Rodney Carney only participated in non-contact drills today during the 76ers practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In last night's last-second win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Carney sprained his right wrist. Sixers are calling him probable for tomorrow night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wachovia Center. After practice, Carney seemed like he thought he would play, but did say the injury is painful and makes it difficult for him to snap his wrist down when he shoots. Considering last night he played 31 minutes and had 10 points and 7 rebounds, the Sixers would probably like him to be able to snap his wrist when he shoots. Look for Carney to continue to play more minutes (if that wrist is OK).

*If you want immediate Sixers info/hits, follow Deep Sixer on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer. That's where it's easiest and fastest to first post info. And having read the comments, sometimes I notice someone will post "Does Twitter pay your salary?" These comments make little sense (and other than the "zzzzzzzzz's" that always get posted, most Sixer comments tend to be insightful). Obviously Twitter does not, it's just a forum to release information quicker. So, feel free to follow.

*There's also three new videos in the Deep Sixer player below on the right. There's one of Sixers coach Eddie Jordan talking about how athletic the Sixers were last night. There's one of Carney talking about how he was injured and one of Carney talking about how productive he thought his minutes were last night.

So anyone who watches the Sixers knows that Wednesday night's win was nothing more than that, a win. The Sixers were not impressive, of course, but at this point, being 5-6, they're clinging to a pretty decent record for how they've played so far, but really you have to chalk that up to the teams they are playing: their wins are over the Nets (2), the Knicks, the Bucks, and the Bobcats.

The big thing coming out of last night's game was Elton Brand playing more effectively and with more energy: kinda makes you wonder if Jordan was trying to light a fire under him (and also makes you wonder where that type of energy was the first 10 games of the season). There are going to be a lot more minutes for Brand/Jason Smith/possibly Samuel Dalembert for the next 6-8 weeks with Speights out. It'll be interesting to see how Brand plays tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies. He said after last night's game that "nah, that's nothing," when asked if that was how he can play. Clearly he still has the all-star mentality. And if that translates into all-star type playing, then that's great for the Sixers, but it seems Jordan is paving the way for Brand to be perhaps the third option, so let's hope these mentalities find some common ground.

--Kate

* A couple of additions ... after a few more phone calls, it looks like this deal is not near happening. So rest on it. It certainly won't be happening today. But don't think Dalembert is content being a Sixer. His party is actively looking for a new home for the Sixers' center.

Also, I give a 50-50 chance that tomorrow night's starting lineup against the Charlotte Bobcats will be Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, Thaddeus Young, and Samuel Dalembert. If you missed yesterday's post on this issue, scroll down.

And here's the earlier post: 

Woke up this morning to this tidbit from Marc Stein at ESPN's TrueHoop: 

"There is some hope, according to NBA front-office sources, for a three-way deal that is currently in the exploratory-discussion phase.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, in considering the feasibility of a Samuel Dalembert-for-Kenny Thomas swap, have discussed expanding that concept with Boston by trying to draw in the Celtics on a potential three-way deal that would land Andres Nocioni with the Celts.

Sources further stressed over the past 48 hours that this should be classified as an ongoing conversation as the teams involved decide how much they like what’s on the table.

But the full deal as it stands, if it eventually gets that far, would send Nocioni to Boston, Kenny Thomas, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine to Philadelphia and Dalembert and J.R. Giddens to Sacramento."

Now there are a lot of qualifiers in that post: "exploratory-discussion phase", "if it eventually gets that far," and "considering the feasibility of" ...

We know that Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski has been looking to trade Dalembert since before the trade deadline last season. I'm currently sitting at 76ers practice waiting for the curtain to open. Will certainly post more information as soon as it's gathered, but for now, having made a few calls, I think this is something to sit tight on. Spoke with Dalembert's agent Marc Cornstein and he said it's no secret the Sixers have called Sacramento -- they've called most teams in the league -- just as Dalembert's people have also explored trade possibilities. He said he'll learn more throughout the day but that right now three-team trades are "very tricky" and he's not expecting anything imminent.

If you want to follow for more immediate information, you can follow Deep Sixer on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer.

Here's this bit from "Sactown Royalty," the blog of the Sacramento Bee: 

It seems the knee injury to reserve center Marreese Speights might spark a number of changes. Just sitting down after 76ers practice today at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. If you were following Deep Sixer on Twitter, you would have had some of this info about an hour ago, click here: Deep Sixer.

It's not a 100 percent, but if you read between the lines, it seems probable that Sixers coach Eddie Jordan might go with a different starting lineup on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats. And it seems power forward Elton Brand will be out of the lineup. There are a few options for who might be in (all speculation, really, on what the changed lineup might be).

But we just spoke to Jordan. When the Sixers lifted the curtain on practice, they were running through 5-on-0 sets and Brand was working with the second team, Jason Smith with the first team. Rodney Carney was also with the first team, Willie Green with the second. It's tough to tell exactly what this stuff means because it might have been the first time all practice Brand was with the second team, so we had to ask Brand and Jordan. First we asked Jordan about the changes that will be made because of Speights' injury (partially torn MCL, to miss 6 to 8 weeks). Jordan said, "We went through a normal practice today and we always change our lineups in practice. Certainly Jason Smith will get more time at center. Elton will get some time at center and Primoz will be activated so we think we’re pretty well covered."

Then we asked Jordan about Brand working with the second team. Jordan said, "We have him playing some five with the second unit." Then we asked if that might mean a change to the starting lineup. Here's where it gets interesting. Jordan said, "Ummm," then there was a long pause and he smiled and said, "Who knows? Nothing is going to change until Wednesday, if there is a change."

Okay, that's not definitive, but certainly that's cause for raised eyebrows. We also talked to Brand. What he said seems more likely that there will be a change. Said Brand: "Today, he was talking about me working with the second group, getting some more center touches and stuff like that rather than playing with the fast-paced tempo of the first group, so definitely something is going to happen."

It seemed still unclear if Brand meant that he was working as center with the second unit so that he would be ready for additional minutes in the second quarter (in addition to starting), so we asked Brand which it was. He said, "No, we're going to see, it might be in the first quarter, too."

Back to Jordan. He was asked if he felt Brand was a 40-minute a night player. His response, without hesitation, was "No." Then, after being asked for more detail, he said: "He's just coming off two years of injuries. He's never had two years of injuries. So, he's not a 40-minute player now. You can put him out there for 40 minutes, I don't know how effective -- I know he won't be effective in those minutes because it's a process with his recovery ... I would put him in the game if I knew he was high level in the fourth quarter, but it's just not there."

Brand, for what it's worth, said he still thought he was a 40 minute a night player.

On Saturday night in Chicago, Jordan went with Rodney Carney down the stretch, playing him the final 9 minutes, 38 seconds. Today at practice, Carney was running with the first team, as was Jason Smith (they had about 7 guys on the first team, not just 5, so guys were rotating in and out). There seem to be a few possibilities for what might happen Wednesday night. And it's possible that we won't see any change at all to the starting lineup. But if we do, Jordan could just pull out Brand and plug in Jason Smith. Or he could move Thaddeus Young to the power forward and slide Carney (or Willie Green) in at the shooting guard, moving Andre Iguodala to the small forward. Heck, Carney could be the small forward and Iguodala could stick at the two.

Jordan acknowledged that Speights was insta-offense, but he said the team would make up for the injury on the defensive side of the ball. Jordan said Smith was a better defender than Speights and that the team needed Young to "defend and rebound better" -- and be more physical. Basically, Jordan was issuing a team-wide challenge to step it up on defense and physically. Jordan said: "Our bigs don’t contain the dribble if they’re against small fours … hopefully [Smith] can put it together and contain some people on the dribble."

So, there you have it, your update from the Sixers. Also, I took three videos today -- yeah, three. They're all posted in the Deep Sixer video player below on the right. There's one of Speights, talking today about his injury. He was wearing a brace on his left knee. He said there will be no rush on his rehab and that he would take the next week off completely. There's one of Brand, talking about the shifts needed because of Speights' injury. And there's one of Jordan, talking about how the team will compensate with Speights out. None of them are too long. Also, don't forget to follow on Twitter. It's a good time.

--Kate

76ers second-year big man Marreese Speights could miss up to two months with a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

With 9 minutes, 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter of last night's game against the Chicago Bulls, Speights grimaced and grabbed his left knee. It was on a defensive possession. Speights went back to the locker room with the Sixers trainer and did not return.

After the game, the Sixers said Speights would be evaluated further today. That further evaluation -- an MRI this morning -- revealed the partial tear. Sixers team doctor, Jack McPhilemy, said Speights will be out approximately six to eight weeks.

--Kate

Lou guarding Rose on the first possession of tonight's game.

Here's Thaddeus Young's Tweet from earlier today: "Go mode ... Bulls ... Chitown ... Need this one enough said."

So the 76ers are obviously in Chicago tonight, playing the Bulls in a game that tips off in about 20 minutes. After last night's really bad loss to the Utah Jazz -- the worst loss of the season because the other blowout losses were to teams with winning records -- the Sixers need to at least show some toughness and fight tonight against a very scrappy, tough Chicago Bulls team. Right off the bat, you gotta worry about Chicago point guard Derrick Rose being a problem for the Sixers. Rose is really good off the pick-and-roll and the Sixers are really bad defending the pick-and-roll.

It's hard to see, after watching last night's game, how the Sixers are going to pull out a win tonight at the United Center. The Bulls are 4-4, yes, but they seem to have the weapons -- scrappiness inside with Noah, speed on the perimeter, and the ability to hit outside shots -- that give the Sixers fits. So far this season, the Bulls really haven't shot the ball well from the outside: 25.3 percent. That's a frightening statistic since the Bulls have John Salmons, usually a good outside shooter. Salmons is shooting 26.2 percent. And guard Kirk Hinrich is shooting 22.2 percent. That could be a problem for the Sixers, who have a habit of allowing teams their breakout game from the perimeter.

Here's three keys: 

1.) Lou Williams on Rose. Williams did not play well against the Jazz. He's had a habit lately of getting stuck in the air without any idea where he's going to pass the ball. He took really good care of the ball through the first four games. He's going to need to get back to that as well as stay in front of Rose. He must keep Rose to around 10-12 points, but it seems plausible that Rose could end tonight with 22 points, 9 assists.

2.) Outside shooting. The Bulls are struggling. The Sixers have to keep them struggling. If Chicago makes more than 6 three-pointers (they've made only 25 through 8 games), the Sixers won't be able to win.

3.) Samuel Dalembert. I'm calling a big game tonight for Dalembert. Why? Because he's due for a big game, isn't he? If he can have a big game on the boards -- more than 12 -- and stay on the court for more than 30 minutes, then maybe he can counteract the effect of Joakim Noah, who could likely exploit the Sixers tonight.

Check out the videos in the Deep Sixer player below on the right. There's one of Lou Williams watching the Ohio St/Iowa game about 90 minutes before tip off. And there is another of Marreese Speights signing autographs after doing some pre-game shooting. Speights actually gave his white, dri-fit t-shirt to one of the kids in the stands and then signed about 25 autographs. Watch him at the end of the minute video ... this kid asks him to sign the back of his Derrick Rose. Speights hesitates and then sort of shrugs his shoulders and signs the jersey. If you want more immediate updates, follow on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer.

--Kate

*Just saw Thad ... he's playing tonight. And he said he Tweeted about it earlier. Maybe I need to be on Twitter more often.

Here at the Wachovia Center for tonight's game between the 76ers and Utah Jazz, set for a 7 p.m. tip (okay, more like 7:12).

Sixers small forward Thaddeus Young is still a game-time decision with that left shoulder/neck muscle spasm. Guess we won't know about Young until the Sixers have to release they're list about 60 minutes before tip-off. As soon as they release the info, I'll Tweet it, so follow here: Deep Sixer.

The Jazz, 3-5, will be without point guard Deron Williams, who is not with the team for personal reasons. Also out is Kyle Korver, with that knee injury, and C.J. Miles, who had left thumb surgery. So the Jazz, like the New Jersey Nets before them, are hurting. Of course, they have a lot more pieces remaining: Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Paul Millsap.

Also interesting tonight will be rookie point guard Eric Maynor, who is Utah's probable starter and also a draft pick behind Sixers' rookie point guard Jrue Holiday. Always a fun comparison, although Maynor will likely play a lot of minutes, Holiday limited minutes.

Same story lines tonight that have been revolving around this team for the last 10 days or so: The play, and playing time, of power forward Elton Brand ... the shooting of Young (if he plays). He definitely appeared to find his groove in the first half of the New Jersey game ... the rotation (who will be the first guard off the bench) ... and, also fun to watch, second-year big man Marreese Speights who has been pretty amazing through eight games this season.

Realistically, although it's been easy to point out the early-season flaws of this team -- especially because it seemed like they might actually come out of the gate playing better -- there are so many issues that Eddie Jordan still seems to be working through (rotation, Brand, second guard, certain scoring options), that until those things become solidified -- assuming it happens in the next 10 games -- we don't really know how good this team will/can play.

More later, after pre-game availability ...

--Kate

76ers practiced today at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. As has been for the last week or so, the topic was power forward Elton Brand, who played only about 6 minutes in the second half of yesterday's win over the New Jersey Nets. Sixers coach Eddie Jordan, understandably, seems to be fed up with all the questions about Brand.

Check out the Deep Sixer video in the bottom right player for a snippet of Jordan's feelings about Brand's minutes. Also, if you want to follow Deep Sixer on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer.

Sixers play the Utah Jazz tomorrow at the Wachovia Center.

--Kate

*Primoz remains inactive tonight for the 7th straight game. Check out the Deep Sixer video in the bottom right video player for a video with Iguodala and Speights running a couple of football pass routes before tonight's game against the New Jersey Nets. Speights looks like he could have been a good receiver. For faster updates, follow Deep Sixer on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer.

For a few weeks the discussion was about when Eddie Jordan's offense (technically called the Princeton Offense, but not necessarily being a reflection of the offense Princeton actually ran) would start flowing. For the last few days, the discussion has been revolving around the 76ers frontcourt: the minutes for Elton Brand, the possibility of Speights replacing "someone" in the starting lineup (who would Speights replace? If he replaces Dalembert, that means the Sixers starting frontcourt is Speights and Brand, which is quite small. If he replaces Brand, wow, then you're not starting the guy to whom you're paying $80 million? Jordan has said the starting lineup won't be changing in the near future, anyway). Also of concern is losing Samuel Dalembert in the same way he was lost last season: mentally. 

I can't post a blog item today without at least referencing the issues brewing with Brand and, to a lesser degree, Dalembert. But if you want the full scoop, you can check out these two articles from today's Inquirer. Elton Brand and Sixers issues, the second of which was from Mr. Bob Ford.

Tonight, the Sixers (3-4) are at the New Jersey Nets (0-7) at the Izod Center here in East Rutherford. It's wonderful being in New Jersey. The Nets are still depleted. No Devin Harris, no Chris Douglas-Roberts, no Tony Battie, no Yi Jianlian, no Jarvis Hayes. Even Courtney Lee, who played in the last game between these two, is questionable with a strained left groin.

Okay, so I know this is crazy, but let's take a look at a few of the positives for this team so far (because we know the negatives, we know this has been a rough start and issues are a-brewin' ... but a few wins could smooth the road). So, going into what should be a victory tonight, here's some positives for which to look: 

1.) Andre Iguodala's shooting percentage. He's shooting 51.4 percent from the floor. His outside jumper, through 7 games, has improved. Even those who dislike Iguodala's game -- you know who you are -- have to admit that his jumper has looked better than last year. Jordan has made it clear that Iguodala will be his No. 1 guy and is the team's best player. Will he make the All-Star game this year? I think that's 50-50. I'm not oblivious to some of Iguodala's issues, especially his on-court behavior -- but those discussions are for a later, less positive blog post. 

2.) The play of Marreese Speights. His abilities on the offensive end are actually -- through 7 games -- amazing. His touch around the basket is the best on the team. For a second-year player, taken in the middle of the first round, he's playing like a Top 5 pick. And it seems Jordan is not afraid to give him the important minutes, so he's going to continue to gain experience.

3.) I know there are plenty of Sixers fans who think the team should have selected Ty Lawson. I just don't see that (perhaps we'll get comments with people linking me to Lawson's stats?). Holiday is going to be very, very good. He played more against the Suns and he should play more and more as the season progresses. I'm jumping on the Holiday bandwagon right now: This kid is good. For anyone who watched the game against the Suns, you might have noticed how Holiday and Williams played together, with Williams playing the off guard. I thought Williams looked really comfortable back to his slashing role. Williams has done a nice job at point this season, but it was good seeing him in that scoring role again. Holiday/Williams backcourt should be something we continue to see more of.

I'm out of positives, plus it's time to get to a few press conferences and see what Jordan has to say in advance of tonight's game ...

--Kate

*The NBA released the 2010 All-Star Ballot today. The 76ers have three players on it: Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Samuel Dalembert. Iguodala and Brand are both listed as forwards, two of 24 forwards on the ballot. Dalembert is one of 12 centers listed. This year's game is in Dallas. For more information on how to vote (like by texting), check out the Sixers website.

Here at PCOM for 76ers practice. At the end of practice, Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, and Primoz Brezec all played 1-on-1-on-1. I took a video of it. The video is long (I was waiting for someone to make a shot), but at the end Brand scores on Brezec and inadvertently catches Brezec with a swing through. Looks like his hand, not his elbow. Brezec was done for the afternoon.

Video should be in the Deep Sixer player below on the right. If you want to follow on Twitter, click here: Deep Sixer.

Sixers leave for New Jersey this afternoon ...

--Kate