If the 76ers are going to do anything this season, they had better get their house in order right now. They had better make clear who their leader is. And it had better be somebody far enough removed from the sidelines - but close enough to Ed Snider, chairman and CEO of Comcast-Spectacor - with the power to have the final word. Otherwise, the Sixers will not repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

Can it hurt to have an extra first-round pick at training camp?

Apparently not. The 76ers, filling out their roster for workouts that begin Tuesday in State College, Pa., have added three players, including 6-6 Corey Benjamin, the first-round choice of the Chicago Bulls in 1998.

Benjamin, the No. 28 overall pick, will join Coppin State's 6-7 Joe Brown and former Penn star Ira Bowman.

The 76ers? training camp hasn't even started, and already they're climbing uphill. But they sure have a funny way of doing things, allowing both Allen Iverson (elbow) and Aaron McKie to wait until virtually the last minute before having arthroscopic surgery.

Iverson to miss 4-6 weeks and McKie to miss 4-6 weeks after surgery.

Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that The Sixers confirmed that Allen Iverson and teammate Aaron McKie would each undergo arthroscopic surgery today.
Iverson will have a procedure done on his right elbow; McKie will have work done on his right shoulder. In both cases, the situations are the residue of injuries suffered last season. It is not known how long either player will be out, but it is unlikely they will be ready to fully participate in training camp, which begins next Tuesday in State College, Pa.

In both cases, the original course of action was rest and rehab. After recent evaluations revealed surgery would be necessary, the procedures were scheduled.

Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie may not be ready for the start of training camp. Both players have injury situations that general manager Billy King hopes can be resolved with additional medical opinions this week. Both injuries were sustained last season.

Iverson's inflamed right elbow became a major issue when a message posted on the Web site of his company, CrossOver Promotions, was listed as a "News Flash,'' saying: "After a visit to a team specialist, it has been determined that Allen will undergo surgery on his inflamed elbow to remove bone fragments prior to the 2001-2002 season. It is possible that he may begin the season on the injury list. Stay tuned.

King said both Iverson and McKie (right shoulder problem) were evaluated last week by Sixers physicians, but that he wanted an additional opinion on each player before a course of action was finalized.

In his Sunday column, Ira Winderman has news from around the NBA. Including: The Ground breaking on Dikembe Mutombo's hospital in his homeland, Stephon Marbury's thoughts for added security for NBA players, Lavor Postell, Omar Cook, who the Lakers were considering signing before they nabbed Jelani McCoy, and some players who have received camp invites.