Jordan meets with Iverson
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Jordan meets with Iverson
Video addition: Just spoke with Eddie Jordan here in Dallas. Jordan said the meeting with Iverson was "intriguing," said he liked what he heard, and that Iverson would bring an aggressive scoring mentality. You can check out the first 90 seconds of Jordan's press conference in the Deep Sixer video player below on the right.
Update: According to David Aldridge, Sixers management has given the basketball side the go-ahead to sign Iverson if it wants. Team owner Ed Snider has signed off on Iverson's return, if that's what the basketball side of things determines is best.
76ers head coach Eddie Jordan and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Allen Iverson in Dallas early this afternoon, this according to a source close to the situation. The Sixers, very soon, should be releasing a statement to this effect.
Details about the meeting -- or Iverson's potential return to the Sixers -- are still being worked out, but it's confirmed that he's "not yet" -- not at this moment -- a Sixer. No decision is expected about Iverson before tonight's game.
Stefanski just released a statement about the meeting that said "At this time, both parties remain non-committal regarding a final decision and we will continue to discuss internally whether or not to pursue this course."
Stefanski confirmed the meeting included Tony DiLeo and Aaron McKie on the Sixers side and agent Leon Rose and manager Gary Moore on Iverson's side.
The Sixers are in Dallas for tonight's game against the Mavericks. Speculation had been swirling about the Sixers potential interest in the former all-star guard, who played 10-plus seasons with the Sixers before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006.
Yesterday, Jordan said he had no plans to fly to Atlanta to meet with Iverson. Jordan also said "No, not that I know of," when asked if Iverson might come meet with the Sixers on a stop along this road trip.
Sometime between then and this afternoon, that changed. It's confirmed the Sixers are weighing their options at bringing in a free-agent guard since starting point guard Lou Williams had surgery on a broken jaw and will miss 8 weeks.
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More to come.
--Kate
sign him and then just play him during garbage time.— vanilla thunder- DO THIS NOW....DON'T THINK ABOUT IT...JUST DO IT— jaydes
- rgolberg: The 6ers are dead to themselves. Bring him back. AI needs a fire lit by AI— reidbetweenthelines
- Just sign him...you noticed how many people gave a whit about the Sixers until they were supposedly looking at Iverson?— JSaq
- Smart move by the Sixers. Somehow, AI in Denver or Detroit or Memphis just isn't right. He's a Sixer in his heart and the heart is everything to AI. Much of the team already knows him and has experience playing with him, so that is a very big plus. In spite of the difficulties he has had with other teams lately, he has matured. Hopefully the Sixers coaching staff will be very open to discussing things with him (unlike Hollins in Memphis, whose position I found incomprehensible). I trust Eddie Jordan can have a healthy relationship with the emotionally needy superstar. Last but not least, will he not be the Sixers best offensive player??? Welcome back Allen. We missed you!— incog69
- Looks like it's definitely going down then....It will be good for basketball in this city. Maybe not be good for the team in the end, but good for the city. I would like to see AI go out on top (by on top, I mean not having to retire because no one wants you), have a good season and then call it a career. Lest we not forget the 10 years he devoted to bringing a winning team here. We as fans I believe should be happy for him and want it just as badly as he does. This is the only place he was fully accepted and appreciated, hands down!— sima_down_nah
- Looks like it's definitely going down then....It will be good for basketball in this city. Maybe not be good for the team in the end, but good for the city. I would like to see AI go out on top (by on top, I mean not having to retire because no one wants you), have a good season and then call it a career. Lest we not forget the 10 years he devoted to bringing a winning team here. We as fans I believe should be happy for him and want it just as badly as he does. This is the only place he was fully accepted and appreciated, hands down!— sima_down_nah
- I've read more about the 76ers in the past 15 minutes than I have all season. But, if Iverson won't come off the bench to play, then isn't he going to be a cancer in the locker room?— andrewfrombrooklyn
- Stefanski you are past my wildest dreams This way we can forfeit that top draft pick and all the kids. And any defense we were thinking of playing. Lets go after Rodman and CWebb too.— LaCroix,Nolet,Gendron
- To all of the Iverson haters who were happy when he left, what have we done without him? Have we gotten better as a team? I guess you all like those first round playoff exits they've been giving us. The said part is with how Billy King ran the team the Sixers will not be any good for the next 5 years if we keep Brand and Iggy. Those two are eating up $26M of our salary cap space, which means 50% of our budget goes to 2 players. Lets face it Brand sucks and Iggy isnt a #1/max contract type of player...Bringing in Iverson for ONE YEAR will not mess up the "young kids" development. Iverson is here for one reason and that is to sell tickets.— pdditty
- Sore Richard is 100% correct. With Iverson we might actually be a .500 team, which will ensure yet another middle of the road draft pick and an eternity in mediocrity.— centercity19146
Do It.— KINGOFZED
Comment removed.- Wait a minute! You mean we have a professional basketball team in Philly?!?!?— Moozsha
- sign him please!! I see and understand the theory about tanking and getting a better draft pick. I would agree with you but the Sixers never draft well. How many great players have the Sixers passed up for lesser talent when given a good pick? I'll give you one name...Paul Pierce. They took Hughes instead and we all know how that worked out. I have zero faith that if given a top 3 pick the Sixers would improve. Just make the Sixers a better and more exciting team NOW. Welcome home Iverson!!!!!— sedale
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.
