76ers still looking to draft guard

For the 76ers, the next stop on the off-season trail is the NBA draft, on June 25. The Sixers have the 17th pick.

Even with the pending addition of shooter Jason Kapono, general manager Ed Stefanski said the team still planned to select either a point guard or a shooting guard, based on which position had the most talented player remaining on the board.

Stefanski said that head coach Eddie Jordan, hired just over a week ago, was committed to drafting a guard.

"He's more concerned with the best player at one of those spots," Stefanski said. "All along, we've said we're looking for perimeter help."

Will the Sixers try to deal their way up the draft ladder?

"We're talking to teams, but there hasn't been a lot of action on maneuvering," Stefanski said. "But there could be."

Christmas in workout. Temple swingman Dionte Christmas will be one of five players at today's predraft workout at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The workout is scheduled for 10 a.m. The other players are UCLA point guard Darren Collison, Miami (Fla.) guard Jack McClinton, North Carolina shooting guard Wayne Ellington, and Louisiana State shooting guard Marcus Thornton.

Still waiting. Stefanski said he still had no idea what would happen with last season's starting point guard, Andre Miller, who is an unrestricted free agent.

Stefanski said that he had no indication of whether Miller would re-sign and that he would not speak with Miller until July 1, when free agency opens.

Smith update. Center Jason Smith, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in July, has been cleared by Dr. David Altchek to participate, without limitations, in on-court workouts.

Altchek reported that he was "pleased with the progress" Smith had made, according to a statement by the Sixers.

"This is very encouraging news and a testament to the hard work Jason has put in over the past nine months," Stefanski said on Sixers.com.

For the next two to three months, Smith will wear a knee brace during on-court work.

He will move from on-court skill work to one-on-one, three-on-three, and then five-on-five games. His progress will be monitored by the Sixers' medical staff, and decisions will depend on how Smith's knee reacts to increased stress.