Sixers are bringing back Skinner

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With prime target Mark Blount remaining in Boston, they decided to sign a familiar face.

By Marc Narducci

Inquirer Staff Writer


MINNEAPOLIS - The 76ers missed out on one center but came up with another on a busy day of activity yesterday.

Shortly after 7-footer Mark Blount agreed to re-sign with the Boston Celtics, the Sixers arrived at a multiyear agreement with Brian Skinner, who will be returning to the team after having played last season for the Milwaukee Bucks.

NBA teams can officially begin signing free agents Wednesday.

Billy King, the Sixers' president and general manager, wouldn't comment on Skinner, citing a league rule that prohibits a team from making a statement about a player until the player actually signs.

Skinner's agent, Joel Bell, was unavailable for comment.

Skinner, a 6-foot-9 265-pounder, will give the Sixers needed depth in the frontcourt. He can play center and power forward. In 2002-2003, his lone season with the team, he averaged 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 17.9 minutes in 77 games. He also frequently found himself in then-coach Larry Brown's doghouse.

Skinner signed as a free agent with Milwaukee before last season and started 54 of the 56 games he played. He averaged 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 28.2 minutes. In the Bucks' five playoff games, his playing time dwindled, and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

"He played great for us," Bucks coach Terry Porter said yesterday at the Minnesota Summer League, where his team and the Sixers are both competing. "We looked at the free agents, and it just didn't work out pay-wise, but I thought he contributed greatly to our success last year."

Porter said Skinner's diminished playing time in the playoffs had to do with the Bucks' matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

"It's all about matchups, and we were looking for players against Detroit who could make [outside] shots," Porter said. "I think he will help the 76ers."

Skinner had signed a two-year deal with Milwaukee before last season, but he had a player option for the second year. He had been scheduled to make $1.65 million next season before opting out of the contract.

The Sixers needed to add size up front. King had previously said that he wouldn't sign both Blount and Skinner because there wouldn't be enough playing time for both.

Right now, the only players taller than 6-8 projected to return to the Sixers are 6-11 Samuel Dalembert, 6-10 Marc Jackson, and 6-9 Derrick Coleman. But even though he has a guaranteed contract, it's not definite that Coleman is in the Sixers' plans.

The addition of Skinner is not likely to be the final move for the Sixers. With a surplus of perimeter players, King, who is always willing to make a deal, will be working the phones for potential trades.

According to sources, the Sixers, who are over the salary cap, offered Blount the full midlevel exception, which would have had him making slightly more than $5 million the first year. According to those sources, their total offer was about $750,000 less than the Celtics' offer of six years and $41 million.

The Sixers pursued Blount hard. On July 1, five minutes after teams were allowed to contact free agents, Jim O'Brien, the Sixers' new coach, visited Blount's home in Florida. O'Brien had coached Blount before resigning from the Celtics job last season.

Blount, who will be 29 in November, averaged 10.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 29.3 minutes last season - statistics almost identical to Skinner's with the Bucks. In four playoff games, all against Indiana, he averaged 12 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Green out. Willie Green, who suffered a bruised left knee in Wednesday's 75-67 summer-league loss to Detroit, was sidelined by the injury for yesterday's 88-80 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

"It's feeling pretty good, and I hope to play in our next game," Green said.

The Sixers meet Charlotte today.

Barley absent.Guard Tyrone Barley, the defensive specialist from St. Joseph's, left the Sixers' summer-league team Wednesday for what the club termed a family emergency. He will not be returning. He had not seen any game action.

The game. Even without Willie Green, the Sixers (1-2) gave a valiant effort before wearing down against the Raptors, who outscored them by 21-16 in the fourth quarter.

John Salmons scored a team-high 24 points while shooting 11 for 21 for the Sixers. Omari Pearson, a 6-9 forward who played three years at UNLV before finishing at Mansfield University, collected 16 points and eight rebounds.

First-round pick Andre Iguodala, often paired against Chris Bosh, who was selected to the NBA's all-rookie team last season, played all 40 minutes for the Sixers, scoring 12 points, the same total as Bosh. Point guard Marques Green of Norristown and St. Bonventure added 12 points in 31 minutes.