Allen Iverson sat out Philadelphia's game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night with a sprained left ankle.

Iverson, second in the NBA in scoring at 33.6 points per game, has missed three straight games since he was injured in the fourth quarter of a game against Orlando last Thursday.

The 76ers won the first two games without Iverson.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith could become the third player to win consecutive NBA slam dunk contests when he participates in the event during All-Star weekend.

Michael Jordan won back-to-back competitions in 1987-88 and Jason Richardson did it in 2002-03.

Joining Smith in contest this year will be Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks 5-foot-9 guard Nate Robinson and Hakim Warrick of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jalen Rose and Eric Williams are players who have garnered interest from several teams, most notably the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively.

There is a good chance that management felt that Rob Babcock was unlikely or unwilling to pull the trigger on a deal for one or both of them, and could not provide a suitable reason to keep them around eating away at the team's salary cap while providing little in the way of building for the future.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Lee Nailon was arraigned Wednesday on simple assault and harassment charges stemming from a fight with his wife at home.

Nailon was placed on the inactive list and will not practice, play or travel with the team, Sixers president Billy King said.

"These are serious allegations, but at this point in time, I think as an organization, we'll let the legal system run its course," King said following practice.

A message left for Nailon's attorney, Adrian Moody, was not immediately returned.

Maurice Cheeks acknowledged last night there were "loud exchanges" in the 76ers' locker room after his team suffered a 28-point loss at Washington last week, but added he did not find the mood unusual.

Before last night's game against the Sacramento Kings, Cheeks addressed a report on ESPN.com that quoted a league source as saying that Chris Webber "went off in the Sixers' locker room" after the game, which the Wizards won, 104-76.

"Chris and I had a little exchange," Cheeks said, "but it was OK."

The report went on to say: "Webber yelled at coaches and players alike while saying, in essence, he never gets the ball." It also said "it was clear [Webber] was calling out" teammate Allen Iverson.

Webber acknowledged that there was some yelling going on, but believed he had to do it.

"Why would I be a veteran and not yell in that situation?" he said after the Sixers' 109-103 win over Sacramento. "I'm a veteran. What am I supposed to do? I've been cussed out by the best players. That's the locker room. That's your family, and you have to be honest with your family."

It was announced on Tuesday by Sixers' GM Billy King that forward Lee Nailon has been arrested.

"It has come to our attention that Lee Nailon has been arrested today by Lower Merion police on allegations of a domestic incident.  We have no further details. Until we are able to learn all the facts, it would be inappropriate for us to comment."

Heart and commitment on defense supersede the Sixers' talent issues. The thing is, getting a hard-core individual like Ron Artest would solve a myriad of problems, "and although we've talked to the Pacers," King explained, "it's something we just can't get done."

King wouldn't say why, but the reality is he doesn't have to, because the answer is obvious: The Sixers barely have what it takes to get a deal done.

Kyle Korver doesn't make enough to make a deal work, and wouldn't be enough even if his salary were within 15 percent of Artest's $6.8 million salary. King could work out a package deal involving Steven Hunter and Johnny Salmons, and it still wouldn't be enough to appease the Pacers' brain trust, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh.

The Pacers would love to get their hands on Andre Iguodala, but King isn't stupid. Another option could very well be Blazers forward Ruben Patterson. But he's a registered sex offender with a $6.3 million salary, believed by Portland general manager John Nash to be of sixth-man quality, thus commanding equitable compensation.

"They're not a mess," one Eastern Conference GM told me about the 76ers, "but they're not great, either. A lot of people are wondering what's going on, wondering if there's anything King can do to fix this mess. You can't predict personality conflicts, injuries, stubbornness, et cetera, but this business isn't kind. You know someone always gets blamed unless something gets done to steer this in the right direction."

The New York Post meanwhile reported that the Sixers were considering moving Iguodala, but they couldn't find anyone to vouch for Artest.

Chris Webber doesn't sound like he's as thrilled to be a Sixer as he was in training camp.

Prior to Monday's blowout loss to the Wizards, he told the Baltimore Sun that he "can't say [Cheeks' system] is that much better" than former coach Jim O'Brien's, but "it's producing better."

During camp at Duke in early October, Webber called his two months with O'Brien and the Sixers at the end of last season "timeout, times 50."

Barring a setback, Willie Green is expected to get final clearance to return to the basketball court in mid-February, according to King.

Green underwent surgery Aug. 16 to repair a torn ACL he suffered in a summer league game 10 days before he was to sign a five-year, $17 million contract with the Sixers.

Asked if he plans on signing Green, King said he ?will have discussions with (Green's agent) Aaron Goodwin at that time.?

Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Maurice Cheeks announced today that the team has hired Henry Bibby as an assistant coach for the remainder of the season. Bibby will replace Jim Lynam, who earlier this month announced that he would not return to the team this season due to health reasons.

A former Sixer, Bibby has a combined 22 years of playing and coaching experience between the professional and collegiate ranks. Most recently, he served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA for the 2005 season.