The Allen Iverson, 76ers Reunion Nears An End

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has taken an indefinite leave of absence with the team to tend to his 4 year-old daughters mysterious illness. I don’t say that sarcastically as Iverson has openly stated the doctors are not sure what exactly is wrong with his daughter. Multiple sources, including Philadelphia Inquirer writer Stephen A. Smith believe this is the end of the road for arguably the franchises greatest player.

The tears. The jogging out to midcourt at the Wachovia Center to kiss the floor to raucous, rabid applause. The crackling voice, filled with gratitude and appreciation for an organization that said, “You can come home again.” It all ended for Allen Iverson Monday afternoon when the 76ers announced that, arguably, the greatest player in franchise history would be out “indefinitely” because of his daughter’s illness – undoubtedly ending The Answer’s career in Philadelphia. – Stephen A. Smith.

When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Allen Iverson on December 2nd, it was a deal that was made mainly for public relations reasons. With ticket sales down and the team struggling, what better move to make then bringing in the then, ten-time all star, former league MVP, and one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history despite his small frame.

With his best days clearly behind him, Iverson’s return to the 76ers was to be used as a way for the 76ers to sell themselves to their fans. A renuion of sorts that would make the fans in Philadelphia interested in basketball again, if only for a short period of time.

I recall when the 76ers signed Iverson, there was a massive outpour of happiness and joy that the best scorer in team history was going to make a return. This was all made possible because of the broken jaw that guard Lou Williams suffered in a loss to the Washington Wizards in November.

Iverson’s first game back with the 76ers came against the team they traded him to in December of 2006. He tallied just 11 points on 4-11 shooting from the field, and after the game he admitted to being nervous in his return. While the 76ers did enjoy a slight increase in attendance and ticket sales immediately after Iverson was acquired, they have basically fallen back to where they where before they signed him. This team lacks interest, lacks direction, and lacks the talent to compete on a nightly basis.

If this is the end for Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, it had a rather sad ending. Watching him play in the 2 months that he has been here has been hard. The Allen Iverson of the late 90s and early 2000s was not walking through the door and that was hard pill to swallow. For the decade that Allen Iverson played in Philadelphia he wowed the hometown crowd, not just because he scored points at an incredible rate, but because he did it while being the smallest player on the court most of the time. He led this team to the 2001 NBA Finals essentially by his lonesome, something that when you look back on it, you can’t help but be amazed.

If this is the end for Iverson, which it seems to be, then Philadelphia fans can officially start the debate as to whether or not Allen Iverson was the greatest player to ever don a 76ers uniform.