Sixers Chairman Signs Off: Iverson-to-Philly Just Makes Too Much Sense

For a little while, we’d been trying to temper any enthusiasm regarding the Iverson-to-the-76ers rumors. But now, the more it persists… this must happen, right?

According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, another stumbling block has disappeared:

The 76ers are proceeding cautiously in determining whether they want to get back together with Iverson, who was traded to Denver in 2006 after a decade in Philadelphia—but at the end of a rancorous period in which Iverson had worn out his welcome with the team’s top management. That included Sixers chairman Ed Snider, whose relationship with Iverson was frayed when he decided to grant Iverson’s request for a trade.

But Snider has signed off on Iverson’s return, leaving it up to Stefanski and the coaching staff, a source said.

“That was then, this is now,” the source said.

Ed Snider was perhaps the greatest obstacle in all of this. His rancor toward Allen Iverson still lingered, according to some reports, and if the owner doesn’t like a player, no matter how popular, it’s unlikely that he’ll sign off on adding him. But if Aldridge’s sources prove accurate, and Snider’s forgiven Iverson, then there’s really no reason this move shouldn’t happen. As a basketball team, the Sixers are in no-man’s land, drawing sparse crowds, and well on their way to another modestly successful, generally disappointing season. Why not roll the dice?