<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The 76ers were preparing to head out west for their lengthy road trip when coach Maurice Cheeks was approached by Steven Hunter. "He said to me, 'If you play me on this trip, I'm going to be ready to play,' " Cheeks said. The 7-foot Hunter, who had not played in the Sixers' three games before the trip, two because of injury, returned to the rotation against Denver and showed the type of energy that was missing after he moved back to a reserve role following the return of starting center Samuel Dalembert in late November. "I just wanted to let him know that even though I wasn't playing, I still had a great, positive attitude," Hunter said before last night's game against the Utah Jazz. "I was staying ready like I was going to play every night. I just wanted to let him know that I was staying focused." Hunter started the first 13 games of the season while Dalembert recovered from a strained right quadriceps, but he has been spotty coming off the bench, accounting for only 20 points and 19 rebounds in nine games as a reserve before the trip. However, in Denver, he contributed three of the Sixers' season-high 15 blocks. He became more comfortable offensively the next night in Portland, making four of six shots for eight points to go with six rebounds in 20 minutes.</div> <div align="center">Source</div>
