This could raise more questions than answers. Didn't Philadelphia begin to play better without Iverson toward the end of his stint? How would Iverson take to being second or third behind Iguodala and Young? What happens if they fail to make the playoffs, was it worth it?
Nonetheless, Iverson gets what he wants: To be a starter. If anything, it makes more sense from a financial and marketing standpoint. Hey, it could be worse, he could be with New York who's chances of making the playoffs are slimmer.
If only Brand had worked out, Iverson's addition would help even more. I wonder how this could effect L. Williams' playing time once he returns. Because he and Iverson are both undersized shooting guards. If Holiday can suddenly become like Snow or a true point guard, Philadelphia would've a nice three-guard rotation of scorers: Williams, Iverson and W. Green.
"We know the history. We know the ups and downs. But we're also aware of what (Iverson) can do and that he's needed here. We simply can't just ignore the upside he'd bring. Not with our situation."
As of Friday night, coach Eddie Jordan was on board with bringing Iverson back, according to sources. So were officials within the club's hierarchy, along with the team's executive adviser, Sonny Hill.
The Sixers say they are aware it will cost them less than $3 million to get Iverson — "possibly less than $2 million, according to another team source — and have every intention of acting on it, probably as early as Tuesday.
Jordan is said to be incredibly frustrated with everything from Elton Brand's work ethic to Andre Iguodala's inability to make plays off the dribble. The one player he absolutely loves, guard Louie Williams, is out for eight weeks with a broken jaw.
"Eddie needs a playmaker," another source said. "He needs an identity. Something to create some excitement."
One thing's for sure: If Iverson returns to Philadelphia, he will be a starter.
Team sources confirmed on Friday that Iverson would be a starter because Jordan had planned on starting Williams with rookie Jrue Holiday anyway, just to put some excitement and more ball-handlers into his Princeton-style offense. So even once Williams returns from injury, he'd be in the starting lineup with Iverson.
That means Iverson will return as a starter. He'll be back in Philadelphia. And with the talent the Sixers already have on their roster, he could be the missing piece that propels them back to the playoffs.
Assuming, of course, the Sixers are willing to pull the trigger.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/1044 ... ck-Iverson
Raps fans tend to do this quite a bit, although it doesn't help when your GM comes out before the start of the season and says he thinks he's assembled a 50 win team. Expectations were raised even further when Triano came out and said they need to be a top 10 defensive team in the NBA. The latter statement was just too funny considering he had Calderon, Bargnani and Bosh as starters. To be fair though, the Raptors have the best defense amongst Canadian teams in the NBA, hands down.
