Could The Answer Be "The Answer" for The Sixers?

I promise the love affair with Allen Iverson will soon stop. At least publicly. Just hear me out on this.

Bringing back Iverson to the Sixers could work.

"Man, you're crazy!" "What drugs are you taking!" I know that is what you are thinking, and no, I'm not on drugs.

The addition of Iverson after this season could make the Sixers relevant again, and leapfrog the team to the top of the Eastern Conference.

If "A.I." were to sign with the Sixers, it would immediately become either the most talented team of his time in Philadelphia.

It certainly would not be the days of Kenny Thomas or Marc Jackson as your second leading scorer. The current cast is miles ahead of the likes of Matt Harpring, Matt Geiger, Keith Van Horn, Aaron McKie, and Tyrone Hill as your offensive weapons.

When Iverson left he was dealing with a timid Andre Iguodala, a mess named Samuel Dalembert, and a complete bum named Chris Webber.

Now, the Sixers team has a much improved Iguodala, a budding superstar in Thaddeus Young, a quality post presence in Elton Brand, a quality bench, and oh yeah that mess named Samuel Dalembert.

Some may have called Iverson "selfish" when he was a Sixer. It was true, but only because he had absolutely zero help. Now he is a changed player.

As a Sixer, Iverson averaged over 23 shots a game. In the years since his departure he has taken barely over 18 shots a game. In this 14 game stretch as a Piston, only 14 a game. The common denominator; he has had help. (I'm so good at alliteration.)

The benefits of Iverson in the lineup.

1. Elton Brand faces a significantly less amount of double teams. The threat of Iverson forces teams to abandon doubling Elton. Elton gets more opens looks closer to the basket.

2. Andre Iguodala is able to function. Before, Iverson hogged the ball and Iguodala seemed afraid of demanding it. Now, Iverson will recognize the improvement in Andre's game, and will feed him more. Iguodala will never, ever face a double team.

3. Thaddeus Young will be barely noticed on the court. That is until he begins dropping 30PPG, and starts in the All-Star game. He will first thank God, then thank Allen Iverson.

4. The Sixers improve late in games. (See above.)

5. We get to see his dazzling play and marvel at how he does it.

The return of Iverson would also generate a lot of interest from Philadelphia sports fans. Currently, the Sixers rank last in the league in attendance. Back in the day (like five years ago) the crowd in Philadelphia would witness  magnificent showcases of talent on a nightly basis.

With Iverson back, the Wachovia Center would really be rocking again. Surely, this alone would be well worth the investment.

Obviously there are some setbacks for this to occur and that would need to be addressed.

What is Allen Iverson worth? Will he welcome a return to Philly?

Iverson's $20,840,625 salary comes off the books after this season. Iverson signed his current deal way back in the 2003 season where he was still a dominant force in the league.

Iverson would no longer be classified as elite, but he definitely is still All-Star caliber. Purely a guess, but a contract that I find plausible would be three years, $35 million.

In addition, I think he would love to return to this team and this city. Iverson came close to a championship eight years, ago, and would welcome another opportunity. 

A lot of this hinges on the decision that is made regarding the future of Andre Miller. The Sixers have a wide range of possibilities including; trading him now, extending him now, letting his deal come off the books in the summer, or re-signing him in the summer.

If some contracts are dumped, maybe we could retain Miller and sign Iverson. Imagine that, Miller, Iverson, Iguodala, Young, Brand. That's the formula for a championship!

Maybe it could work, maybe not, maybe I am absolutely insane for even suggesting this, but I think it is worth a try to find "The Answer" for the Sixers.