"He wasn't in the gym yesterday when the 76ers resumed practice after their West Coast swing. No one could say definitively whether he would be in the gym again. But Allen Iverson, in his own way, remained a presence.

The Sixers continue to say he is out indefinitely as he copes with the illness of his youngest child, Messiah, 4, who, by all accounts, continues to battle a problem that has yet to be specifically diagnosed.

When will Iverson be back, if at all? Apparently not for tonight's game with the Orlando Magic in the Wachovia Center.

"I'm sure we'll have a discussion in the next day or 2," coach Eddie Jordan said, referring to president/general manager Ed Stefanski. "We'll see what kind of conversation [Stefanski] has had with Allen, his agent, his business manager."

That discussion might even have taken place yesterday.

Iverson, who has appeared in 25 games after signing Dec. 2 as a free agent, missed five games before the All-Star break, and now has missed the last three.

Is it possible - likely? - that Iverson, in his 14th season, will not rejoin the Sixers at all? That almost certainly would mean the end of his second stint with them, and very possibly the conclusion of his career.

"No gut feeling at all," Jordan said.

"If I had to make my best guess, I'd say [Iverson will not be back]," Elton Brand said. "That's [based on] the team and where we are. He's missed a lot of games and things like that."

Still, could Iverson yet reappear?

"I think morale-wise and playing in a home game or two, I can see that happening, maybe with a big thing on the [arena screens]," Brand said."