Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that the trade that brought Derrick Coleman (among others) to the Sixers in exchange for George Lynch (among others) has been finalized and cannot be negated. Coleman will travel with his new team to Minneapolis for tomorrow's season opener against the Timberwolves. Lynch will be going to the operating room at a Charlotte hospital Thursday, and is expected to be unavailable to the Hornets for eight to 12 weeks.

"We didn't know the extent of the injury, so it was hard to tell when [Lynch] was going to be able to play," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "Whenever he can play, he'll be a welcome addition."

As valuable as Lynch had been as a defensive presence, the consensus among the Sixers' players is that the trade helps immeasurably, particularly in the immediate absence of the injured Allen Iverson, Aaron McKie and Eric Snow. As the Sixers previously had been constructed, center Dikembe Mutombo worried that they were too young, missing too many pieces.

"Seeing Derrick there, I'm more comfortable," Mutombo said. "He's a guy I played against in college; I know his game all the way from college days [Mutombo at Georgetown, Coleman at Syracuse] to now. I know what he's bringing to us. He changes us.''