He's here; Now what
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He's here; Now what
Since Sunday, those following the 76ers, and maybe just NBA basketball fans, have followed the saga of bringing Allen Iverson back to the Sixers. Now, as of this morning when the Sixers released the news, we know he's agreed to return. The details are: pro-rated of the $1.3 minimum, non-guaranteed, becomes guaranteed on Jan. 10, he will make his "return debut" on Monday against the Denver Nuggets.
Get your tickets quickly, because for the first time in a while, a Sixers game is hot.
Now the "Will he return?" saga is over and thus begins the "How will this work?" saga.
I'm here in Oklahoma City, preparing to head over to Sixers shootaround at the Ford Center. In about an hour, I'll post exactly what the Sixers have to say about this move, including head coach Eddie Jordan, as well as videos. If you want the insta, in-the-minute updates, follow on Twitter, where things are posted as they happen: Deep Sixer. If you want to chat about this move, what might happen, why it happened, how it might work, tune in for the Live Chat at 2 p.m. Eastern: Sixers Chat.
Just got back from the Ford Center. And posted a video of Eddie Jordan talking about Iverson, the possibility of him starting, and the changes in the offense (Jordan said it wouldn't be hard to teach Iverson the "iso" plays, meaning the clear-out, Iverson-to-the-hoop plays.) You can find that video in the Deep Sixer video player below on the right.
Here are some quotes from Jordan: "I told him the rules we had in place and Ed [Stefanski] laid down the conditions as far as rules that everybody abides by. And I told the team, we all have flexibility in our personalities, some guys do this, some guys do that, some guys listen to their music loud, some softly, some walk the straight and narrow, some guys waver. But as long as you're in the border of that road we’re going, it’s fine. But once you break that border, there are fines to be paid and consequences."
Maybe, at least for today, we should just revel in knowing one of the best players in franchise history is returning. But I'm assuming there are some die-hard Sixers fans out there who want to know how this might fit in. Here are some gathered insights:
1.) The only way this deal was going to go down was as non-guaranteed because the Sixers want to keep control of the situaiton. This is smart because now they're getting the best available player without strapping themselves to any of the potential drama (just being real here). Check out the quote from Jordan about laying down conditions.
2.) Right now, rookie Jrue Holiday is starting, but that won't last (of course!). He's going to be a very, very good player, but he won't be seeing the kind of minutes he's been seeing since Lou Williams broke his jaw. Look for him to play about 15 minutes a game now. Does that stall his progress or is playing 30 minutes a game too much right now for a 19 year old? That's debatable. As long as he keeps those 15 minutes and gets in every game, he should be making progress without carrying an overwhelming burden.
Jordan said Holiday was a "tough-minded" kid who will be OK, he'll be fine. Jordan said he hasn't yet talked to Holiday about it.
3.) Iguodala. Hmmmm. My vibe is he's OK with this move to bring Iverson back, if only because it's been such a rough start to this season and obviously they need something, they're almost dull to the losing at this point.
For the most part, I think you're going to hear today from a team that's excited Allen Iverson is back, because they've fallen to irrelevant in this city -- and in the NBA -- and for as long as this lasts, they're back on the map.
4.) As for the on-court play, the read-and-react offense of Eddie Jordan, I think that's obviously going to take a backseat for now. It's too late for Iverson to learn the offense in-depth and, really, do we want him to? At this point, he's back as a Sixer, the team is 5-13, I think the idea is to put the ball in his hands and see what he can still do.
Jordan said this was the Sixers "seizing the moment."
Don't forget the Live Chat at 2 p.m.
--Kate
Ok,Iguodala is overpaid and overated. He is no where close to Lebron James, let alone Scottie Pippen. This is a business move people, to put people in seats. Do you know that hours are being cut for people who work at the Center because of lack of sales? This is a good move for them! As far as the Sixers future.... We sign Dalembert, who is terrible, and now untradeable because of his contract. Did you see him lose the game against Dallas... He is a soccer player, playing basketball. The Sixers sign these big contracts then we have to suffer... If you rebuild, you break it down and rebuild, not tinker...Remember contracts for Kenny Thomas, Um Matt Geiger, etc..... How the hell are we trying to run the Princeton offense too??? BTW We as Philly fans love to hate when someone is different. Calling AI an animal brings out the racist vibe. Anytime we have when a Black Elite athlete in Philly we get ugly... Randall & Donovan to name a few... If it was Kevin Kolb all these years, he'd be proclaimed the greatest Eagle QB ever!!! Say what you want about AI but how bout those ten years???? STOP THE HATE!!!! Iverson for the winnnnnnnnnnnn?????? YESSSSSSSS!!!!! (zumoff voice) WELCOME BACK ALLEN!!!!— thall123what- This is huge news!!!— ILUVPHILLYCITYOFLOSERS
- he should go back thats wat i think they should really bring him back in the NBA right away...I can't wait and c wat he gonna do next
- he should go back thats wat i think they should really bring him back in the NBA right away...I can't wait and c wat he gonna do next
- Alltab did you just compare this sixer team with Iggy, Brand and Iverson to Dr. J's team of 83(Doc, Moses, Toney, Cheeks)? That's a comparison that makes me wann vomit. I do agree with you on getting rid of the Princeton offense. I didn't want him on the team. But now he's here, you might as well let AI and these young gunz run and gun.— dds124
- Lets be real. Nobody goes to games and basically at the point our franchise is a joke. We are in control because it isn't a guaranteed contract. Allen Iverson is one of the most exciting talents to watch and he will finally bring back some life to a team that is dead to this city.— evelyn268
- Not a good move!!!! We dont need him and we need to build this team and get the young guys experience.....Lets get a lottery pick and watch the players this year and watch the development.— schwike
- I would actually consider going to a game now...couldn't say that last week— smartrnu
- Completely agree with Alltab above...just let these guys play ball. "Princeton Offense" is nothing more than a name and an advertisement of how you run your offense. Would imagine the opposing defense loves to know that ahead of time...."West Coast" offense in this town for football doesn't work either. Just play the game with the best athletes and the best designed plays for guys and stop the hatin' already...— MidlanticDave
- AI will at least make the team more relevant and hopefully competitive. so, yes, people will show up. but here's my idea: consider AI only the first piece of the Sixers' All Risk Team, coached by Larry Brown, naturally. starting 5: AI, Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest, Michael Beasley and Eddy Curry at center. Subs can be Ricky Davis, Jamal Crawford and the Birdman. who wouldn't pay money to see that?— Serious E
- He won't make them better....He won't imporve the young guys.....This is not about bsketball...IT IS ABOUT SELLLING TICKETS... and the Sixers will remain a bad team with no chance of an improving future— nuggett
- thall123what: must say that I agree with you; we can be critical of the signing from a basketball standpoint, but the comments about Iverson being a thug or that he will soon be broke and on welfare or will be hanging out in the sex clubs (unless done tongue-in-cheek) is beyond the pale and exposes the elephant in the room: race. Just ask Charles Barkley, Randle Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, even Michael Nutter. We can criticize their play or their political failings, but whether they are black or white should be a non-issue; they are simply human beings with human failings. Believe me, we will now see it as well nation-wide with the Tiger Woods situation. That is not to say that all those posters on this board critical of the signing of Iverson are racists, but some of the comments are pure racism.— chuckw
- Who cares about the NBA...it's horrible...— tholler1
Analogy - a sunbather goes to the beach, enjoys it immensely, and keeps coming back for as much sun as he can get. Over time, the sunbather develops cancer, it spreads aggressively and doctors keep treating it. Eventually, the cancer is removed. The sun bather discovers other ways to get the look he seeks, everything seems worth trying, with some options being more successful than others, and the sunbath looks like he can go on with his life. After awhile, the sunbather realizes he just can't get the same look that he had before, so after some reflection he decides its time to go back to the beach, suck up the sun again and risk reacquiring cancer again. The 76ers are pitiful for making this move, if they can't figure out how to make things work there is no reason to go back and reacquire what took this team so long to recover from. I'll watch when they start trying to put a TEAM together, which is something they could never do with Iverson. END OF STORY!— slugo- I just left TGIF's on City Ave- they are installing new metal detectors right now!!!— jaydubz88
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
