Nobody in the NBA is a happier guy than 76ers owner Pat Croce. But would you want to be in his shoes right now?

	Allen Iverson could really kick up his heels as the new secretary of commerce.

Croce has a Hall of Fame coach who threatened to skip back off to college because he hates his star player. Likewise, this player also hates the coach, but since he is one of the most explosive scorers in the league, which often overshadows him having no desire to show up to practice or share the ball in games, he stays.

The potential starting center is a huge underachiever, makes way too much money and held the team hostage by turning down a trade because of a unique clause in his contract. The new starting small forward was a complete bust last year after being acquired for a recent lottery pick, but now, despite being past his prime, has a new, sweet deal. The old starting forward is angry that he's been underpaid for years and now has to come off the bench.

That pretty much sums it up in Philadelphia, which has enjoyed two straight playoff seasons after being one of the worst NBA teams of the '90s. So what do the 76ers want? Wins or happiness? We ask and answer that question in this, our 20th offseason team spotlight, the Philadelphia 76ers. As always, we have our opinions, which are below, but we also appreciate yours. Click on the right of this page to see the user comments.

Why the Sixers were 49-33: Led in equal parts by Allen Iverson, who threatened to win another scoring title much of the season, and by a stringent and steady defense that kept the team in games, the 76ers topped their winning percentage from the lockout season and were in the race for the Atlantic Division title through February. What was amazing was how the team did it with injuries to every key player except point guard and team leader Eric Snow and reserve guard Aaron McKie.

Iverson missed only 12 games despite breaking and spraining key parts of his fragile body all season. Big men Tyrone Hill (missed 14 games), Matt Geiger (17) and Theo Ratliff (25) were banged up all year and frankly are so limited offensively to start with they need to be at 100 percent. And Toni Kukoc, acquired for future star Larry Hughes just before the trade deadline, played like his back was killing him, as he never found his shot in Chicago or Philly and looked washed up.

Still, coach Larry Brown put it all together and got the franchise its most victories since 1990. With lunchpail players like small forward George Lynch, Snow, McKie and Hill playing defense and not complaining about the lack of shots with Iverson around, Brown was able to pretty much keep harmony as the team earned the No. 5 spot in the East playoffs. However, some of that harmony is gone now.

The Sixers are going to have to win this upcoming season with the same style, augmented only by Kukoc being around, which wasn't a smooth transition at all. Generally, there's no pounding the ball down low, nobody spotting up for outside shots, and not a lot of running. It's a half-court game in which the lone object is to get the ball to Iverson and let him work. Give Iverson a world of credit, and Brown, too. The Sixers managed to squeeze 49 wins out of that style last year.

	Current projected top 6
	PG	Eric Snow
	SG	Allen Iverson
	SF	Toni Kukoc
	PF	Tyrone Hill
	C	Theo Ratliff
	6th	George Lynch

Team MVP: Iverson averaged a robust 28.4 points, while also accruing an impressive 4.7 assists and loads of steals. He paid attention to both ends of the floor and earned fans everywhere for getting up every time a 300-pound behemoth knocked him to the ground. He drives to the lane fearlessly. If the Sixers had won the East, Iverson might have gotten more MVP votes than anyone this side of Shaq. Team LVP: Kukoc wasn't around that long, but he surely didn't show much when he was. There was speculation he would flee to another team or back to Europe. If Philly hadn't dealt Hughes to get him, and thus worried about being a laughingstock, they might not have cared. A gifted passer who is big enough to rebound but defensively challenged, Kukoc could flourish here. But in 10 playoff games, he averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and .387 shooting, down from 14.8, 4.9, 4.7 and .408 from the regular season, mostly with Chicago. Surprise! One good and one bad. Hill wasn't exactly a throw-in when the Sixers got him from Milwaukee for another lottery pick, Tim Thomas, but nobody thought he'd be the team's most dependable big man. Now the bad. Geiger never recovered from knee surgery and embarrassed himself on many nights. He needs a big season, and a lot more than 9.7 points a night. Up and comer: On a team where the top nine players are returning, there's no room for a young guy to step in. Todd MacCulloch might not play more than last year. Top draft pick Speedy Claxton should be the backup point, but it may take a few years for him to take off. We'll cautiously choose Ratliff, who with his size and athleticism just needs to put on weight to improve on his 11.9 points and 7.6 boards.

What they need: This will be the same team from the last two years, save for Kukoc, who adds a different dimension. Unlike everyone else, he doesn't care much for defense, which hurts, but he brings the most ability after Iverson. But what the Sixers need the most are two things that Kukoc cannot do. They need a Glen Rice-type to pop jumpers and at least threaten opponents, and they need a big man who has a post-up move and can draw any semblance of a double team.

The Sixers were said to want Rice last season instead of Kukoc, and while Rice is certainly no defensive player, at least the Sixers could count on him draining jumpers. Kukoc shot .262 from behind the 3-point line last season. Other than Iverson, who is much more slasher than jump shooter but tries anyway, no other 76er made more than 44 threes. That's a week or so for Reggie Miller. When the Sixers have no outside threat, defenses know that Snow is pure passer and can't shoot and the big men don't look for shots, so it makes defending Philly pretty easy. Well, except for Iverson.

Ratliff has the best chance to suddenly find some moves and become an offensive threat. He averaged double digits in points with short hook shots and putbacks, and he is solid from the line and gets there at a good rate. Hill had one of his best seasons in years, but you don't build around him. As for Geiger, he should be able to score 13 or 14 points a night if he's healthy, and his play is critical to the team.

What the plan is: What the 76ers are banking on is that Iverson and Brown can co-exist, and that the team continues to play as hard as it did last year on defense, thus assuring a playoff spot. Winning makes the hard feelings go away. Past that, however, the future isn't great. There's a popular school of thought that the Sixers have somewhat overachieved the last two years, that Iverson can only carry the team so far. When you look at what the team has done around him, you can see the point.

Kukoc is certainly capable -- although unlikely -- to score in the high teens because he still can go on hot streaks. But who's to say he'll suddenly stay healthy? The Sixers need him to score, and they will still give Lynch 30 minutes a night because they need hard-nosed defense and someone to stop the potent small forwards in the East. The Pacers were so excited to see Kukoc on the floor in the playoffs that they would stand up off the bench and beg to go into games. Larry Bird almost checked himself in once.

The rest is up to Iverson. He didn't want to play point guard, so Brown moved him. But you can make a strong case after seeing this team have no outside game that Iverson should play the point with a shooting guard like Hubert Davis or Wesley Person alongside him. Either way, the team goes as far as Iverson takes them, and when the opponent is a solid defensive team like the Knicks, Heat or Pacers in the playoffs, it's likely to result in a loss.

Direction heading: With a few East teams looking stronger, and the Sixers staying the same, winning 49 games is unlikely. But with Iverson, Brown and strong defense, the step backward should be slight, and a playoff berth safe.