Allen Iverson has heard all the trade rumors, but his position remains the same.

"Yeah, I mean I want to be a Sixer," Iverson said after Monday's practice. "It's all about if the organization wants me to be here. I haven't changed about wanting to be here. Honestly, I want what's best for me. I owe a lot to the organization, so I want what's best for them as well."

For all the sometimes-deserved criticism that Iverson shoots too much or doesn't necessarily make his teammates better, he's one of the few 76ers that can be counted on to give maximum effort every game. He's second in the league in scoring (33.0 ppg), is shooting 43 percent and averaging 7.6 assists -- all better numbers than when he led Philadelphia to the NBA Finals.

Iverson wants to stay a Sixer

By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
April 17, 2006

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson has heard all the trade rumors, but his position remains the same.

"Yeah, I mean I want to be a Sixer," Iverson said after Monday's practice. "It's all about if the organization wants me to be here. I haven't changed about wanting to be here. Honestly, I want what's best for me. I owe a lot to the organization, so I want what's best for them as well."

For all the sometimes-deserved criticism that Iverson shoots too much or doesn't necessarily make his teammates better, he's one of the few 76ers that can be counted on to give maximum effort every game. He's second in the league in scoring (33.0 ppg), is shooting 43 percent and averaging 7.6 assists -- all better numbers than when he led Philadelphia to the NBA Finals.

"I think I'm getting better as a basketball player," he said.

The woefully underachieving Sixers (37-43) were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, capping a second-half collapse that's raised serious questions about the future of the franchise. The Sixers still have two more games, Tuesday against New Jersey and Wednesday at Charlotte.

Putting a young nucleus around Iverson and Chris Webber was a failed experiment, one that has general manager Billy King promising changes and the acquisition of more defensive-minded players.

Iverson's been the one constant on a team that gets a yearly overhaul. He said he knows changes need to be made again if the Sixers are going to return to the playoffs, and he just wants to be part of what he hopes is a championship result.

"If I leave Philadelphia, it's not because I want to leave," he said. "If I get traded, then I get traded. This is where I want to be. I haven't changed at all. I'm still in love with the place. I want to be here."

He said he doesn't want to be a ring chaser like Karl Malone or Patrick Ewing, who left their identifiable franchises to try to win titles other organizations.

"I think I deserve to win a championship for everything I put in as far as trying to win one, but I'm not going to chase it," he said. "I can end my career without a championship and be happy with the effort I gave to try and win one."

King said no one is untouchable, but he wasn't going into the offseason with a plan to trade Iverson or Webber. King said the Sixers could still win if they build around Iverson, even though the All-Star will turn 31 in June.

"If we've got to make tough decisions, we'll make tough decisions," King said.

Coach Maurice Cheeks said he sees no signs of Iverson slowing down and wants him back.

"He was still at a level unmatched for a guy who played as many minutes, takes as many knocks that he does," Cheeks said. "I don't have a concern. I know at some point he's going to start slowing down, it happens to everyone, but I don't think it's going to happen next year."