Iverson still out for Sixers, but so far he's still an All-Star

Until someone in authority in the NBA office says different, Allen Iverson remains a starting guard for the Eastern Conference in Sunday's All-Star Game in Dallas.

Iverson's status remained intact as of last night's Sixers game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, even though he missed his fourth game in succession while attending to his ill daughter. The 76ers announced that Iverson also will miss tonight's game in Toronto, the team's final game before the All-Star break, but that he will return Feb. 16 against the Miami Heat in the Wachovia Center.

This will be Iverson's 11th straight All-Star appearance, and the first by a Sixer since 2006.

"Our understanding is, he will still be an All-Star," league spokesman Tim Frank said last night in an e-mail.

A source familiar with the Sixers' situation said Iverson intends to make his All-Star appearance.

Earlier in the week, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan would not address whether Iverson would remain a starter when he rejoins the team; Iverson is averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 22 games since signing Dec. 2 as an unrestricted free agent.

"He's been great, in the locker room, on the court," teammate Elton Brand said. "Whatever the big bosses decide, I'm sure he's going to go with it and come back and help us win games."

Elton Brand, relegated to being a backup center earlier in the season as he continued a 2-year recovery from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, has been looking more and more like the rugged power forward the Sixers thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent two summers ago.

Going into last night's game, he was averaging 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.28 blocks, showing progressively better quickness, speed, footwork and confidence.

"I feel I've come a long way," Brand said. "It was a long, tumultuous journey, lot of ups and downs; I'm more confident, that's the big thing."

Said Eddie Jordan: "He's come a long way, we all know that. The first 2 1/2 months, he just didn't have his legs. His shot was short; he didn't run the floor as well; he didn't rebound as well; he didn't rotate; he didn't defend as well. Now that he's got his legs under him, he feels good; his confidence is back; his athleticism is back.

"We knew it would come . . . slowly. [When] you've been around long enough, you know it doesn't happen overnight, to be what you were 2 years ago. And with us struggling, it didn't look pretty. Coming off the bench, I thought that process helped him; now he's back to where he can be - not where he used to be, but eventually he will [be]."

Sixers center Samuel Dalembert, who has already visited his earthquake-ravaged homeland of Haiti, scheduled a second visit during All-Star Weekend.

"I'm going with UNICEF," he said. "They will show me the site [for his projected center for children], and give me an idea of what they want to do. They have been trying to get the names of all the kids, seeing which ones still have relatives, which ones are orphans. The database is pretty long.

"One of the problems is, there are no roads. They send a truck and you try and go. It's pretty chaotic."

Samuel Dalembert went into last night's game having taken at least 10 rebounds in 14 straight games.

"The most important part is, I'm not expecting anything [in terms of minutes]," he said.

"Before, I wanted consistency, so I could produce. Now, I'm adapting to what they give me." *

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