Kenny Thomas from Houston.

12. Associated Press -- Williams Could Be No.1 Pick in NBA Draft
NEW YORK - Marvin Williams has the talent and temperament to pull off the odd transition from first player off the bench in college to first player selected in the NBA draft.

13. Associated Press -- Sixers hoping for a surprise find with second-round pick
PHILADELPHIA - Don't tell Maurice Cheeks the Philadelphia 76ers won't be able to find a quality player in the second round of the NBA draft. After all, Cheeks was a second-round pick in 1978, selected 36th overall by the team he now coaches.

14. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers sift through numerous possibilities
PHILADELPHIA - One year ago, the Sixers landed Andre Iguodala with the ninth pick in the NBA draft.

15. Trenton Times -- New age limit will alter future NBA drafts
Don't expect the Greg Oden family of Indianapolis to be tuning in tonight when a smiling commissioner David Stern - fresh from what turned out to be a stirring NBA Finals that went seven games for the first time since 1994 when the Houston Rockets defeated the Knicks, 4-3 - says "Welcome to the 2005 NBA Draft."

16. Trenton Times -- Sixers hoping to find a gem
PHILADELPHIA - With the No. 45 pick in tonight's NBA draft, the odds on getting an impact player are stacked against the Sixers, no matter how much they insist there are hidden gems in the talent pool.

17. Courier Post -- With no first-round pick, Sixers will select best available - again
Every year at draft time, the 76ers say the same thing: They will take the best player available. The same applies for tonight's NBA Draft.

18. Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers hope to find another gem But it's not easy when you pick 45th
It doesn't do any good to try to figure out what needs the 76ers might want to address in tonight's NBA draft.

19. Reading Eagle -- 76ers hope to find gem in 2nd round
PHILADELPHIA Don't tell Maurice Cheeks the Philadelphia 76ers won't be able to find a quality player in the second round of the NBA draft. After all, Cheeks was a second-round pick in 1978, selected 36th overall by the team he now coaches.

20. USA Today -- How the 2004 first picks fared
Taking a look back at how the first-rounders from the 2004 draft fared in their first year of NBA play.

21. USA Today -- Ferry's ship comes in as he's named Cavs GM
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert first looked right, toward his new general manager. Then left, at Cleveland's rookie coach. "This is our team," proclaimed Gilbert, flanked at a table by GM Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown. "We have our team in place and we're going forward with this team."

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Jones, confident and focused, visits Sixers
SAN ANTONIO - Now that Dwayne Jones has decided to forgo his senior season at Saint Joseph's, he's all about business - NBA business.

2. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Off the bench with talent to burn
Marvin Williams didn't start in college. He'll probably go first or second in the NBA draft anyway.

3. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Mayweather shows he's a lord of the ring
ATLANTIC CITY - He bounced around the ring with the bravado only legitimate champions possess, full of swagger, defiance and no comprehension of potential defeat. He called Arturo Gatti a "C fighter," a bum whose hype was tantamount to a publicity stunt.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA Draft NBA scouting has gone global The hunt for pros around the world isn't for amateurs.
Most NBA draft-niks had fallen asleep by the time the San Antonio Spurs, with the 57th overall pick in the 1999 draft, took a chance on a player from Argentina who had performed well during his first season with the club team Reggio Calabria of Italy.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- 76ers' low pick yields workout washouts
The 76ers finished a week of workouts with NBA draft prospects yesterday. In the process, the team discovered how much harder it is to get players to audition without a first-round pick.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Unhappily, Spurs' win included a dog show
Consider it a travesty of epic proportions, the kind that won't go down as anything significant in the NBA Finals but definitely should.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- David Aldridge Spurs, Patriots have formed a winning alliance
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - One of the most interesting of alliances is taking place between two championship organizations, each of which has captured three world championships in a viciously competitive sport and stands atop its respective league.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- All-star game persuaded Green to enter NBA draft
One game does not make a season - or a career. But it certainly made a difference in the mind-set of high school basketball phenom Gerald Green.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Allen Iverson's pay isn't even close
It's no surprise when corporate chieftains make lots more money than their employees. But what if one of the employees is Allen Iverson?

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- On the NBA | New rule will let teams cut veterans
The landscape of the NBA changed a bit after the tentative accord reached between league owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement, with new minimums for age, contract length and salary increases.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Toney runs from media, but not from job yet
Former 76ers sharpshooter Andrew Toney appeared ready yesterday to sign a contract to join the coaching staff of longtime friend Maurice Cheeks and discuss how it felt to return to his old team 17 years after his retirement.

12. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA | Pistons have hope, Brown or not
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Detroit Pistons finished the season under a shower of silver-and-black confetti.

13.Philadelphia Inquirer -- Spurs have pieces in place for dynasty
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - He has told the story many times since he arrived in San Antonio as a free agent, but guard Brent Barry understands the symbolism of it, so he tells it again: After he signed last summer, he came to San Antonio to check out the Spurs' state-of-the-art practice facility.

14. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Warrick's reward: Likely first-round pick
Hakim Warrick said he thought briefly about turning pro after his sophomore season at Syracuse, which ended with an NCAA championship.

15. Delaware County Daily Times -- Toney still evaluating his future with team
Andrew Toney walked out of the 76ers' practice facility late Friday morning trailed by cameramen and reporters.

16. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers' plans to hire Toney hit snag
PHILADELPHIA - The scene was nothing short of surreal. Former Sixers star Andrew Toney walked out of PCOM after a series of pre-draft workouts and headed to his car Friday afternoon with two cameramen and a newspaper reporter chasing after him.

17. Trenton Times -- As the Sixers turn: Toney status is unresolved
PHILADELPHIA - Still a man of mystery, Andrew Toney was back in town yesterday, some 17 years since he left under a cloak of bitterness and distrust.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Fish-ing for information
Potential draft candidates have been working out all week for the 76ers, hoping to impress the coaching staff enough to be selected with the 45th pick next Tuesday.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Francona leaves message for Brown before Game 7
This is about the intersection of Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona and Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown. They have met, but they don't really know each other. But they know about each other.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- SAN ANTONIO SPLURGE
SAN ANTONIO - He insists he is not an innovator. He admits he is relentless in his teaching and preparation. He already has been inducted into the Nai-smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Barley's zeal for hoops
TYRONE BARLEY GREW UP in Newark, N.J. and played his college basketball in Philadelphia. He was the glue to that wonderful Saint Joseph's team from 2 years ago.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Tim dandy
So, this is what it came down to: After six games and three quarters, the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons squared up for a 12-minute slugfest to determine a championship.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers union rep Jackson says new deal has appeal
Marc Jackson is already preparing for his third season with the 76ers, and, most of all, he relishes not having to labor over labor issues this summer.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pair of Hawks hoping for a bite in NBA draft
At St. Joseph's last season, Dwayne Jones and Pat Carroll formed a combination that proved devastating to most Hawks opponents.

8. Delco Daily Times -- 76ers: Jackson thinks both sides got deal right
Marc Jackson has been a player representative since he entered the NBA with Golden State in 2000. This year, as the 76ers' liaison to the National Basketball Players Association, he followed the progress of the recently settled labor talks quite closely.

9. Calkins Newspapers -- Ex-Sixer Bradley likely to retire
The Dallas Mavericks are negotiating to buy out the contract of center Shawn Bradley, a precursor to his likely retirement after 12 seasons.

10. Associated Press -- Brown's next stop set for Mayo Clinic
Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown said Thursday he plans to check into the Mayo Clinic after next week's NBA draft for a three-day stay.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Cheeks was big reason Brown enjoyed working with Sixers
SAN ANTONIO - Larry Brown, as always, was more than aware of what was going on with the 76ers. Not, as some people have painted him, as an unofficial consultant to his previous team, but because he continues to have strong relationships with Sixers chairman Ed Snider and president/general manager Billy King.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Hawks' Carroll looking for his shot at NBA
Pat Carroll knows there are no guarantees in this business.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Not to slam Duncan, but I'll take Billups
SAN ANTONIO - Here is why I'm picking the Detroit Pistons to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals tonight: They have Chauncey Billups.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | A team sport, after all
THEY THREATENED each other. They stared each other down. Just a week ago, it appeared, incredibly, that the caretakers of the National Basketball Association had learned nothing from their frozen-brain peers of the National Hockey League, had learned nothing from the meltdown of Major League Baseball and its decadelong climb from most-loathed status.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- 76ers positive Cheeks is Brown's heir
Even if the 76ers' coaching situation had been good, it still would be hard for Ed Snider and Billy King to watch Larry Brown vie for a second consecutive NBA title tonight.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Home team takes a look
He might have been a little weary after having spent much of the previous week in Los Angeles, but Pat Carroll would be fully ready for the chance to work out with his hometown NBA team.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- With 7 up, it's one and done
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The morning of the last game dawns, different from any other day.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | It's a team game, but Wallace needs to be selfish for the Pistons to win.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - If the Pistons are going to defy seemingly insurmountable odds tonight by becoming the first team to win Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals on the road, they'll need Rasheed Wallace to be everything he was on Tuesday night, not the angel the defending world champions have tried to make him out to be.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings | USS Cole to stop by next week
July Fourth weekend is looking particularly shipshape.

10. Daily Local News -- Carroll looks to make uncertain draft prospects brighter
PHILADELPHIA -- If there's one thing Pat Carroll knows it's that what will happen in the NBA draft is unknowable.

11. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers seek best player available
PHILADELPHIA - Two years ago, the Sixers only had the 50th pick in the NBA Draft.

12. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers' Josh Davis keeps close ties to Wyoming
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Philadelphia 76ers forward and former Wyoming Cowboy star Josh Davis was forced to cancel his annual summer basketball camp due to lack of participants.

13. Trenton Times -- With 45th pick, Sixers mining for talent gold
PHILADELPHIA - If you've never heard of Drago Pasalic, Lucas Tischer or Anderson Ferreira, don't despair.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- ADROIT DETROIT
SAN ANTONIO - Robert Horry's dagger was reduced to a memory. Rasheed Wallace's gaffe was wiped away.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Win fits Pistons to a 'T'
SAN ANTONIO - It wasn't as bad as the Boston Red Sox having their clubhouse at Shea Stadium prepared for a champagne celebration before Bill Buckner's infamous error in the 1986 World Series.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Deal struck with time to spare
JSAN ANTONIO - Somebody hid the gong. The death knell never rang.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Hawks' Jones confident he'll land with an NBA team
Dwayne Jones lost track of how many times he changed his mind. "I think I stopped counting," he said. And that was just yesterday.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Explorers' Smith to stay in school
When Steven Smith woke up yesterday morning he didn't know whether he would continue his career at La Salle, or forgo his senior season for the NBA, in hopes of securing a multimillion-dollar contract.

6. Philadelphia Daily News -- NBA 1, NHL 0
AS THE NHL SLOGS along in its labor dispute, the NBA ran a breathtaking fastbreak from labor crisis to resolution.

7. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Flashing image of flasher
IF NAKED ZORRO would just wear some of the clothes created in his honor, Doylestown would not have a flasher problem.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA | Fight to the Finish
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - It has not been the prettiest of NBA Finals, but it has been among the most competitive in recent memory. These Detroit Pistons, who never go away without a fight, and these San Antonio Spurs, who grind you into dust beneath their feet.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Bob Ford | Stargazers tuning out on this series
Ring, ring, ring. Hello. This is commissioner Stern's office. Are you watching the game? Uh, no. I was watching something else.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- In the end, league and union were determined to deal
The posturing, the threats and the gamesmanship between the NBA owners and the players had continued for the better part of a month.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA, players get their deal done
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - At the end of the 14th hour of negotiations on Friday, the NBA's collective fate was in the hands of four men - four men pulling the league back, incrementally, from the brink of disaster.

12. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers expected to join NBA trips to Europe
The NBA announced last week that a few of its teams would hold training camp overseas and play preseason games against European clubs in 2006 and 2007. None of the teams has been announced, but the 76ers are expected to be part of the mix.

13. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Smith staying course with Explorers
After a workout yesterday with the 76ers, La Salle forward Steven Smith deliberated briefly before deciding that one more year in college could move him up one more round in the NBA draft.

14. Philadelphia Inquirer -- St. Joe's Jones finally opts for the draft
For Dwayne Jones, St. Joseph's quiet, shy center, the decision about whether to remain in the NBA draft or return to Hawk Hill for his final year of eligibility was so agonizing that he postponed his announcement by three hours.

15. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Federal jury deadlocks on gun and drug charges
A federal jury has deadlocked in the drug-and-gun trial of Carlos Manuel Perez, the Northeast Philadelphia man accused in the 2003 shooting and wounding of the driver for Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson.

16. Philadelphia Inquirer -- N.J. snaps history up in papers
New Jersey seized its chance to acquire some of the earliest known records of its beginnings yesterday in one of the most significant sales of historical American documents in years.

17. Delaware County Daily Times-- King happy there will be labor peace
As the chance of a new collective bargaining agreement became more likely Tuesday morning, 76ers president Billy King jokingly bemoaned the loss of a summer off. Now, beginning July 1, King will have to get down to the business of building his basketball team after the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reached an agreement in principal.

18.Calkins Newspapers-- King happy NBA, players make peace
Billy King was in a good mood. He had reason to be. The NBA and the players' union agreed to a six-year collective bargaining agreement preventing a lockout that seemed all but imminent five days ago.

19.Calkins Newspapers--NBA players, owners beat buzzer
Last week, late in the fourth quarter of NBA labor negotiations, the owners and players appeared deadlocked.

20.USA Today--NBA labor accord is a model for others
Pro basketball's collective bargaining game never reached overtime in negotiations because common sense and greed won the jump ball between labor and management.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- ADROIT DETROIT
SAN ANTONIO - Robert Horry's dagger was reduced to a memory. Rasheed Wallace's gaffe was wiped away.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Win fits Pistons to a 'T'
SAN ANTONIO - It wasn't as bad as the Boston Red Sox having their clubhouse at Shea Stadium prepared for a champagne celebration before Bill Buckner's infamous error in the 1986 World Series.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Deal struck with time to spare
JSAN ANTONIO - Somebody hid the gong. The death knell never rang.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Hawks' Jones confident he'll land with an NBA team
Dwayne Jones lost track of how many times he changed his mind. "I think I stopped counting," he said. And that was just yesterday.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Explorers' Smith to stay in school
When Steven Smith woke up yesterday morning he didn't know whether he would continue his career at La Salle, or forgo his senior season for the NBA, in hopes of securing a multimillion-dollar contract.

6. Philadelphia Daily News -- NBA 1, NHL 0
AS THE NHL SLOGS along in its labor dispute, the NBA ran a breathtaking fastbreak from labor crisis to resolution.

7. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Flashing image of flasher
IF NAKED ZORRO would just wear some of the clothes created in his honor, Doylestown would not have a flasher problem.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA | Fight to the Finish
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - It has not been the prettiest of NBA Finals, but it has been among the most competitive in recent memory. These Detroit Pistons, who never go away without a fight, and these San Antonio Spurs, who grind you into dust beneath their feet.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Bob Ford | Stargazers tuning out on this series
Ring, ring, ring. Hello. This is commissioner Stern's office. Are you watching the game? Uh, no. I was watching something else.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- In the end, league and union were determined to deal
The posturing, the threats and the gamesmanship between the NBA owners and the players had continued for the better part of a month.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA, players get their deal done
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - At the end of the 14th hour of negotiations on Friday, the NBA's collective fate was in the hands of four men - four men pulling the league back, incrementally, from the brink of disaster.

12. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers expected to join NBA trips to Europe
The NBA announced last week that a few of its teams would hold training camp overseas and play preseason games against European clubs in 2006 and 2007. None of the teams has been announced, but the 76ers are expected to be part of the mix.

13. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Smith staying course with Explorers
After a workout yesterday with the 76ers, La Salle forward Steven Smith deliberated briefly before deciding that one more year in college could move him up one more round in the NBA draft.

14. Philadelphia Inquirer -- St. Joe's Jones finally opts for the draft
For Dwayne Jones, St. Joseph's quiet, shy center, the decision about whether to remain in the NBA draft or return to Hawk Hill for his final year of eligibility was so agonizing that he postponed his announcement by three hours.

15. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Federal jury deadlocks on gun and drug charges
A federal jury has deadlocked in the drug-and-gun trial of Carlos Manuel Perez, the Northeast Philadelphia man accused in the 2003 shooting and wounding of the driver for Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson.

16. Philadelphia Inquirer -- N.J. snaps history up in papers
New Jersey seized its chance to acquire some of the earliest known records of its beginnings yesterday in one of the most significant sales of historical American documents in years.

17. Delaware County Daily Times-- King happy there will be labor peace
As the chance of a new collective bargaining agreement became more likely Tuesday morning, 76ers president Billy King jokingly bemoaned the loss of a summer off. Now, beginning July 1, King will have to get down to the business of building his basketball team after the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reached an agreement in principal.

18.Calkins Newspapers-- King happy NBA, players make peace
Billy King was in a good mood. He had reason to be. The NBA and the players' union agreed to a six-year collective bargaining agreement preventing a lockout that seemed all but imminent five days ago.

19.Calkins Newspapers--NBA players, owners beat buzzer
Last week, late in the fourth quarter of NBA labor negotiations, the owners and players appeared deadlocked.

20.USA Today--NBA labor accord is a model for others
Pro basketball's collective bargaining game never reached overtime in negotiations because common sense and greed won the jump ball between labor and management.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- All in Sixers' family
MAURICE CHEEKS likes to keep it all in the family - the 76ers family, that is.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Spurs can't let Pistons up
SAN ANTONIO - Perhaps the Detroit Pistons are speaking with a bravado fueled by nothing more than the fact that the desperation of their situation allows them to say whatever they want without additional repercussions.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Rich Hofmann | Shots heard round the hoops world
ROBERT HORRY of the San Antonio Spurs might have the greatest deal in professional sports right now - Mr. Big Shot (with no other heavy lifting required).

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross
Allen Iverson and Terrell Owens have been "punked."

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Briefly... CITY/REGION
Jury fails to reach verdict on alleged Iverson shooter The jury was never told that Carlos Manuel Perez, on trial for possession of guns and drugs, had allegedly taken a shot at 76ers star Allen Iverson two years ago outside an Old City nightclub.

6. Philadelphia Daily News -- Reports: Deal could be close
Lawyers for the NBA and its players union will meet today in New York as the two sides are on the verge of agreeing in principle to a 6-year collective bargaining agreement that could prevent a lockout, the New York Times News Service reported.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Kuester returns to Sixers as assistant
Amid talk about the return of Andrew Toney and perhaps Jimmy Lynam to the 76ers' bench, new coach Maurice Cheeks filled one vacancy on his staff yesterday.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Walsh keeping his bags packed
He was cooped up in an airport for five hours, and sometimes isn't sure which city he is in when he wakes up. But Matt Walsh, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, isn't complaining about his recent travel itinerary.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Horry, Rasheed intersect
SAN ANTONIO - The fathers worked late into the night Sunday. It was Father's Day, but there was no day off for these dads, so many of them, their professional lives intersecting at one moment, their lives about to change in 9.4 seconds, for good or for ill.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings |
Brian McKnight, in town for a concert, shared the mezzanine VIP section of Red Sky last Wednesday with 76ers star Allen Iverson. McKnight favored Stoli Elit vodka ($350 a bottle and up), while Iverson was partial to Coronas.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA | League and union near deal, report says
The NBA and its players' union are close to a deal on a new collective-bargaining agreement that would institute a 19-year-old age limit, ESPN.com reported last night.

12. Daily Local News -- Sixers give Penn's Begley pre-draft look
Tim Begley isn't your typical basketball player. For starters, he's realistic. After working out with the 76ers Monday morning along with Matt Walsh, John Cox and Von Wafer, Begley was asked if he thought he had a shot at being drafted into the NBA on June 28.

13. Calkins Newspapers -- Cheeks adds another assistant
PHILADELPHIA - John Kuester is on first base. Andrew Toney is at bat. Bernard Smith is on deck. That baseball comparison explains the status of Maurice Cheeks' coaching staff.

14. Calkins Newspapers -- European invasion
BELGRADE, Serbia & Montenegro - Ed Stefanski, general manager of the New Jersey Nets, sat courtside at the prestigious Goodyear/Adriatic League Final 8 tournament here in late April. So did two of his GM peers: Rob Babcock of the Toronto Raptors and Jim Stack of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

15. Trenton Times -- Jackson reunited, with Toney, Horry to follow
Leave it to Phil Jackson - with an assist from Peaches and Herb - to come up with the NBA's theme for the week.

16. Allentown Morning Call -- Sixers look at players to draft
PHILADELPHIA | Matt Walsh wants to play in the NBA. The 76ers were the 10th team to take a look at the former Germantown Academy standout, who is leaving Florida a year early, when he worked out for them on Monday morning.

17. Allentown Morning Call -- Horry has carved an exalted spot in sports history
Your mind plays tricks with you, making you believe that the most recent is also the most special.

18. USA Today -- Brown says health OK during Finals
SAN ANTONIO - Larry Brown's health issues have been a focal point throughout the season and have clouded his future as coach of the Detroit Pistons.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Summer Hoops Tour set to go
The popular Sixers Summer Hoops Tour kicks off its 10th season next Monday at Narberth Playground.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Webber: 'It was a situation where everybody was frustrated'
This time, Chris Webber did tell a friend. And this is what Webber told that friend when he learned that the 76ers had fired coach Jim O'Brien after just one season and had hired Maurice Cheeks: "I said, 'Oh, this is going to be my fault,' " the Sixers forward was saying last night before Game 5 of the Detroit Pistons-San Antonio Spurs NBA championship series.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Diego Ramos' case dismissed, pays $300 anyway
* Sixers President Billy King, D.A. Lynne Abraham and former Eagle Cecil Martin, were among those out selling papers Friday for Variety-The Children's Charity's Old Newsboys' Day.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Yo, Rasheed, what were you thinking?
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - What could Rasheed Wallace possibly have been thinking?

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Horry lives up to his big-shot reputation
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Sometimes you really get what you wish for.

6. Philadelphia Daily News-- Pistons, Spurs can't make sense of series
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The only score that matters is 2-2. As the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs look ahead to Game 5 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night, it might also be the only story line worth considering.

7. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sides see progress after long day of talks
Significant progress was reported yesterday in NBA labor talks after the sides met for more than 11 hours.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Finally, a game worth watching
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Finally. The NBA Finals got a game worthy of the name, and of the stakes.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- It's a sale historians savor Quiet collector Jay Snider offers a trove of N.J. and other rarities.
You can't find this stuff at Barnes & Noble. Tomorrow, 346 manuscripts, original maps, first-edition books, and letters from presidents and other important figures of early American history go to auction. It is akin to a liquidation sale for a little museum.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Give NBA praise for racial progress
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - For the historically challenged and those unhappy about everything associated with basketball right now, times, indeed, have been rough, and the National Basketball Association has done little to nothing to help quell the ills.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- With Spurs spiraling, Popovich explodes
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In San Antonio Spursspeak, when coach Gregg Popovich is really upset with his team, he "goes Serbian" on them. He doesn't mince words, and he names names. A lot of names got mentioned yesterday morning, as the Spurs winced their way through a film session detailing their shellacking at the hands of the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

12. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Spurs have had two days to wake up
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In San Antonio Spurs-speak, when coach Gregg Popovich is really upset with his team, he "goes Serbian" on them. He doesn't mince words, and he names names. A lot of names got mentioned on Saturday morning, as the Spurs winced their way through a film session detailing their shellacking at the hands of the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

13. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pistons' defense derailing Duncan
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Four seconds. Two feet. Doesn't seem like a lot of either, does it? But in an NBA game, they can be everything. And right now, they may be the difference between the San Antonio Spurs' winning and losing a championship.

14. Delaware County Daily Times -- Letter from the Editor: Traditions live on for Philly sports fans
I was reminded again last week of how in so many ways I have become the one person I never thought I would emulate: My father.

15. Calkins Newspaper -- 'Boston Strangler' could be key addition for Sixers
As a player, Maurice Cheeks was a consummate professional.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Campbell to get hall of a birthday gift
Birthday No. 82 is going to be celebrated in style this year by Bill Campbell. He returned a strange, anonymous phone message yesterday to learn that he'll be joining many good friends in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Bowen fills unglamorous, but crucial role
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - This was Jan. 22, 2000: Bruce Bowen, playing for the 76ers, was on the court against Indiana for four-tenths of a second.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | These teams really like home
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - With about 9 minutes left in the second quarter last night, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich showed the entire world he truly is a disciple of Detroit coach Larry Brown.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- MOTOWN GROOVIN'
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The NBA Finals' TV ratings might be spiraling downward, but think of the travel plans this series suddenly is generating. If no one else, hundreds of media members and possibly even more passionate Detroit Pistons fans are now scrambling to book flights to San Antonio.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- A clear voice of Phila. sports
John McAdams, a longtime public-address announcer whose clear voice was a familiar sound in arenas and stadiums throughout the region for more than three decades, died yesterday at his home in Upper Darby. He was 64.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- McNabb events aim at diabetes fund-raising
Tonight is about the party. Tomorrow is about the kids. And the weekend as a whole is about Donovan McNabb, his father, and raising money for diabetes research.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Broadcast honors for Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell, a Philadelphia sports broadcaster for seven decades, will receive the 2005 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during enshrinement festivities Sept. 8 to 10 in Springfield, Mass.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Quiet men on display in Game 4
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In our modern-day world of incessant self-promotion, where everyone feels he has a God-given right to be on reality television, Tim Duncan and Ben Wallace are genuine throwbacks. They don't talk about themselves, in good times or bad. Self-examination? Forget about it.

9. USA Today -- Pistons pound Spurs, tie series
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - When the Detroit Pistons were known as the Bad Boys, they won back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and '90. The new Pistons' Bad Boys, who play with the same swagger, took a major step toward following the tradition Thursday with a performance that would have made the originals quite proud.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Rip keeps fans' pride in mind
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - This was July 21, in a motorcade starting from the west end of Coatesville, traveling along Lincoln Highway with a police and fire escort, leading to a ceremony on the Scott Middle School steps.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Hunter sees more issues than Stern regarding collective bargaining
TROY, Mich. - Billy Hunter says that, if David Stern says there are only three issues involved in agreeing on a new collective-bargaining agreement, he will hold the NBA commissioner to that.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Kevin Mulligan | Little Quakers to give back to Levy
FOR MORE than half a century, Bob Levy gave and gave and gave of himself to help young athletes as founder of the Little Quakers football organization, which continues to shine nationally.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Trial opens in drug case tied to shooting of Iverson's driver
Jurors heard opening statements yesterday in the federal drug and gun trial of Carlos Manuel Perez, the Philadelphia man who also faces state charges of shooting Allen Iverson's driver.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Amid the rumors about Brown, there just may be some truth
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Somehow, someway, he never fades from the spotlight.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Bowen-Hamilton face-off is a key fight within the Finals
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - If they were playing in the street, Bruce Bowen and Richard Hamilton would wind up fighting, sure as the day is long and the sun is hot and the run is good. That's what always happens when two guys are slapping and clawing, sweating all over each other, smelling the other guy's breath.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA | NBA union still hopes to avoid a lockout
TROY, Mich. - Billy Hunter, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, said yesterday that he would try to jump-start the stalled talks between the union and the NBA by contacting commissioner David Stern today.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sports in Brief | Ex-player at Baylor sentenced to 35 years
Carlton Dotson, a former Baylor basketball player, was sentenced to 35 years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty last week to murder in the shooting of a teammate, Patrick Dennehy, in June 2003.

9. USA Today -- Union director says lockout preventable if issues resolved
TROY, Mich. — NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter said Wednesday he will reach out to NBA Commissioner David Stern for the last time today in an effort to restart collective bargaining talks between the union and the league.

Sixers Headlines - June 15, 2005

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Pistons' energy ignites winning spark
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit Pistons made their debut in these NBA Finals last night. This was Game 3, but for the defending champions it was first contact. They were lost and then they were found.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | It's Jackson's big chance
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Well, nobody can accuse Phil Jackson of stepping into a ready-made winner this time.

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- Drug trial opens for A.I. case suspect But jury won't hear about Old City shooting
If his aim had been true, someone might be singing folk songs or rapping about the man who allegedly shot Allen Iverson outside an Old City nightclub.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Resilient Pistons have work cut out
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - They have been backed up like a boxer tasting his opponent's jab time and time again.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Staying in draft no shear publicity stunt
Matt Walsh wanted to make a statement, a statement that he was ready to take the next step, to be a grown-up, so to speak.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Smith, Jones still unsure about draft
St. Joseph's Dwayne Jones and La Salle's Steven Smith returned home yesterday on the same flight from Chicago, and both were buoyed by their performances at the NBA predraft camp.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Florida's Walsh remaining in draft
Matt Walsh, the University of Florida junior and Germantown Academy graduate, made it official yesterday. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard announced that he would stay in the NBA draft.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- NBA casts a net overseas with Ginobili
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Manu Ginobili is besieged. This pleases David Stern.

9. Calkins Times -- Sixers plan to hire Toney
PHILADELPHIA - At the recent Chicago pre-draft camp, Maurice Cheeks brought an old friend along with him.

10. Burlington Times -- Birth defect doesn't keep him off court
WILLINGBORO - Aaron White figures he could take Allen Iverson in a game of one-on-one - just as long as the Philadelphia 76ers all-star is on two wheels instead of two legs.

11. Morning Call -- Toney poised to join Cheeks in returning home
You will find Andrew Toney's career statistics buried in the back of the Sixers' media guide, between those of Sedale Threatt and Bernard Toone (and not far away from those of John Q. Trapp).

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Source: Toney to be assistant coach with Cheeks, Sixers
TROY, Mich. - Andrew Toney is, in a sense, coming home. Yes, he played at Southwestern Louisiana. But he spent his entire eight-season NBA career with the 76ers. And now he's coming back to them.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dumars happy to have Brown
SAN ANTONIO - Dan Gilbert, the new owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, wanted to speak with Detroit coach Larry Brown about an opportunity.

3. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Source: Toney set to join Sixers staff
Could new coach Maurice Cheeks be reunited with Andrew Toney on the 76ers' bench?

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Resilient Pistons have work cut out
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - They have been backed up like a boxer tasting his opponent's jab time and time again.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings | Romeo and Juliet alive and betrothed
Allen Iverson was lured Saturday night from Washington to his Villanova home - where about 100 friends, teammates and family members gathered for a surprise 30th-birthday party under a backyard tent.

6. The Trenton Times -- This could be final NBA Finals for a while
No, these are definitely not your father's NBA Finals.

7. USA Today -- Lockout would be disaster for NBA
Like the clown trying to distract a raging bull in a rodeo dustup, David Stern jumped into the middle of the Finals fray and frantically waved his arms. Look at me, over here, the prophet of collective bargaining doom.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- New Sixers aide?
SAN ANTONIO - John Loyer appears to be in line for an assistant-coaching job with the 76ers.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Dan Gross | Eagles' L.J. Smith injured in Old City bar fight
EAGLES tight end L.J. Smith was left with a gash over his eye in a recent bar fight in Old City. Smith was injured in an altercation the other week at Suede Lounge (120 Market).

3. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | In long run, he's the Manu
SAN ANTONIO - Believe it or not these were not the dreams of San Antonio Spurs guard Emanuel "Manu" Ginobili - to be a NBA champion, to be an All-Star, or to be the early favorite to be named MVP of the 2005 Finals.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Pistons' defense goes up in flames
SAN ANTONIO - They kept showing promotional snippets of "The Fantastic 4'' on ABC during Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs, though, were busy in the SBC Center doing some flame-throwing of their own, stretching the Detroit Pistons painfully thin, at times rendering them invisible.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Pistons caught in the grips of the Spurs' tight defense
SAN ANTONIO - So who stopped Rip Hamilton on Thursday night? What exactly caused him to be an uncharacteristic 7-for-21 from the floor?

6. Philadelphia Daily News -- Friends first, but rival coaches right now
SAN ANTONIO - There must be back burners somewhere in the bowels of the SBC Center and the Palace of Auburn Hills. That's where the sentimentality needs to be locked away. Tuck away the friendship angle. Save the war stories for sometime after the NBA Finals conclude.

7. Philadelphia Daily News -- A song for Alex and her Lemonade
The original "Sound of Philadelphia" is lending its voice to Alex's Lemonade Stands, the local charity has raised more than $1.6 million for pediatric cancer research and is hoping to raise an additional $1 million this weekend.

8. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stern's tough lockout talk casts shadow over Finals
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - When the Commish interrupts his usual lovefest at the NBA Finals to paint a bleak, lockout-near-certain future, you can't help but feel the league is exerting maximum pressure on its players to push back against their union leadership.

9. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Body Language | The true key to good health? Bones
It's natural for doctors to be proud of their specialties, and even a bit chauvinistic about the body parts that form the core of their practice.

10. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Alex's last stand is her legacy
Alex Scott may not have been at her lemonade stand yesterday, but many felt the presence of the little Main Line girl whose fight against childhood cancer became a nationwide crusade.

11. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | NBA now is reaping what it sowed
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - To most people, collective bargaining negotiations make little sense and create even less in the way of interest. You hear of numbers ranging in the billions. Millionaires are fighting with one another, displaying their disassociation with patrons who salivate at the thought of being in their place, leaving most to ask themselves, "What exactly does any of this have to do with us anyway?"

12. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Woodard takes place among greats in Hall of Fame
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - As a young girl growing up in Kansas, Lynette Woodard was taught "to follow your dreams, the yellow brick road."

13. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Robinson had his reasons for slide
In the fall, Glenn Robinson's world was spinning off its axis like one of those dishes in those old plate-spinning bits on the Ed Sullivan Show.

14. Delaware County Daily Times -- Sanfilippo: Title would be a major accomplishment
Currently, the Phillies are playing in the 350th season in Philadelphia professional sports history in the four major sports. In all those years, Philadelphia teams have won a total of only 15 championships. Of those 15, six came from teams that no longer call Philadelphia home. And, in the past three decades, there have been only three.

15. Calkins Newspapers -- How did 'Big Dog' get shot at title?
Nine months ago, Jim O'Brien started his first - and what would prove to be his only - training camp as head coach of the Sixers by praising Glenn Robinson.

16. Camden Courier Post -- Celeste E. Whittaker: Ugly or not, this should be an excellent series
The NBA Finals matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons may not be the matchup that a lot of people wanted to see, but they are the two teams that should be there. ">

17. USA Today -- Lockout looms as possibility for NBA
SAN ANTONIO - An NBA lockout, not so long ago thought to be unlikely, is looking more like reality. Commissioner David Stern said Sunday prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals that the owners had made so many concessions already that if there is a lockout, it could be a long one that would jeopardize next season.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Players union boss no supporter of youth clause
SAN ANTONIO - If you're good enough, your opportunity should be there. That's the stance of Billy Hunter, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, on a proposal to include a minimum age requirement of 20 in the next collective-bargaining agreement.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | NBA's age fright not necessarily fair
HERE'S THE PROBLEM with the NBA's age-restriction proposal. It sounds like the right thing to do. But it is clearly not the fair thing to do.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Spur of the moment
SAN ANTONIO - He had four points in the first quarter. He had none in the second. And then Manu Ginobili arrived.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Opening game was anything but fan-tastic
SAN ANTONIO - That clicking sound you heard about 11 o'clock last night was America turning off the NBA Finals.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Union chief unsure of prospects for new deal
SAN ANTONIO - Billy Hunter says the NBA wants to reduce the length of contracts for players, reduce the maximum percent increase in salaries from season to season, limit obligations to rookies to two seasons and, in effect, create a hard cap.

6. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Spurs' win starts with Popovich
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The conventional wisdom about coaches is that each has a shelf life of a certain number of years before his players tune him out. No less than Phil Jackson maintained that his message went stale after seven years or so, even with a group of self-motivated players like his six-time-champion Chicago Bulls.

7. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sports in Brief | Union warns of 'suicidal' NBA lockout
The NBA appears headed for a "suicidal" lockout, said Billy Hunter, executive director of the union that represents players.

8. Calkins Newspapers -- Missanelli returning to WIP
Bristol native Mike Missanelli will be returning to WIP 610-AM in July, according to station insiders.

9. USA Today -- Big Dog hopes to fetch title in mom's memory
SAN ANTONIO — In October, one dark day followed another for Glenn Robinson. The day after Philadelphia 76ers coach Jim O'Brien told him he wouldn't open the season as a starter, the 11-year veteran forward learned his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.

10. The New York Times -- A Dream in Every Cup (and at the Track, Too)
One summer day a couple of years ago, a man stopped by a little girl's lemonade stand, on the front lawn of her family's house on Henley Road in Wynnewood, a suburb adjoining Philadelphia - "Alex's Lemonade Stand" read the homemade sign - and bought a cup of lemonade for $500.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Kevin Mulligan | Looks like I'm not the only one who doesn't get it
POKED AT the beehive last week with another "I Don't Get It'' vent, and hundreds of you came buzzing with yours (including a handful of lacrosse moms, dads and players offended by my "I don't get lacrosse"). Happy to strike a nerve, here we go...

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- BROKEN-PROMISE LAND
FOR EVERY Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard, the list of high school kids who have attempted the express lane from high school to the NBA and failed would stretch as long as a Pennsylvania Turnpike exit ramp.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Title quest spurs Glenn Robinson
SAN ANTONIO - The name was out there, just floating, drifting, an NBA version of a hanging chad. With key reserve Devin Brown down with an injury, the San Antonio Spurs' coaches, scouts and personnel specialists were scanning the lists of potential emergency replacements.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Stephen A. Smith | Attention swirls around Brown
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - What we are left with now, as the NBA Finals begin and Larry Brown chases a second championship, while Philadelphia is forced to watch another city experience euphoria, is a coach maligned for his vagabond tendencies but coveted more than some Hollywood beauty queens.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Inqlings | Changing partners at WIP
Anthony Gargano is getting a "new" partner on the WIP-AM (610) midday show.

6. Trenton Times -- Finals shape up as a classic
PHILADELPHIA - Hey Love Doctor - a.k.a. Doctor J - you have given us a prescription for what could be a terrific NBA Finals, beginning tonight when Larry Brown's resilient Detroit Pistons take on Tim Duncan and the "We can beat you fast pace or slow" San Antonio Spurs in Texas.

7. USA Today -- Friends for life but Finals foes for now
SAN ANTONIO - They exchanged congratulatory phone calls after each of their teams advanced to the NBA Finals, a testament to a 30-year relationship born in basketball. But now it's all business for Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich. There is a championship to be won when their respective, mirror-image teams, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, tip off the 2005 Finals Thursday night.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sixers make deal with Jazz, then fulfill earlier deal with Pistons
SAN ANTONIO - The NBA Finals, the league's showcase beginning tomorrow night between San Antonio and Detroit, are a big deal. The 76ers, meanwhile, were involved in a much lesser deal, one that involved a swap of second-round picks.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Maturity a must for NBA kids
THE FOLLOWING excerpt comes from a column I wrote that appeared in the Daily News on Dec. 12, 1995. The night before, I saw Kobe Bryant play for the first time. Bryant was 17 years old then, the top-rated high school player in the nation who was contemplating jumping from Lower Merion High to the NBA.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Rich Hofmann | A partnership with the inner city
YOU RIDE by the Richard Wright School at 27th and Dauphin streets, and you look around the neighborhood, and it can break your heart in just a minute. It is not hard to imagine how living there must test a person's spirit.

4. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Sixers finally complete a 1997 trade
The 76ers finally sent to Detroit something they've owed the Pistons for nearly 71/2 years: a second-round draft pick. It ws the same pick that they obtained yesterday from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a future second-rounder.

5. Philadelphia Inquirer -- Pistons fit nicely as a team, oiled by friendship
MIAMI - Larry Brown was tieless late Monday evening, walking around in an untucked white shirt and slacks like an accountant returning to his house late on the evening of April 15.

6. Calkins Newspapers -- Sixers acquire, trade pick
The 76ers traded a future second-round pick Tuesday for a second-round pick this year just so they could keep another second-round pick. Got that?

7. Camden Courier Post -- 76ers to retain original '05 2nd-round draft pick
The 76ers currently don't have a first-round pick for the June 28 NBA Draft, but at least now they will have a second-round pick.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Hill: Age-limit debate strictly business
PHILADELPHIA - Sonny Hill, a Sixers executive and longtime youth basketball advocate, would like to take a moment to remind us what the NBA's age-limit debate is really about.

2.Philadelphia Daily News -- Ayers could be back on bench soon, as an assistant in Orlando
SAN ANTONIO - Randy Ayers could be back in the NBA as an assistant coach reasonably soon, perhaps even by the end of the week.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Dan Gross | Pam Anderson in A.C.
New Sixers coach Mo Cheeks stopped into Zanzibar Blue (200 S. Broad) the other night for fried catfish, spicy wings, greens and mashed sweet potatoes. On another recent Cheeks trip to Zanzibar, at a separate table, was his fired predecessor, Jim O'Brien

4. The Trenton Times -- Anonymous sources invaluable to a reporter
PHILADELPHIA - While I never referred to him as "Deep Throat," that's what Gordon Clark was to me. The Philadelphia Fury of the North American Soccer League had just fired their coach, despite his insistence he had "resigned" because he was homesick for England.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- DISTANT THUNDER
HE WAS 6-11, and easily carried a solid, muscular 250-plus pounds. Physically, he was fully grown and developed. He could run, jump and shoot. He could absorb a blow and could deliver one, even though he didn't yet have the mind-set to do it.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Shue: If the player fits...
GENE SHUE remembers that, in 1975, as the coach of the 76ers, he was looking for "the next center." It turned out to be Darryl Dawkins, directly out of Maynard Evans High in Orlando.

3. Philadelphia Daily News-- Wali's world included Moses, Darryl
Moses Malone went directly from Petersburg (Va.) High School to the Utah Stars, of the American Basketball Association in 1974.

4. Philadelphia Daily News -- Len: Limit would help kids, league
Len Elmore played at legendary Power Memorial High in New York. Later starred at Maryland. Then played two seasons in the old ABA and eight more in the NBA.

5. Philadelphia Daily News -- Source: Kuester to return
With the 76ers, if it's not one homecoming, it's another. First, former star guard Maurice Cheeks returned as head coach, succeeding the fired Jim O'Brien. Now, John Kuester is returning as an assistant coach.

6. Delaware County Daily Times -- McCaffery: Wade about to face a powerful decision
Ed Wade was right. The Phillies were not dead and they can see the top of the N.L. East clearly with more than 100 games still to play. So, yes, Ed Wade was right. But now that his Phillies are in reasonable shape to contend for a playoff spot, the general manager is about to be confronted with the most difficult professional predicament he ever has faced. That would be the issue that looms now like the tattoo over Mike Tyson's eye, the one so ugly that it is almost impolite to stare.

7. Camden Courier Post -- Celeste E. Whittaker: It's no shocker that Brown's eyeing move
We knew this was coming, didn't we? Is it a surprise to anyone that there are reports out of Cleveland and elsewhere that Detroit Pistons head coach Larry Brown already has agreed to a deal to become president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Earnhardt document reveals '97 dizziness
76ers broadcaster Marc Zumoff will host the Montgomery County Association for the Blind's 60th Anniversary Gala Luncheon on Sunday. For information, call MCAB at 215-661-9800.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- John Smallwood | Heat could send Brown to Mayo Clinic early
MIAMI - Before the start of last night's pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown was asked if he had a gauge for where his players were mentally and emotionally.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Kevin Mulligan | All around our town, I just don't get it
BACK BY popular demand, "I don't get it," to be followed in 2 weeks by the best of yours (limit two per person, no exceptions, e-mail submissions only).

2.Philadelphia Daily New -- Dan Gross | Cataldi blasts Eskin
WHAT DOES 610 WIP management think about Angelo Cataldi's bashing of Howard Eskin?

3. Philadelphia Inqurier -- Rasheed Wallace mellows - a bit
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In the Detroit Pistons' locker room, Rasheed Wallace is known as Roscoe. Understand, there is no actual Roscoe. But when Wallace was with the Portland Trail Blazers, his teammate J.R. Rider decided one day that Wallace looked like a Roscoe. (This explains a lot about the mercurial Rider's nature.)

4.USA Today -- NBA labor talks stall after league rejects union offers
The NBA players union, hoping to avoid a lockout, offered Wednesday to extend its current collective bargaining agreement with the league, but the league rejected the offer.

1. Philadelphia Daily News -- Sam Donnellon | Keeping up with Larry
I'VE SWITCHED my rooting interest in the NBA playoffs. Let's go Pistons.

2. Philadelphia Daily News -- Ellen Gray | It all comes together on summer TV
BEAUTY AND THE GEEK. 8 tonight, Channel 17. DANCING WITH THE STARS. 9 tonight, Channel 6. ROCKET science, ballroom dancing and "reality" TV - which of these things, as they say on "Sesame Street," is not like the other?

3. Philadelphia Inqurier -- Jonathan Storm | Brainiacs, babes and surprises
Oh, fine. Now I have to watch a reality show from the "mind" of Ashton Kutcher, underpants model turned real-life Harold to Demi Moore's Maude.