Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 am  |  215 responses

No Longer Just a Report, Iverson Reuniting With Sixers

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Following the 11th hour collapse of negotiations between Allen Iverson and the New York Knicks two weeks ago, it’s important to tread carefully when it comes to this story. There are no guarantees.

According to ESPN, however, talks between A.I. and his former team went really well yesterday in Dallas, and the Sixers could have Iverson back in uniform next week against the Nuggets in Philly.

And what a scene that would be:

Two sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the Sixers are indeed targeting Monday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets — another of Iverson’s former teams — if they go forward with what appears to be a growing intent to bring back their controversial franchise icon.

One source said that the team has already made tentative plans to send assistant coach and former Iverson teammate Aaron McKie home from the Sixers’ current road trip to meet Iverson in Philadelphia later this week and work him out to ensure Iverson’s readiness for the Denver game. The Sixers play Thursday in Oklahoma City and Saturday in Charlotte before returning to Philadelphia … “No doubt he’s coming back,” one source said.

As for the current Sixers, how would they feel about Iverson rejoining the squad? For the most part, they seem to be for it. Lou Williams is excited about the possibility, and Samuel Dalembert has already visualized it in his dreams.

As always, stay tuned.

UPDATE: It’s a done deal. Allen Iverson has accepted Philly’s one-year, non-guaranteed offer. Team president Ed Stefanski had this to say: “In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time.”

As Allen Iverson wrote this morning on Twitter: “Back to Philly where it all started!”

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  • http://www.stonesthrow.com/madlib Michael NZ

    @Jukai: ok, this has created quite the stir. I shoulda said ‘recent quitter’. Also: sigh.

  • LA Huey

    Good one, Anton. But not funnier than dude saying 50 wins.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    if i were on the Pistons last year or Grizzlies this year i would quit too if Stuckey and Conley were starting over me. I cant really blame him.

  • Shem

    It may be unlikely but i would love if the sixers won it all this year, he was with the sixers a long time took em far and then got traded had a lot of dificulty with denver, detroit and memphis announces retirement and COMES BACK to his old team. Truly hollywood ending. Anyways back to reality, good sign and now they dont have to start rookie Jrue Holiday. By the way Elton Brand is getting paid mad and is having a terrible season

  • tavoris

    @BETCATS I agree 100%. SN: I’m almost a Gerald Wallace stan. That fall he had the other day-and the fact that he got back up-made me a fan for the rest of his career.

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    I am making a collection tonight (like the one i made last year after the Detroit signing.It had lots of Allenp,Jukai,Eboy etc. you know,SLAM comedy at its best !!!! )and just when you think it cannot get any better a kid comes up with this “It may(???!!!!) be unlikely but i would love if the sixers won it all this year,” welcome to the clup Shem!!!!

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com Moose

    I hate to be a downer here, but does this really make the Sixers a guaranteed playoff team? Not at ALL.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    If the 76ers win the championship this year i will attempt to swim across the atlantic ocean but a$$ naked

  • http://fjkld.com Jukai

    So, Spanny, do you just love to type and see my name or something…? If you did have a good recollection of events, I figured the Pistons would do exactly like they did when they got iverson: fail.

  • wassup

    does no one else think iverson is a whiny bit**?

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    2010 NBA CHAMPS: SIXERS!!! FINALS MVP : Allen “the Kournikova of basketball” Iverson!!!!!

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    @Jukai…..: that and the corpse of “Sabas” over “ZO”!!!!(keep on the good job my little friend)

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Spanny is clearly just happy to be getting Darko back to the best basketball league in the world.

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    @wassup…..: HATER!!!!!!!

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    07-08 in denver, 42mins per game. .458fg% .809ft% 3.0 rpg 7.1 apg 2 steals per game, 26.4 ppg. WTF IS WASHED UP ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS?!?!?!?! AI PLAYED GREAT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO! NOW MANY SAY HES FINISHED?! I SEE WHY AI IS PISSED, YALL MUSTA FORGOT WHAT HE DID NOT TOO LONG AGO IN 07-08

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    I also think that allen iverson is the biggest whine ass ever!!! Remember everyone? AI said he had problems at home to deal with after coming off the bench for memphis. All the sudden Philly offers him a deal and his problems at home went away.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Yes!

  • tavoris

    will somebody please tell Jacob that press releases (about a players absence) made by NBA teams are true about 40% of the time? It’s called we’re not gonna tell season tix holers we sent his ass home.

  • Robb

    Big heart? yes, but his ego is even bigger, that’s why he will retire empty handed. The man never had the intelligence to realize what it took to be part of a championship team. He always played for himself. His numbers are great, so what? If you aren’t a team player in a team sport you are worthless.

  • tavoris

    Robb, u don’t get it. His prblem isn’t sacrificing. His problem was not running to the best team 2 try to get a title (like Shaq has done FOUR TIMES). He wants-& has wanted-to build a contender. This is echoed in everything he’s said in the past 2 years.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Pardeep

    Yes. Please let this happened and i hope AI accepts the offer today before Louis Williams scores 55 in the next game and then we have another back court issue. Monday vs Denver and then Wedensday vs Detroit wow the Iorny. Lets just hope this deal goes through and AI gets his chance to prove em wrong

  • http://www.sixers.com 360vue

    for once and probably the last time, i agree with the greek one about something; this topic has produced some comedy. down in part to you no less greek one. and tadone’s Darko liner.

  • Exile

    Wow… Not a fan of how AI has handled himself this last little bit…. but the dude has played hard for so long… calling him a whiner or a quitter? Really?

  • matt the other jazz fan

    I really like this

  • wassup

    @DIMITRIS im not questioning the mans skills or his heart when he plays the game, im just sayin no one can deny he’s a whiny bit**… constantly talkin about what he once was and how he shouldn’t be comin off the bench… you would think these guys would be happy just to be in the NBA takin home a couple million.

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    A couple of million doesn’t mean the man shouldn’t stand for what he believes. That’s just BS.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Michael
    If you would have said “recent quitter” I wouldn’t have argued since those are the facts. He quit in Memphis, and it’s debatable whether he quit in Detroit, but it’s looking quite possible.

  • http://fjkld.com Jukai

    Iverson is as much of a quitter as Kobe is (refusing to play for the Hornets)

  • Giggler

    1st game back. Philly vs. Denver: AI goes 3/15 in 23 minutes. Denver wins by 13.

  • http://www.lkz.ch Darksaber

    Antonis: Josh’s father passed away last week? No mention in the media? No remarks by Lang? I’m kinda amazed this didn’t get a small report on Slamonline. I gotta pay my respects, hope he reads his mail after some of the sadness settles. Stay strong, J-Chills.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    No chance Iverson plays less then 30 minutes in any game he plays for philadelphia this season. (barring injury)

  • http://www.slamonline.com Pardeep

    I think AI has already verbally agreed to that contract because the Sixers homepage already has ticket deals up. A weak ago they did not.

  • http://www.stonesthrow.com/madlib Michael NZ

    @Allenp: I hear you.

  • Matt

    AI we need you in phillyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy man

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    i hope this works well for all involved.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    I am not hursty…(above) I said those things!?

  • Shem

    If Iverson signs with the 76ers, they are a playoff team. Maybe not a high seeded one but I do think this is the perfect fit. He can start at pg for now if not permanently and if the 76ers want to play small ball they can move iggy to the 3 and put iverson at the 2. I m positive they would play him in the clutch and he’d get 30 mins perfect fit! Everyone just remember the Kid in him. Remember the Crossovers on Jordan and Lue, Remember the put back slams over entire teams. Remember the clutch shots and the way he danced around the Lakers. Now of course he s getting old but he can still do it for a team that desperately needs scoring. I saw flashes of it in Memphis and im very excited to watch him play

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    the 76ers on paper are already a playoff team. why are people forgetting that.

  • philly

    hey A.I. its a ya boy philly welcome back.i hope u work at with my franchise.

  • tavoris

    nbk, people are forgetting that because they’re 5-13.

  • http://www.twitter.com/JoshElam JE

    ^Elton Brand on paper is already Elton Brand. In real life, he’s Anthony Randolph or something.

  • Gaber

    @DIMITRIS

    Have u watched PARTIZAN -OLYMPIAKOS game :)

    I just don’t understand how come u can chare for a team that includes so many ex ( not so good ) NBA players.
    What is your prediction for this year Euroleague ? (don’ t say OLY :)

  • http://www.slamonline.com Pardeep

    If this deal does not go through I won’t know what to do. It will be the biggest piss off in sports.

  • http://www.sixers.com 360vue

    @Pardeep it’s happened. it’s official
    http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/091202_iverson.html

  • Hangkwong

    Welcome back Iverson!!!

  • Imafool

    OMG this is the perfect situation for him.

  • http://slamonline.com/ niQ

    “In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time.” No Sh!t.

  • clockwork

    They better start winning some games now.

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    @Gaber…..:i didn’t watch that game although i knew what was coming….i watched the big game on Sunday though against Panathinaikos. Having so many NBA players is making our team predictably vulnerable when the game gets serious and the defences suffocating. Wafer is already witnessing games from the stands, he ain’t fined or on probation, he is simply unable to grasp the European game (no mistakes, 100% concentration at every possesion, complicated offensive schemes etc.). I had said since the beggining that there are 3 levels of teams this year in Europe , first Panathinaikos and Barcelona, then Olympiakos and Real Madrid, and then Siena, CSKA. I don’t see anybody else except this 6 teams making it to the final-4. Actually the first 2 teams along with Real are almost locks. This leaves a spot open that i hope we are going to get basically because we got some players that are extremely talented for the European level. On paper (something like fantasy ball that my kids here love) Olympiakos has the most talented team (along with Panathinaikos) in Europe. My prediction for this year winner is one of the 2 top teams, Panathinaikos and Barcelona. Since the (Spanish)organisers don’t like the idea of Greek teams dominating the European game.I can agree with them business wise, Greece is a small country and the market is already saturated since everybody in Greece is crazy about basketball(we got the country with the most people playing organised bball in the world by a wide margin, always talking as a percentage of the total population) .I don’t agree with them trying to do what they attempted in last years Euroleague final and many times in the past. Anyway, it will propably be either Panathinaikos(again…)or Barcelona. You are not correct that Olympiakos has many NBA players, we just have 2 big names(JOsh and WAFER) and the rest of the team is full with the cream of world basketball(Papaloukas,Vasilopoulos,Schortsianitis, Kleiza, Bourousis, Teodosic).

  • http://Www.lollercoasters.com Dr. West

    Hey Spanny, nobody cares about your Euroleague bullsh*t.

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