In one of the stranger stories this NBA season, the 76ers de-activated leading scorer Allen Iverson until they traded him. This ended up being, I think, like 2 weeks, during which they failed to win a game. With Ohio State center Greg Oden as the projected #1 pick, the race is on for superior ineptitude. It is nearly a repeat of when Duncan was entering the draft. The Celtics tanked the season under the expert leadership of M.L. Carr. God laughed, and the Spurs (due to a David Robinson injury) won the lottery though they had a better record.
David Stern rants and dishes out fines to teams because their players had a fight after a flagrant foul. But he says nothing about having the 76ers sit a former MVP who scores over 30/game. I guess the precedent was set with Artest last season. He was so disruptive that the Pacers sent him home until he was traded. Was Iverson any more disruptive than usual? Why did they send him home after missing just another practice (cue the infamous interview: “Practice? We’re talking about practice.”)
Iverson is sent to the ice and snow of Denver to share the ball with another 30/game scorer in ‘Melo (currently sitting for 15 games for hitting a guy and running away like a 3rd grader). The Nuggets though, with AI, ‘Melo, Nene etc enter salary cap Hades. If this line up doesn’t work, they will become the Knicks of the Mountain Time Zone. And no light on the horizon.
The 76ers have a chance to rebuild into a formidable team in years to come. They get Andre Miller- a good point guard who’ll be around for awhile. They really don’t have anyone who can score (Webber? If his knee holds up) so they’ll continue to stink the rest of the way giving them good odds for Oden. And they get 2 first round picks from the Nuggets to add some more players in what is shaping up to be a deep draft. They get Joe Smith, who will make sure they stink this year before his contract ends.
So, Stern doesn’t care if teams tank and players lack the competitive fire. He does care if your competitive fire means he gets burned and looks bad in the press. At least that’s how it looks from where I sit.
Cavman Considers 
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