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| Ratliff |
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| Mutombo |
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia 76ers hope they traded for
an NBA championship Thursday when they acquired Dikembe Mutombo
from Atlanta in a six-player deal that sent Theo Ratliff and Toni
Kukoc to Atlanta.
Allen Iverson certainly thinks that's what will happen.
"I'd be lying to you all if I didn't say this guy could help us
win a championship," Iverson said. "He's a rebounder, he's an
intimidator, he can change the game all by himself, offensively and
defensively. It's going to be tough for guys to double-team him and
myself."
"I'm going to Philadelphia to play with a great player, Allen
Iverson, a scoring machine who plays with tremendous energy,"
Mutombo said in a statement read by Philadelphia coach Larry Brown.
"The opportunity to win a championship is certainly there."
|  | | Dikembe Mutombo is looking forward to playing with Allen Iverson. |
With his team already owning the NBA's best record, Brown said
the trade would fill the short-term hole left by an injured
Ratliff, who had wrist surgery Wednesday and could be out 2-4 weeks
-- or longer.
"The defining moment was when we realized we would be without
Theo for 16 to 20 games, or who knows when," Brown said. "While
Theo is getting healed, we've got Mutombo out there."
Philadelphia also gets forward Roshown McLeod, while center Nazr
Mohammed and rookie guard Pepe Sanchez move to Atlanta.
The Sixers believe the 7-foot-2 Mutombo, 34, will match up well
against the Western Conference's big, elite centers -- particularly
the Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neill, San Antonio's David
Robinson, Portland's Arvydas Sabonis and Sacramento's Vlade Divac.
The Sixers originally had projected the 6-10 Ratliff as a power
forward, not a center.
In addition, Brown suggested that Ratliff's injury to his
shooting hand could be more serious, although general manager Billy
King said the 76ers knew as much as the Hawks about Ratliff's
medical condition. Since he went on the injured list Feb. 13, the
Sixers are 5-0.
The 76ers beat out several teams -- including New York, Dallas,
Portland and Phoenix -- who also were in the hunt for Mutombo, the
league's leading rebounder and three-time Defensive Player of the
Year.
Atlanta general manager Pete Babcock said it was tough to part
with Mutombo.
"We hate to see him go, both professionally and personally,"
he said. "The last thing I told him was I hope he wins a
championship. That would be the greatest thing in the world that
could happen for him, because he deserves it."
Babcock said the question for the Hawks was how they would use
$15 million in salary cap room.
"We could have used it to sign Dikembe and have him finish his
career here, which we would have had no problems doing
conceptually, because we think the world of him," he said. "But
there's no room to add other pieces to the puzzle to build around
him."
Philadelphia paid a high price -- trading Jerry Stackhouse and
Larry Hughes in recent seasons to acquire Ratliff and Kukoc -- but
the Sixers decided it wasn't too much for a center who they believe
will enhance their chances of winning a championship.
"We're trying to get out of the East (in the playoffs), and I
think it's imperative for us to win as many games as we can right
now to position ourselves so we can get out of the East," Brown
said.
Mutombo isn't known for scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game
compared with 12.4 for Ratliff and 8.0 for Kukoc, who never won a
starting spot as the team had hoped.
"I have this philosophy, if you stop people from scoring you
don't have to score as much," said Brown, adding that Mutombo's
shot-blocking and rebounding will give the rest of the team more
scoring opportunities.
Mutombo was expected to arrive in Philadelphia for a medical
check Friday and could join the team as early as Friday night in
Detroit.
Brown said he wasn't concerned about altering the team's
chemistry this late in the season, noting that Mutombo's easy-going
nature should help him fit in easily.
"We have to make sure when we add pieces to this team, they're
quality guys, they're character guys. It's obvious this guy is
that," Brown said. "He's a quality human being and that's what
this team needs."
Atlanta, which had been shopping Mutombo since last summer, gets
a younger center in Ratliff, who was having a dominating season,
leading the league in blocked shots before fracturing his wrist
this month.
The Hawks also get a player in Kukoc who can step right into
their starting lineup alongside Brevin Knight, Jason Terry and
Lorenzen Wright.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Dikembe Mutombo says he will not be held back in re-signing next season with the Sixers.
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Dikembe Mutombo says he can't wait to play for Larry Brown.
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Allen Iverson says Dikembe Mutombo is an intimidator.
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Philadelphia news conference
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Eric Snow thinks Dikembe Mutombo will fit well in the Sixers starting lineup.
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 Atlanta GM Pete Babcock likes the trade for the Hawk's future.
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ESPN's David Aldridge has no problems with Dikembe Mutombo being traded to the Sixers.
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ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay says the trade should put Philadelphia over the top.
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ESPN's Fred Carter likes the trade for both Philadelphia and Atlanta.
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ESPN's David Aldridge reports on the latest trade news around the NBA.
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