Sixers don't know if Iverson will return

He wasn't in the gym yesterday when the 76ers resumed practice after their West Coast swing. No one could say definitively whether he would be in the gym again. But Allen Iverson, in his own way, remained a presence.

The Sixers continue to say he is out indefinitely as he copes with the illness of his youngest child, Messiah, 4, who, by all accounts, continues to battle a problem that has yet to be specifically diagnosed.

When will Iverson be back, if at all? Apparently not for tonight's game with the Orlando Magic in the Wachovia Center.

"I'm sure we'll have a discussion in the next day or 2," coach Eddie Jordan said, referring to president/general manager Ed Stefanski. "We'll see what kind of conversation [Stefanski] has had with Allen, his agent, his business manager."

That discussion might even have taken place yesterday.

Iverson, who has appeared in 25 games after signing Dec. 2 as a free agent, missed five games before the All-Star break, and now has missed the last three.

Is it possible - likely? - that Iverson, in his 14th season, will not rejoin the Sixers at all? That almost certainly would mean the end of his second stint with them, and very possibly the conclusion of his career.

"No gut feeling at all," Jordan said.

"If I had to make my best guess, I'd say [Iverson will not be back]," Elton Brand said. "That's [based on] the team and where we are. He's missed a lot of games and things like that."

Still, could Iverson yet reappear?

"I think morale-wise and playing in a home game or two, I can see that happening, maybe with a big thing on the [arena screens]," Brand said.

The only thing new we know about Iverson, who presumably has been at his home in Atlanta, is that he attended some portion of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament in Charlotte during the weekend. He was there for an announcement of a partnership to establish the CIAA Allen Iverson Scholarship Endowment, to provide scholarships to future CIAA students.

A source familiar with the situations of the Sixers and Iverson said that Iverson's presence in Charlotte was not a factor in terms of whether he will return to play. It is likely that a decision on his availability for the remaining 23 games after tonight will be made later in the week.

"It's a situation where he has something that's a little more important than basketball right now," Andre Iguodala said. "Guys are praying for him, not just our team, but across the league. Hopefully, the situation gets a lot better and his family gets healthy. That's what's most important."

Willie Green was hopeful that Iverson would return, "if that's what he wants."

"With any player coming to the end of his career, you want what's best for them," Green said. "If it's better for him to not play, then that's what I want. But if it's better for him to play, I want him to play.

"I love watching him play. I guess that's selfish thinking, but I love watching him play. I came in when he was in his prime and he was one guy I wanted to watch."

Elton Brand did not practice yesterday and is being listed as day-to-day. Brand said he tweaked his right calf against San Antonio on Feb. 19 and then played through the injury during the four-game road trip . . . Willie Green, coming back from a left shoulder injury, will be a game-time decision, but Jason Smith (sprained ankle) will be available.

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http://go.philly.com/sixerville.