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**Coatesvillain** · 10-24-2004, 06:19 AM

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PHILADELPHIA - Billy King sees no reason to worry.

He said Saturday night that he's confident the 76ers can work out a long-term contract extension with Samuel Dalembert, although King said it "probably won't" happen in the early period that concludes at the end of October because the two sides are relatively far apart financially.

The Sixers picked up the fourth-year $1.6 million option on Dalembert for this season. They can extend Dalembert's contract - effective in 2005-06 - through the end of the month and again after the season.

After this season, the Sixers can retain the right to match another team's contract proposal by giving Dalembert a $2.3 million offer.

"It's not like we're in hard-nosed negotiations," King said. "It's not an adversarial thing - it's just different views. If we get it done, we'll do it. If not, we'll do it next summer."

Dalembert, an athletic 6-foot-11 center who is likely to start for the Sixers, agent Marc Cornstein and the Sixers have had discussions about the matter but that he won't be bothered if there's no agreement heading into the season.

"I don't know what's going to happen," said Dalembert prior to Saturday's 86-81 preseason win over the Nets at the Wachovia Center. "The last time I had an option, it was the same thing. It was close to the end and I didn't know what was going on and I didn't know what to do. Everything worked out.

"If it doesn't work out (this time), we'll work next summer."

The only danger from the Sixers' standpoint is that if Dalembert has a productive season and costs the Sixers millions of dollars more than he might now.

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**Coatesvillain** · 10-25-2004, 10:19 AM

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For Dalembert, who played explosively down the stretch last season, a qualifying offer is a modest $2,360,935. King and Marc Cornstein, Dalembert's agent, could conceivably still agree on an extension of up to seven seasons for whatever price they could negotiate. There is reason to believe that, in a new labor agreement, the owners want to reduce the maximum length of contracts to four seasons.

"Quite frankly, negotiations never really got started in this case,'' said Cornstein, who confirmed that he made an offer and that the team made a counteroffer. "The way Samuel has progressed, he's certainly a more established commodity now than he was a year ago. I've told him, whether it's now or next summer, he'll get rewarded.''

Dalembert, one of three centers on the roster (with Brian Skinner and Marc Jackson), said he would not be disappointed if a new contract wasn't in place by the deadline, but that he would consider it "just a different feeling.''

"If that's the case, it's not the end of the world,'' Dalembert said. "But disappointed? No. If that's what they want to do, if they want to risk [what could happen] next summer, when other teams come into play, that's up to them. I'm going to play hard every time, regardless. I'm going to do my job. I love the game; I want to be the best at it. There are a lot of goals I have.''

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