We Talkin' 'bout Practice Man

With tonight’s NBA draft approaching by the minutes; I'm in the mood to talk some basketball. Growing up in the Greater Philadelphia area, I've been through my ups and downs as a Sixers fan. When I was a kid, I loved the Sixers when we had Charles Barkley running the court and throwing it down with authority. Then they traded him Phoenix, spurring a hatred for the Sixers, the Suns, and Sir Charles.

I was a child who took the moving of all-stars to heart. I was once an Eagles fan in the days of Randall Cunningham and Reggie White, until they were traded away by poor management for guys not fit to carry their predecessor’s jock strap. To this day, I hate the Philadelphia Eagles and I have moved on to brighter days as a Giants fan.

As a true to life fan of basketball, I could not continue hating the Sixers forever. I tried. Believe me. When they drafted Iverson, I was still a hater. I was a larger than life Bulls fan in the 90's... and not because I felt obliged to hop on the Michael-Scotty bandwagon. I had family in Chicago and throughout the time I spent out there I grew a fond love of all Chicago sports teams. Regardless, it took me until I got to see Iverson play in person before I grew appreciation for the little guy with the big heart.

The way Iverson laid it out there on the court like every game was his last impressed me in a way I had never realized before. Michael Jordan was my hero as a kid. He represented the guy who made himself great through hard work and dedication. When Jordan played, he played as if he was a superstar night in and night out. But when Iverson played, he played like he was never going to get another chance to step onto the court again. He played through every imaginable injury a player can deal with and he brushed off practice as if it just didn't matter.

“We talkin’ 'bout practice man.”

He had the mentality of a kid from the streets who was thankful for what he had but never knew how long it would last... how long he would last. It was a sad day when he demanded to be traded because of a coach who had no business being a head coach... especially after the trials and tribulations that transpired during Larry Brown's tenure as the Sixers coach. But Mo Cheeks was the last straw for Iverson and before you had the chance to speak about the situation, he was gone. Traded to a team where for the first time in his career he had to share the spotlight.

Monday morning quarterbacking will show you how that worked out as he was traded twice in 3 seasons to end up in a situation where he wasn't even getting the minutes or the starting rotation in a deep seeded Pistons lineup. Midway through the season, he called it a season because of back spasms. Never before had Iverson quit on his team because of an injury, but the team quit on him. Now, with the offseason in full tilt and blockbuster deals being made sending all-stars across the league, we sit and wonder what will be to come for Allen Iverson this season.

There's nothing I would like to see more than to see AI come back to Philly and put on the "new" retro jerseys and pick up where he left off, flying around the court like the mad dog he is. Ball games are not what they once were in the Wachovia center these days, and if they don't do something to get the fans back into it, it could end up becoming the next rendition of the dark ages for the Philadelphia 76ers basketball franchise.