Sixers GM Stefanski knows his team's troubles

They still don't win very much.

They still don't have Elton Brand back.

They still haven't figured out how to make Samuel Dalembert more effective on the offensive end.

And, no, they have not decided whether to extend Andre Miller's contract.

Let's go one at a time, which is what Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski was willing to do in a telephone conversation yesterday afternoon:

* The three-ball: The Sixers are last in the NBA in three-point shooting. In the course of their just-completed trip, the six opponents accounted for 57 treys. The Sixers managed 16. That's 171 points for the other guys, 48 for the Sixers. They also are No. 26 in guarding against the three.

"To me, that's the major, glaring problem that sticks out," Stefanski said. "I keep saying we can become better at it. The coach [Tony DiLeo] has given them the green light to take the shots, but I also believe we have to take more."

The logic there seems to be that as long as they launch shots, opposing defenses are likely to come out to defend. That, in turn, should open some space in the lane. At the same time, the Sixers, a strong rebounding group, ought to be able to turn some of the misses into put-backs. Defending the three is more a matter of crisp, effective rotations.

* They were 1-5 on their trip, the only victory coming against the injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers on New Year's Eve.

After last night's win over Houston, they are 14-20, 5-6 under DiLeo, the coaching replacement for the fired Maurice Cheeks, They are 3-6 without Brand, who went down Dec. 17 with a dislocated right shoulder and is expected to miss at least another 10 days to 2 weeks.

They got off to similarly poor starts the previous two seasons, but made strong stretch runs, last season reaching the playoffs for the first time in four seasons and taking two games from the Detroit Pistons.

But there haven't been any signs that they are ready to do something like that again.

"I'm hoping we can turn this around," Stefanski said. "Flat-out, no one is happy about how we have started the season. We're disappointed, we're frustrated. Not just the front office and the coaches; no one in the locker room is happy . . . But I'd like to see more with Brand."

The 6-9 power forward, heralded virtually unanimously around the league as the most impactful free-agent signing of the summer, is scheduled to be re-evaluated this week by Dr. Craig Morgan, his personal orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Jack McPhilemy, the Sixers' orthopedic specialist.

"They want to see whether he's ready to try live action," Stefanski said. "They agree that with the force he took in a freak fall, with the opposing player landing right on his shoulder, they're very happy and relieved the injury wasn't worse. They also agree that we've bypassed the time when surgery might be necessary."

Stefanski is willing to say that the Sixers, who lead the league in fastbreak scoring, seem to run a little better in the absence of Brand, but he contends that they can be even more effective when Brand returns.

"What I want to happen is, when Elton comes back, that we continue to play the same way and that Elton fits in," Stefanski said. "Elton will figure it out. He was averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds when he got hurt; he knew what he was getting into. As time progresses, he'll get more and more comfortable, and they'll get more comfortable with him . . . We thought he was getting better and better."

* The Dalembert issue: The starting center has been rebounding and blocking shots, but has become a virtual nonentity offensively, including scoring only two points last night. The Sixers, though, have continued to keep him in the lineup. They seem to have no intention of making a change right now, even though rookie Marreese Speights and veteran Theo Ratliff have been effective in stretches.

Dalembert has more than $23 million coming over the next two seasons in a contract that includes a 15 percent trade kicker.

Stefanski acknowledged that he is "always on the phones," but not necessarily about Dalembert.

The trade deadline is Feb. 19. If history is to be your guide, talks likely will not heat up until the 2 or 3 days beforehand.

* The Miller issue: Miller likely will become one of the most valuable commodities in the league as the trade deadline approaches. He is in the final season of his contract, earning a little more than $10 million. The Sixers have between now and then to determine whether he is more valuable as a key piece in their immediate future or as a trade option.

Miller scored 60 points in the final three games of the trip, including a terrific 28-point performance against San Antonio that included 12-for-14 shooting from the floor and only one turnover in 37 minutes. Sadly, the one turnover - with 15 seconds remaining - led to the Spurs' final possession, in which Tony Parker took the long rebound of a missed jumper by Manu Ginobli and floated in the game-winner with nine-tenths of a second remaining.

A fine Sixers effort, coming from 21 points down after one quarter, ended in a 108-106 loss.

As they say, some things change, some things stay the same. *