Brown could be mulling exit

As the Sixers continue the ups-and downs of an inconsistent season, Larry Brown may be contemplating getting off the ride. Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Brown talked about finding a replacement to lead his team after a disappointing 97-83 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in front of the home fans.

One night after blowing out the Bucks in Milwaukee, they were dominated by the Hawks in Philly. Brown doesn’t understand the inconsistency.

"I hope some of the guys we've gotten will improve," Brown said. "If not...I don't know where we are. Maybe we get somebody in here at my position that can do a better job. I don't know. I think the way this league is, that's the way it goes."

Brown is a well-documented wanderer, but his six years in Philadelphia is the longest of his NBA coaching career. His players have heard him talk about stepping down before, but it might be more serious this time.

Allen Iverson, who scored a game-high 37 points, said he hoped Brown was just venting after one of the team's tougher, more unfathomable losses. "I just hope it's coach being coach," he said. "I can't tell you what he's thinking. I can't say what's going on in his head."

Eric Snow, who tied a career high with 15 assists, is also frustrated with the Sixers’ woes. "Everything we did against Milwaukee, we didn't do tonight," Snow said. "That's why you get beat the way we got beat. We've talked about this I don't know how long. We know what we have to do, and we're obviously not doing it. The organization has to decide if this team is good enough to win. If not, they have to make changes."

Brown clearly misses character guys like George Lynch and Tyrone Hill, who willed themselves to give their best for every minute of every game during the more halcyon days of the Brown regime. "We got a lot of new guys who are different than we had before," Brown said. "I think their mentality's different. George Lynch, Tyrone...people like that wouldn't let this happen. Maybe we'd have lost, but it wouldn't be this way."

Asked whether the Sixers were "schizophrenic," Brown said: "Maybe. I watched 'A Beautiful Mind' before the game. I wanted to see Marilyn Monroe, and Phyllis Diller was out there."

In a related story, Stephen A. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Brown is unhappy with the makeup of his team and is looking to make changes.

The prevailing rumor has them sending Derrick Coleman and his ending contract to Atlanta for ex-sixers/defensive stopper Theo Ratliff. Brown misses the hustle and defense of his 2001 Finals team and bringing Ratliff back would improve their interior defense immensely.

Before the Atlanta trade talks, they talked to the Knicks about trading Keith Van Horn for Latrell Sprewell. Before that, it was Van Horn to Orlando for injured Grant Hill, months after vowing that Van Horn was the answer to their prayers.

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Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks

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Riley still ripping refs' calls

Heat coach Pat Riley is frustrated with the officiating in the NBA and he repeated his criticism of what he feels is a bias against his team yesterday. Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel reports that Riley labeled the officiating during Monday’s loss to the Pacers as "absolutely one-sided".

Riley said that his team drove hard to the basket 32 times to Indiana's 19, yet the Heat finished 18 of 23 from the line to the Pacers' 26 of 39, including a 16-7 attempts edge in the fourth quarter. His Miami team is 27th in the league in free throws attempted, ahead of only the Sonics and the Knicks.

"We can't overcome the inconsistencies of those calls when the games are equal," Riley said. "Both styles are equal, so it's perplexing for me. I can stand here and complain about it, but unless the officials make a consistent effort to call the game collectively or equally, we'll be on the short end of the stick."

After Miami’s loss to the Sixers on Saturday in which Philadelphia out-shot the Heat from the line by a 35-17 margin, Riley only smiled and said, "I'll tell you one thing, Caron Butler was fouled just as many times as Allen Iverson."

In both games, which were lost in the fourth quarter, Indiana and Philadelphia combined to take 74 free throws to the Heat's 40. "We can't win that way," Riley said. "I'm not saying we don't deserve it. We deserve the calls and last night's whistle was one-sided, absolutely one-sided."

Riley was fined $50,000 in December when he criticized the officiating and referee Steve Javie in particular. "It's giving us absolute delight to watch you and your team die," Riley said were Javie's words during a disagreement.

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Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers

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No further damage seen in Williams' knee

Williams missed the first 18 games of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Oct. 25 to repair a tear in the medial meniscus suffered in a preseason game in Houston. He already had sat out the first four preseason games with a small labral tear in his left shoulder.

He was activated Dec. 3, but suffered a bone bruise on his left knee Dec. 11 in a game against Seattle.

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Philadelphia 76ers

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