Allen Iverson, his agent and his manager sat down with four 76ers reps in Dallas this afternoon to discuss a potential return to Philly for the aging star -- perhaps the only place where the aging star with the sullied rep could possibly play at this point.

It wasn't a surprise to hear that GM Ed Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and assistant GM Tony DiLeo were at the meeting. The name that was interesting is assistant coach Aaron McKie, who had his crumbling NBA career revived when Larry Brown acquired the Temple product and found a way for him to thrive playing alongside The Answer.

Now it is McKie who is playing a significant voice in whether the Sixers sign Iverson. If they do, McKie would serve as an incredibly crucial conduit between AI and Jordan, who doesn't have any rapport with Iverson.

If Iverson returns to Philly and can perform well and fit in well, much of the credit for making it work almost certainly would go to McKie, and that could give a big boost to his coaching reputation.

Stay tuned.

Marreese Speights has an MCL tear that won't require surgery, but will sideline him for 6-8 weeks, which means we'll see you in 2010, kid.

At least the injury will answer this: What does Elton Brand have left in him? There will be no more fourth-quarter benchings, no more looking over his shoulder to see if Speights is going to glean minutes away from him. The Sixers need their $80 million man to start earning his checks, and this is his time to prove he isn't washed up.

G.M. Ed Stefanski has no plans to pick anyone from the scrap heap, so Jason Smith probably will get 15-20 minutes per night, and you might even see Primoz Brezec in a game or three.