Sixers president Billy King isn’t giving up any of his big men any time soon and with good reason – they’re hard to come by.

Washington would like to add one because Etan Thomas is likely out for the season, and other teams are searching as well.

The Sixers might be in that mix before long is Samuel Dalembert’s stress fracture prevents him from playing once the regular season begins. Dalembert is sitting out for now, a move that he and the team say is pretty much precautionary. But we’ve been down this path with Sam before and he doesn’t deal well with playing in pain. He might do it, but it will be on his mind the whole time he’s out there and he’ll be worrying that he can do more damage. And an unfocused Sam isn’t a good thing.

When he’s at the top of his game, Dalembert is an intriguing player. We’ve seen that player at times – blocking shots, rebounding, running the floor with abandon. Then there’s the Sam who picks up four or five fouls quickly, often by doing things, like going over the back, that high school players know not to do.

Despite the flaws in his game, he’s vital to whatever chance the Sixers have to win games this year, if only because the alternatives don’t appear good. Jason Smith is big and athletic, but he’s not accustomed to playing center and he’s not an inside banger. Herbert Hill, although a bit smaller, might be an option, but he’s a rookie, too, and a late second-round pick rookie at that. (Not that that necessarily matters – Ben Wallace was never drafted at all). Then there’s Calvin Booth, signed to be Dalembert’s backup, but looking closer to retirement than being a serviceable NBA center, at least in the preseason.

So, maybe the Sixers are right and Dalembert will be fine to start the season. Or maybe they’re indulging in wishful thinking. We’ll know when the ball goes up Oct. 31 in Toronto.

As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

Sixers Kyle Korver and Rodney Carney were returning home Thursday night from a charity function, both taking the Schuylkill Expressway west. Only Thursday night, near midnight, there was nothing express about it.

When an SUV slammed into a police cruiser, triggering a multi-car crash and sending several people to the hospital, it also shut the highway down for nearly five hours.

Korver said he listened to a new CD several times and now knows all the words. He tried to join the crowd turning around to exit, but wound up facing east on the shoulder. Finally, he fell asleep, waking up only when someone banged on the window to tell him traffic was moving.

Sixers president Billy King also was at the function and left around the same time Carney and Korver did. But King exits at Gladwynne and missed the tie-up.

Training camp seems to bring out everyone affiliated with a team and even a few hoops junkies who just can’t get enough.

Watching the Sixers from the stands at Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday was just about every member of the scouting staff including Gene Shue and European scout Danko Cvjeticanin as well as former interim coach Chris Ford (allowed back in the gym now that a certain guard is gone).

Thursday, former Duke star Gene Banks put in an appearance as did former Penn State coach Jerry Dunn.

And of course former coach and current executive vice president Larry Brown has been watching from the stands then kibitzing with Maurice Cheeks after the session.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzweski came through the press room Thursday morning and was telling tales on Sixers GM Billy King, who played for Coach K. Speaking of which, the picture is of King (55) blocking a shot by Muggsy Bogues, who stood about 5-foot-3. The picture, which hangs outside the Duke locker room, honors King’s selection as the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year. It also earns him all kinds of grief every time training camp is held here.

The youngsters can’t wait to get started, the veterans in their mid-20s are cautiously optimistic and ready to take on the challenge of leadership and the older veterans like Calvin Booth and Kevin Ollie seem willing to do whatever is asked of them, happy to be making what they know is a great living for playing a game.

Welcome to Media Day for the 76ers. The lone exception when it came to being upbeat was Andre Miller, but his emotions always seem to run the gamut from A to B (to steal a somewhat famous line). Whether the 30-year old point guard is unhappy to be a Sixer, or whether that’s just his usual demeanor is hard to tell. But he is at that point where good players, those who are highly coveted by numerous teams, start longing for the ring.

One thing’s for sure, though. If Miller doesn’t want to be here, the sentiment isn’t shared by any of his teammates who rave about how great it is to play with him. In fact, several mentioned how much they were looking forward to what more they might learn from him with the extended practice time afforded by training camp.