Royal Ivey

ORLANDO - The logjam that has formed at the guard position for the 76ers does not concern Jodie Meeks. The fact that swingman Evan Turner was taken with the second overall pick and instantly supplanted Meeks as the starting backcourt running mate of Jrue Holiday doesn't weigh on his mind, either. Meeks' sole concern as he participates in this week's Pro Summer League and prepares for his first full season with the Sixers is Jodie Meeks. After his junior season at Kentucky in which he was the nation's sixth-leading scorer (23.7)

After weeks of speculation that the 76ers might trade one or more of their core players, yesterday they executed a trade that was essentially a swap of bench players. In a trade executed just a few hours before the NBA's 3 p.m. trading deadline, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski traded seldom-used guard Royal Ivey, almost never-used center Primoz Brezec, and a 2010 second-round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for two rarely used players: rookie guard Jodie Meeks and center Francisco Elson.

The 76ers are good enough to beat good teams, bad enough to get beaten by bad teams, and therefore so hard to figure that fans can only be uncertain exactly what to think about this season. Unfortunately, right now, all they have is time to think. Time to think about Wednesday's confusing loss to the Toronto Raptors. Time to think about Tuesday's return game against the Miami Heat, which jump-starts a grueling 10-game stretch that will either validate the Sixers' improvement or bury them before they officially begin a playoff bid. Time to think about exactly what might, or should, or could come with the season's final 32 games.

Could it be? A three-game winning streak? Yes, it is. Finally, halfway through the season, the 76ers are streaking. Last night at New Orleans Arena, the Sixers beat the New Orleans Hornets, 101-94. In their last three games, the Sixers have defeated the New Jersey Nets, the Chicago Bulls, and, now, the Hornets. The Sixers improved to 18-31, while the Hornets, losers of three in a row without all-star point guard Chris Paul, dropped to 26-24. Tonight, the Sixers play at the Houston Rockets.

For the second straight day, the emphasis was on defense as the 76ers practiced at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. On Wednesday, the team went over a few concepts on the court before heading off to watch film on what to do when the other team has the ball. Tonight, the other team with the ball at the Wachovia Center will be the Toronto Raptors, who will bring a pick-and-roll game - the same scheme that the visiting Washington Wizards used Tuesday in coming from behind to hand the Sixers a 104-97 defeat.

Eddie Jordan's substitution pattern is like the rest of the 76ers: not quite there yet. After yesterday's practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Sixers coach said he still was looking for his first guard off the bench, still waiting for one guy to emerge and become No. 8 in the rotation. Tonight at the Wachovia Center, the 2-2 Sixers will play the 0-5 New Jersey Nets, and Jordan still will be watching, waiting, and evaluating. Yesterday, Jordan said one of the players who are in a tight pack at the bottom of the Sixers' stat sheet must "distinguish" himself.

Jrue Holiday is wearing the first team's colors. It's just that he's a substitute on that team, which puts him behind the second-team guys, too - behind Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, and Rodney Carney. Although Holiday, a 6-foot-4 point guard, is the 76ers' reigning first-round draft pick, he has found himself standing more than playing. During yesterday's session at St. Joseph's University, on the Sixers' second day of training camp, the team spent the final 75 minutes scrimmaging.

On the day the 76ers unveiled a new floor for their home court at the Wachovia Center, team president and general manager Ed Stefanski also took care of some other business - when he officially added Royal Ivey to the roster yesterday after the veteran guard passed a physical. The 6-foot-4 Ivey, who agreed to terms with the Sixers earlier this month, is believed to have signed a one-year deal that will pay him around $1 million. Ivey, a 27-year-old five-year pro, played for the Sixers last season before opting out of the second-year of his contract.

On Saturday, Royal Ivey posted a Twitter message that said, "Going back to Philly!" Barring an unexpected fallout, this will be the case. Ivey, who served as a backup guard last season for the 76ers and is a free agent, is finalizing a contract that would secure his return to the Sixers, according to multiple sources. Ivey had said the Twitter message was meant to inform his Twitter followers that he was physically traveling back to Philadelphia, but the message was interpreted by some fans as an announcement of an accepted contract with the Sixers.

76ers guard Royal Ivey, currently a free agent, posted the following message yesterday on Twitter: "Going back to Philly!" The message left some Sixers fans with the impression that Ivey was announcing his return to the team. Ivey played the 2008-09 season with the Sixers, averaging 3.0 points in a backup role before opting out of the second year of his contract in mid-June. Ivey's agent, Keith Glass, said he has discussed with the Sixers a new contract for his client. But he said that nothing has been finalized and that Ivey's message was intended to mean he was physically returning to Philadelphia and was not meant as an update on his contract.