ng season

so far and wants to see improvement in those areas. And injuries are not helping the team any either. Toni Kukoc bas tendentious in his achilles' tendon. He has been able to play, but just not at full speed. Theo Ratliff suffered a sprained ankle, but the Sixers are taking extra precautions with him. And the worst case is with center, Matt Geiger. His knee injury occurred on the first day of training camp.

So, the Sixers need to get these players back to one hundred percent if they expect to challenge in the Eastern conference, which they will do again this year. Look for another spot in the playoffs and finally getting past the second round. They have more than enough experience in the playoffs to advance to the next round. As for an NBA championship, well the fans in Philadelphia will have to wait on that one. The Sixers have a very good team, but not a great team just yet. But remember, president Pat Croce said he is not going anywhere till he sees a parade down Broad Street. This team will have another great year just as long as the guards get everyone involved and avoid injuries. But that should hopefully not be too much of a problem.

The team opens its season on Oct. 31 taking on the Knicks in New York.