Allen Iverson is rejoining the Philadelphia 76ers and is expected to make his debut Monday at home against the Denver Nuggets.The man who is all but shunned by the rest of the league is back in the city that loves him. This is great. And so what if this is not the best way to build a championship team, the Sixers are currently a car wreck of a team that is getting nowhere way too fast. A change needs to be made. While there were no expectations of this team to win a championship, there was and maybe now still is the expectation that they can be a bottom of the pack playoff team that can win a playoff game or 2.
Iverson’s brief retirement is over after signing a free-agent contract with Philadelphia on Wednesday, three years after their acrimonious split led to his trade and seemingly ended any chance of his return.
The Sixers needed a replacement once they lost starting point guard Lou Williams, who’s expected to miss eight weeks after jaw surgery. Williams, who averaged 17.4 points and 5.1 assists, broke his jaw in a loss to Washington on Nov. 24.
Iverson, his agent and business manager met with team president Ed Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and two other members of the organization Monday to talk about returning.
“Without really seeing him on the floor, I would like to compare him to Brett Favre, a guy who people think is too old to play and he’s almost having an MVP year,” Jordan said. “That’s off the top of my head. When I woke up this morning, I said, ‘Maybe he can be that.’ It’s not a big maybe. I think he can be that.”
The 34-year-old Iverson announced his retirement last week after a stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. The 10-time All-Star was NBA MVP in 2001, when he led the Sixers to the NBA finals.
“We had, at times, a rocky road with Allen Iverson, but we also had a fantastic run with Allen,” Peter Luukko, COO of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the 76ers and Flyers, told The Associated Press. “The expectations with Allen have changed dramatically. We’re not looking for Allen to individually lead this team the way he has in the past.”
[...]
Jordan said Iverson will likely start in place of rookie Jrue Holiday.
“I told him I would like for him to start, and that’s where it sort of ended,” Jordan said. “And he was really like a kid at Christmas. That’s how he sort of explained it to me. He’s really excited and we’re looking forward to it.”
This may not make the most sense basketball wise but financially speaking they need it and for the first time this year, Sixers tickets are selling like Philly cheesesteaks and also for the first time this year on Monday, I will do something that I have not done all season: watch a Sixers game.
A.I. is back in Philly. I love it.
I still think Iverson has something in the tank. The real test will be how he reacts to reduced minutes and not being the focal point of the offense.
ReplyDelete