Knee injury to sideline Iverson for rest of regular season

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Allen Iverson is out for the rest of the regular season.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Tuesday their All-Star guard will miss the final eight games because of persistent pain in his right knee, the same injury that kept him out of 13 of the last 19 games.

An MRI showed a small lesion under Iverson's knee cap, but there was no meniscal or ligament damage.

``It was better now to sit him down so it doesn't linger a lot longer,'' said team president Billy King. ``It's probably best to get it where his knee is 100 percent. It's not a situation where Allen doesn't want to play. His knee just keeps swelling up.''

The injury comes with the Sixers in danger of being eliminated from the playoff race. Philadelphia is 10th in the Eastern Conference, but beat Golden State 95-71 Tuesday night.

King said Iverson's health would be re-evaluated if the Sixers make the playoffs.

``Worst case scenario, surgery would be an option if it does not calm down,'' King said. ``Rest and rehabilitation hopefully will do it.''

The injury was diagnosed Monday by New York Giants team doctor Russell Warren, who Iverson consulted for a second opinion.

King said the swelling affected Iverson's movement and quickness.

Messages left for Iverson and his agent, Leon Rose, were not immediately returned. Iverson was at the arena before the game, though he was not on the bench against the Warriors.

Iverson has now missed 27 games this season, the most in his eight-year career, and the Sixers are 13-14 without him. The underachieving Sixers have been ravaged by injuries this season, enough to cost rookie coach Randy Ayers his job after only 52 games. Interim coach Chris Ford has battled with Iverson since he taking over.

Earlier this month, Iverson refused to come off the bench in Toronto after he was told he was not going to start.

King said those clashes had nothing to do with Tuesday's decision.

``He wants to play. What he doesn't want is people saying he doesn't want to play because of Chris Ford,'' King said. ``He loves to play basketball.''

Iverson, a five-time All-Star, continues to be the subject of trade speculation in Philadelphia. He signed an extension before the season that lasts through 2008-09.

The Sixers have been playing well recently without Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer averaging 26.4 points. The Sixers have a seven-game home winning streak and have won four of five overall.

``We've been playing without Allen for a while now in hopes he would be back,'' Ford said. ``You just keep playing. The schedule keeps coming.''

Iverson was the NBA's MVP in 2000-01, when he led the 76ers to the Eastern Conference championship for the first time since 1983. He is scheduled to play for the United States at the Athens Olympics in August.

Via Associated Press

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Iverson out indefinently

Everyone has an opinion about Allen Iverson. Now, Dr. Russell Warren will have one. The 76ers' star guard visited the New York Giants' orthopedic surgeon yesterday to get a fresh evaluation of the right knee injury that has kept him out of the last four games and has contributed to his having missed 12 of the last 18.

While Iverson was in New York with Jim McNulty, the Sixers' director of sports medicine, president/general manager Billy King was adjusting Iverson's official status in a brief gathering with reporters at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

King said Iverson was being listed as "out'' of tonight's game against the Golden State Warriors, but added, "Just to clear up his status, he'll probably be out indefinitely, until we can come up with a timetable.''

In essence, with eight games remaining in the regular season, there is virtually no difference between Iverson's status being termed "day-to-day'' and "out indefinitely.'' King said Iverson had not suffered a setback, but that he still was struggling with pain and swelling in the knee.

Via Philadelphia Daily News

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Without Iverson, 76ers back in playoff race

The Philadelphia 76ers just might be a better team without Allen Iverson.

In their last eight games minus the injured Iverson, the Sixers are 7-1 and have moved back into the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. The All-Star guard is sidelined with a sore right knee, an injury that might not have kept him out of the lineup in past years.

The Sixers (31-42) beat Dallas, Phoenix and Cleveland this week after losing their previous three games with Iverson. His status for the remaining nine games is uncertain.

``I think that they are just getting after it,'' interim coach Chris Ford said after Friday night's 86-71 victory over the Cavaliers. ``They enjoy playing with one another right now. They're just working hard. Whoever we have left standing is out there working hard.''

The Sixers had won four straight games before Iverson clashed again with Ford, who took over on an interim basis after Randy Ayers was fired on Feb. 9. Iverson refused to play in a loss to Detroit on March 14 after being told by Ford he would come off the bench because he had missed the previous three games with an injury.

Iverson's first confrontation with Ford came when he was fined for missing practice one day after playing in the All-Star game.

After sitting on the bench in street clothes in Detroit, Iverson returned the next game and the Sixers lost the three games he played, before he went out again. One year after playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career, Iverson has missed a career-high 25 games to various injuries.

``Why is it just without Allen? We have four guys out,'' point guard Eric Snow said. ``You're going to talk about who's out, talk about everybody. It's a team game. That's why we have 12, 13 guys.''

Iverson is joined on the sideline by forward Glenn Robinson (elbow) and centers Marc Jackson (foot) and Derrick Coleman (knee). Still, the Sixers are within 1{ games of the Celtics for the final playoff spot. They play at Boston on Sunday night.

The Sixers, who went to the NBA Finals in 2001 and have made the playoffs the last five years, are 9-2 without Iverson and Robinson, their two top scorers.

``The movement of the ball has been fun to watch from the sidelines and just the ball movement and the open shots we're getting and the unselfishness, it's contagious out there,'' Ford said.

The Sixers are playing a more team-oriented style without Iverson, who has often been criticized throughout his career for taking too many shots and playing selfishly. Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer with an average of 26.4 points, is averaging 23.4 shots a game.

Second-year pro John Salmons has stepped up his play in Iverson's absence, scoring a career-high 22 points against Cleveland after getting 21 against Dallas.

Forward Kenny Thomas has become the team's go-to guy, averaging 19.1 points and 13 rebounds in 13 games this month.

Center Samuel Dalembert has established himself as a solid player, posting double digits in points and rebounds in consecutive games and five times this month, including a 23-point, 14-rebound performance against the Suns on Wednesday.

Though it's difficult to imagine any team could be better without a five-time All-Star and former league MVP, the Sixers have proved they don't need Iverson to win games. Even though he insists he won't to try to trade Iverson, general manager Billy King probably will seek offers for the one-time franchise player.

Iverson, who turns 29 in June, will be difficult to trade, however. He signed a $76.7 million, four-year contract extension in September that takes him through the 2008-09 season.

Via Associated Press

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