Sixers president Ed Stefanski announced the signing Wednesday on the team's Web site. Iverson is expected to make his debut Monday at home against the Denver Nuggets.I suppose you could look at this two ways.
"In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time," Stefanski said in a release.
Williams, who averaged 17.4 points and 5.1 assists, broke his jaw in Philadelphia's loss to Washington on Nov. 24.
Iverson, his agent and business manager met with Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and two other members of the organization Monday.
The 34-year-old Iverson announced his retirement last week after an ill-fated stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. The 10-time All-Star was NBA MVP in 2001 when he led the Sixers to the NBA finals.
Iverson was offered a one-year, non-guaranteed contract on Tuesday, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract talks had not been made public.
The Sixers would owe just under $650,000 if they guarantee his contract for the remainder of the season on Jan. 10. Stefanski plans to talk about Iverson's return in a noon teleconference.
It'll Work - Philly is off to a slow start, isn't selling tickets, and is going nowhere fast. With PG Lou Williams out for 2 months, they need help, and Iverson can do that. He'll also sell lots of those cool new red throwbackish jerseys, and won't even have to pay to reclaim his favorite #3 since nobody's got it. Worse come to worse, the team (like Memphis) can just cut him. In a best case scenario, he helps the team edge back into the playoff race, and garners himself a new multiyear deal next Summer. It's a win-win.
It Won't Work - Even with Williams (who is pretty good), the Sixers were going nowhere, not because they can't score, but because they couldn't defend a corpse. Iverson's brand of passing lane steals/matador perimeter D won't do a thing to help this. There's also the small matter of coach Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense, which isn't exactly a good fit for Iverson's dominate the ball style of play. He could also stunt Williams' growth, which is a big problem when the young guard returns and expects his spot back. If AI is asked to then return to the beck, this could all implode, and implode badly. And let's face it, if you go back to the only place you were ever really loved and accepted and flame out, where do you go next? I'm guessing the YMCA.
At the bare minimum, I guess this makes the Sixers newsworthy. And let's face it, unless you're the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, or Cavs, you're just trying to break even and put butts in seats. We'll see how it works out.
Question: Will Iverson's second time around in Philly pan out, or will his City Of Brotherly Reclamation project go about as well as Mike Vick's?
Iverson accepts 76ers' offer [ESPN]
[1] Some says Pat's is the best. Some say Geno's. You know who I ride with when I'm in Philly.
