EIGHT-MAN ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Eric Snow	6.3 APG	Second in Most Improved Player voting
SG	Allen Iverson	26.8 PPG	Can't be the only offensive threat here
SF	George Lynch	85 steals	Standout defender, just ask Grant Hill
PF	Theo Ratliff	3.0 BPG	Stress fracture in foot a little setback
C	Matt Geiger	13.5 PPG	Needs to score more to earn his money
SG	Larry Hughes	.411 FG %	Creator needs more consistent shot
SF	Billy Owens	7.8 PPG	Coming off dreadful year, already hurt
PF	Tyrone Hill	7.6 RPG	Sixers would love to move fat contract

		The 76ers did not respond to their greatest need -- outside shooting. Defensively, they were as good as any team in the league at playing pressure basketball, blocking shots and grabbing defensive rebounds. But the outside shooting will always be their Achilles heel. Until they get that, it leaves them vulnerable. We know Allen Iverson, the league's leading scorer, is one of the game's most exciting players. But more teams will double-team Iverson, drop off George Lynch and make them shoot the basketball. They should make the playoffs, but it will be difficult because other teams in the Eastern Conference have managed to answer their needs, like Charlotte and Toronto. The 76ers could be the odd team out this year.

After going from 22 wins to 31 in his first year running the show, Brown led the Sixers to a 28-22 record and the franchise's first playoff berth in eight years. The sixth-seeded Sixers took only four games to knock off the third-seeded Magic in the opening round before being swept by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

For most of the 1990s, the Sixers have spent the summer reworking their roster in hopes of a quick fix for the fall. But with virtually the entire rotation back this season, the demanding, win-starved Philadelphia fans are eyeing the Eastern Conference finals.

And so is center Matt Geiger.

"Our goal last year was to get to the Eastern Conference finals," Geiger says. "We came up short. Our goal is the same this year."

As for Allen Iverson, the league's leading scorer at 26.8 ppg last season, he's thinking one thing: "Win a championship, that's my goal. My goal isn't just to get through the second round. I want to win the whole thing. I want to be the first one in 2000 to win a championship."

It won't be easy.

While there's certainly something to be said for continuity and keeping a core group together, the Sixers are still one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in the league. The running joke each time the Sixers sign a free agent is that he fits in well because he can't shoot.

The Sixers' most significant offseason addition was journeyman forward Billy Owens, whose left knee has been sore for most of the preseason following arthroscopic surgery.

Swingman Bruce Bowen and guard Rodrick Rhodes were also signed and could contribute as role players, but promising rookies Jumaine Jones and Todd MacCulloch probably aren't ready yet.

That leaves the bulk of the scoring load still in the hands of Iverson, who wants to improve his shooting percentage from last year's .412 (he was tops in the NBA with 1,056 field goal attempts). Second-year man Larry Hughes should be even more of a scorer, but the lack of a consistent low-post threat is a concern.

Player to watch

Hughes The 76ers really needed an outside shooter this offseason, but didn't get one. Larry Hughes, though, has the ability to fit that need. He's still only 20, so let's give Hughes a break. The fact is if he can score in the high-teens and stretch defenses this team may be unstoppable. Assuming the team gets enough rebounding, expect Hughes, Allen Iverson and Eric Snow to play a lot at the same time.

Point guard
Eric Snow stepped in at the point last season -- allowing Iverson to flourish at shooting guard -- and finished second in the league's balloting for Most Improved Player. The Sixers need better on-court leadership from Snow, whose work ethic and defensive effort are hallmarks of Brown's point guards.

With Iverson on the court, Snow figures to have plenty of open looks, so if he can knock down the 18-footer with any kind of regularity, he'll help the Sixers a great deal. The Sixers were encouraged by Snow's offensive aggressiveness in the playoffs, when he averaged 12.4 points after scoring just 8.6 in the regular season.

Rhodes and Aaron McKie can play spot minutes at the point, and Iverson could swing back to his original NBA position to give Hughes more time at 2-guard.

Veteran Doug Overton was re-signed as an insurance policy.

Shooting guard
Iverson should continue to wreak havoc on opposing defenses with his quickness and fearlessness. If officials enforce the new no-touch rule, Iverson will be almost impossible to guard.

Iverson's goal is to take better shots. Brown wants him to stop settling for 20-footers unless he's on a tear or the shot clock is running down.

Hughes is likely to be the primary backup at shooting guard. He led the Sixers in bench scoring as a rookie with a 9.1-ppg average and was one of only two Sixers to reach double figures in each of the four playoff games against Orlando (Iverson was the other).

As a 20-year-old NBA sophomore, he's bigger, smarter and more comfortable than he was as a rookie. He could be the team's No. 2 scorer.

McKie, Rhodes and Bowen are also in the mix at perhaps the Sixers' deepest position.

Small forward
George Lynch joined the Sixers as a free agent to back up Tim Thomas a year ago. After outworking and outhustling Thomas, Lynch not only won the starting job, he was so effective that Brown traded Thomas one month later.

Lynch typifies Brown's defensive-minded approach. He doesn't mind doing the dirty work, and he can rebound, run the floor and finish on the break.

The idea in trading Harvey Grant and Anthony Parker to the Magic for Owens was to acquire another small forward with experience. But Owens' chronic injury troubles are surfacing once again, potentially leaving backup minutes behind Lynch up for grabs.

Jones' defensive work and athletic ability give him a chance at averaging double-figure minutes, although Brown is a big fan of the way Bowen plays.

Power forward
Theo Ratliff was among the league leaders by blocking 2.98 shots per game in '99. His rejections jump-started the Sixers' fastbreak offense, and his presence in the lane tends to turn foes' layups into jumpers.

Ratliff became a more viable offensive force last year, averaging a career-high 11.2 points. His productivity curiously tailed off to 7.3 in the postseason.

A starter for most of his NBA career, one-time All-Star Tyrone Hill is a fine backup power forward. He hits the offensive boards, and consistency is perhaps his best trait. Hill's dissatisfaction at coming off the bench made the Sixers seriously consider trading him, but those discussions seem to have tailed off since Hill said he's happy as a Sixer.

Center
Geiger was the Sixers' second-leading scorer in the regular season and playoffs with identical 13.5-ppg averages. He isn't your prototypical back-to-the-basket center, preferring fadeaway jump shots instead, but Geiger is developing into the Sixers' best low-post option on offense.

The big question is, who will back up Geiger? Brown utilizes a three-big man rotation with Geiger, Ratliff and Hill, but Hill is undersized at 6-9, and Ratliff has almost continually battled nagging injuries. Rick Mahorn was the fourth inside player a year ago, but the Sixers balked at giving a 41-year-old a guaranteed contract.

At this point, second-year man Nazr Mohammed and MacCulloch are vying for Mahorn's old job. While MacCulloch has been a pleasant surprise and Mohammed a slight disappointment, Brown is worried that he might need a veteran to fill the role.

Coaching
Brown did a remarkable job last year, getting a team with one reliable offensive weapon to overachieve by buying into his theory that defense and hard work lead to wins. He'll have to do more of the same this season, unless the Sixers can trade Hill for a shooter, although that would leave the Sixers thin inside.

Lynch, McKie, Snow and Bowen are all guys who don't think about shooting first and play unselfishly, which is Brown's mantra. Keeping Iverson thinking defense first is no easy task, but Brown is hoping that last year's taste of success will whet Iverson's appetite for more.

The Sixers developed excellent chemistry a year ago. Having their top eight players back could enable the Sixers to get off to a good start, unlike last season.