<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Allen Iverson, who has been sidelined for the 76ers' last three games because of a sprained left ankle, could miss more time because of a bone bruise on the ankle, team president and general manager Billy King said yesterday. King said an MRI taken Monday on Iverson's ankle showed the bruise. "I talked to him and his ankle is still sore," King said. "He has a bone bruise there, and he's hoping it subsides. I doubt if he'll play Friday, hopefully, maybe, Saturday." The Sixers host the Detroit Pistons, the team with the NBA's best record, tomorrow and travel to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers on Saturday. When asked if Iverson could be out for an extended time, King replied, "No. In talking to him and knowing him, I don't think it will be a long stay where he's off the court." The Sixers are 2-1 without Iverson, suffering their first loss, 123-99, on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. They have not scored 100 points in any game without him. King said the lack of scoring shows why Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer with a 33.6-point average, is so valuable to the Sixers. "We're a team, and Allen is a big part of this team as well as the rest of the guys," King said. "They all have a function on this team and Allen's big part of it is scoring. "When you take 30 points out of your offense, that's a big part of your offense. When you take 30 points out of the Lakers' team, they're going to be a different team. So he's a big part of our team, and we need to get him back." Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks called Iverson's situation "a wait-and-see kind of thing," but agreed that he needs his star guard back. "Having a guy like Allen Iverson out, you miss him," Cheeks said. "You have a guy like that who can score the ball the way he can score it, you're going to miss him. You miss his leadership. We're looking forward to him getting back on the floor." No surveys. King denied a newspaper report published yesterday that told of high-end season ticket holders being part of an "unofficial survey" conducted by a team official on whether the Sixers should trade Iverson. "It's something we've never done," King said. "There was never an informal survey, unofficial survey, whatever you want to call it, that took place. "A couple of season-ticket holders may have taken a conversation that they were venting about some of their frustrations from a staff member, but it was never a poll about trading a player on this roster. We would never do that."</div> Source
The 76ers looked ok without him against the mediocre at best teams, but against a good team in Phoenix they weren't even in the game. To have a chance against Detroit, or Cleveland they are going to need a strong dose of AI at his best.
well, i hope AI gets better, but he better not rush back or anything and worsen his injury. that would suck more than having a couple of loses.
