2010 NBA Free Agency: Is Allen Iverson The Best Kept Secret?

Since leaving the Sixers in March, Allen Iverson has stayed pretty quiet, no one knows what he is doing right now or if he is returning next season. There were reports that he has drinking and gambling problems and that he had a divorce, but Allen and his wife quietly got back together and nobody knows.

About 2 weeks ago his manager Gary Moore said that Allen is working on a comeback and really wants to play next season. So if he isn't retiring that means he is a free agent, Iverson will probably be training harder then he ever has this off season. He can comeback and prove to the world that he is still one of the best players in the league.

But he has one problem, nobody is going to want him on their squad yet. If teams were scared to sign him last season when he was averaging 17.4 ppg and 5 apg for the Pistons then they won't want him when he is averaging 13.8 ppg and 4.0 apg and he has drinking and gambling problems.

But that is what everything thinks, the smart owners and GM's no matter how much they hate Iverson know that in the right system Iverson can still score and can lead a team. The only problem is the baggage that he brings, when Iverson is the best player on a team he controls the team. He changes the way people think and act and some are afraid that he can rub the young players the wrong way.

Allen Iverson may just be too real for the league because he refuses to change himself into an angel like the league wants him to be. But the thing is that Allen Iverson no longer has to be the best player on the team, there are many players he would have no problem taking a back seat to.

If owners sit Iverson down and tell him "Hey look we know you can still score, you don't have to come off the bench will give you $5 million a season to be the third option and on some nights even second. Will let you play the way you like and you can prove the doubters wrong with us." He would sign the deal in a second because that is all he wants.

Imagine Iverson running the point in Miami with D-Wade and Chris Bosh or in New Jersey with LeBron and Boozer, how about playing 32 mpg for the Lakers weather it be off the bench or as a starter at the point? The Spurs are about to lose Tony Parker to the Knicks and Iverson could run the point in San Antonio. Some may question the basketball part of that move, but one thing is for sure that black Iverson jersey would be a hot a seller.

Someone mentioned Iverson in Orlando if Vince Carter is to be traded, AI in Dallas playing the 2 spot with Jason Terry coming off the bench for him would turn the Mavericks into a contender. There are a lot of teams out there that AI would have no problem taking a reduced role on because he knows who is better then him at this stage of his career and who isn't.  

Owners know that Iverson can still be effective they are just afraid of the baggage he brings, after all the big names in this free agency have signed, so many roster spots will open up for Iverson. He could be the best kept secret in the free agency because he can still get you 20 points a night.

He is third all-time in jersey sales behind Jordan and Kobe so he can make a team a lot of money, he can sell tickets and can create a buzz for a team which leads to other players on the team to playing better. Iverson can energize a team and can certainly help one. He wants to win a championship and would love to sign wherever LeBron, Wade, or Bosh go so he can be the second or third option on the team and help them win. Iverson can also be a good leader and bring the best out of players, he would show the young guys how important it is to give it your all and play every game like its your last. 

All Iverson has to do is come out and say, I have no problem playing as a third option on those teams. He can make a statement saying how he would love to play with LeBron and Wade at this point his career. If Iverson were to do this he would get contracts offered to him by contenders and could continue his career.

Teams will probably offer Iverson a contract after the Big 3 free agents have signed and teams are looking for players to put around those guys and Iverson can be the perfect player because he can bring so much to a team.

Right now he just needs to keep working out so he can return next season with his explosiveness and even working out for a team could help him get onto a squad. He maybe this free agency's best kept secret and he might not even know it.

Owners would love to have him on their team but they are just very scared and are not willing to take the risk. That said, it would be great if he made a statement in the next couple of days saying how he would love to play as a third option or as a pass first point guard for a team with a lot talent and players who are actually better then him.

Teams know what he can bring and would probably give him a look. Some forget that he is actually a free agent and the smart owners out there probably don't want anyone to know about him just yet. 

In this years 2010 free agency "The Answer" may just be the secret.