(AP)

76ers guard Jason Richardson incurred a setback in his bid to return to the court this season.

Richardson said his surgically repaired left knee has taken on fluid, though he’s unsure what he did to trigger the swelling. The 13^th-year man, who said he’s not experiencing any pain in the afflicted joint, still has his eyes pointed toward playing this season.

“Yeah, I had some setbacks. I don’t know,” Richardson said Saturday, before the Sixers hosted the Utah Jazz. “Like I told (Sixers coach Brett Brown) when we talked a month ago, if it’s 10 or 15 or two games, I want to come back. That’s my goal. That’s my motivation. If it doesn’t happen, (my goal is) get ready for next year.”

At the start of the season, Richardson had been limited to workouts in a pool. Last month, he was cleared to take light jumpshots for the first time in nearly a year. The 33-year-old Richardson had been working toward attaining clearance to resume running.

“It’s just part of the rehab,” Richardson said. “I’m trying to get back as quickly as I can, at least a couple games for my own confidence. Then I can go into the offseason thinking about what I have to do for next season.”

Earlier this week, Brown said he didn’t expect Richardson to play, pointing to a “gut feel.” As the player with the most league experience, Richardson has been told by Brown that “he has an open mic” to speak up in the locker room.

“It does mean a lot to me, because I pride myself on being a positive guy and a good teammate to a whole bunch of young guys,” Richardson said. “I love to hear that, especially from Brett. He’s a great coach and I respect him a lot. That makes me feel confident about being here and around this group of guys as much as I can.”

Richardson was acquired by the Sixers in August 2012 as part of the four-team deal that also brought Andrew Bynum to town. He averaged 10.5 points on a career-worst .402 field-goal percentage in 33 games last season before suffering a left knee injury that required surgery to correct.

(AP)

Upon arriving in Philadelphia, Nick Young had two items on his agenda.

He had to undergo an MRI on his left knee, which turned up news that the Los Angeles Lakers guard stands to miss at least the next two weeks. Then, Young went to the King of Prussia Mall. Since Young, who played for the 76ers last season, cannot play against his old team Friday, he opted for the next best thing.

“I want to go out there and play against them, talk some trash to Spencer (Hawes) and Evan (Turner) and Thad (Young) and have some fun. That’s the downside,” Young said. “But I went and got a suit jacket because I still want to be out there and talk some trash. I’m looking forward to it.”

Young came to Philly under the auspices of a season that never came to fruition. He, Dorell Wright and Jason Richardson were brought aboard as shooters with which the Sixers would surround Andrew Bynum. But Bynum, beset by knee injuries, never played. And Young, who was given a one-year, $5.6 million deal, never lived up to the expectations created by his financially bulky contract.

The Los Angeles native, Young took a one-year contract worth $1.1 million from the Lakers. He has a player option for next season that he’s likely to pick up.

“Being able to play at home and for the Lakers is great,” said Young, who’s out for at least two weeks with a non-displaced fracture of his left knee cap. “I was seeing my options, but I was looking at the Lakers and the opportunity that was going to be there for me. Playing for them and being home, I couldn’t ask for better.”

Young has experienced a career renaissance with the Lakers, for whom he’s averaging 16.9 points (second behind Pau Gasol) on 41.9 percent shooting.

With the Sixers, under Doug Collins, he was an on-again, off-again personality. He was Swaggy P, an affable, congenial player who was always smiling. Some days, he was liked. Others, he was not. Some days, he was playing in crunch time and contributing. Others, he was coming off the bench only when the game was out of reach.

“Philly was good. It had its ups and downs,” Young said. “Obviously I wish I played more. But the city and how they embraced the Swaggy P Movement, I didn’t know they were going to be big on it, but they enjoyed it.”

Young played only eight of his final 25 games last season with the Sixers. The other 17 were DNP-CDs.

“Just sitting there and watching it, it’s hard. It was hard for me,” Young said. “I didn’t know why I wasn’t playing. (The Sixers) were bringing in players from the D-League and they were playing over me. It ain’t like I cussed (Collins) out or nothing. I was just sitting and waiting. But Doug hits me up from time to time. He texts me. He says he’s proud of me and stuff.”

In Young’s words, last season “is what it is.” And, Young said, it could have been different.

“Drew never got a chance to play. I know the fans were going crazy over that,” he said. “But what shocked me was this year. I had no idea they were going to trade Jrue Holiday, but obviously they’ve seen something in Carter that no one else did.”

That would be Michael Carter-Williams, Holiday’s successor as the Sixers’ point guard. Young will get a good look at the rookie. Only, it’ll have to come from the Lakers’ bench.

(AP)

Injured guard Jason Richardson is getting his first taste of on-court activity in 12 months, and said he’s looking toward mid-March as a possible return date for the 76ers.

Richardson, who underwent left knee surgery Feb. 19, 2013, started taking short jumpers Monday. He’s doing that an hour a day for one to two weeks. If that goes well, and without incident, he’ll graduate to sliding and shooting, catching and shooting and beyond.

As for the 32-year-old’s role when he returns…

“Player/coach,” Richardson said Wednesday, before the Sixers hosted Boston. “I’ve been through everything and had a long career. Scoring doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about winning. When you’re on a young team like this, it’s all about teaching. Coaching might be something I want to get into when my career is over. What better way to start than while you’re playing?”

That's a good thing, too, because his play declined as last season wore on.

Richardson, who was traded to Philly in August 2012, in the same four-team deal that netted Andrew Bynum, averaged 10.5 points and shot 40.2 percent overall in 33 games last season. He’s due $6.2 million this season and holds a $6.6 million player option (wh

ich he’s likely to pick up) for the 2014-15 season.

The elder statesman of the Sixers, Richardson said he has a voice in the locker room, but that his teammates “get tired of listening to me.” He said he’d like to play “until I’m 50” if he can, but that he’s not willing to chase a championship before his playing career comes to a close.

“That’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do, is win a championship, ever since I was a young guy in this league,” Richardson said, “but I won’t chase a championship. I won’t do it. I don’t think, to me personally, that’s the right way to do it. Even though you want one, I would never hop teams to chase one.”

(AP)

With time winding down before the 76ers have to get their roster in compliance with NBA mandates, coach Brett Brown offered a glimpse into what he’s looking for from the group of players vying to avoid being the last man cut.

“An NBA skill,” Brown said after Friday’s practice. “Is he an NBA shooter? Is he an NBA athlete? Can he become an NBA shooter? Can he became an NBA athlete?”

Brown said “a few of the young guys” are in the mix to make the team before the Sixers, who are carrying 16 players, have to trim their roster by one to get down to a league-maximum 15. Among the players who face being waived by the Sixers are: Rodney Williams, Hollis Thompson, Gani Lawal and Kwame Brown.

A 13^th-year center, Kwame Brown (pictured) remains a possibility to be waived or moved by the Sixers, as they cannot afford to have such little roster flexibility at the beginning of the season. Brown has yet to play in the preseason and has seen little to no court time along the way while battling with a hamstring strain. Carrying Brown would mean the Sixers, who already have three players (Nerlens Noel, Jason Richardson and Arnett Moultrie) dealing with long-term injuries, will be limited to 11 healthy players for Wednesday’s opener against visiting Miami.

“I’m terrified by the reality of our injured list,” Brett Brown said. “How many NBA teams start the year with four guys on the injured list? We have no relief. To carry 11 people and try to play hard games and try to practice hard and reduce injury, that is a funny mix. At the minute, I’d like to say, ‘Heck yeah, that’s what I’d like to do,’ but I want to be smart with the realities of our roster.”

The other possibility is that the Sixers cut no one.

Brett Brown could petition the league to get a fourth player on the injury list and a 16^th roster spot, though that usually requires having a player who will miss the full season. And since neither the Sixers nor Richardson or Noel have declared either of those two out for good, that might be a stretch.

(Associated Press)

Jason Richardson doesn’t expect to play until “January, maybe February,” as the 12^th-year guard continues his rehab following left knee surgery in February.

He said as much Friday at PCOM, during the 76ers' media day proceedings.

Richardson said his recovery workouts are limited to weight-lifting, as his doctors have warned him against impact conditioning. He might be able to resume basketball activities as early as November.

“It’s just a patient waiting game right now,” he said. “I’m walking without a brace and loving it.”