Here's David Aldridge on the situation. (He's the anti-SAS)
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14925179.htm
David Aldridge | It's a matter of time now: Iverson era about to end
By David Aldridge
Inquirer Columnist
NEW YORK - It is time to batten down whatever hatches you possess, or can borrow.
Back up your truck.
Allen Iverson will not be a 76er next season. At the least, he will not finish next season in the home white.
Write it in ink.
Now, I would never tell anyone else to bet the farm on anything, but if you have a spare farm - or a parcel of land that is otherwise undeveloped - put it on the table.
This will get done. Sooner or later, it will get done.
There has been too much smoke in the last two weeks for these tired old eyes not to search for the extinguishers. Too many near-deals for the obvious not to be, well, obvious.
Those who have hoped for, wished for, dreamed for this day, pay heed: Your moment is coming, and soon. AI is on his way out. You will have to find someone else to blame.
The Sixers, clearly, are doing much more than just blithely chatting with their league brethren; they are actively trying to divest themselves of their franchise player. They have made their choice (or their choice was made for them, as there is next to no interest in taking on the $43 million remaining on Chris Webber's contract). And it's just a matter of time before they find an Iverson deal that's to their liking.
It might be with Memphis, or Golden State, or Denver.
But Iverson won't be in Philadelphia much longer.
Iverson might be wearing Atlanta Hawks red this very moment (with free agent forward Al Harrington, in a sign-and-trade deal, and guard Josh Smith coming to Philly) if Atlanta's ownership situation wasn't so messed up, and there was one person definitely in charge down there.
It might still be Boston, with whom Billy King danced and danced earlier this week. I'm certain that the Sixers ultimately passed on the deal, for now, because they couldn't stomach the idea of AI's remaining in their division, haunting them the way Moses Malone haunted them from 1986 to '88 after being traded to Washington.
"That's one of their dilemmas," a league source said yesterday. "That's one of the things holding it up."
The Celtics' interest in Iverson is genuine and strong, perhaps stronger than that of any other team in the league. Even though Boston acquired point guard Sebastian Telfair from Portland last night, the Celtics, it says here, would not be afraid to play Iverson and Telfair together - or Iverson and Delonte West, the St. Joseph's product who quickly has developed into one of the better young point guards in the league.
You could certainly see West playing off the ball, the way he did for Phil Martelli when Jameer Nelson was his backcourt mate.
A foursome of Iverson, Telfair, West and Tony Allen, with Paul Pierce moving to small forward more or less permanently, would be as difficult a quartet of guards to cover as any in the game today.
But back to the parochial issues.
With Iverson out of town, the Sixers would be a different team - one built, for the moment, around Webber's half-court skills. It would mean more shots for Andre Iguodala and more touches for Samuel Dalembert, and it may mean that John Salmons sticks around instead of leaving via free agency. It would mean that Kyle Korver has to play off Webber - which could work, if there's a point guard in town next season who can distribute the ball.
But that's the short term. We know that the Sixers are going to strip down most of the current roster, and that the next couple of seasons are going to be tough ones for Maurice Cheeks and Company, no matter what.
This is about the near-end of an era that brought Philadelphia back from NBA obscurity to the Finals. During the last 10 years, the Sixers have mattered because, from the moment Iverson got to town, he was too compelling, too exciting and, yes, too controversial not to notice.
Iverson and Larry Brown were the Broad Street Odd Couple, with their combustibility threatening to tear the franchise apart at the same time their respective skills took the Sixers almost back to the top of the heap. Brown knew what it took King a few years to learn, that the best way to use Iverson was to find four other guys who didn't care about shooting, who would do all the dirty work while Iverson took all the shots.
Re-creating that kind of team today is extremely difficult, especially in an era when the rules make it harder and harder to guard anyone.
So, the Sixers appear committed to carrying out King's end-of-season promise to dramatically change who they are, and how they play. The first step was the biggest - admitting there was a problem. The rest will come more easily.
The inevitable, post-AI era is near at hand.
Enjoy the view.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14925179.htm
David Aldridge | It's a matter of time now: Iverson era about to end
By David Aldridge
Inquirer Columnist
NEW YORK - It is time to batten down whatever hatches you possess, or can borrow.
Back up your truck.
Allen Iverson will not be a 76er next season. At the least, he will not finish next season in the home white.
Write it in ink.
Now, I would never tell anyone else to bet the farm on anything, but if you have a spare farm - or a parcel of land that is otherwise undeveloped - put it on the table.
This will get done. Sooner or later, it will get done.
There has been too much smoke in the last two weeks for these tired old eyes not to search for the extinguishers. Too many near-deals for the obvious not to be, well, obvious.
Those who have hoped for, wished for, dreamed for this day, pay heed: Your moment is coming, and soon. AI is on his way out. You will have to find someone else to blame.
The Sixers, clearly, are doing much more than just blithely chatting with their league brethren; they are actively trying to divest themselves of their franchise player. They have made their choice (or their choice was made for them, as there is next to no interest in taking on the $43 million remaining on Chris Webber's contract). And it's just a matter of time before they find an Iverson deal that's to their liking.
It might be with Memphis, or Golden State, or Denver.
But Iverson won't be in Philadelphia much longer.
Iverson might be wearing Atlanta Hawks red this very moment (with free agent forward Al Harrington, in a sign-and-trade deal, and guard Josh Smith coming to Philly) if Atlanta's ownership situation wasn't so messed up, and there was one person definitely in charge down there.
It might still be Boston, with whom Billy King danced and danced earlier this week. I'm certain that the Sixers ultimately passed on the deal, for now, because they couldn't stomach the idea of AI's remaining in their division, haunting them the way Moses Malone haunted them from 1986 to '88 after being traded to Washington.
"That's one of their dilemmas," a league source said yesterday. "That's one of the things holding it up."
The Celtics' interest in Iverson is genuine and strong, perhaps stronger than that of any other team in the league. Even though Boston acquired point guard Sebastian Telfair from Portland last night, the Celtics, it says here, would not be afraid to play Iverson and Telfair together - or Iverson and Delonte West, the St. Joseph's product who quickly has developed into one of the better young point guards in the league.
You could certainly see West playing off the ball, the way he did for Phil Martelli when Jameer Nelson was his backcourt mate.
A foursome of Iverson, Telfair, West and Tony Allen, with Paul Pierce moving to small forward more or less permanently, would be as difficult a quartet of guards to cover as any in the game today.
But back to the parochial issues.
With Iverson out of town, the Sixers would be a different team - one built, for the moment, around Webber's half-court skills. It would mean more shots for Andre Iguodala and more touches for Samuel Dalembert, and it may mean that John Salmons sticks around instead of leaving via free agency. It would mean that Kyle Korver has to play off Webber - which could work, if there's a point guard in town next season who can distribute the ball.
But that's the short term. We know that the Sixers are going to strip down most of the current roster, and that the next couple of seasons are going to be tough ones for Maurice Cheeks and Company, no matter what.
This is about the near-end of an era that brought Philadelphia back from NBA obscurity to the Finals. During the last 10 years, the Sixers have mattered because, from the moment Iverson got to town, he was too compelling, too exciting and, yes, too controversial not to notice.
Iverson and Larry Brown were the Broad Street Odd Couple, with their combustibility threatening to tear the franchise apart at the same time their respective skills took the Sixers almost back to the top of the heap. Brown knew what it took King a few years to learn, that the best way to use Iverson was to find four other guys who didn't care about shooting, who would do all the dirty work while Iverson took all the shots.
Re-creating that kind of team today is extremely difficult, especially in an era when the rules make it harder and harder to guard anyone.
So, the Sixers appear committed to carrying out King's end-of-season promise to dramatically change who they are, and how they play. The first step was the biggest - admitting there was a problem. The rest will come more easily.
The inevitable, post-AI era is near at hand.
Enjoy the view.
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