Sixers(!) Interested In Bringing Back Iverson
Might The Answer be soon found in the place where it all began?
FoxSports.com’s Stephen A. Smith reports the Philadelphia 76ers are seriously considering bringing back Allen Iverson(notes), perhaps as early as Tuesday.
Smith cites unnamed team sources as saying the team has had internal discussions about an Iverson reunion, and that coaches and executives are "on board with" and "amenable to" bringing him back. A person identified as an Iverson confidant tells Smith the 34-year-old guard is "interested"
"It’s being seriously considered," a Sixers official told Smith before the team’s home loss Friday to the Atlanta Hawks. "We know the history. We know the ups and downs. But we’re also aware of what (Iverson) can do and that he’s needed here. We simply can’t just ignore the upside he’d bring. Not with our situation."
Philadelphia is 5-11, and guard Lou Williams is expected to miss up to eight weeks wth a broken jaw. According to Smith, Iverson would start alongside rookie Jrue Holliday, and stay in the lineup when Williams returns.
On Wednesday, Iverson released a statement to Smith that said he was considering retirement. Iverson has been receiving lukewarm, at best, interest from other NBA teams after being waived by the Grizzlies. The announcement produced a strong response from players and several of his former coaches, who said Iverson should reconsider.
Larry Brown, who coached the Iverson-led Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals, and Iverson’s college coach, John Thompson, both are encouraging Iverson to change his mind. Thompson, in fact, spoke with Iverson and has scheduled a follow-up meeting for Tuesday.
Iverson became a superstar in Philly, but in 2006 he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He later bounced from Denver to Detroit and finally to Memphis, where he lasted all of three games (as a reserve) before leaving the team and going home to Atlanta. The Grizzlies eventually waived him.
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