Sixers considering Iverson? No thanks

When I heard that Allen Iverson was retiring from the NBA, part of me was sad because I always though AI would return to Philly to close out his career. It would have been nice to see him in a Sixer uniform one last time just for the rush of memories and the sense of nostalgia. Well, now that word has come out that the Sixers are considering bringing Iverson back, you would think I would be happy about it, right? Wrong. The Sixers should want no part of bringing Iverson back to Philadelphia.

The Sixers are a 5-11 team right now and have lost 5 games in a row. Simply put, they are a bad basketball team. What would be the point of bringing Allen Iverson in? An aging AI wouldn't thrust the Sixers into one of the better teams in the East so it has nothing to do with being a contender and everything to do with money. As the Sixers sag in the standings, attendance will continue to plummet as the team fades out of the collective consciousness of the city. Bringing in AI would make the Sixers relevant again and would bring the money in as everyone would want to see him play one last time.

So, from a financial aspect, bringing AI back makes a lot of sense. From a basketball aspect, however, everything is wrong about this move. If you have a team that isn't going to contend for a title, what should you be doing with that team? Developing it for the future. How do you develop a team for the future? Play the guys that will be there in the future, or at least play the guys so you can see what kind of future they are going to have. Signing Allen Iverson would take 30 minutes away from guys that are trying to learn the game and giving it to someone who is going to shoot 20 times a game. As we all have heard, Iverson needs to start in the NBA or he won't play, so you really want to take a raw rookie like Jrue Holiday and slice his minutes in half? And what happens when Lou Williams returns in a few months and Holiday finds himself glued to the bench? Who are you developing then?

The other part of this move that doesn't make any sense is the Sixers would end up winning a few more games and earning themselves a worse draft pick. Now, I'm not one who believes in tanking in the NBA to get a better pick, but if the Sixers are a bad team they deserve to have a high draft pick. Signing Iverson will hinder the Sixers chances of drafting a true difference maker in the 2010 draft.

There is really no point in the Sixers signing Allen Iverson. Sure, it will be fun for a few games and the Sixers will make some cash but in the long run it is will do more harm than it will help. While I hope that Iverson's career isn't over, I hope the Sixers are smart enough to stay away. AI deserves to have one last shot at winning a title, anyway, and that's not something he's going to be able to do in Philly.