ATHLETES of the WEEK: Allen Iverson

This week A.I. resigned with the Philadelphia 76ers. Am I supposed to be excited about this? Am I supposed to be excited for him? Really, am I?

I think this is a desperate move for A.I. and an obvious business move for the 76ers. Allen doesn't need the money, he just needs the spotlight/ball. Everybody knows that even with A.I. the 76ers aren't doing anything this year. The Sixers could have Moses Malone, Dr. J, A.I., Andre Iguodala (WTF is an Iguodala by the way), and Eric Snow and they STILL would not do ANYTHING this year!!!

Everybody should know that they're only bringing in Allen because he's loved by Philly fans and he undoubtedly help ticket sales. Sure the 76ers need help when you consider Lou Williams is out for 8 weeks with a broken jaw. And sure, Iverson could come in and average 25+ points per game on that team which really doesn't have a true scorer other than Williams. But in the end, what is Allen looking to get out of this situation other than a starting spot and the ability to jack-up shots whenever he wants? I don't think John Thompson would have advised him to come out of his semi-retirement to play for the 76ers.

The only way I can think this will pan out to give Iverson what he claims he wants (a championship) is if the following happens...

1. Iverson comes back and averages about 25 per game (which is HIGHLY possible).
2. He demands a trade at the trade deadline to a contender (*knocks on microphone*...Cleveland, are you there? Hey, is this thing on?) to come off the bench or maybe even start in the case that someone's point guard is injured for the remainder of the season.
3. He makes a run with the contender and somehow manages NOT to screw up the chemistry of the team (the way Shaq-a-saurus is doing in Cleveland) before they make it to the Finals and win a championship.

Aside from this strategy, the only way I see this making sense for Allen is to perform well until Lou comes back, take a seat on the bench, and come off the bench as the sixth man with the green light, and average 20+ off the bench.

Yes, I know that benching Allen friggin Iverson for Lou Williams sounds stupid if not mildly Eli Porter. But so does Allen Iverson accepting a 1-year tender to play with the 76ers when he's trying to win a championship! The fact of the matter is that if A.I. comes in there and shoots the ball a billion times a game he's going to hurt the 76ers growth as a team more than help them. They have young players that won't be able to develop this year and after this year we all know Allen is out of there and the 76ers will most likely be left with a set of young players that missed a year of growth.

Fill the seats now, or build a contender for next year or the year after? That's the question the 76ers brass answered when they signed A.I. It's ALL about the money.

To me though, this signing says more about Allen Iverson needing the ball/spotlight than it does about the 76ers (a business) making a business decision. It doesn't seem like Allen has matured from those years in Denver and Detroit when everybody wanted to surmise that he'd grown and developed into a more team-oriented player. I'm not saying that he isn't a team-oriented guy or that he can't or hasn't been one but I AM SAYING that he won't be one on this particular team. A.I. needed to go to a team that is a contender with veteran leaders (San Antonio) or a combination of young studs and veteran leaders (Cleveland, Boston) in order to be the team-oriented Allen we all know he can be when he wants to.

But there is one angle in all of this I haven't considered much to be honest. Maybe A.I. is being black-balled by a large number of teams in the league because of his "reputation". He has a reputation as a guy who plays hard every game but doesn't like to practice. He has a reputation as a me-first guy that isn't unselfish enough to fit into a true team structure. And he also has a bad boy image no matter how much some people want to act like the corn rows, tattoos, and street gear are now a non-issue. Just a thought.

What I do know FOR SURE is that he's not going to win a championship in Philly...EVER! That opportunity was lost several years ago. So my advice to him would be to play his butt off until late January and hope someone makes a trade offer for him that the 76ers can't resist. In the meantime I'm sure A.I. and Mike Vick will have the Philly party scene going bonkers!