Iverson back with Sixers, but will he practice?

by Eric Schwartz

Wednesday December 2, 2009 

Iverson back with Sixers, but will he practice? thumbnail

The smell is undeniable. Nothing lingers in the air quite the same as the smell of desperation.

The Sixers are ready to party like its 1999 or 2001 or something like that.

As expected Allen Iverson has agreed to come out of his “retirement” to join a Sixers team that is a horrible fit for him. The Sixers are clearly making the move to sell tickets, because on the surface it makes no sense. Here are a few reasons why:

1: Eddie Jordan has installed the Princeton offense in Philadelphia. The only offense Iverson runs is the “I” offense – as in I dribble, dribble some more and I shoot. Does anyone really see Iverson cutting and setting picks? Didn’t think so.

2: Iverson has lost a step. He may still be able to average 20 points for the Sixers, but no longer has that explosion to drop 40 on an opponent, something that made him an exciting ticket. I don’t think you will be seeing Iverson fool Lebron with a crossover anytime soon.

 3: Youth will be put on the shelf. The days of Thaddeus Young and Jru Holiday getting a lot of shots are officially over. There are only so many shots to go around and with Iverson on the court, these guys drop further on the shot chart.

4:  What happens when Lou Williams returns? Williams was starting to show promises prior to his jaw injury, giving the team 17.4 ppg. Are we expected to believe that once Williams returns, Iverson will be OK with coming off the bench? Now that’s a funny one. Iverson will stay on the court and Williams will keep the pine warm, losing a chance at developing for the sake of Ed Stefanski selling a couple of tickets.

At the end of the day, Iverson should help the team win a few more games and put a few more people in the seats – though not nearly as many as the Sixers think. However, if this move fizzles, we may be seeing the end of Stefanski’s short tenure with the team. When you put your only eggs in the baskets of the not-who-they-once-were duo of Elton Brand and Allen Iverson, you are putting your career in jeopardy.

The Sixers were bad before Iverson and will continue to be bad with him. On a scale of 1-10, all they did today was push their entertainment value from a one to a two. WooHoo!

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