PHILADELPHIA - Allen Iverson not only may come out of retirement in a matter of days. But he also could very well return to the franchise where all of his glory began.Numerous team sources confirmed on Friday that the 76ers' brass has already talked — and talks will only escalate this weekend — about bringing Iverson back to Philadelphia. Possibly as early as next week.
Jordan is said to be incredibly frustrated with everything from Elton Brand's work ethic to Andre Iguodala's inability to make plays off the dribble. The one player he absolutely loves, guard Louie Williams, is out for eight weeks with a broken jaw.
"Eddie needs a playmaker," another source said. "He needs an identity. Something to create some excitement."
To add to the misery, the Sixers are 5-11, averaging just 97.6 points. Their only bona fide shooter is Jason Kapono. So there's no question Iverson is appealing to the Sixers at the moment; even to team chairman Ed Snider, who screamed, "We're gonna trade him," before actually shipping Iverson (averaging 31.2 points per game at the time) to Denver in 2006.
The question remains, however, whether the Sixers would be appealing to Iverson.
"Scratch that," one of Iverson's confidants told me last night. "He's interested."
One thing's for sure: If Iverson returns to Philadelphia, he will be a starter.
Team sources confirmed on Friday that Iverson would be a starter because Jordan had planned on starting Williams with rookie Jrue Holiday anyway, just to put some excitement and more ball-handlers into his Princeton-style offense. So even once Williams returns from injury, he'd be in the starting lineup with Iverson.
That means Iverson will return as a starter. He'll be back in Philadelphia. And with the talent the Sixers already have on their roster, he could be the missing piece that propels them back to the playoffs.
Assuming, of course, the Sixers are willing to pull the trigger.
Under normal circumstances, considering the manner in which Iverson departed, the Sixers wouldn't do this.
"But let's face it: We're very, very boring right now," a team source said. "We have absolutely nothing to lose by bringing Iverson back. Nothing at all."
FOX Sports Radio's Stephen A. Smith is a Sports Columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He's covered the NBA for the past 13 years as a beat writer for the Philadelphia 76ers before becoming an NBA Columnist in 2001. In 2003, he was elevated to General Sports Columnist.
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