Lavoy Allen

Of all the working parts that must come together if the 76ers are going to realize their potential, transitioning Spencer Hawes from center to power forward - a position he's never played - is pretty low on the list. One week after the Sixers re-signed Hawes to a two-year, $13 million deal, they then signed 6-foot-11, 270-pound Kwame Brown. Sixers coach Doug Collins anointed Brown the starter and immediately said Hawes would start at power forward. The blockbuster trade for center Andrew Bynum partially scuttled those plans, relegating Brown to the bench but not altering the plans for Hawes, who welcomes the opportunity to play power forward alongside the massive, 285-pound Bynum "The way I play, alongside a bigger body guy it could be that I'm better suited there," Hawes said.

After an active offseason, the 76ers have just five players who saw significant time last season on this year's roster. This is clearly a different team. But one of the biggest changes occurred with one of those five returning players - Thaddeus Young. Last season, the 6-foot-8 Young wore down by the end of the season. Playing against stronger power forwards, Young said he weighed 212 pounds by the season's end. He played in 63 of 66 games and averaged 12.8 points while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, becoming one of the NBA's top reserves.

The worry of 76ers fans after the team lost Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics was that the unexpected playoff run would give management a false hope of security, that overhauling a group that went 35-31 in the shortened season was not now a necessity. Worry no more. On Friday, the NBA approved a four-team trade that brings humongous center Andrew Bynum to the Sixers and sends enigmatic Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets. The Sixers will also get veteran 6-6 shooting guard Jason Richardson and depart with this year's initial first-round draft pick, Maurice Harkless, second-year center Nikola Vucevic and a protected first-round pick, all going to the Orlando Magic.

Because they haven't made a blockbuster move in free agency (something that puts them comfortably in the majority), the 76ers have come under interesting scrutiny. They didn't fork over a truckload of money to European power forward Ersan Ilyasova because they believe that on some nights he plays like a force but on others he looks as if he has mentally checked out by halftime. They quickly turned their gaze away from power forward Kris Humphries, one of the better rebounders in the NBA, because some in the league question the type of teammate he is, having played for four teams in eight seasons.

ORLANDO — With all the excitement he could gather — which never is much — Lavoy Allen talked in the hallways of the Amway Center Wednesday about his new, 2-year contract with the Sixers, which a source confirmed is for close to $6 million. "I wasn't really sure how much I was going to get, I'm just grateful that they offered for me to come back and be a 76er for the next 2 years," said the always humble Allen. "I'm just going to continue to work hard, continue to be focused, listen to the coaches and work with them, and I'm just going to be very competitive.

ORLANDO - The shorthanded 76ers won their first game in the Orlando Pro Summer League on Wednesday, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, 79-71, at the Amway Center. The Sixers fell behind, 16-4, to start the game. But point guard Zack Rosen and forward Devin Searcy came off the bench to provide a spark with their hustle and savvy play. With the backups on the floor, the Sixers (1-2) took a 17-16 lead. The game remained close until the Sixers pulled away in the fourth quarter after a flurry of assists by Rosen.

ORLANDO - Second-year power forward Lavoy Allen officially re-signed with the 76ers on Wednesday. The Temple product got a two-year deal reportedly worth about $6 million. "I wasn't really sure how much I was going to get," Allen said. "I'm just thankful that they offered me to come back and I can be with the 76ers the next two years. " The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Allen averaged 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 41 games, including 15 starts, during the regular season. The rookie elevated his play in the postseason, averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.

The 76ers reached agreement in principle on a two-year, $6 million contract extension with Lavoy Allen on Sunday, the first day of free agency, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The deal cannot be officially signed until the moratorium on signings is lifted on July 11. Allen, a 23-year-old forward-center from Temple, was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. After averaging 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 41 regular-season games, 15 of them as a starter, Allen was better in the playoffs, averaging 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Lavoy Allen's impact in the Sixers' second-round playoff matchup with the Celtics, knotted at two games apiece with Game 5 to be played Monday in Boston, can't be overstated. The 6-foot-9, 254-pounder logged almost 33 minutes against Boston in the Sixers' dramatic 92-83 come-from-behind victory Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. As the Sixers came back from 18 points down in the third quarter, Allen grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. But his greatest impact has been at the defensive end. With Elton Brand battling neck and shoulder injuries, Sixers coach Doug Collins has seen fit to use the physical and deceptively swift-of-foot Allen to guard future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich — Who would have ever thought Lavoy Allen could be the 76ers' starting center when they open the playoffs this season? Maybe it's a testament to how far Allen has come since being taken with the 50th pick in June's draft out of Temple. Or maybe it's a sign of how shorthanded the Sixers are at center right now. When the team was mired in a four-game losing streak earlier this month, coach Doug Collins decided to shuffle the starting lineup, moving center Spencer Hawes to the bench in favor of rookie Nikola Vucevic.