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.

With an overflow at point guard, the Minnesota Timberwolves reassigned Bracey Wright to the Florida Flame of the NBA Development League on Tuesday.

Wright began the season with the Flame and was recalled on Jan. 10. He made his debut on Jan. 24 and averaged 3.0 points and 4.0 minutes in two appearances.

Last week's seven-player trade with the Boston Celtics brought the Timberwolves yet another point guard in Marcus Banks, who had an impressive debut on Monday night against his former team with 20 points and six assists.

Though Wright played shooting guard in college at Indiana, the Wolves see him as a point guard in the NBA. But with Banks, Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson and Anthony Carter already on the roster, there was no room for Wright.

Coach Dwane Casey elected to send their second-round draft pick to the NBDL to get more playing time. He has averaged 21.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16 games for the Flame this season.

The cast was removed from Corey Maggette's injured left foot Tuesday, and the Los Angeles Clippers said an X-ray revealed significant healing in the ligament he injured almost two months ago.

"We will proceed with our intended therapy and rehabilitation program," team physician Tony Daly said after examining Maggette. "We are optimistic about Corey's status. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks, at which time we intend to determine a further course of action."

Maggette will undergo aquatic therapy and a rehabilitation program until his next evaluation. His playing shoe has been altered with a full-length carbon fiber shank to allow more rigidity, the team said, adding that Maggette is not expected to participate in any on-court activities until he is re-evaluated.

Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has assigned second-year center Peter John Ramos to the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA D-League.  Roanoke, led by Head Coach Kent Davison, is the Wizards D-League affiliate.  

?We are pleased with P.J.?s progress and we are happy that he had the opportunity to practice with our team for the past couple of weeks,? said Grunfeld.  ?We feel that by assigning P.J. back to Roanoke, he can continue to get the playing time that he needs to further his development

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today that they have acquired forward Aaron Williams from Toronto in exchange for second round picks in 2006 and 2009.

?Aaron will be able to step right in and provide us with an inside presence off the bench,? said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower.  ?We?ve been looking for someone to help us to solidify our frontline, and he definitely fits the bill.?

Williams, a 11-year NBA veteran, holds career averages of 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 612 games.  He had averaged 1.9 points and 1.2 rebounds through 13 games with the Raptors this season.

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.

The Raptors were interested in Detroit's John Hammond before they hired Babcock, or at least pretended to be. They told him he was a leading candidate, then interviewed a series of candidates with far fewer credentials than Hammond.

It was an insulting thing to do to a guy who had helped build the 2004 Pistons championship team.

But that's not the only reason Hammond politely will decline any overtures from the Raptors. First, he's extremely happy and secure. Second, the Raptors are always going to be the "B" franchise to the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

If Hammond is ever to move, and he does deserve a shot to run his own team, it will be to a place where he will have a fair chance to succeed.

The Orlando Magic might not be winning big in the NBA, but they are behind a new league rules change.

The NBA told The Sentinel on Monday that it is changing the way teams submit the list of active/inactive players -- thanks to an issue brought up Friday night in New York by the Magic.

The league did not take any punitive action against the Knicks after F Jackie Butler played against Orlando, even though Butler's name was on the inactive list that the Knicks handed the Magic before the game.

After Magic Coach Brian Hill protested in the first quarter to game officials, the Knicks issued a "corrected" version of the inactive/active list in the second quarter. Butler's name then appeared on the active list.

The NBA agreed it was a "clerical" error by the Knicks, league spokesman Tim Frank said Monday.

But now, game referees will supervise the active/inactive lists before the game, said Frank.

"Officials will be asked to verify the accuracy prior to the game," Frank said.

If the situation arises again, Frank said, officials will "disqualify the player immediately. They didn't have that same power Friday night."

The fans began Monday night by giving Wally Szczerbiak a standing ovation.

By halftime at Target Center, they were on their feet applauding the new-look Timberwolves.

Szczerbiak scored a game-high 22 points in his return after being traded Thursday to the Boston Celtics. But the Wolves dominated as their new acquisitions pushed them to a 19-point halftime lead en route to a 110-85 victory, the team's most lopsided win this season.

Marcus Banks showed in his Wolves debut that he is the quickest point guard the franchise has had in years. Banks, generously listed at 6 feet 2, darted and squirted his way to 20 points and six assists, season bests in both categories.

At least on this night, it was hard to tell why he lost his backup point-guard role with the Celtics before he was traded to Minnesota.

"I think the fans, when I got traded, they were like, 'Who is this guy?' " Banks said. "But I'm pretty sure the coaching staff knew what they were getting."