Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire of the U.S. Olympic team were suspended from Saturday's exhibition game against Puerto Rico this afternoon for missing an 11 o'clock team meeting.

Larry Brown made the decision on the suspensions and the decision was announced to the crowd in Jacksonville before the game to a rain of boos.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson and former 76ers head coach Larry Brown, now with the Detroit Pistons, are teaming back up on the United States Men's Senior National Team in the Olympics and it appears their stormy relationship has been buried in favor of mutual appreciation.

"You never know how much something means to you until it's gone," said Iverson, who played six years under Brown with the 76ers before he left to coach the Pistons. "And that's kind of the situation with me and Coach Brown."

Responded Brown: "He doesn't need to say those things. I care about him. I miss him." His nose did not appear to expand as he spoke.

Iverson is the USA team's co-captain, sharing the honor with San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan.

The often discussed Austin Croshere is reportedly being offered to the Sixers for Derrick Coleman and Greg Buckner, but those claims are being denied by Pacers management.  Indiana has been attempting to deal Croshere soon after they gave him a lucrative contract following his great performance in The Finals several years ago against the Lakers.

Hello world, leading Team USA will be Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson who were voted on unanimously by the other players yesterday. On a team lacking international experience, Iverson's eight starts with the Senior National Team are second only to Duncan's 21.

"Allen has earned this," U.S. head coach Larry Brown said.

"He deserves it. It'll be good for him."

Not bad for a guy who was one of the last players added to the core team that was supposed to compete in Athens and whose selection was the most controversial.

"It's crazy because never in my life have I been the oldest player on a team. The only thing I was worried about was if my knee injury would let me play. Once I knew that I was well, I was going to play. No way in the world I was going to miss this opportunity. This is something I've always wanted to do,"  Iverson said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - (KRT) - Don't worry, basketball-loving America. The protector of our hoops dignity has arrived.

Reintroducing Allen Iverson . . .

Yes, that Allen Iverson. Remember him? Little guy, about 5 feet 11 in reality. Tattoos spilling down his arms. A symbol of disobedience and sometimes recklessness. Yes, that Allen Iverson.

By default, he is now a virtuous example for American basketball players. It didn't take much to achieve this status. All he did was show up here Monday and declare his desire to win a gold medal.

"Just being an Olympian, I'm beside myself," Iverson said

"You saw what I went through to get on the team," Iverson said before sharing a chuckle with the gathered media.

He asked and asked and asked to be included, but Team USA was hesitant to include him. We all know why. Iverson has made every mistake. He's too familiar with police. He's had domestic squabbles. He dislikes practice, and he pronounces the word as if he's hissing: PRAC-TISS. He's reinvented the meaning of unprofessional. Biggest mistake of all, he once believed he could rap.

"Allen's a great choice," co-captain Duncan said. "The kid plays hard every time he's on the court. What's not to like about how he plays?"

It's the greatest country in the world," Iverson said of the United States. "This country has done a lot for me and my family. It has provided me with so many opportunities.

"I'm doing this to represent my country. That's an honor."

One by one, the star players picked last year for the U.S. Olympic basketball team dropped out, citing injuries, marriages, new children, security concerns, free agency and other personal reasons.

One of those remaining is Allen Iverson of the 76ers. Yes, that Allen Iverson, the one who missed the last 12 games of the 2003-04 NBA regular season because of a knee injury, the one who didn't suit up for a game last season when he found out he wasn't starting, the one who's well known for his aversion to practice.

None of that is lost on U.S. coach Larry Brown, who coached Iverson for six seasons with the Sixers, who knows probably better than anyone Iverson's disdain for practice during their at-times-stormy relationship.

"It's tremendous, in my eyes, what he's doing and the sacrifices he's making to play," Brown said. "I think, in all honesty, he needs this because he missed a lot of games, he's got a new coach coming in and he's got a tremendous challenge this year. In speaking to him, he feels that this is a great opportunity for him to get back on the right track."

Iverson has always maintained that being selected to the Olympic team is an honor for him, something that he has taken very seriously. He reiterated that when he showed up unexpectedly for a practice for the 76ers' rookie league players July 4.

"For me not to participate, it would be a bad thing in my heart, because only a few are selected for it," Iverson said that day. "You always thought about one day, if you were blessed enough to be part of that team ... It means everything to me."

The way I look at it, the fact that we lost players, it's opened up opportunities for other kids who really deserve it," Brown said. "And, if you look at our roster, we have a lot of kids that are the future of USA Basketball. We're just getting started sooner than maybe we had expected with young players, but they deserve it and I think it's a great opportunity for them."

But Brown knows time is short. The U.S. team plays an exhibition game Friday, then heads overseas for five more exhibitions and practices before the Olympics begin Aug. 15.

Iverson will counted on to help Brown mold the team from what he called "a team of All-Stars" into a team.

"[Iverson] doesn't show emotion a lot, in terms of being selected to an All-Star team," Brown said. "But when he was picked on the Olympic team, he was genuinely thrilled. It meant a lot to him. The fact that he has a chance to play for a gold medal after what happened last year with his injuries, I think he feels pretty good about this opportunity."

If the offers for Antoine Walker remain sub-par, the Mavericks won't pull the trigger on a deal.

Mavs' president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said the club is not opposed to starting training camp with the 6-9 forward still with the team.

"We're getting a lot of calls," Nelson said. "I think people realize that Walk has value, not only because of his ability but because he's going into the last year of his contract. Wherever he plays, he's going to have a big season. But there's nothing close right now."

The Mavericks are believed to have interest in Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert and/or Willie Green (though more players would have to be included to make the deal work).  Glenn Robinson is on the block in Philadelphia, but the Mavericks are not too high on acquiring Big Dog.

The Knicks and Isiah Thomas also covet Walker and may have some pieces to make a deal work, especially through a multi-team deal.

We've all heard the rumors surrounding the Maverick's Antoine Walker, but until now he hadn't heard them directly from him.

Walker has had enough.  He wants out of Dallas and wouldn't mind playing for the Knicks or the Sixers - two teams in the media most with various potential trade combinations - with New York being where he believes he'll end up.

"I've got to go, but obviously I'm under contract, so they don't have to move me,'' Walker said.

"I don't know if the grass is greener for me elsewhere, but there had been too many negative things with the situation in Dallas. They left me unprotected [in the expansion draft] and all the trade talks and they made moves like Steve [Nash] going the other way [signing with Phoenix].''

"I think I'm going to be in a Knick uniform. That's my prediction but we'll wait and see,'' Walker told ESPN.com Friday.

Talk between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks about Antoine Walker just wont die according to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer, with any potential deal sending Glenn Robinson and another Sixer back in return.

According to the report Dallas asked the Sixers for Willie Green, Kyle Korver or Samuel Dalembert in addition to Robinson and that seemed to end the discussion.

While Walker's name continually appears in rumors - New York being one well mentioned destination - Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh maintains that he is content to keep Walker on his active roster for the upcoming season.

"We made a major deal to acquire Antoine Walker [from the Celtics], and he is a big part of our team," Nelson said yesterday. "You never say never in this business, but we like Antoine Walker quite a bit."

Should a deal be struck with the Sixers Walker would be reunited with coach Jim O'Brien, who coached him in Boston.

Walker had his best moments as a professional playing for O'Brien in the 2001-02 season, when Boston reached the Eastern finals before losing to the New Jersey Nets. In 16 playoff games that season, he averaged 22.1 points.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Eric Snow from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Kedrick Brown and guard Kevin Ollie, Cavaliers President and General Manager of Basketball Operations Jim Paxson announced today. The deal is contingent upon all players passing physicals.

?This was a great opportunity to add veteran leadership to our team,? Paxson said.

?Specifically, Eric brings depth to our backcourt, a strong defensive presence and great consistency on the offensive end. He is a natural playmaker and Paul (Silas) and I both agree his playoff experience will prove invaluable in the coming seasons.?

Snow averaged 10.3 points, 6.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season. Snow was named on the NBA All Defensive Second Team following in 2002-03 season.