Long-time Sixers' beat reporter Phil Jasner weigs in on the trouble breweing in Philadelphia: Larry Brown says "the clock is ticking." The 76ers' coach drawing a line in the sand in his relationship with star guard Allen Iverson? Doesn't that happen every spring? Every winter? Every fall?

"I think they've been together for five years and the relationship isn't any better than it's been since it started,'' Sixers point guard Eric Snow said Saturday. "It can't get any worse; it probably won't get any better, either. "It can go on, but you'll continue to have episodes and stuff like that."

It is one thing to recognize that a problem exists and that if things don't improve, changes will be made; it is quite another to devise an honest, realistic solution.

As Daily News colleague John Smallwood so correctly explained last week, if you're trading Iverson and not getting Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or Tim Duncan in return, you're not getting equal value.

I know there are cynics out there who say Iverson doesn't belong in that elite class, but the truth is, he's the most exciting player in the league and arguably the most popular. He's won three scoring championships, and even if you question whether he shares the ball enough, whether he makes good decisions on the court, whether he gambles too much on defense or doesn't practice often enough, there is absolutely no questioning the level of talent.

To me, unless the Sixers pull the trigger on what would be the biggest, most controversial trade since Wilt Chamberlain forced his way out of Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Lakers, this is merely the annual search for a middle ground. I could be wrong, but I think the Sixers have about as much chance of finding that as they did of defending their Eastern title.

When the Sixers held their exit meetings Saturday at the First Union Center, guess which player didn't meet with the coach?

All I know is, the last time things reached this point with the Sixers, they traded Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry.

And that's a song I never want to hear again.