Nah, I've known all along that the AI days in Philly were over... Although I was a fan of his while he was here, I've never been supportive of the idea of bringing him back anyway.

I felt like you until I saw this team lay down and die in the playoffs.

Now, they actually need AI just to sell seats. Watch, one day Sam will move along, and Brand will retire, we'll have cap room but no real money to spend it on.

They should have brought him back.

Bringing AI back wouldn't have served any purpose to me. Ultimately, winning is the only thing that will sell seats, and AI isn't that kind of difference-maker anymore. His time here had run its course, no point in rehashing that era... He will sell seats in Memphis though, and they really need that.

I'm sick of 40-win seasons and first-round eliminations also, but Iverson wouldn't have helped solve that problem imo.

He'll sell tickets in Memphis b/c he's still a big name, and b/c he might still have a 20ppg season left in him. The Grizzlies are a downtrodden franchise that knows it isn't going anywhere, so for the time being, their M.O. is really all about becoming more entertaining and getting more people in the seats b/c their attendance has been poor for years.

Philadelphia is a completely different city/market, with an entirely different mindset. In Philadelphia, they've already seen the 'Allen Iverson Show' for 10 years, and that was when he was a far better player than now. There's no novelty factor, like there will be in Memphis. The fact that the Grizzlies' fans haven't ever had him on their team or seen him 'up close' so to speak, will mean that more will want to go to the arena to see him play.

In Philadelphia, people just want to win. I don't live there, but I'm sure that I'm right about that, especially with what the Phillies have done in recent years. Just watching a player, particularly one who's past his prime and whom all the Sixer fans have already seen so much of, will not generate interest. ONLY a winning team will accomplish that. And I'm not talking about winning 42, 43, or even 45 games and losing in the 1st round again. I'm talking about 50+ wins and a team that people feel at least has a legitimate chance to advance further in the postseason. No such demands in Memphis.

"$5 Playoff tickets aren't a good sign for your franchise."

That's the state that the Sixers are in. People aren't excited about this team, b/c there's no reason to believe that they're going any further than they have for the past two years. Might AI have added some degree of additional excitement? Possibly to some; I won't attempt to speak for everybody. But would this team be any better in terms of wins and losses with AI? I doubt it, b/c I believe they're better off trying to continue to develop Iguodala, Young, LouWill and others. I just can't see revisiting the Iverson era as anything that would make a significant impact on this franchise. This team needs size and rebounding, not a 34 y/o combo guard. People want to feel that a team is moving forward even if that feeling is somewhat of an illusion, and I don't believe that the return of AI would coincide with that.

Biggest key to this year's Sixers imo is, what will they get from Elton Brand?

The Bears look terrible right now. Whether it's injuries or whatever, their defense has lost its touch.

Believe it or not, there are already some people who are saying that Kyle Orton is a better QB than Jay Cutler. Orton's decent, but I don't think he'd be doing any better with this Bear team than Cutler is. Yeah, the Broncos are 6-0, but they've got far more weapons than the Bears have, and what looks to be a better defense also. Cutler has no consistent or reliable targets to depend on, although Devin Hester is getting better.

The Vikings are as good as advertised. I see them winning about 13 games and running away with the division.

Where's that J.J. Redick thread. Looks like the dude's finally hitting the big time:

http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/10/29/22003127.aspx