Dr. Phil would tell Allen Iverson this was the worst possible scenario, to be miserable in Miami during the last week of the season, helpless, beaten and pushed beyond the realm of resignation.

Iverson's demoralized state was on full display Friday night, his eyes telling a sad tale as effectively as the body language of his teammates.

Iverson deserves better than all this

Posted on Sun, Apr. 16, 2006

By Stephen A. Smith

Dr. Phil would tell Allen Iverson this was the worst possible scenario, to be miserable in Miami during the last week of the season, helpless, beaten and pushed beyond the realm of resignation.

Iverson's demoralized state was on full display Friday night, his eyes telling a sad tale as effectively as the body language of his teammates.

A pathetic display, indeed. One that seemed so unfair, yet so real and so expected when it comes to these Philadelphia 76ers. When a team lacks any post presence, defensive prowess or recent success to fall back on, the fruits of its labor will always be sour.

Or, as in this case, rotten.

So, now that hope has disintegrated and reality has forcibly seeped through the cracks, it's time to lament the state of the Sixers for the reasons that really count. Mainly, it's their future in a conference full of better teams, not the frivolous chatter over whether Iverson shoots too much or not.

We know that Iverson sometimes shoots too much, that his game occasionally seems more suited to And1 competition than the National Basketball Association. But if there were no complaints when he was leading the NBA in scoring, when he captured league MVP honors and led the Sixers to the Finals in 2001, then there shouldn't be any complaints about the 33 points and 7.4 assists he was averaging before the team lost to the Orlando Magic last night.

We know Iverson's a streetballer. We also know he has little help. If the weakness is not in the form of Chris Webber's shaky legs, it's Samuel Dalembert's head or everyone else's heart. It's common knowledge that the heart pumping in these Sixers starts and stops with Iverson, which is not to say he isn't part of the problem.

It's just that he's not the problem, especially considering all the unanswered questions surrounding this organization.

The baffled - which includes most basketball aficionados - don't know how it's gotten to the point where a team like the Magic headed into last night on a seven-game winning streak, having won 15 of its last 19 games. Orlando, a 102-97 winner, is looking better than the Sixers. We don't know why a team like the Chicago Bulls is ahead of the Sixers in the playoff hunt despite having no one capable of posting up Mo Cheeks.

We don't know why Milwaukee has a better record either, or why Indiana repeatedly can be plagued by suspensions and injuries and still do a better job than the Sixers.

All we know is that even if these teams were not ahead of the Sixers in the playoff picture, people still would buy tickets for next season - simply because all of their futures look brighter.

Talent-wise. Organization-wise. Coaching-wise.

Period!

Scott Skiles has the Bulls recognized as a tough-minded defensive team, incapable of being bullied and clearly more apt to fight than fold, with a closer in Ben Gordon who is better than anyone the Phillies have on their roster.

There may have been some questions about whether Rick Carlisle was losing his team emotionally in Indiana, but when you have Jermaine O'Neal, a plethora of injuries and distractions, and a record of finishing four of the last five seasons as a coach-of-the-year candidate, a pass is called for.

Milwaukee has one of the game's premier shooters in Michael Redd and three point guards who'd get significant playing time in Philadelphia. Gilbert Arenas is a stud joined by Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler in Washington.

The big four in the East - Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland - privately consider it insulting to be mentioned in the same breath as Philadelphia. And the Sixers, at the moment, appear helpless in changing that way of thinking.

If you are Sixers president and general manager Billy King, you are so disgusted with this team it evokes nausea. Yet you're also so optimistic over Andre Iguodala's development and reasonable salary cap numbers, so that a conglomerate like Comcast won't snarl if you ask to spend more money.

The question is: What does that do for Iverson?

"I'm old," the 30-year-old Iverson quipped months ago. "Father Time may be on my side, but not when it comes to basketball."

Those were Iverson's feelings before he watched Rasheed Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Larry Hughes, Dwyane Wade, Vince Carter, and a host of other contemporaries gear up for May, and possibly, June.

Of course, they all embraced Iverson. Gave him a hug and wished him good luck.

It's one thing to hear it.

It's quite another to know you desperately need it.