Philadelphia 76ers Should Continue Starting Allen Iverson

Since Allen Iverson's return to the Philadelphia 76ers, the team has improved.

Iverson played on an arthritic left knee while taking a career low 11 shots per game and playing only 32 mpg, but still manged to average 15 ppg. It was a good situation for Iverson; he was playing happy although he probably would have liked to take more shots and play more minutes.

Iverson can not speak out like he did with Memphis or Detroit or his career could be over because although he is proving with the Sixers that he is not cancerous to a team he can still change that by opening his mouth and saying something wrong.

Iverson probably wants to ditch the Princeton offense coach Eddie Jordan runs as well because it is actually slowing the team down and Iverson could average around seven more points and three more assists just if Eddie Jordan changes the offense to a running offense where anything can happen.

Those open offenses are the offenses Allen Iverson thrives in and those open offenses are the kind the Sixers should be running. 

So far the situation with Iverson has been good. Iverson is enjoying it even though his stats are being held back and the fans are actually coming out to watch the games.

It could be much better though if the Sixers had won all those close games they lost because that would put them at a fifth or sixth seed in the East at least. The Sixers are currently 19-31 and are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. 

The Sixers are currently on a four game win streak which is their longest of the season and have a good chemistry going. If they continue playing this way they should make the playoffs.

But there is one big problem, Allen Iverson is not apart of that four game win streak.

Iverson who is tending to his ill daughter has been away for the last three games and is a game time decision for the Sixers game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Willie Green who was Iverson's replacement in the starting lineup for the past three games has been playing well and Iverson may lose his starting spot.

Coach Eddie Jordan had the following to say when asked about bringing Iverson off the bench:

"That's a topic we have to discuss," Jordan said.

 "That's for discussion when he comes. We're going to talk about that as a staff. We've had some of those discussions. We'll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge."

This would not sit well with Iverson at all. It did not sit well with him in Detroit or Memphis and it certainly would not sit well with him in the city where he became a global icon.

This is Iverson's team and he knows it and he would not want to come off the bench for his own team. Iverson arguably has the best fan base of any player in the league and everyone in Philadelphia loves Iverson and would not like Iverson coming off the bench either.

This is going to be interesting because Iverson has kept his mouth shut about everything that has not gone his way so far in Philly but this would be different. Iverson was playing very well before he left to tend his ill daughter and it would really piss him off that he has to come off the bench because he went to be with his family in a hard time. 

The Sixers can reach the playoffs if they continue playing this way but Iverson will have to be a part of it and if Iverson returns he needs to start.

Last time Iverson had to come off the bench for just three games for the Memphis Grizzlies and ended up leaving the team and retiring. Last season at All-Star weekend Iverson made some noise by cutting his trademark cornrows off but he ended up growing his cornrows back.

If Iverson isn't happy with how the Sixers are treating him it wouldn't be a surprise if he made some noise by announcing retirement at this year's All-Star weekend.