Friday, November 27, 2009

Will the 76ers Sign Allen Iverson?

Here are two reasons why they might:

1. Starting point guard Lou Williams broke his jaw the other night against the Wizards and is out 2 months. Rookie Jrue Holliday, who was a freshman at UCLA last season, is now the starting point guard. Willie Green, much more of a 2 guard (sound familiar?) is the back-up.

2. The team is last in the NBA in attendance. Apparently, the dance team doesn't bring in men in the 22-40 age group as much as the front office thought it would.

Here are two reasons why they shouldn't:

1. Iverson is a distinct part of the 76ers' past, and the team should stay in the "moved on" mode.
2. He doesn't fit in with what coach Eddie Jordan is trying to do.

Basketball purity left the NBA a long time ago. The league has morphed much more into an "entertainment" mode than the rest of the three major leagues combined. Finances do matter, especially when unemployment exceeds 10% and most people don't feel like the recession has ended even if the experts claim it has. Translated: people just aren't coming out, so the question for the front office is whether the return of Allen Iverson would bring in a few more thousand people a night.

The answer: no. He's not the same guy he was ten years ago. Besides, some would continue to stay away were he to be brought back. The verdict: tempting, but not practical.

If Allen Iverson is to un-retire, he'll have to do so somewhere else.

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