Sixers Continue Free Fall, Face Critical Stretch

Any hopes the Sixers had for the season are quickly getting away as they continue their free fall. Last night's defeat to the Houston Rockets makes an even dozen, as they have now registered their 12th consecutive loss. It also marked their third straight loss since re-acquiring Allen Iverson.

If they cannot get a win Monday night against the struggling Golden State Warriors, things have the potential to get even uglier. The next two games are against the powerhouse Cavs and Celtics. The Sixers then host the perpetually lackluster LA Clippers before heading on their annual west coast holiday tour after a quick stop in DC. Even if they find a way to break the losing streak, they face the specter of being totally buried by the time they return home in the new year.

After advancing to the playoffs for a second consecutive year and playing pretty well against a tough Orlando team, the organization viewed the young team as an up and comer. President and GM Ed Stefanski opted to pass on signing veteran Andre Miller and hang onto his big ticket purchase from a year earlier, Elton Brand. He then decided that Eddie Jordan and his Ivy League system were the right formula to cultivate his young team. And, with no true point guard on the roster, Stefanski elected to draft a 19 year old project in the 1st round of the draft.

It would be safe to assume that if Stefanski had to do it all over again, he would have made different decisions, starting with Brand. The high priced free agent has been a large disappointment and encumbered the team financially. Jordan has done nothing to make Sixers fans forget Billy Cunningham and Larry Brown- or Doug Moe and Roy Rubin for that matter. It still remains to be seen how his latest move of signing Iverson will work out.

The Sixers got off to a bad start last season as well and then were able to recover enough to qualify for the playoffs, so it may seem premature to write off the season. In theory, the Sixers could still start to get the hang of their new system and roles. Players such as Marreese Speights and Lou Williams could return from injury and provide a boost. Brand could regain the form of his glory years as a Clipper. Once he gets his legs under him and loses the inhibitions associated with trying to prove himself a good teammate, Iverson could move from being "The Question" to "The Answer."

Right now, though, the odds do not appear to be with them. They do not have a big inside presence, they still lack perimeter shooting and do not distinguish themselves on defense. The Sixers appeared to be at their best over the past couple seasons when they used their athleticism and pushed the ball up the floor, yet are not organized to capitalize on those strengths.

Unfortunately, the team appears to have a major identity crisis. They are not sure what they want to be and are a collection of pieces that do not necessarily fit together. They have some talented players, but no rain makers.

The pressure mounts to turn losses into victories as the hole gets deeper. Although there was some risk in letting Miller walk, the return of Brand and Jason Smith as well as the experience gained by young players last year had the team thinking optimistically. As this season's attendance would suggest, fans were obviously less bullish.

The upcoming stretch of games will likely define the course of the season. Registering enough wins to see outside light from the deep hole in which they currently stand might have them trying to meld the team around the two A.I.'s. Conversely, no more than a couple wins might have the team throwing in the towel, releasing Iverson and " going young" for the balance of the season. Heck, they might even abandon the "Princeton Offense."

For the Sixers, One A.I. was Enough

It's now official. The Sixers have reached an agreement with the semi-retired Allen Iverson to return to the team. And, with poetic drama, Iverson will make his Sixers re-debut on Monday night against the Denver Nuggets- the team to which he was unloaded a few years ago. Real life will become stranger than fiction when Iverson takes the floor in a game played by two teams that recently decided that they would do better without the 10-time NBA All-Star.

The confluence of events that led to bringing back the one-time Philadelphia fan favorite who eventually wore out his welcome have unfolded over the first few weeks of the season. First, the Sixers under new coach Eddie Jordan have gotten off to a miserable start, dropping to 5-13 with their current 7-game losing streak. So far this season, the team is next to last in attendance, averaging less than 12,000 per game or 59% of capacity. Then, Iverson announced his plan to retire at about the same time that the Sixers were announcing that point guard Lou Williams had suffered a broken jaw that would sideline him for 8 weeks.

It is understandable how the Sixers brass would put this puzzle together. Iverson plays the same shooting point guard position as Williams, he is available at a fire sale price with few if any suitors, the team's back-up is 19 year old rookie Jrue Holiday and he has been a fan attraction throughout his career. That being said, the move is also a great contradiction of organizational philosophy and direction.

Overall, re-signing "The Answer" is clearly not the answer for the 2009-2010 Sixers. It is a bad move on so many fronts and smacks of desperation. This is not to begrudge Iverson's ability to play someplace in the NBA if a team would want him. He brought a lot of excitement to the Philadelphia faithful through his tenure here, but this piece that appears to Sixers management as a fit, is just the opposite.

The very fact that the team drafted such a young player over more developed and accomplished options at that position signals that the team was clearly looking to build a young team that could grow over time. The very fact that Iverson planned to retire as no other team expressed interest in him traces to the well earned perception that he could not adjust his personal approach to fit into a team concept and was not a positive influence. And, the original "A.I." might be one of the last players you would pick to help make the "Princeton Offense" successful.

Perhaps this signing is simply Ed Stefanski's or Ed Snider's way of forcing coach Eddie Jordan to scrap his Ivy League offense? The deal reportedly has a 60 day window before it becomes guaranteed, so perhaps this a temporary plug and the Sixers plan to jettison him when Williams returns? Perhaps it was a marriage of convenience whereby Iverson could fill in while Williams is absent and then he can officially retire as a "Sixer."

Otherwise, as much as the puzzle fits together when you look at the individual pieces, it is hard to imagine what the team is thinking when they step back and look at the big picture? Like all teams graced by Iverson, but especially when Williams returns, there will not be enough basketballs to go around. He surely is not going to embrace an offense that is predicated on passing and moving the ball around.

Adding the original A.I. is counter productive to the team's desire to have the new A.I. further mature into a role as its team leader or have high priced free agent signing Elton Brand emerge as a leader. He surely does not provide a positive influence on a young team and particularly with two other inexperienced guards such as the injured starter or a very impressionable rookie playing the same position. In fact, he would seem to provide the exact opposite influence than what the team would want for their two young ball handlers.

Also, when Williams returns, there will surely not be enough minutes to go around. Iverson clearly is incapable of adjusting his mindset or role as evidenced most recently by his short tenure in Memphis. After few teams expressed interest in the offseason, the Grizzlies finally took the chance with him, yet Iverson remained steadfast to the point of being out of options. Putting "The Answer" on the floor at the expense of Williams' or Holiday's development would be a large mistake for a team that clearly has no shot at contending this season in a league with a handful of stacked teams.

Lastly, sometimes it makes sense to bite the bullet and let a young team struggle even if it means racking up losses. The NBA has long been a "star system" league that almost necessitates a superstar to compete for the title. A poor record and finishing out of the playoffs could translate into a high draft pick and a potential marquee player. Iverson might help to prop up the team's record this season, but ultimately hurt the team's ability to add talent in the future.

The Ed's have spoken. The deal is done- Iverson is on the way. From this perspective, though, one A.I. was enough.