Uncertainty nothing new for Sixers

By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Wednesday, March 31
Updated: March 31
9:38 AM ET

This time, Allen Iverson can't race onto the floor and score 30 or more points for two or three or four or more games in a row to make us forget all about the off-court shenanigans, on-court shooting percentages and in-between bickering with whoever is coaching the Philadelphia 76ers these days.

He has been diagnosed by a second physician with cartilage damage under his right kneecap that will require rest and rehabilitation.

For all intents and purposes, his season is over and, as Sam Donnellon writes in the Philadelphia Daily:

"Allen Iverson will miss the rest of the regular season with an inflamed right knee that might or might not require surgery, [general manager Billy] King announced yesterday. In any normal season, this would be the equivalent of a white flag. But as all of us know, this season has been anything but normal. Then again, what is normal with this team, built around the squarest-peg-in-a-round-hole superstar that this city has known? . . . No, the only thing constant about this team is its uncertainty, starting with the future of its franchise guard.

"He is the sole reason the Sixers remain among the top five in attendance both on the road and at home. But he is also clearly a player with leadership flaws, a player who made hiring a brand-name coach last summer impossible. Even yesterday's announcement clouds more than clears. Does shutting down Iverson for the season signal his return is more likely or less? Is King protecting an asset he intends to move - or use. Surprise, surprise, he's not forthcoming."


Allen Iverson
Shooting Guard
Philadelphia 76ers
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
48 26.4 3.7 6.8 .387 .745

With Iverson, the team is 19-29 this season. Without Iverson, the team is 10-13, I mean, 11-13, I mean, 12-13, I mean, 13-14.

See what I mean?

"He's been dealing with it for six weeks," general manager Billy King said in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Every time he comes back, it swells up again. So it's better now to just sit him down and try to get this healthy so it's not something that lingers a lot longer . . . It's not a situation where Allen doesn't want to play, which a lot of people have speculated.

"The knee keeps swelling up. He wants to play. What he doesn't want is for people to say he doesn't want to play because of [interim head coach] Chris Ford. He loves to play basketball. He's played with injuries. He can't play because of the swelling in the knee [affecting] his speed. He does want to play basketball. That's the thing he lives for."

So, the truth is Iverson really does want to play for Chris Ford . . . right? The Sixers really want Iverson playing for them . . . right?

"Knowing the Sixers, all of the above applies," writes Stephen A. Smith in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "The only certainty is uncertainty. For all we know, this entire fiasco - a.k.a. Iverson's injury - has worked to the Sixers' advantage. Iverson's injury, coupled with all the cynicism his injury has built, has put the Sixers in a position where they can do no wrong. Keep Iverson and King still has his box-office ticket. A star to build a new future around. Trade Iverson and King has the backing of a community that has grown tired of Iverson's apparent apathy, lack of commitment, and aversion to conformity at a time when it is most necessary. Still perplexed? Get over it. It's the Sixers, for crying out loud. You should be used to it by now."

But what Philadelphia fans are used to is Iverson, at any moment, returning to the floor as the chaos and confusion peaks to score 30, 35 or 40 points and then everyone embracing in a postgame press conference.

Then everything is fine.

"We have been playing without Allen for a while now in the hopes he would be back," Ford said in the Inquirer. "But you just keep playing. The schedule keeps going, so we have a job to do each and every night. Guys who are ready have to go out there and play to the best of their ability."

So, the truth of the matter is that the Sixers really don't want or need Iverson playing for them . . . right? And Iverson really doesn't want or need to be playing for them, either . . . right?

"I don't get involved in it," Ford said in the Philadelphia Daily News. "When the medical people tell me who's ready, and then I look down there and see who's ready to go, I deal with that. It's all about adapting. I keep telling you, in professional sports, injuries occur all the time. You have to be willing to adapt and adjust . . . I always say, when someone's out, there's always an opportunity for someone else. We're just going about our daily business, making our adjustments on the fly."

So, the real truth of the matter is that during the Allen Iverson Era (1997 thru 2004), the Sixers have posted a record of 309-308 while being the second-biggest draw only to Michael Jordan. Or the second-biggest draw only the Los Angeles Lakers. Or the second-biggest draw only to LeBron James.

Win or lose, the Sixers made money. Lots and lots of money.

So, is this a sport. Or is this a business?

The only truth of the matter is that this is what it's really come down to.

And this time, we don't have Iverson on the court scoring 30 or more points to make us feel good about answering either of those questions.

Maybe that's why they call him the Answer.

* A win-win situation all the way around
Stephen A. Smith / Philadelphia Inquirer
* Rx for A.I.: Give It a Rest
Joe Juliano / Philadelphia Inquirer
* King-sized issues
Sam Donnellon / Philadelphia Daily News
* Sixers turn back clock to winning ways
Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News

Peep Show

NBA Insider
Wednesday, March 31
Updated: March 31
9:36 AM ET


Miller
Denver Nuggets: Andre Miller can really get used to this whole playoff thing he's experiencing for the first time in his professional career. "It's fun now," Miller said in the Rocky Mountain News. "Most times, after we figure you ain't going to be in the playoff race, you start packing and getting ready for home. It's hard to get yourself up for some of those games." But don't blame Miller. He started out with the Cavaliers and was traded to the Clippers. "I knew it would happen eventually," Miller said of being with a playoff contender. "Some guys go through tough situations and some guys fall into good situations. It just took some time for me."

New Jersey Nets: Net CEO Rod Thorn is knocking on wood after seeing Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin practicing together on Tuesday. "(Martin) and Jason looked good. That's a step in the right direction," he said. "(Kidd) seemed to be moving pretty freely." But don't get your hopes up too high, too quick. "I'm not going to rush back," said Martin. "It can only make it worse if I do that. I made one move and it bothered me. I had to stop real quick. Besides that it felt good. It will take more than two or three games to get into a groove. If it is not (tonight), then it will be soon. So we will see."

Detroit Pistons: Try telling head coach Larry Brown that his team is the favorite to win the Eastern Conference."I hadn't heard that," he said in the Detroit News. "New Jersey has won the last two (conference) championships and beat us four straight (in the conference finals last season). Indiana has the best record in the NBA. I don't think that's appropriate. . . I like our team, we're playing better and hopefully we will keep improving. But I'm not silly. We didn't have a competitive game with New Jersey (in the playoffs) last year and I haven't seen us beat Indiana. I think maybe Indiana isn't getting enough respect. Focus on that." Brown also pointed out that his Pistons are 2-2 against the Nets, 1-3 against New Orleans and 0-3 against the Pacers this season.

Los Angeles Lakers: If the Lakers win, then Kobe stays, then Shaq stays, then Malone stays and Payton stays and Rick Fox stays and Phil Jackson stays. Or is it the other way around? "There's a certain sense of loyalty that goes with the job," Jackson said in the Los Angeles Times after hearing that several players were tying their Laker futures to him. "I know the relationship I have with some of these players is & great. I appreciate their effort and the way they played for us, their desire to do well and compete on the floor as well as perform well. There's a lot of things that go into the decision."


Baker
New York Knicks: You don't have to like Vin Baker. You don't even have to understand Vin Baker. Vin Baker just wants you to believe in Vin Baker. "It's definitely about confidence, and [Monday] night was a big confidence booster for me," Baker said in the New York Post after leading the Knicks to victory. "It's one of the reasons I came here - to be a low-post presence for this team." But that's what happens when you score six points and grab two boards down the stretch as you hit what turns out to be the game-winner. "That's not a fluke," Baker said. "That's just as natural as any shot I have. You know, everything I did late in the game wasn't anything out of character. It's just a matter of getting confidence, getting into rhythm and doing it."

Boston Celtics: Mark Blount wants justice. And he wants it now. "He hit me in my face, man," Blount yelled in the Boston Herald about his altercation with Net center Jason Collins. "I mean, what if I couldn't come in here this morning? What if I can't play tomorrow? What is that going to do for me? It's my right eye. What can I do? They're not hiring any blind reporters are they?" A flagrant foul call would have suited him just fine. "They had a chance to clear it up and they didn't clear it up," he said. "That's why I was upset. The refs were standing right there. The ball was going out of my hands and they were towards my face. The ball was nowhere near my face."