The basketball world was ready to accept Allen Iverson’s retirement only months ago after a short stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. A.I. enters the New Year wearing a uniform all too familiar to him. As the NBA enters into the second half of the season and teams make desperate moves to make the playoffs, the outlook for Sixers fans looks dismal. With the Sixers in second to last in the Atlantic division, only in front of an embarrassing Nets team, and seven games out of the playoffs, Philadelphia is struggling to get people into the Wachovia Center. No doubt the signing of Iverson had to be a direct reaction to this, but the question is: is "The Answer" Philly’s answer to raising ticket sales?
In a game against the Pacers last week, I looked around the Wachovia Center and saw fans waving signs reading “The Answer is Home.” However, I spoke with Ambler native Eric Au who didn’t seem to feel the same appreciation for Iverson’s return.
Iverson, who spent 10 seasons with the Sixers after being drafted in 1996, went through heavy turmoil during his career. After bringing the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001, the next season proved to be a disappointment as they were eliminated in the first round. Iverson started to become discontent with the fact that Sixers GM and president Billy King was not bringing in legitimate talent to surround Iverson to make the team a true contender. He took another hit when his mentor and coach, Larry Brown, announced he was retiring. When the Sixers and Iverson finally decided to part ways, while Philadelphia was glad to have resolved this distraction, it no doubt missed his star-power.
In 2006 when Iverson was shipped off to the Denver Nuggets, he was still a dangerous player on the offensive end. Now, in 2010, Iverson’s game has gone down significantly with much lower points per game than his career average and an inability to play heavy minutes in games. Once known as a prolific scorer, he no longer demands the same respect from opposing defenses and it seems age is catching up to him. Young talent in Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young is starting to emerge on the Sixers roster. This raises the question whether this former league MVP can legitimately bring wins to Philadelphia or if he now is simply an afterthought.
A.I. is an icon in this league. This year fans around the country voted Iverson to be on his 11th All-Star team, evidence that he is still a crowd-pleaser. Much speculation has been made whether he deserved the vote over some younger players now closer to being in their prime. However, Iverson isn’t offended by this. In an interview with NBA.com, Iverson responded to critics saying, "For them [the fans] to want to see me, regardless of what’s been going on, that says a lot about how they feel about me. I just thank ‘em for that." Iverson’s career was built in Philadelphia and it is still, undoubtedly, home to him.
AroundPhilly Staff
