PHILADELPHIA (AP) Keith Van Horn is glad to be in Philadelphia this time.

Before the 1997 draft, Van Horn refused to visit the 76ers for a workout. They selected him anyway, but immediately traded the forward's rights to New Jersey in a prearranged deal.

On Tuesday, the Nets sent Van Horn back to Philadelphia along with center Todd MacCulloch for eight-time All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo.

"I'm in a completely different situation and the Sixers are in a completely different situation," Van Horn said Thursday. "I always maintained that if they drafted me and not traded me, I would've been at training camp. It's been blown a little out of proportion.

"If you are going to get traded in this league, especially after being in the NBA Finals last year, to come to a team that's one of the top one, two or three teams in the Eastern Conference, there's not much to complain about. It's a great area, a big basketball town."

Van Horn averaged 18.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in five seasons with New Jersey. His 14.8-point average last season was a career-low, but he helped the Nets win the Eastern Conference title for the first time in the franchise's 26-year history.

Van Horn, however, was conspicuously ineffective during several postseason games, and might have been replaced by Richard Jefferson in the starting lineup this season if he stayed.

"I'm my toughest critic and I was disappointed in the way I played during the Finals," he said. "I would love to have the opportunity to get back after experiencing it for the first time and play more effectively."

MacCulloch also is returning to the Sixers, who drafted him in the second round in 1999. The Canadian is coming off his best professional season, averaging 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 62 games. The 6-foot-10, 255-pounder missed 20 games because of a foot injury that also will keep him out of the upcoming World Championships, but said he'll be ready for training camp.

Though he never wanted to leave Philadelphia, MacCulloch couldn't pass on an opportunity to be a starter and a $34 million, six-year contract from the Nets.

He is quite happy to be back with the Sixers.

"I don't know if I could've taken the weather for another year. I'm glad to be in a much warmer place," MacCulloch joked. "I'm also glad for all those thousands of kids who had Todd MacCulloch jerseys. Now they can pull them out and wear them again."

Van Horn was slightly more serious when asked if he could mesh with Allen Iverson. The Sixers have been looking for another scorer who can take some of the offensive burden off Iverson. Since Iverson was drafted in 1996, Philadelphia has tried unsuccessfully to use Jerry Stackhouse, Tim Thomas, Larry Hughes, Toni Kukoc and others in that role.

"I'm looking forward to it because Allen wants to win more than anything," Van Horn said. "A lot of people have compared the situation to when I played with Stephon (Marbury). To me, it's a totally different situation because we weren't winning then. That's the biggest problem me and Steph had that we were frustrated by not winning. The Sixers are winning and Allen wants to win first and foremost and I appreciate that."

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