With the year he’s been having, I’d definitely say so.

The 2010 NBA basketball season hasn’t been kind to Allen Iverson, once one of the league’s brightest stars. Heck, this season has been that tough for him that he already retired this season only to come back after his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, gave him a second lease in life.

Now, everything is being taken away from Allen Iverson again, as he was forced to put what’s left of his basketball career on hold to attend to his four-year-old daughter Messiah, who is reportedly suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Wow. You really can’t help but feel sorry for Iverson. For a guy who once led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals and won numerous scoring titles with, including league MVP honors, going out this way is definitely a tough pill to swallow.

Just look at what A.I. has been through this year. First he signs a one-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies looking to redeem himself after such a disastrous outing with Detroit last season. After only three games in Memphis, Iverson wanted out after he figured that he wasn’t on the same page with the team’s direction.

That led to Iverson announcing his retirement last November 25.

Then, his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, gave him a second lease in life. And after a very emotional press conference, Iverson was back playing again for the very team that drafted him to the NBA.

Well, that lasted for 25 games. On February 22, Iverson took an indefinite leave to attend to his four-year-old daughter who was suffering from an undisclosed sickness. That forced the 76ers to announce that Iverson won’t be returning to the team for the remainder of the 2010 season.

”After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion…”

If they are, then this 13-game winning streak they have is just the tip of the iceberg.

With the second half of the 2010 NBA basketball season underway, the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming in with the best record in the league at 43-11, riding a league – best 13-game winning streak heading to their date with the Denver Nuggets this Thursday.

With all kinds of momentum going for the Cleveland Cavaliers right now, it seems they are not satisfied just yet. Rumors are claiming that the Cavaliers are going after Amar’e Stoudemire. And if these guys manage to sign a talent like Stoudemire to complement the already formidable tandem of LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, you can just imagine what the Cavs can accomplish from here.

If the Cavs do trade for Amar’e Stoudemire, that would be their fourth major trade in two years. Yep, you read it, their FOURTH ONE.

Why have they been trading a lot the last few years? Well, they want to keep LeBron James in Cleveland and surrounding the hottest commodity in the league right now with all kinds of talent that might give this team its first championship in franchise history has been their top priority ever since they drafted James out of high school.

According to the rumors, the deal is on the table but…

It seems these guys running the Suns these days are determined to destroy that once great franchise they have in Phoenix.

After trading away Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Marion, the Suns are once again on the verge of letting another one of the cornerstones of their franchise go this 2010 NBA basketball season. And in case you haven’t heard of the rumors, Amar’e Stoudemire may be on the trading block.

You read it, there are rumors claiming that the Phoenix Suns want to trade Amar’e Stoudemire away before we get to the trading deadline in a few days. The rumors claim that the Suns are shopping Stoudemire around now that he’s an All-Star and, more importantly, healthy.

Also according to the reports, the Suns have been trying to orchestrate a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that will send Amar’e Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa to Philly in exchange for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. Can you believe that? I know the Suns are trying desperately hard to screw themselves over but c’mon, it doesn’t have to be THIS obvious.

Heck, they can also trade Steve Nash to Orlando for J.J. Redick while they’re at it…

It’s that time of the year when the NFL concludes its season for the NBA to pick up the slack.

And just like every other year in sports, the NBA will pick up the slack with a bang, kicking off the second half of the season with the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Yes, it’s the East All-Stars going up against the West All-Stars once again as fans voted in who they feel are the five best players in each conference as All-Star starters.

Leading the East All-Stars this year is leading vote-getter LeBron James. The reigning league MVP got 2,549,693 votes this season, becoming the first player in balloting history to draw at least 2.5 million votes on three separate occasions.

James is making his sixth All-Star appearance and will start for the Eastern Conference for the sixth time in his career. Joining James in the East are Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson , the 2001 and 2005 All-Star Game MVP.

Among active players, Garnett’s 13th All-Star selection ranks second to Shaquille O’Neal who has 15. Dwight Howard of…

At least that’s what the Sixers coach claims.

After all the whining about not starting this 2009 NBA basketball season, it looks like Allen Iverson may finally get his wish because after he returned to the Philadelphia 76ers a few days ago, current 76ers head coach Eddie Jordan has already said he will start Iverson, probably because he doesn’t have anybody else left.

In case you didn’t know, yes, Allen Iverson is back where it started it all, Philadelphia, returning to the very team that drafted him to the NBA after a bitter parting back in 2006.

It’s funny that when Iverson left the 76ers, the team was at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference and on game night, he will return to the same team still at the very bottom of the East. When the Sixers traded Iverson to the Nuggets in 2006, they were 5-18 and on an 11-game losing streak. The Sixers are 5-15 and on a nine-game losing streak when Iverson returns Monday.

Will Iverson’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers be the boost the team is looking for? Maybe. At least their dwindling ticket sales will improve a bit.

Iverson practiced with the other four starters who will likely start on Monday against the Denver Nuggets, one of the three teams Iverson played for after leaving Philly in 2006. Iverson joined Samuel Dalembert, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Willie Green in his first practice back with the team.

”It was like deja vu,” 76ers center Samuel Dalembert said of watching…

Will he cry like a baby too?

Allen Iverson is happy to be back with the Philadelphia 76ers this 2009 NBA basketball season. The way he cried like a baby almost from the start of his return news conference ’til the end was evident of that.

And in case you missed it, yes, Allen Iverson wept, throwing away every street cred he had out the window in the process. He’ll play his first game back with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, ironically against the same team the 76ers traded him to following a bitter parting, the Denver Nuggets.

Will Iverson start? Can A.I. show us that he really can still play at a high level? How in the hell can he help the Philadelphia 76ers, a team THIS CLOSE from throwing away the season? Well get the answers soon enough but as far as Iverson is concerned, he can now breathe a sigh of relief.

”I want to retire here,” Allen Iverson said. ”Coming back home, all I could think about was the people who made me who I am.”

”I always thought it was strange having another uniform. I couldn’t feel comfortable with another uniform.”

”I watch other NBA teams. I can’t watch the Sixers. Ever since I left, I wasn’t able to. Not because there was any bitterness, it was just a feeling I get. I gave everything I had here for 10 years. It was just always tough for me to watch them, so I didn’t.”

”I don’t want to prove anyone wrong in this situation. I’m…”

Because in case you did, we’d like you to know that he just signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Allen Iverson’s 2009 NBA basketball season hasn’t gone the way he planned. This was suppose to be the year that he comes back to being the fiery Iverson we knew who attacks the rim with reckless abandon. Instead, Iverson turned into something else.

For all ya’ll who didn’t know, Allen Iverson played this season, for the Memphis Grizzlies. And since Iverson retired before signing back to the 76ers, one can only assume that his brief stay with the Grizzlies hasn’t been a good one.

Instead of resurrecting the Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson ended up stirring quite a mess in Memphis that the Grizzlies ended up throwing him away to free agency faster than a used condom.

And without a team willing to give Iverson starter’s minutes, the former league MVP decided to call it quits, probably hoping that there will still be a team out there that will feel sorry for him and give him what he wants just to keep him in the league.

Luckily for him, the 76ers took the bait.

In Iverson’s retirement statement, he said that he still has what it takes to play at a high level. He also claims retiring will allow him to be with his family. Of course, we all know that he just can’t accept the fact that he can no longer start in this league and his…

Iverson is once again with the 76ers.

Having retired while probably still looking for a team to give him another shot this 2009 NBA basketball season, we knew Iverson was THIS CLOSE from having a reunion with the Philadelphia 76ers, the same franchise that he had a bitter parting with back in 2006.

So why was Allen Iverson even considering to return to Philly? Apparently, the 76ers is the only team in the league still willing to have a nutcase like Iverson. And since the team is pretty much in need of anything that can salvage their season, signing a diva like Iverson won’t hurt them that much.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in desperate need of a guard anyway after point guard Lou Williams broke his jaw and since their former franchise player is looking for a team while pretending to stay retired, I am not surprised to see the Sixers and the disgruntled A.I. kiss and make up.

Besides, this team is having one of the worst seasons of their franchise, add that with the low ticket sales and you have a team looking desperately for that jolt of electricity. Getting Iverson back to the fold won’t help them to win a couple of games but at least it will generate enough hype to bring some asses back to their seats.

”We met with free agent Allen Iverson in Dallas for the first formal discussion regarding a possible return to the Philadelphia 76ers,” 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement.

”The meeting covered a variety of topics, all of which we would…”

Odds to win 2010 Eastern Conference 
All wagers have action. The team that wins the conference final in the playoffs will be graded the winner. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)

Competitor
Price

Atlanta Hawks

21.00    

Boston Celtics
[...]

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship 

Competitor
Price

Atlanta Hawks
46.00    

Boston Celtics
5.00

Charlotte Bobcats
101.00 

Chicago Bulls
46.00    

Cleveland Cavaliers
4.33

Dallas Mavericks
31.00 

Denver Nuggets
16.00

Detroit Pistons
46.00   

Golden State Warriors
126.00 

Houston Rockets
51.00 

Indiana Pacers
101.00

Los Angeles Clippers
91.00

Los Angeles Lakers
3.00 

Memphis Grizzlies
101.00

Miami Heat
46.00

Milwaukee Bucks
51.00 

Minnesota Timberwolves
151.00

New Jersey Nets
101.00   

New Orleans Hornets
36.00

New York Knicks
76.00

Oklahoma City Thunder
101.00 

Orlando Magic
9.00

Philadelphia 76ers
66.00

Phoenix Suns
61.00  

Portland Trailblazers
21.00 

Sacramento Kings
151.00

San Antonio Spurs
8.50

Toronto Raptors [...]