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John Mitchell: Doctor J: I wouldn't mind being involved in the vetting of potential free agents. Twitter @JmitchInquirer

Free Agency, Julius Erving 

To the one hundredth of one percent of humans who have experienced what it's like to bounce 40 inches-plus in the air with nothing but a pair high tops to get you there, jumping is an artistic expression. "It's an art form, it really is," Robinson says. "A guy like Gerald Green controls his hops and his jumps are for a purpose. Julius Erving had big hands. He was always moving the ball all around; he made it look like magic in the air. Then you have explosive dunkers who jump high and dunk hard like Dominique Wilkins. Me? I'm an energy jumper. My jumping ability is more like an explosive Dennis Rodman, and since I'm shorter, it looks crazy. I'm just a guy out there who's trying to show the world what I can do. Not too many 5-9 guys can dunk like I can." Yahoo! Sports

Chicago Bulls, Nate Robinson, Gerald Green, Dennis Rodman, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins 

He never had a crossover move. Never hit a game-winning shot. Never dunked. Surely never shattered a backboard. But Dave Zinkoff was as much a part of 76ers lore as Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain and Darryl Dawkins. The Zink was the public-address announcer for the Sixers from 1963 until his death in 1985, with the exception of the 1980-81 season. But it was who he was and how he announced that set him apart from the rest, that got him into the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (the only PA announcer so honored), that got his "microphone" retired, that caused the Celtics' Red Auerbach to call Zink the Sixers' sixth man. "Certainly," said former Sixers general manager Pat Williams, "he was the most celebrated public-address announcer in American sports." Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Media, Julius Erving, Dave Zinkoff 

Julius Erving -- known the world over as Dr. J -- didn't bother to respond to a lawsuit claiming he defaulted on a GIANT loan ... so now he's lost the case and has been ordered to pay up ... TMZ has learned. According to documents filed in Georgia, the NBA legend took out a loan in 2009 from Georgia Primary Bank. The original loan was for $1,000,000 and Erving had an outstanding balance of $210,705.71 ... which was never paid. TMZ.com

Law, Julius Erving 

"When the playoffs started, it made sense to have Julius [Erving] bring out the first ball, since we had just announced that he was joining the organization as an employee," Sixers CEO Adam Aron said. "But the next logical choice was Allen. We had been wanting to bring him back all year. But we had to have a moment big enough for Allen Iverson; we couldn't just bring him back for a regular-season game in January. Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving 

Adam Aron: "When we won Game 2 in Boston, we started to get ahead of ourselves, and the thought went through our heads that the perfect time to bring Allen in was the first home game of the Eastern Conference finals. But then it just worked out perfectly for us for Game 6. And what a moment he provided." Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving 

Julius Erving is back with the 76ers. During an informal halftime press conference during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, a Sixers’ team executive announced that Dr. J had agreed to a four-season pact to serve as “strategic advisor” to the team. The role was newly created for Erving and will be one he pursues on a part-time basis while tending to his other business interests. “My role will be similar to Reggie Jackson’s in New York and many other retired athletes,” Erving said. CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving 

It has been 29 years since the 76ers won the franchise's last championship, so on Friday, in a nod to nostalgia, the organization welcomed back members of that 1982-83 team. Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, and Earl Cureton attended the Sixers' home opener at the Wells Fargo Center. This resonated with coach Doug Collins, the No. 1 pick in the 1973 draft and an eight-year Sixer. "It's good - it brings to mind championships," said Collins, who became famous in the city for, among other things, tossing alley-oop passes to Erving. "Bobby Jones and I go back to the 1972 Olympics - so, obviously, we got our hearts broken in Munich. I remember playing alongside Julius, trading for Bobby. "It goes back to a great time and a team that set a standard of excellence," Collins continued. "And that's what we aspire to at some point in time. So I think that any time you can bring back former guys who set a kind of standard it's great for our guys to see and for our fans to see." Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Doug Collins, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, Earl Cureton 

His sneakers are returning to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia 76ers are hopeful Dr. J will come along for the ride. A day after the Sixers swooped in and collected some Julius Erving memorabilia, team CEO Adam Aron said he has reached out to Dr. J about joining the organization in some capacity. "We'd like to bring Dr. J back to Philadelphia," Aron said Monday. "He's only one of the greatest 76ers of all time. We'd love to see Julius Erving have a connection with the 76ers in some shape or fashion. I don't know what, exactly." ESPN.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving 

The team bought 10 lots containing 18 items from Erving's personal basketball memorabilia collection auction that ended over the weekend. SCP Auctions said more than 140 items from Erving's collection sold for a record $3.5 million. Among the highlights: His 1974 New York Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471, a record price for a sports ring. Neither that ring nor Erving's 1983 76ers NBA championship landed with the franchise. ESPN.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving 

Dr. J's sneakers will stay grounded on this trip to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia 76ers are bringing some of Julius Erving's memorabilia back home -- and they are hopeful Dr. J will come along for the ride. The team bought 10 lots containing 18 items from the Erving auction that ended over the weekend, Sixers CEO Adam Aron said. Aron also said he has reached out to Erving, one of the franchise's greatest players, about joining the organization in some sort of capacity. ESPN.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving 

SCP Auctions says more than 140 items from Julius Erving’s personal collection sold for a record $3.5 million. The auction ran from October until Sunday. Among the highlights: His 1974 New Jersey Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471; 1983 Philadelphia 76ers championship rings sold for $244,240; 1983 All-Star game MVP trophy ($115,242); final game worn jersey from May 3, 1987 ($88,826); and 1974-75 ABA MVP trophy ($173,10). HoopsWorld

Julius Erving 

Dr. J has scored big again. SCP Auctions says more than 140 items from Julius Erving's personal collection sold for a record $3.5 million. The auction ran from October until Sunday. Among the highlights: His 1974 New Jersey Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471; 1983 76ers championship rings sold for $244,240; 1983 All-Star game MVP trophy ($115,242); final game worn jersey from May 3, 1987 ($88,826); and 1974-75 ABA MVP trophy ($173,10). ESPN.com

Julius Erving 

Erving has been on the bad end of financial news prior to this week. It was reported last year a golf club he owned in the Atlanta area was in foreclosure. He had a house in St. George, Utah, that went into foreclosure last year after he had defaulted on a loan, which led Erving telling TMZ the house, valued at $2.23 million, was “substantially underwater.’’ Kohler said Erving has homes in New York, Atlanta and Florida, which is where SCP Auctions officials went to evaluate and pick up the memorabilia Erving is selling. “I wouldn’t think that financially he would be in trouble,’’ said Bobby Jones, Erving’s 76ers teammate from 1978-86. “He’s a smart guy and a very astute businessman. We all make mistakes. But I see him on Dr Pepper commercials, and I’m sure he’s well compensated. . . . I would think that he doesn’t need the stuff (he’s selling) because he has the memories. . . . It would be sad if that wasn’t the case.’’ FOXSports Florida

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving, Bobby Jones 

But selling the ring from that memorable season? Isn’t that going a bit too far? Jones doesn’t think so. In fact, he said he’s also looking into selling his 1983 ring. “For me, personally, it’s no big deal. I’ve never worn mine,’’ said Jones, who saw Erving last month at a reunion of the 1983 team at the suburban Philadelphia home of then 76ers coach Billy Cunningham. “The older my kids and grandkids get, it’s something that was so long ago. I would sell it. I’m planning to. My son (Matt) is doing research on three companies that do these things.’’ FOXSports Florida

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving, Bobby Jones 

The total sale was announced as making $455,641, and Cousy said a later sale pushed the gross total to about $500,000. He said the auction house got 12 percent and the tax man about 20 percent, which led to him giving his two daughters about $160,000 apiece. “I have two daughters who are in education,’’ Cousy said of why he sold the items and referring to daughters Marie Collette Cousy and Mary Patricia Cousy not making high salaries. “And I’ve never been a yesterday person. I don’t dwell in the past. . . . Most of this stuff was just sitting in the cellar.’’ Still, Cousy admits it was a bit tough parting with his MVP trophy. “Yeah, that was,’’ Cousy said. “I was the first point guard to win the MVP. The MVP trophy was my favorite. . . . But if somebody had told me back then that all of this stuff (Cousy sold) was one day going to be worth all this money, I would have said, ‘Take him away. He’s loony.’’’ FOXSports Florida

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving, Bob Cousy 

Julius Erving has denied an upcoming auction of his personal basketball memorabilia collection is tied to a lawsuit filed against him by a Georgia bank. Known on the hardwood as Dr. J, Erving tells The Associated Press on Wednesday he's never been a "hoarder or collector," and plans to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Salvation Army. Erving's auction collection includes his 1983 NBA championship ring with the Philadelphia 76ers, a pair of ABA championship rings with the New Jersey Nets, and MVP trophies from each league. Houston Chronicle

Julius Erving 

Tuesday afternoon an interesting e-mail caught my attention because the heading read “Dr. J's Personal Memorabilia at Auction." I could not open the email fast enough. To my surprise here was the list of items Dr. J is parting ways with: - Dr. J’s 1974 and 1976 New York Nets ABA World Championship ring - 1983 Philadelphia 76ers World Championship ring - 1996 NBA’s 50 Greatest Players ring - MVP trophies from 1975-76 (ABA) and 1980-81 (NBA) - 1977 and 1983 NBA All-Star game MVP trophies - 1979, 1981 and 1985 Eastern Conference All-Star game-worn uniforms - 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers game-worn road uniform - His final game-worn jersey from Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference playoffs. CSNPhilly.com

Julius Erving 

In a press release the 16 time All-Star issued the following statement. “I am very excited to work with SCP Auctions to offer my personal collection of memorabilia to collectors and fans,” said Erving. “It is my hope that the buyers of these items will derive much pleasure from their ownership. I also hope these treasures initiate much discussion inside and outside of basketball circles that help to preserve my legacy. It pleases me to support my lifelong charity, the Salvation Army, with a portion of the proceeds. My family and I thank all of the fans for their continued support throughout the years.” “It is the biggest one player pro basketball collection to hit the market,” David Kohler, President and CEO of SPC Auctions said. “It’s fantastic.” CSNPhilly.com

Julius Erving 

In an unrelated matter, many of Erving's basketball memorabilia items, including his 1983 Philadelphia 76ers World Championship ring, will be up for bidding Friday, SCP Auctions said Tuesday. Other items on the auction block include Erving's ABA championship rings from 1974 and 1976 with the New York Nets, MVP trophies from both the NBA and the ABA, and jerseys. The minimum bid is $25,000 for the NBA championship ring, and $20,000 for each ABA title ring and the NBA MVP trophy, the auction house said. In a statement released by the auction house, Erving said he plans to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Salvation Army. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Philadelphia 76ers, Julius Erving