Exiling Iverson before trading him is unfathomable

In the hierarchy of professional sports franchises, perhaps the only thing more beautiful than being absolutely correct all the time is giving the impression that you are, well, correct all the time.

You can point the finger at a mercurial talent like Allen Iverson, blame his penchant for turmoil as the sole reason for the 76ers' demise, then have the team chairman, Ed Snider, hold an impromptu news conference in the hallway of a sparsely crowded arena, swearing that "we're going to trade him" and leaving us with this incredible notion:

That somehow, some way, the Sixers are showing everyone they're moving in the right direction.

Please.

Wake up, Mr. Snider. The same for you, Billy King. And while we're at it, throw coach Maurice Cheeks and the players on this roster into the equation.

There's too much intelligence in this town for anyone to get hoodwinked by this Iverson's-the-problem-and-nothing-else chorus at the Wachovia Center.

Go ahead and say Iverson's departure is a good thing. One question, though:

Will what the Sixers receive in return match up to Iverson himself?

Thank goodness history doesn't necessarily provide all the answers.

If it did, it would not be any kinder to the Sixers than they have been to Iverson thus far. Truth be told, what has transpired with Iverson has been nothing short of shameful over the last few days.

"Everybody knows Allen has had his issues, his troubles," former Sixers president Pat Croce said yesterday. "He's Allen. Certain things come with the territory. But you know what this kid is like when he's in uniform, when he's on that court, in front of that crowd, for those 48 minutes a night. For him not to be in uniform, having his locker cleaned out, exiled from the team without a trade yet, is unfathomable. It's unbelievable."

Especially considering the circumstances from Iverson's point of view.

According to those close to Iverson, most of the problems surrounding this latest fiasco involved the player approaching Cheeks and King in a quest to get the coach to change his offense. Purportedly, he did not like the offense, feeling it hindered his capabilities and those of his teammates. That's just one of the things that led to Iverson's having a falling out with his coach.

Although he wanted to be traded, he never asked for a trade - which King confirmed days ago. But Iverson did feel that he should be listened to. Once he felt that wasn't happening, he took it as the proverbial handwriting being on the wall.

Expect for Iverson to say a lot more than that once he's traded. For now, he's not saying another word.

He is leaving the Sixers alone, allowing them the luxury of resuscitating a once-respectable reputation, and we'll see how that works out.

In the past, right here, it has been said the Sixers don't need Iverson to miss the playoffs again. If you're watching the entire postseason from home for two of the last three seasons, if you're playing for a team that's struggling just to remain relevant, why bother having a franchise player making $17 million this year and more than $39 million over the next two seasons?

It makes no sense and just serves to build the level of hostility already aimed in the Sixers' direction.

So making the choice to move Iverson is not only plausible but understandable. Especially if you've determined his style of play is not conducive to uplifting a franchise rife with young talent in desperate need of development.

Still, that doesn't justify several things the Sixers have done.

It doesn't justify telling Iverson not to show up for a shoot-around. Or telling him to stay home and not show up at the arena. Or embarrassing him by telling the world he couldn't travel with the team - and certainly not by acting like he's done something lately that was so different, so much more catastrophic, than anything that has transpired with him for years.

It served no purpose.

All it did was diminish Iverson's value, provide an abundance of question marks, only serving to provoke shabby offers from opposing team executives looking to commit highway robbery.

"If Iverson is such a problem, why on earth should I give up anything significant for him?" said one Eastern Conference GM, speaking about the approach other executives undoubtedly have when they call Billy King. "Sure, trade the kid. But let him average his 30 points until you do."

Obviously, the Sixers didn't think about that. And that's the problem.

After all these seasons, all the ups and downs, they've allowed it to come down to this.

That brings up one final question: Who's more juvenile in all of this?