Larry Brown wanted everyone to know this wasn't about flaunting a situation at Pat Croce, it was about an attempt to markedly improve the 76ers.

That was the reason the Sixers reacquired Derrick Coleman from Charlotte yesterday. The only reason.

"I know Pat [the former Sixers president] had a thing about Derrick, saying [Coleman] wouldn't be back as long as Pat was involved, that he would squash any deal," Brown, the Sixers coach, said yesterday. "We didn't make this deal to affect Pat's relationship. We're doing this because we felt it was the best thing for our franchise."