This was awkward, even painful. Here was 76ers assistant coach Aaron McKie putting Willie Green through a workout at the team’s practice site yesterday morning, knowing Green was within minutes of being officially traded. “And I couldn’t tell him,” McKie was saying yesterday, after Green and Jason Smith had been dealt to New Orleans for veteran forward Darius Songaila and rookie big man Craig Brackins. Worse, McKie and the other players in the gym were there when coach Doug Collins came in to tell Green and explain it to the other players in the gym. “That was heartbreaking,” McKie said, “because Willie had his 10-year-old son, Ross, with him, and Ross just walked off the court crying. I told him he’d always be family, and Willie explained it to him, but that was tough.” Coach Doug Collins, choking back the words, said, “It hit me hard. It reminded me of when I got fired in Chicago, with my kids.” — Philadelphia Daily News

His personal manager asked, “What has Allan Iverson done to not warrant interest in him?” Surely Gary Moore knows and was speaking rhetorically. But to read the comment from Moore that no NBA team has contacted Iverson in his free-agent summer is surprising and inexplicable even to those of us who have said for at least a year that A.I. had turned himself into mostly unwanted. Not a single conversation to see how Iverson is handling personal issues and gauge his interest level on fitting in? Not one phone call? — NBA.com

he 76ers have extended invitations to two players for their training camp roster: Trent Plaisted, a big man from Brigham Young, and James Florence, a guard from Mercer.
Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed that the 6-11 Plaisted, who was with the Sixers’ entry in the Orlando summer league, is coming. A source familiar with the Sixers’ situation said that Florence, Mercer’s all-time leading scorer, will be on board when camp opens Sept. 28 at Saint Joseph’s University. — Philadelphia Daily News

There already was some doubt whether the 76ers’ Andres Nocioni could play for his native Argentina in the FIBA World Championships. Now, after trying to come back from a left ankle sprain suffered July 31, the rugged 6-7 forward is out. Sixers president Rod Thorn confirmed the news last night after Dr. Jack McPhilemy, team orthopedist and medical director, viewed Nocioni’s most recent MRI report. “Dr. McPhilemy didn’t like what he saw, and felt Andres should not play or put a lot of impact on the ankle,” Thorn said. “Andres wants to play and feels very close to his country, but, in this case, it’s just not prudent for him to play.” — Philadelphia Daily News

Sixers forward Elton Brand slept in his first-class seat for most of a Sunday morning US Airways flight from the Bahamas. — Philadelphia Daily News

The 76ers plan to hire Rod Thorn as the new team president, according to an NBA source. Announcement of the hiring will come today, according to the source. It appears Ed Stefanski, who was hired as the Sixers’ president and general manager in December 2007, will continue solely as the team’s GM. Thorn was president of the New Jersey Nets for a decade. In his second season, 2001-02, the team reached the NBA Finals. Thorn and Stefanski, who was named the Nets’ GM in 2004, worked together for six seasons in New Jersey. According to the source, the two sides reached an agreement yesterday, after chairman Ed Snider reached out to Thorn. — Philadelphia Daily News

Andres Nocioni, the rugged forward the 76ers acquired in June from the Sacramento Kings, is on crutches and wearing a protective boot. Nocioni sprained his left ankle Friday while training with Argentina’s national team in preparation for the World Championships that begin Aug. 28 in Turkey. The medical reports finally reached the Sixers yesterday. Dr. Dave Rubenstein, of Main Line Health Services, examined Nocioni’s MRI report and concluded Nocioni has a lateral sprain. There is no timetable for Nocioni to return to the Argentine team. He is said to have gone to a rehabilitation center in Buenos Aires. — Philadelphia Daily News

The 76ers’ Andres Nocioni sprained his left ankle Friday while training with Argentina’s national team and is out indefinitely pending results of X-rays and an MRI exam. A report in Argentina suggested Nocioni could be out for roughly 20 days. Ed Stefanski, the Sixers’ president/general manager, said he was awaiting the test results, which will be forwarded to the Sixers’ medical staff. “Until then, we don’t know the severity of the situation,” Stefanski said. — Philadelphia Daily News

Sixers No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner still shakes his head while remembering his subpar performance at the Orlando Summer League that ended nearly a month ago. During those five games in 5 days, he seemed a step behind his normal game and grew more frustrated as the week progressed. The common problem was a lack of conditioning, something he has been working on since leaving Orlando. “I’ve been playing pretty much every day against good competition,” Turner said. “It was really an eye-opener for me to get my butt kicked, but it was also a good thing, I think. That hasn’t happened to me in a really long time, so it made me realize how much harder I had to work to get myself ready for training camp. I can’t wait to get started and play with my new teammates and learn from them, and get ready for the season.”

Doug Collins and 76ers assistant coach Quin Snyder are expecting to visit with Sixers power forward Elton Brand sometime in the next several days. Previous attempts to meet with Brand were canceled because of scheduling situations. “I want Elton to feel the love of the game again,” Collins said yesterday from San Diego, where he maintains a residence. “He doesn’t have to be an All-Star, but he can be a winning player. He can do that.” — Philadelphia Daily News

Sixers coach Doug Collins seemed unconcerned with Evan Turner’s struggles in the Orlando summer league. “He was part of a group of guys who expected to go high in the draft and were told to stay away from contact drills and avoid getting hurt until after it was over,” the coach said. “I’m guessing it was probably 90 days from Evan’s last game at Ohio State to the league in Orlando. But those 8 days showed him what kind of condition he has to be in to compete [in the NBA]. I don’t want him to be frustrated, but if he was, that could be a good thing because it was a great growth experience.” — Philadelphia Daily News

Should the 76ers and new coach Doug Collins have a problem with the frontcourt this season, it won’t be because of a lack of depth. Yesterday, the team signed 6-11 center Tony Battie, a free agent who was the fifth overall pick in the 1997 draft. “I’ve never been a guy to fill up the stat sheet. I’m a team guy, unselfish, who plays with a defensive presence, a hard-nosed rebounder, a guy who loves to do the dirty work – setting screens to get [Andre] Iguodala the open look, taking charges. Every game has a knack where you can get in there and find something to do. It doesn’t have to be scoring, it can be vocally on the bench, vocally in the locker room.” That would be a nice addition to a team that is already loaded with centers. Maybe it could be a move that opens up another for the team. According to a source, the deal is for 1 year. The Sixers will be on the hook for $850,000. — Philadelphia Daily News

The one player seemingly fatigued the most is Evan Turner. He struggled again in yesterday’s game, scoring four points (on just six shots) in a little more than 27 minutes. He committed six fouls (it’s a no foul-out league) and turned the ball over three times. He is a step slow and, at times, seems to think the game will wait for him. Only that doesn’t happen when you’re playing against guys who are fighting for a career in basketball. Still, there is not even a hint of panic from Collins or general manager Ed Stefanski that the No. 2 overall pick will stay in his funk. “Nothing has surprised me,” Stefanski said. “I think Evan is just trying to figure out the whole thing, from how the NBA game works, from the officials to the defense and things like that. Last year, Jrue Holiday went through the same thing. Jrue was struggling getting by people and now people just can’t stay in front of him. The same thing Jrue went through last year, Evan is going through now.” Part of the problem, Stefanski and Collins have said, is Turner’s conditioning. “I don’t think he’s in game condition,” Stefanski said. – Philadelphia Daily News