Sixers Would Be Certifiably Insane Not To Guarantee Iverson's Contract

On Thursday morning, Allen Iverson will either wake up with the comfort of a guaranteed contract likely locking him down in Philadelphia for the rest of the season, or the knowledge that within nearly one month of his triumphant return to Philly, he's once again become a free agent.

That's because the Sixers have a crucial decision to make by Wednesday, similar to a choice once pondered by Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To guarantee A.I.'s contract, or to not guarantee A.I.'s contract?"  

That is the question, indeed.

On Jan. 10, non-guaranteed contracts (such as the one Iverson signed with the Sixers earlier this season) become guaranteed, unless a team waives a non-guaranteed player 48 hours before the deadline.  Since Jan. 10 falls on a Sunday this season, the NBA moved the guarantee date up to Jan. 8, meaning that the Sixers must make their decision on Iverson by Wednesday.

But Iverson's play as of late should make that decision excruciatingly easy.  

After missing four games thanks to some pesky tendinitis in his left knee, Iverson returned to the lineup last Monday against Portland, and immediately reminded Sixers fans and management why they took the $650,000 risk on him one month ago.

Before Iverson came to Philly, the team was slumped in an eight game losing streak (which swelled to 12 games, before the Sixers finally broke through against Golden State).

But including the Golden State win, which occurred on Dec. 14, the Sixers have managed to accrue half of their season's win total in less than three weeks, and only one of those wins (a huge 98-97 upset over Boston) came without Iverson.

In fact, in the Sixers' four wins that he has played in, Iverson has scored 20, 19, 20, and 17, respectively (against GSW, POR, SAC, and DEN).  But his scoring totals don't give him full justice.

Fellow Sixers players have had nothing but kind words to say about Iverson publicly, as they've called him a veteran presence in the lineup that gives the younger guys a reason to believe that they have a legitimate chance to win every game.

Both Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand have repeatedly spoken out about how Iverson commands attention from defenses, drawing attention away from other Sixers and opening up opportunities for easy buckets.

Iverson has also demonstrated a surprising degree of unselfishness on the court, with five, three, six, and seven assists in the Sixers' past four games.  (Again, three of those games were wins, two of which came against 20-win teams.)  He's also grabbed five steals and 13 rebounds in those past four games, while knocking down 23-of-25 free throws.

So what if Iverson isn't 100 percent, or isn't the player he once used to be back in his original stint with the team?  Iverson might be the cheapest impact player in the league, with a price tag of only $650,000.  

And, seeing as Iverson has raised the Sixers' average home attendance by around 1,000 fans per game, Sixers management has already more than made their money back on the A.I. proposition.

If Sixers management can't recognize the positive impact that Iverson has had on the rest of the team since his return, they should be canned faster than Redskins' coach Jim Zorn. 

"Nothing is etched in stone," Jordan said regarding guaranteeing Iverson's contract. "But I think it's going to happen."

Well, coach Jordan, for your sake, I hope GM Ed Stefanski makes the right decision and elects to keep Iverson for the figurative pennies that he'll be paid for the rest of the season.  

If not, Sixers fans will likely begin clamoring for you to be the next Sixer who gets pushed out of town.