<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">King Will Take His Time Dec 18 - All 76ers sitelines Breaking his silence for the first time since Sixers chairman Ed Snider disclosed Dec. 8 that the team would trade Allen Iverson, Billy King said last night that he would place no timetable for a deal. "We're doing it very methodically," he said. "We want to consider as many resources as we can to make a decision." King said he has been in touch with Leon Rose, Iverson's agent. Asked if Iverson and Rose are getting impatient, he said, "They understand the process." -- Philadelphia Inquirer # In the days since Dec. 8, when Iverson's trade request became public and Sixers chairman Ed Snider said the franchise was going to make it happen, King has come off as looking weak and not in control of a situation that will set the path for the future of this team. "It's been a lot of long, hard days and nights," King said in a phone conversation yesterday. "We're taking hits, but taking hits comes with this job. I have a job, which is to do the best thing for this franchise." -- Philadelphia Daily News # A source with knowledge of the situation said that the Miami Heat had made an offer, but the source was unwilling to divulge any details. The Heat's James Posey ($6.392 million) has an expiring contract, and Antoine Walker ($7,606,820, with two additional seasons) could be included. It is believed the Sixers would be interested in Udonis Haslem ($5.525 million, with three additional seasons), a player the Heat apparently prefers to retain. King acknowledged that Larry Brown, the former Sixers coach and vice president of basketball operations, has been consulting with him on the Iverson trade situation, albeit on an unofficial basis. King said he had "been thinking for some time" about placing Iverson on the inactive list, but also said there had not been a single, specific incident that forced the issue. -- Philadelphia Daily News # Meanwhile, the Sixers continued to talk yesterday with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who appear to be their next-best hope for rerouting Allen Iverson. Interestingly, the Timberwolves have not completely ruled out dealing rookie guard Randy Foye, the young player the Sixers covet most of all, according to a source. But Minnesota is deliberating long and hard about whether the potential short-term rewards of teaming Iverson with Kevin Garnett are worth the risk of dealing away the franchise's future, Foye. Dallas has no interest in helping a potential playoff rival like Denver get better, according to a source with knowledge of the Mavericks' thinking. Nor are the Clippers inclined to put potential-rich guard Shaun Livingston into any trade to Philadelphia, according to multiple sources. -- Philadelphia Inquirer</div> Source
