Theo Ratliff

This is not the stuff of footwear ads or the makings of nightly highlights, but the 76ers' tentative drift toward respectability this season has been borne on a current of old-fashioned sweat. Remarkably for a team whose identity is defined by Allen Iverson's crossover dribble and Derrick Coleman's brilliant but maddeningly unreliable abilities, it has been solid defense that has led the Sixers from oblivion. And fittingly, considering the anonymous nature of the craft, the star of this quiet show has been a player whose name barely registered when the Sixers traded away Jerry Stackhouse in a four-player deal to acquire him from the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 18. "I was very happy with the trade," Theo Ratliff said.

In a dilapidated Germantown gymnasium in front of indifferent spectators, a few NBA players gathered to influence public opinion in a labor battle that appeared to be getting worse each day. Theo Ratliff, Mark Davis and Doug Overton played spin doctor at the Gustine Lake Recreational Center, part of a small contingent of players who showed up in 14 different league cities to support their union yesterday, the day training camps were supposed to...

Despite having two 7-footers on their roster and five players capable of playing center, the 76ers have a problem. Aside from slow-footed rookie Todd MacCulloch, Matt Geiger is the team's one legitimate center. Theo Ratliff, the starting power forward, is the only formidable backup in the middle. Everyone else falls under the category of "desperate measure. " Because Geiger is suffering from a bruised left knee and Ratliff is hindered by a sprained left ankle, it's understandable that Sixers coach Larry Brown is worried about the center spot for the season that starts Nov. 2. "We may need some help," Brown said.

The hard part comes tomorrow night. After a semi-successful 12-day West Coast trip, then six days of rest, the 76ers showed no signs of rust last night. Theo Ratliff led with 18 points and six blocked shots, and Allen Iverson and Tim Thomas provided the aerial sparks, easily handing the Vancouver Grizzlies a 107-89 defeat at the CoreStates Center. The win gave the Sixers (10-23) just their fifth home victory of the season (against 10 home losses), handed the Grizzlies (10-28)

Smiles abound as Anna Tinero, 5, admires the autograph she just got from Theo Ratliff of the 76ers at Children's Book World in Haverford. Ratliff and former player World B. Free went to the shop to help raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House for families with children in medical crisis.

In what should be the final move of a hectic summer, the Sixers are expected to add veteran center Theo Ratliff. According to a source familiar with the situation, the 6-foot-10 Ratliff has accepted a one-year contract for the veterans' minimum of $1.4 million. At Monday's news conference to announce the signing of swingman Andre Iguodala, the Sixers' president and general manager, Ed Stefanski, said he hoped to have a big man in place "within 48 hours. " Ratliff, 35, had offers for more money but would prefer playing for the Sixers, the source said.

The 76ers finally sent to Detroit something they've owed the Pistons for nearly 7 1/2 years: a second-round draft pick. It ws the same pick that they obtained yesterday from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a future second-rounder. The Sixers took that pick - the 60th overall - from Utah and sent it on to the Pistons to complete the Dec. 18, 1997, trade that brought Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff to the Sixers in exchange for Jerry Stackhouse and Eric Montross. McKie is still with the Sixers, but a lot has happened to the other three players involved in the deal.

The 76ers' biggest wish came true a bit later than expected, but it was welcomed nonetheless. They activated forward/center Theo Ratliff from the injured list before last night's game against Minnesota. Ratliff, who had missed 25 games because of a stress fracture in his left ankle, had averaged 9.2 points and 2.4 blocks in the nine games he had played this season. He had missed the first six games because of the injury, returned for seven, then missed 11 because of soreness in the ankle.

Successful arthroscopic surgery was performed yesterday on the inflamed right knee of center Theo Ratliff, the 76ers announced. Ratliff's knee had weakened through years of wear and tear. James Andrews conducted the surgery in Birmingham, Ala. "We expect Theo to begin rehabilitation on his knee sometime next week," team physician Jack McPhilemy said in a statement. Ratliff's rehabilitation will likely take place in Philadelphia, where he does off-season workouts with John Harnett, a coach in the Sonny Hill Baker League.

After spending the last several months contemplating who they would sign and re-sign, the 76ers shrank their roster yesterday, waiving center-forward Casey Shaw. Shaw, the No. 37 pick in the June 1998 NBA draft, was a second-rounder taken by a Sixers team in desperate need of front-line muscle last season. He was also a project, one the Sixers felt needed more developing than Todd MacCullough, their second-round pick this year. In a 50-game, lockout-shortened season, the 6-foot-11 Shaw saw action in just nine games, scoring two points, grabbing three rebounds and playing 14 minutes.

Injuries and Father Time are starting to catch up with Theo Ratliff. But that's OK with the 76ers. The 35-year-old backup center's value won't be measured by blocked shots or even minutes played. Providing leadership to a young team is a big reason Ratliff, a 13-year NBA veteran, is making his second tour with the Sixers. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder signed a one-year contract in August for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million. "Theo has been great," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said before yesterday's practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - so great that Cheeks doesn't get upset when Ratliff completes the coach's sentences at team meetings.

Theo Ratliff may have physically left Philly, but the memories made here never left him. One day after officially signing back with the 76ers, where Ratliff played from 1997-2001, the 6-foot-10 veteran of 13 NBA seasons spoke about returning to the city he never wanted to leave. "It's a great opportunity to be back to a place that is near and dear to my heart," said Ratliff, who signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million. "I wasn't very happy to leave under the circumstances I left.

Theo Ratliff is back. The 76ers officially announced the signing of the 6-foot-10 center-forward, who first played with the Sixers from 1997 to 2001. Per team policy, the Sixers would not disclose terms of the deal, but a source has said Ratliff, 35, signed a one-year contract for the veteran minimum, about $1.4 million. The source said Ratliff had other offers on the table but preferred returning to Philly. This signing appears to be the final move of a hectic summer for Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski, who was forced to take this final step when backup center Jason Smith tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee early last week.

In what should be the final move of a hectic summer, the Sixers are expected to add veteran center Theo Ratliff. According to a source familiar with the situation, the 6-foot-10 Ratliff has accepted a one-year contract for the veterans' minimum of $1.4 million. At Monday's news conference to announce the signing of swingman Andre Iguodala, the Sixers' president and general manager, Ed Stefanski, said he hoped to have a big man in place "within 48 hours. " Ratliff, 35, had offers for more money but would prefer playing for the Sixers, the source said.

The Boston Celtics, who have won 16 NBA championships but have gone without one for more than two decades, yesterday finalized a long-rumored deal for former MVP and 10-time all-star Kevin Garnett in a 7-for-1 deal - the NBA's biggest trade for one player. Boston sent the Minnesota Timberwolves forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff, two first-round draft picks, and cash considerations. Besides Ratliff, 34, the other four players are 24 or younger.

NOTABLE The luck for Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics has been nothing but bad this season. Pierce was supposed to be out three weeks after suffering a stress reaction in his left foot in December. But his idle stretch is entering its fourth week, and he is still wearing a protective boot and not practicing. Not coincidentally, the Celtics are 2-11 in the games Pierce has missed entering the weekend. "We're going to be extra careful," Pierce told a Boston radio station.

The 76ers finally sent to Detroit something they've owed the Pistons for nearly 7 1/2 years: a second-round draft pick. It ws the same pick that they obtained yesterday from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a future second-rounder. The Sixers took that pick - the 60th overall - from Utah and sent it on to the Pistons to complete the Dec. 18, 1997, trade that brought Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff to the Sixers in exchange for Jerry Stackhouse and Eric Montross. McKie is still with the Sixers, but a lot has happened to the other three players involved in the deal.

If one thing has been a constant for the 76ers in this mystifying season, it has been their inability to ride the momentum of an inspiring victory into the next game. Take the Sixers' two wins this season over the San Antonio Spurs, the defending NBA champions. In both cases, immediately after beating San Antonio, the Sixers lost. The same thing happened after their two victories over the Detroit Pistons. Each was followed by a defeat. The latest challenge will be to carry over the energy from Friday night's 85-82 comeback victory over New Orleans into this afternoon.

Theo Ratliff laughed at the irony. He knows, as well as anybody, how much the 76ers could use a shot-blocker and defensive stopper like him. "They're last in shot blocks," Ratliff said last night before his team, the Atlanta Hawks, played his former team at the First Union Center. "But they still have a great team. " Ratliff was partially right. The Sixers are second to last, behind the New York Knicks, in blocks per game, averaging 3.47. The Hawks average 5.36 per game, while seven teams, led by San Antonio, average at least six per game.

CNN plans to scrap the struggling CNN/Sports Illustrated and replace it with a new cable network, which will be operated with the NBA. About 200 people work for CNN/SI, but it is not clear how many positions will be eliminated. It could be the largest number since CNN eliminated the jobs of 400 employees a year ago in a 10 percent across-the-board reduction. The new jointly owned network would focus on sports events rather than news and would televise NBA games several nights a week.