This is just me, but I like the idea of the 76ers taking some young players to the Orlando Pro Summer League rather than to Las Vegas. I've never quite grasped the value of playing summer games in the sprawling midst of all the casinos. Last time I checked, Jrue Holiday--the Sixers' first-round draft choice--just turned 19. I'm not suggesting the Magic Kingdom is necessarily the place to be, but I like the concept of playing the games in the Magic's RDV Complex in front of league personnel and reporters but not the public. It sounds like a far better teaching venue.

Both the Sixers and the Nets will have coaching personnel on the bench. I'm not certain the designated Sixers representative has been completely decided, but it's likely to be Aaron McKie, with head coach Eddie Jordan, lead assistant Mike O'Koren and president/general manager Ed Stefanski watching from a distance.

Second-year big man Marreese Speights is on the roster, along with Temple's Dionte Christmas, who was not selected in Thursday night's NBA draft. Stefanski delivered the invitation to Christmas at about 1 a.m. Friday morning.

Free agents include former Penn Charter and Notre Dame star Rob Kurz, NBA Developmental League 2007-08 Rookie Of The Year Blake Ahearn, D-Leaguer Gary Forbes and Marcus Slaughter, who has logged time in Germany and France. Holiday is the Sixers' point guard of the future; Ahearn, with 15 games of experience with San Antonio and Mimai, will challenge him in practices.

The Sixers will practice July 3-4-5 in Orlando, then begin a five-game schedule July 6 against Indiana. Utah, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Boston are the other entries.

Holiday and Speights, by the way, will also participate in Tim Grgrich's skills camp later this summer.

Ed Stefanski, ever mindful of the value he places on his local ties, reached out late Thursday night to Temple's Dionte Christmas, inviting him to join the Orlando summer league team the 76ers will be sharing with the New Jersey Nets.

Christmas, who had been projected as a second-round selection during Thursday night's NBA draft, went unclaimed. He is likely to have multiple summer league and European offers. The Sixers leave July 2 for Orlando; Stefanski is awaiting a decision whether Christmas will join first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday and second-year big man Marreese Speights on the summer roster.

''He's a great kid, he's local,'' said Stefanski, the Sixers' president/general manager. ''Now, he has to prove it all over again.''

The 6-5 Christmas is the first player in Atlantic 10 history to lead the conference in scoring in three successive seasons; he finished his career with 2,043 points, the fourth Owl to surpass 2,000. He set school records for career three-pointers with 319 and for one season, with 107 as a senior.

If there was anything that kept him from being drafted, it might be his reputation as a volume shooter as opposed to a guy who could come off an NBA bench and provide instant offense. On the other hand, he is known for having a quick release and an ability to catch and shoot off screens.

Not Ty Lawson.

Not Eric Maynor.

No, the 76ers' choice at No. 17 in the NBA draft is Jrue (pronounced Drew) Holiday of UCLA. He is the first Bruin ever drafted by them.

And perhaps this should not be a surprise, because word out of their front office had been interest in the Bruins' freshman shopuld he slip through the early selections.

Holiday played one season as a shooting guard, away from his natural position in deference to senior Darren Collison. He averaged just 8.5 points.

But he was the Gatorade National Player Of The Year at Campbell Hall High in Chatsworth, Ca., averaging 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assistws and 4.8 steals as a senior.

The Sixers, though, made it clear that they are not anticipating him being an impact player or even a starter. They do think he's their point guard of the future.

They took Holiday despite not having had him in for a workout.

''When (his advisors) thought he'd go in the top 10, he cancelled,'' said Tony DiLeo, the Sixers senior vice-president/assistant general manager. ''We interviewed him in Chicago (at the predraft combine). We studied him. He fits our team.''

The Sixers selected UCLA's Jrue Holiday tonight with the 17th pick in the NBA draft.

Holiday is a 6-3, 180-pound freshman who played out of position at UCLA last season. Darren Collison was the Bruins' point guard and Holiday played shooting guard. His future is at the point. He was named to the All-Pac 10 freshman team. He averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks in 27.1 minutes per game.

Hoilday was the 2008 Gatorade High School Player of the Year. He played high school ball at Campbell Hall High, in California. According to NBA.com, he collects shoes as a hobby.

He is the first UCLA player ever drafted by the Sixers.

Some dribbles, double dribbles and other stuff as we await the NBA draft tonight:

1. USA Basketball is telling us today what we already knew, that the 76ers' Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young have been invited to the National Team mini-camp July 22-25 in Las Vegas.

Twenty-five players have been invited, including former Sixer Kyle Korver, now with the Utah Jazz, and Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, destined to be taken No. 1 tonight by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Toronto's Jay Triano will coach the group.

2. Despite what you may have read elsewhere, even on this very website, the Sixers do not have Elton Brand ''on the table.''

''We are not shopping Brand,'' Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski said.

3. I'm a big boy and can admit when I've made a mistake: I did not include Brandon Jennings in my mock draft that appears in today's Daily News.

I didn't leave him out to make a statement. In the process of juggling some names at the last minute, I just missed him. What's amazing is, I only got one email about it this morning.

From what I've heard, it sounds as if Jennings could go in the 14-20 range of the first round. But I've also heard that even his advisors are a little antsy. I just read an ESPN note that said there was some indecision as to whether Jennings should be among the players in the fabled Green Room at draft headquarters in New York.

4. I also just saw Chris Monter's annual mock draft, and he has Temple's Dionte Christmas and Saint Joseph's Ahmad Nivins going very late in the second round, but does not have Villanova's Dante Cunningham pencilled in.

Join the Daily News' Bob Cooney at 7 p.m. Thursday evening for a live blog during the NBA draft.

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The Sixers have changed their logo for the first time since the 1997-98 season, announcing today that they are returning to the traditional “76ers basketball” logo and the red, white and blue color scheme. According to the team, the basketball logo was last used during the 1996-97 seasonand has a color scheme originally established in 1963 and used during the Sixers’ two championship seasons in 1966-67 and 1982-83.

"By bringing back the old Sixers logo, we are connecting the past with the future," Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider said in a statement. "This logo evokes memories of some of this franchise's proudest moments. We also made this change because we understood how much this logo means to our fans, this franchise and to our city. The fans had a big input on this decision. We're excited and we want the entire City of Philadelphia to be excited for Sixers basketball."

In 1997-98, the Sixers modernized the logo, adding in black, silver and gold to a "76ers" that featured a predominant red and silver star to the left and a gold ball with blue stripes below. From 1963 through 1997, the Sixers' identity revolved around a “76” in red and royal blue and a star configuration above the number seven, which was an identity that defined the team through two NBA championships. The 76 and stars were utilized within a bell symbol from 1963-77 and then the “ers” was added to the "76" and contained in a ball.

The only enhancement with the new logo will be a rectangular “court” shaped enclosure around the ball logo with the city name “PHILADELPHIA” grounded along the bottom and silver accent shaping the entire perimeter.

The Sixers will introduce a new secondary logo and wordmark at a later date. Additionally, the team will unveil a new court design and uniforms later this summer.

As alluded to in today's Daily News, the Sixers will be bringing in Ohio State 7-footer B.J. Mullens for a predraft workout on Saturday.

Mullens started two of 33 games as a freshman, averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes. By all accounts, any team drafting him will have to wait at least a year or 2 for him to develop and mature.

Mullens will be joined by Notre Dame's Ryan Ayers, son of former Sixers coach Randy Ayers, but the focus will clearly be on Mullens.

After previous seasons at Duke and Penn State, the 76ers are moving their training camp to Saint Joseph's University.

A source familiar with the situation said the move is not related to the struggling economy.

''Why travel if you don't have to?'' the source said. ''This makes it easier for the fans, the media, everyone.''

Saint Joseph's is scheduled to dedicate its new athletic facility next Friday. By training on Hawk Hill, the players and coaches would also be within a few minutes of their official practice site at Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine.