Brand, Garnett Revisit Old Teams

Elton Brand enjoyed the L.A. lifestyle and the bright lights of Hollywood, fancying himself a would-be movie mogul. Brand also loved playing for the Clippers. He was the face of the long-suffering franchise and called his relationship with Coach Mike Dunleavy "as good as player and coach could be."

Brand moved on to the 76ers and still occasionally chats with Clippers assistants and keeps in contact with ex-teammates Cuttino Mobley and Chris Kaman, but the all-star forward hasn't reached out to Dunleavy.

"There's nothing really to talk about," Brand said after practice yesterday.

Dunleavy wouldn't mind a chat before tonight's game in Philadelphia to figure out why Brand bailed on the Clippers.

"We had a great relationship the whole time he was here," Dunleavy said. "It's surprising, some things you can't figure out. I don't know why he left. All the e-mails we exchanged were positive. All of a sudden, it just fell off a cliff."

· TIMBERWOLVES: Kevin Garnett's return to Minnesota after being traded to Boston was as emotional and riveting as it was short.

On a chilly February night last season, Garnett got a warm reception from a large crowd, then disappeared into the tunnels of Target Center, sitting out with an abdominal strain while his Celtics edged the Timberwolves.

The rematch comes tonight. Garnett is healthy this time around, though Wolves Coach Randy Wittman joked he wouldn't mind seeing him once again head back to the locker room after the pregame.

-- From News Services