Sixers owner Josh Harris has pledged to do whatever it takes to win a championship.

"Will we spend what it takes?" Harris said. "Yes. We're going to be very opportunistic. We're not going to be silly about it. We have a deep-pocketed ownership group, and we want to win. It's not as easy as you think. The elite players in the league can play wherever they want, and everyone wants them."

Harris said the challenge is to build a "high-quality organization on and off the court," to create a team and environment that will attract elite players.

According to a league source, the Sixers have inquired about Amar’e Stoudemire, though it was categorized as “due diligence.”

Nothing is said to be imminent or even in the early stages other than just talk, the source said.

Nevertheless, in past seasons the Sixers were reportedly discussing trade scenarios with the Phoenix Suns in order to acquire Stoudemire.

Spencer Hawes hopes to be able to play against Detroit on Saturday night.

“I want to put it behind me and not think about it anymore,” Hawes said.

Hawes was off to the best start of his career before injuring his back and Achilles.

In 12 games he has averages of 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds with a 58.8 shooting percentage.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced that they have signed Francisco Elson. With the addition of Elson, the Sixers roster now stands at 14.

“We are happy to pick up Francisco Elson, a veteran big man who can help bolster our front court,” Rod Thorn said.

Elson (7-0, 240) has appeared in 467 games with 149 starts while averaging 3.7 points (47.8% FGs, 70.0% FTs) and 3.5 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game.

With the aid of shooting coach Herb Magee, a 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Evan Turner has improved his shooting motion.

"The first thing we did was we worked with him just shooting the basketball with one hand without using his guide hand to try and get the feel for what the ball should feel like when it's released properly," Magee said.

Turner's shooting percentage has increased from 42.5% last season to 45.2%, and his percentage from shooting nine feet and closer has risen from to 50% to 73.5%, according to hoopdata.com. His outside shot is still a work in progress.

Turner is adjusting to the new shot: "I'm more comfortable with it. I think it's quicker. Mechanics was key. It was the reason I was having a slow shot. I get my shot off quicker nowadays. That definitely helps."

In an effort to help the Sixers players avoid mental fatigue during this 66-game sprint, strength and conditioning coach Jesse Wright and trainer Kevin Johnson suggested to Doug Collins the players do yoga on their rare practice days. The change in training has been a hit.

“We have erred on the side of rest, just trying to keep our guys as mentally fresh as possible,” Collins said. “As a result we have had a lot of slippage in what we would like to do offensively, but I think we have the better chance to win, rather than come in and try to practice for 40 minutes we are better off letting our guys come in and relax and get a nice session of yoga while being together.”

“It was good for us,” Andre Iguodala said. “I have done yoga over the summers so I know what it can do for the body. We have so many games so stretching or release and getting the blood flowing can take your body a long way.”

Sixers coach Doug Collins brought in a yoga expert so his club could work out some of the kinks it has collected during the blitz of an early season that has had them play nine games in 13 days.

Gimping around the practice facility were Evan Turner (thigh contusion) and Spencer Hawes (Achilles' strain). Hawes has also been struggling with a strained back recently.

"We're beat up," Collins said. "Evan is still pretty sore, Spencer has a sore Achilles.' I think playing [Monday], his back was still not right and I think he was probably just compensating. So we did a little something different, we brought a yoga instructor in today and our guys had 30 minutes of yoga and I think they really enjoyed that. It was good.

"We're trying everything we can just to try to keep our guys fresh mentally and physically. We're a little beat up right now. I'm a little bit concerned about Evan and Spencer for [tonight]. Right now 'Pistol' [Turner] is still not moving great. We tried to get him to walk through some stuff and he's still a little gimpy and Spencer's Achilles,' he's walking heel-toe right now. Hopefully [trainer Kevin Johnson] can get those guys some good treatment. These next two home games [tonight and Friday against Atlanta] are really important."

Michael Curry, associate head coach of the Sixers, has had a big role in improving the team's defense.

"I like to get somewhere and go and concentrate," Curry said. "It's just a place where I can get away from things and get into what I want to look at."

Heading into last night's 120-89 win over Washington, the Sixers led the NBA in defensive field-goal percent (39.4 percent), three-point field-goal percent (26.2 percent) and points allowed (85.5), and were third in the league in rebounding (45.2) and seventh in steals (9.2).

"I think Michael Curry is as good a defensive basketball mind as there is in the NBA," Collins said. "And I think what he does with our guys is terrific in that he puts us in a position so our guys can play to our strengths. We're not asking guys to do things that they are not capable of doing. That's huge. On a night-in and night-out basis, we don't really waver from what we do.

"The thing that Michael does so well is that he gears our defense to our personnel and what we can do. There are certain limitations that our guys have defensively. He's done a great job being able to put the scheme in that we can be successful. We don't have a big shot-blocking guy at the basket, we don't have what you would consider a great defensive rebounder. But what we do is our wings rebound well, which is important to us. We know we have to pressure the ball. Thad [Young] comes in and up the floor changes games just with his speed and quickness. And we've got some good individual defenders. Dre [Andre Iguodala] is arguably a first-team all-league defender. When our pressure on the ball is good and we get in passing lanes and are aggressive and rebound the ball, that really becomes our best offense. Michael has done a terrific job at that."

Sixers coach Doug Collins said his team’s defense is designed to concede medium-range shots.

“We don’t feel like contested two-point field goals will beat you. At the end of the day you’ll get beat in the paint, you’ll get beat with fast breaks and you’ll get beat behind the three-point line, but we just don’t feel like teams are going to beat you making contested two-point shots,” Collins explained. “Our whole philosophy is to try and make those teams make those shots against us. Sometimes it looks like, ‘Man, that guy is really open. Why didn’t someone rotate to him?’ Well, we’d much rather give a guy a long two rather than rotate over so they can make a pass to a guy for an open three.”

The Sixers rank first in effective field goal percentage allowed, which adjusts for the added scoring value of three-pointers, at a mere 42.4 percent.

“We think at the end of the day you play your percentages,” Collins said. “Somebody might get hot and they might make a few, but at the end of the day we think we’ll just stay with what we’re doing and not panic and it usually works itself out.”

The Sixers rank first in points allowed per 100 possessions (91.8) and opponent field goal percentage (39.8).

Sixers coach Doug Collins said assistant Michael Curry’s schemes and teaching methods have helped make the Sixers defense elite.

“The thing that (associate head coach) Michael (Curry) does so well is that he gears our defense to our personnel and what we can do,” Collins said. “There are certain limitations that are big guys have defensively that he has done a great job putting the scheme in that we can be successful. We don’t have a great shot blocker at the basket or a great defensive rebounder but our wings rebound well and we know that we have to pressure the ball.”

So far this season, the Sixers have held opponents to 25.9 percent shooting from the three-point line, ranking them first in three-point defense.

“We aren’t running all over the floor,” Collins continued. “Guys have responsibilities and Michael grades guys every game and we post them so there is individual accountability as a team. The one thing in this game, if you’re scrambling you are not going to be able to defend the three.”