<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Still, this franchise desperately needs a clearly defined direction. Option 1: Rebuild Honestly, this is the decision that should have been made 3 years ago when Larry Brown bailed out, leaving the Sixers with a mix of players only he could successfully coach. Starting from scratch - and yes, that included trading Iverson - was my suggestion when Brown exited. Back in 2003, Iverson still had trade value close to his MVP-caliber status. The Sixers could have gotten the young talent necessary to move in another direction. Today, despite Iverson being a seven-time All-Star, he doesn't have nearly the value you would expect. He's not likely to net a rising young star or a bevy of high draft picks. Trading Iverson means accepting that the Sixers will not immediately get better. In fact, they will likely be a lot worse. Still, this is a jump-start to a long-term answer. There is no way to start the rebuilding of this franchise without removing Iverson. If Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver, Willie Green and whomever they acquire in this year's draft are truly going to be the future of the Sixers, the omnipresent shadow of Iverson must go. Without placing blame, it has become clear that these young players aren't developing properly with Iverson. The risk, of course, is that these guys just aren't that good and subtracting Iverson will only guarantee that the Sixers go back to an extended, death era similar to the one they were in before Iverson arrived in 1996. Option 2: Find the correct Answer Iverson led the Sixers to the Finals in 2001, and the franchise has now spent five seasons unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to get back. From Dikembe Mutombo to Keith Van Horn to Glenn Robinson to Chris Webber, nothing has worked. No mix of players has recaptured the magic, and perhaps, that's why they called 2001 a "magical ride." Maybe that was as good as it was ever going to get with Iverson. But, honestly, how committed has management been to do everything necessary to win with Iverson? If you say you don't want to move young talent or pay a luxury tax, are you really determined to set up Iverson to win a title? When King made the decision to stick with Iverson after Brown left, King, by default, made the determination that everything the Sixers did was going to be with the intention of winning a championship in the 5 or so prime years Iverson had left. The Sixers only partially committed to that, and what you have now is the result of that. Now, there might not be enough time left - not with the Pistons, Heat, Spurs and others being light-years ahead of the Sixers. Still, if Iverson is going to be here next season, King has to dramatically improve this roster come hell, high water or luxury tax. Nothing can be off-limits if it will get Iverson what he needs. Again, the risk is that it's already too late to do enough things. Then, once the Iverson era ends in another three or four seasons, the Sixers still won't have a championship ring to celebrate and the rebuilding will be later and with even fewer resources. Those are King's options. He probably doesn't like either. Still, the choice must be made, or missing the playoffs is going to be the routine for a long time.</div> Source
It's time for Philly to move on without Iverson. You need to find a perfect combination to build around him, and the Sixers have only found it once. They will just keep going in a circle of mediocrity. Blow the team up, and trade everyone except for Iguodala.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It's time for Philly to move on without Iverson. You need to find a perfect combination to build around him, and the Sixers have only found it once. They will just keep going in a circle of mediocrity. Blow the team up, and trade everyone except for Iguodala.</div> Why just keep Iguodala? You make it sound like he's the future of the franchise, which he's not. Iguodala still needs to develop a killer instinct, a better offensive game, and learn how to post up. Basically, he just needs more experience before you can actually build a team around him. I say try to get what you can for Webber (or convince him to opt out), let Salmons go, and sign some good defensive veterans. Iverson still is putting up amazing numbers at his age and doesn't look like he has any signs of wearing down. I say make one last ditch attempt at putting the right players around him, because it certainly can be done (just not by Billy King).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">Why just keep Iguodala? You make it sound like he's the future of the franchise, which he's not. Iguodala still needs to develop a killer instinct, a better offensive game, and learn how to post up. Basically, he just needs more experience before you can actually build a team around him. I say try to get what you can for Webber (or convince him to opt out), let Salmons go, and sign some good defensive veterans. Iverson still is putting up amazing numbers at his age and doesn't look like he has any signs of wearing down. I say make one last ditch attempt at putting the right players around him, because it certainly can be done (just not by Billy King).</div> I didn't say build the franchise around Iguodala, but he's a very important part of the future. Iverson, while putting up fantastic numbers isn't going to win in Philadelphia, unless the Sixers make some dramatic moves and put the right players around him. As for Webber, I agree, get whatever you can get for him, he is never going to come close to what he used to be.
I really liked the article about trading AI to chicago and trading c-webb. hopefully something like this is possible if they actually do decide to trade iverson. i have a feeling that king will try to build around iverson for 1 more year. i think next year will be the best for philly since 01, but not even get to the eastern conference finals. after that is when i think allen will be traded, and the true rebuilding process will begin.
I think a Garnett-Iverson combo doesn't sound too bad. Trade Chris Webber. Iguodala is not a star player, he needs to be more consistent on his jumpshots and become a true offensive threat. His defense is pretty solid, but I think Philly will only take a step backwards if they do trade Iverson, which is I think what they want to do. And it might take them a few years to get back into being a playoff contender.
