Rodney Carney has circled back to the 76ers.

"It's a little weird to be traded away and then to come back,'' the 6-7 guard-forward said after agreeing to the terms of a one-year contract earlier in the week.

All indications suggest that he will sign for $855,189, the NBA minimum for a player credited with three years of experience. He became an unrestricted free agent after the Minnesota Timberwolves declined picking up his option, which would have been worth $2,539,936.

Carney spent the first two seasons of his career with the Sixers. He was the No. 16 pick in the 2006 draft, taken by the Chicago Bulls and traded to the Sixers for the rights to Thabo Sefololosha. He was traded, with Calvin Booth and a first-round pick, to the Wolves last summer as the Sixers scrambled to create salary cap space to sign Elton Brand.

In an unrelated development, Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski has extended a training camp invitation to Dionte Christmas, the former Temple star who was not selected in the draft.

Camp begins Sept. 29 at Saint Joseph's University.

Ed Pinckney went to the NCAA Final Four in Detroit to watch Villanova, his alma mater. The last time the Wildcats had gotten that far, Pinckney had led them to a stunning championship victory over Georgetown in 1985.

This time . . .

"It was an amazing experience,'' Pinckney said on Comcast SportsNet's ''Daily News Live. ''I sat next to Rollie (former Villanova coach Rollie  Massimino) and Riley (former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley. They both were coaching both teams.''

Pinckney will not be coaching this season, at least not officially. He will, however, be analyzing. He was introduced as the analyst on 76ers telecasts, joining play-by-play voice Marc Zumoff and sideline reporter Dei Lynam. Zumoff is entering his 16th season as the play-by-p-lay voice and his 28th as a member of the Sixers broadcast team.

Pinckney, 46, is the successor to Bob Salmi.Speculation during the summer indicated he became the choice after consideration had also been given to Donyell Marshall and Rick Mahorn.

Pinckney decided his time as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves was up when Kurt Rambis was named their new head coach and put together a staff including onetime Sixers guard Dave Wohl, Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus, even though he had an opportunity to remain there.

''This is my home,'' he said. ''I consider this a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It's a very historic franchise, and I had a chance to play here. I just thought this was a better opportunity for me, a chance to actually be home.''

Pinckney worked as a radio and TV analyst for the Miami Heat frrom 1997 to 2003; he was director of the Heat's mentoring programs in '02-03 before returning to Villanova as an assistant coach. He has a copmfort level not only with the responsibilities of being an analyst, but also in working with Zumoff.

''The more you do it, the more chance you have to develop chemistry with your partner, and this was an immediate chemistry,'' he said. "I've known Marc for a number of years; sitting next to him, we're just talking about the game, the way we did over the phone or when we'd see each other on the road.''

And when it's time to be critical . . .

''You have to be able to do that,'' he said. ''But the way I do it is more important. I need to be able to articulate my case, make sure it's valid and that there's some substance to it. I'll try to make sure I find a happy medium, where I can be respectful to all parties.''

And, yes, he has some of the same questions about the team that most people have.

''Sure,'' he said. "One question is how Lou Williams handles major minutes. Then, how Elton Brand manages his minutes and his health, and whether Sam (Samuel Dalembert) can play to his capabilities. But that's the case with any organization. I'm just excited to be part of it, to be able to talk about it.''

The No. 10 overall pick in the '85 draft, taken by the Phoenix Suns, Pinckney appeared in 793 regular-season games befrore retiring in '97. He logged time with the Suns, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers and the Heat. He appeared in 27 games with the Sixers in 1995-96, making 23 starts.

He arrived in mid-season, coming to a team that won 18 games, laughingly recalling the experience as ''not one of the shining moments.''

He scored 1,865 points and took 1,107 rebounds in his Villanova career. During that span, the Wildcats were 92-37, including 11-3 in NCAA tournament games. He was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player in 1985.

And now he's back.

"I'm back in Philly, where my heart is,'' he said.

 *

To read our earlier post on Allen Iverson and the Sixers, click here.

The messages filtered in for most of the summer, sometimes several a week. The basic premise was generally the same: If the 76ers were facing a transitional season, if they seemed to have a thin guard line, if they weren't going to win a whole lot of games, why not bring back Allen Iverson?

That troubled me, because I've always believed the basketball constituency in this area really understood and appreciated the game, especially backcourt players. But now there was a segment of fans who simply wanted a show. They wanted to recreate Iverson's performances that led him to four scoring titles and an MVP during his decade-plus here. They weren't accepting that Lou Williams, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, rookie Jrue Holiday and, at times, Andre Iguodala could be sufficiently effective, even in new coach Eddie Jordan's pass-and-cut Princeton offense.

They might be right about that part, but--and I should have said this in Sixerville much earlier--they were wrong about bringing back Iverson.

He might turn up in Memphis, or possibly in Charlotte, and he might sell some tickets and create some marketing benefits in those markets, but there would be no reason for him to turn up as a re-born Sixer. The evidence shows in his post-Sixers career in Denver and Detroit: The Nuggets improved dramatically when they acquired Chauncey Billups in a trade for Iverson; the Pistons became so disenchanted with Iverson's rebellion against coming off the bench that they sent him home.

So, each time an emailer broached the subject of bringing him back to the Sixers, I patiently tried to explain:

He's not the player he was during the Sixers' spectacular run to the NBA Finals in 2000-01. You can't live on memories.

He insists on playing major minutes, and that would mean holding back the development of Williams and Holiday. Williams has played four full seasons and has never started a game; it's time to find out whether he can be the3 backcourt leader. Holiday might not play much at the start, but--unless you're challenging for a championship--why give even those minutes to an aging star? That was part of the thinking in allowing Andre Miller to leave in free agency.

Iverson has never been one to make the players around him better. Even during '00-01, the opposite was true. Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Theo Ratliff and Dikembe Mutombo took care of the defense, rebounding, scratching and clawing, allowing Iverson to provide the offense. When word surfaced that Iverson could be joining the Bobcats, the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell turned to former Sixers president/general manager Billy King for perspective. Among other things, King said "Allen never made the people around him better in the first place, because it's always about Allen.''

King also told the Observer ''Everything is about Allen, and it can't all be about Allen at this point in his career. He's no longer that intimidating figure who can just blow by everybody. So he's got to do other things, and I'm not sure he will.''

And: "When Allen plays the point, nobody else touches the ball.''

That's not the type of player I would want mentoring my young guards.

I understand the deep loyalty of Iverson's fans. They sincerely love their guy. They will revel in someday seeing his jersey retired in the Wachovia Center. They miss the show. In a way, I do, too. He was a phenomenon, filling the arena the way no player ever had. I don't know why this particular memory has stayed with me, but I remember a night when the Daily News was celebrating the retirement of editor Zach Stallberg. I missed the arly portion of the party in town because I covered the Sixers game first. I paid my respects to Stallberg by laughingly saying ''In honor of you, Allen just dropped 60.''

Allen could do things like that.

The show, at some level, will go on, in Memphis or Charlotte or somewhere.

But not here. That time has come and gone.

Poll: Should the Sixers bring back Iverson? (2778 votes)

He was a one-year star at Villanova, a transfer from Kentucky averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds.

From there, 6-10 Michael Bradley became a first-round draft choice of the Toronto Raptors in 2001, the No. 17 overall pick.

He logged time with five NBA teams, including 46 games with the 76ers in 2005-06, then went overseas to play in Spain, Germany and Lithuania.

And all along, Bradley was paying attention to how things worked behind the scenes. Finally, after seven seasons, now with a wife and three children, he has vaulted into a new career, passing the NBA and FIBA (international) certification exams and forming Bradley Sports Management (www.bradleysportsmanagement.com).

''I really wanted to stay involved with the game and be flexible enough to still be at home every week with my family,'' Bradley said in an email. ''I had always been interested in the behind-the-scenes business aspect of basketball and gave the agent idea a hard look, doing a lot of research.''

The results so far include placing six players on teams overseas, including Mark Sanchez (no, no, not the New York Jets rookie quarterback) with Hapoel Holon in Israel. This Mark Sanchez, by the way, is a forward from Boise State.

''I have the history of playing (in the NBA and overseas) and the eye to seek out players who will be successful in Europe,'' Bradley said. ''It's very rewarding helping kids secure their first professional contracts and hopefully helping them on to long careers.''

The Sixers have signed free agent center Primoz Brezec to a 1-year contract worth $1.1 million.

The 7-1 Brezec, who entered the league with the Indiana Pacers as a first-round draft choice in 2000 (No. 27 overall), is the fifth big man on the current roster, joining Dalembert, Elton Brand, Marreese Speights and Jason Smith.

The signing was first reported last week in the Daily News.

“We feel that Primoz will provide us with additional size and depth in the front court, but just as beneficial is the wealth of experience he brings to the team not only on the NBA level, but internationally as well,” Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement.

Breezec, 29, has career averages of 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds, also logging time with the Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. He posted career high of 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds with the Bobcats in 2004-05.

He spent last season in Italy, and last played in the NBA with the Bobcats, Pistons and Raptors in ’07-08, appearing in a combined 50 games. He has been a starter in 214 of his career 321 appearances.

A member of the Slovenian National Team, Brezec has competed in the 2003 and 2005 FIBA European Championships and the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
 

The Sixers unveiled their newly designed court at the Wachovia Center during an event on the Summer Hoops Tour.

Royal Ivey is officially back with the 76ers. The 6-4 guard, who agreed to terms last week, passed his physical examination this afternoon and signed a contract.

The deal is believed to be for one year, for slightly more than the minimum. In Ivey's case, that should bring him within shouting distance of $1 million.

Ivey had opted out of the second leg of his original contract, but remained interested in returning.

"We're very, very happy to be back in Philadelphia,'' said Keith Glass, Ivey's agent. ''When we opted out, it wasn't a reflection on the Sixers, it was a belief than Royal was worth more than the minimum, and that's been born out.''

Ivey appeared in 71 games last season, averaging 3.0 points in 12.1 minutes.

The Sixers’ eight-game preseason schedule will take them to Mexico, Canada and a pair or games at the Wachovia Center.

The Sixers open the preseason with a pair of games against Toronto on Oct. 6 and 7, with the first game in London, Ontario and the second in Toronto.

They host New Jersey at the Wachovia Center on Oct. 9 and Washington on Oct. 20, as new Sixers coach Eddie Jordan faces his former team.

As previously announced, the Sixers play the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 18 in Monterrey, Mexico. The league first visited Monterrey in 2006, when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets in front of a sellout crowd.

That game will be preceded by a game against the Suns in Phoenix on Oct. 16.

The Sixers close will close the preseason against New Jersey at Carnesecca Arena in Queens on the St. John’s campus on Oct. 23.

The regular season opens against Orlando on Oct. 28.

Here is the full preseason schedule:

Tue., Oct. 6, vs. Toronto, London, Ontario, 7:30 p.m.

Wed., Oct 7, at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 9, vs. New Jersey, Wachovia Center, 7 p.m.

Tue., Oct. 13, at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 16, at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 18, vs. Phoenix,  Monterrey, Mexico, 9 p.m.

Tue., Oct 20, vs. Washington, Wachovia Center, 7 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 23, vs. New Jersey, Queens, N.Y., 8 p.m.

News item: Radny Ayers is back for a second stint with the 76ers. He spent six seasons as the lead assisdtant to Larry Brown, then succeeded him in 2003-04.

Reaction: I thought Ayers did his best work under Brown, particularly in helping develop young players. Ayers and then-Sixers assistant John Kuester (now the head coach of the Detroit Pistons) spent countless hours  drilling guys before and after practices and shootarounds and in pre-game sessions.

Sadly, Ayers lasted just 52 games (21-31) as Brown's successor, replaced by interim coach Chris Ford. I've heard then-president/general manager Billy King say he should have offered his first-year coach more support, particularly in dealing with star guard Allen Iverson. I remember a legendary night when reporters, waiting to meet with Ayers after a game in the Wachovia Center, could hear loud, angry voices emanating from the locker room. Iverson, for his own reasons, wasn't happy; Ayers wanted to suspend him.

That, of course, didn't happen. That was probably the beginning of the end for Ayers. In retrospect, he never had a chance.

Ayers became the head coach after King went through interviews and calls with Tubby Smith, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Fratello, Mike Woodson, Terry Stotts and, yes, current Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan. Some of them, for their own reasons, didn't want to come.

But it wasn't as if Ayers didn't have credentials. He had spent eight seasons at Ohio State, winning back-to-back Big 10 championships in 1991 and '92. The Associated Press named him the national Coach Of The Year in '91. And he seemed to thrive and develop under Brown.

Since leaving the Sixers, he has logged two seasons as an assistant with the Orlando Magic and two under Jordan and interim coach Ed Tapscott with the Washington Wizards. In one season with the Magic, he helped the defense improve from allowing 101.8 points per game to a more manageable 96.0. That's the sort of work that obviously would be beneficial to the Sixers.

Oh, and in case anyone thinks the league office doesn't have a sense of humor, the schedule for this season shows the Sixers playing at Washington Nov. 24.

That would be the one-year anniversary of . . . the day Jordan was fired.

As expected, former Sixers head coach Randy Ayers is rejoining the team as an assistant to Eddie Jordan.

Here is release from the team this afternoon:

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that Head Coach Eddie Jordan has named Randy Ayers as an assistant coach. Ayers joins a staff comprised of Associate Head Coach Mike O’Koren and Assistant Coaches Jim Lynam and Aaron McKie.

Ayers, who was head coach of the Sixers for 52 games during the 2003-04 season, previously served as an assistant coach on Jordan’s staff in Washington. The Wizards allowed just 99.2 points per game in his first season with the team in 2007-08 after allowing 104.9 ppg the season prior.

Prior to joining the Wizards, Ayers was an assistant coach with Orlando. In his two seasons with the Magic, Ayers helped the team lower its opponents scoring average from 101.8 ppg in 2004-05 to 96.0 ppg in 2005-06 to 94.0 ppg in 2006-07.

No stranger to Philadelphia, Ayers spent six-plus seasons as a member of the Sixers coaching staff, including the stint as head coach in 2003-04. As the top assistant under Head Coach Larry Brown, Ayers helped guide the Sixers to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Ayers coaching career also includes an eight-season run as head coach at The Ohio State University, where he led the Buckeyes to four postseason appearances and back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was named National Coach of the Year by The Associated Press in 1991.