Blogs > Deitch on the 76ers

Daily Times staff writer Dennis Deitch covers the 76ers

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Your Morning Moment of Den -- CONSPIRACY EDITION!!

Say what?!? A conspiracy on a Sunday morning?

Well, it started Saturday night. That's when there was a curious throwaway line in a couple of stories coming out of Charlotte, where the CIAA -- a Division II league made up of historically black colleges -- was holding its tournament.

Guess who was there to announce his partnership in the start of a scholarship for league athletes? Allen Iverson.

Iverson, you might recall, missed last week's West Coast trip, ostensibly to continue a month-long vigil concerning the health of his 4-year-old daughter and the stability of his family in Atlanta. However, the Sixers quietly confided last week that, while they empathized with his personal issue, they couldn't continue to run a basketball organization with one of their starting players coming and going and chronically attempting to shake off rust.

But there is an interesting deadline coming up Monday. It is the last day that a player can be released to be signed by another team and be eligible for the playoff roster.

So, let's go over the details of Iverson's public appearance last night:

- He was in Charlotte, home of the Bobcats, who are ninth in the Eastern Conference, battling for a playoff spot.

- Charlotte is 240 miles from Atlanta, a mere four-hour drive away -- OK, for an NBA player it's a 2 1/2-hour drive.

- The Bobcats are coached by Larry Brown, who might be the only man left on the planet who would dare consider adding Iverson to his team.

You smellin' the conspiracy now?

Well ... unless Ed Stefanski is a brilliant liar -- and I don't think he is -- this is just a little uncomfortable coincidence. I gave Ed a call this morning about this, and he said that there has been no discussion about releasing Iverson before the March 1 deadline. He said that the Sixers expect to have a sit-down with Iverson "in the middle of the week" to make formal what has become clear: Iverson isn't going to play another game with the Sixers -- and that most likely means the end of his career.

No, he won't be going to Charlotte to play ball. Sorry, conspiracy theorists. I tried to tickle your fancy. Guess the tinfoil hats didn't work.

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