<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The latest news surrounding Allen Iverson doesn't revolve around what the 76ers are doing as much as what they're not doing.The Sixers are not interested in trading Iverson for virtually nothing, which is to say they're not interested in being anybody's sucker for this season or any that follows. Whether that has happened in the past is open to debate, but there is no debating how this all could affect the team's franchise player.From the looks of things, Allen Iverson isn't going anywhere. He'll be right at the Wachovia Center for at least 41 nights this regular season - including fan appreciation night. He'll be stuck with this franchise for at least another season, unless the Clippers, Nuggets, Celtics or someone else come up with an offer that makes some sense - regardless of all the tangible clues Iverson has left, giving every indication that he has certainly moved on.Iverson is living in Atlanta, folks. He may still have a home on the Main Line, but that's not where Iverson, his wife and children are spending their days and nights this summer. "He still has a home in Philadelphia," a source close to Iverson said yesterday afternoon. "But let's be honest: He and his family are living in Atlanta now, waiting to see how everything goes down."The truth is, little to nothing is going down at all. That's what happens when you're stigmatized as a lame duck.Teams officially know that Iverson isn't happy with the status quo, that he's anxious to move on. So instead of stars like Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant being thrown on the trading table, leftovers are being thrown in the Sixers' direction.Actually, they're more like crumbs.Billy King, the Sixers' president and general manager, was in no mood to talk about Iverson yesterday, partly because he's annoyed by all the rumors, mainly because any valid offers are virtually nonexistent.He did manage to say, however: "If there's a deal out there that will make this team better, we'll do it. If it's not something that'll make us better, it's not going to happen."King went on to support his point by echoing what Iverson told reporters about a week ago when he said, "I won't have a problem if the Sixers trade me and they get better. But if they trade me and this team doesn't get better, I'll have a real problem with that."In King's world, that makes everything better, makes it easier to call Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, and say, "See, he doesn't really want to go anywhere unless it's a really good situation."The rest of Philadelphia? Don't even get me started.There are only two conditions under which you trade a four-time NBA scoring champion like Iverson:To acquire another superstar.To pick up a couple of players with star potential.If King didn't know that before, he knows it now, which is why several league sources say he didn't bite on the garbage he was being offered.After Boston's Danny Ainge ruined King's chances of acquiring Villanova's Randy Foye, the Celtics' Gerald Green and Utah's Carlos Boozer on draft night, King quickly snuffed Ainge's idea of sending Green and Wally Sczcerbiak - a better-paid, glorified version of Kyle Korver - to Philadelphia in exchange for Iverson.Denver has called around to several teams, offering Marcus Camby and Andre Miller to anyone listening, including the Sixers. The Nuggets also would throw a block party if King exchanged Chris Webber for Kenyon Martin's remaining $65 million salary and questionable knees.King won't even waste energy trying to hide the fact that he'd send Iverson to the Los Angeles Clippers in a heartbeat for Corey Maggette and young phenom Shaun Livingston. But King may not know that mutiny would take place at the Staples Center and some of L.A.'s officials would contemplate quitting if coach Mike Dunleavy and GM Elgin Baylor elected to jeopardize the team's ascension in favor of star appeal.Plus, King has another option working in his favor: keeping Iverson, and watching his ire transform into another MVP-caliber season.That's what happened in 2000 after Matt Geiger's refusal to waive his 15 percent trade kicker was the only thing that prevented Iverson from wearing a Detroit Pistons uniform. It's also what happened when Paul Pierce averaged 26.8 points last season for Boston, immediately after a bunch of trade rumors sending him everywhere from the Clippers to Denver.Stars get angry. They get frustrated. Then they start taking it out on opponents.Meanwhile, smart organizations continue to move forward and build. In the Sixers' case, they could eventually end up with $13 million to $14 million in salary-cap room in the next two years if they don't make a move.All they have to do is hope Iverson's frustration won't escalate to the point of turmoil and chaos beyond repair.Good luck!</div>It's a pretty good read. I agree, I don thtink the Sixers would trade Iverson for future players and chopped liver. Iverson is a superstar, they're not going to throw him away for nothing..
LOL of course Stephen A. has to find some way to add an exclamation point in his column haha. I respect that completely. I was saying these same things when Pierce rumors were flying left and right: If we don't get a star or a couple young studs in return, we should not trade him period. I completely agree that BK shouldn't deal AI just for the sake of trading him. They need to make sure a trade will benefit both/all teams involved. But at the same time, I fully expect AI to be dealt by trade deadline, much like Stephen A. said. Great article, and I'm glad some things were cleared up. So guys, can we please stop making rediculous Iverson trade ideas? If something happens, it happens. If another hot rumor comes about and is all over the place, discuss it. But until something like that occurs, let's put this whole Iverson business to rest. It's getting quite annoying and repetitive. I think it's pretty sad that CelticsBlog.com has an "Official Allen Iverson discussion thread" with over 150 posts lol. Let's leave this Iverson business alone until/unless something else pops up.
But see, everybody is missing the most important factor of all... BILLY KING. This guy is going to end up screwing the Philadelphia 76ers franchise over once again! He'll end up trading Iverson for .40 cents on the dollar, simply because if he doesn't do something, he'll lose his job...King should have lost his job a long time ago... hell, the guy should have never been hired in the first place!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ Jul 14 2006, 08:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It's a pretty good read. I agree, I don thtink the Sixers would trade Iverson for future players and chopped liver. Iverson is a superstar, they're not going to throw him away for nothing..</div>I would not be surprised if Billy King does end up trading AI for scrubs. Because he is a bad gm. And why does Stephen A. Say he will be atleast with the Sixers for another season for 41 games at the Wachovia Center including fan appreciation night? He can also get traded before the trade deadline so even if he is not traded before the season start does not mean he will actually finish next season as a Sixer.
