Allen Iverson and Bobby Abreu...Two Peas in a Pod?

So the Sixers have turned around their season like the Phillies of '06...following the trade of their superstar...huh? So let me get this straight, Philadelphia franchises do better AFTER they trade away their best player.

The Phillies were 49-54 on the day that they dealt Abreu and Lidle to the Yankees for prospects. They finished the season on a 35-23 tear...narrowly missing the playoffs.

This year's Sixers were 5-18 with Iverson (though he wasn't playing everyday and eventually sent home) and are 19-20 without him, currently only 4 1/2 games out of the pathetic Eastern Conference playoff picture.

While no one can debate the talent of these well respected players (except for Abreu's offensive Gold Glove), their respective eras in this city were similarly over. It is nearly impossible for a franchise to change their losing ways while maintaining the same personnel, especially the face of the franchise. Iverson's 11 seasons here, highlighted by the Finals loss to the Lakers, had simply run their course. The team could not get any better with him as their leader, and he could never play a supporting role (nor would it have been right). The strange thing is, if the Sixers somehow climb into the playoffs, riding their current 6 game winning streak, they still may end up with a lottery pick, as Denver is struggling right now, only 1 1/2 games ahead of 9th place Sacramento. The same could be said about Abreu...a city can only take so many narrow playoff misses before they turn on their superstars.

At season's end, I think that the Sixers miss the playoffs. Aside from getting a shot at the lottery (albeit with much reduced odds than thought a month ago) they maintain their first round pick, which is protected through the lottery and lowest seeded playoff spot to the Warriors from a four-team trade in 2003. The pick has been protected through the top 15 and been delayed for 4 years (passing from Atlanta to Dallas to Golden State), and King finally agreed to buy the pick out for $1 Million. Therefore, the Sixers capturing the 7th playoff spot could be disastrous for the team.

I think Denver pulls it together and makes the playoffs. The team simply cannot play as bad as they are right now. They are young, and sometimes stupid, but I think Iverson puts on some spectacular shows down the stretch. That being said, their pick should fall into the teens. Dallas' pick, of course, will be worthless, and will hopefully be packaged along with either Denver's or the Sixers'. The last pick in the first round is worth less than the top 3 to 5 picks in the 2nd round because the money is guaranteed for the same second tier talent. Plus, this team is already young and would not benefit from 3 rookies (especially since they could no longer take a developing high school player and stash him in the D League).

So another Philadelphia team is seeing a resurgence since trading the face of the franchise. The Flyers are following suit trading half of their veterans, but it's impossible to play any worse so they are expected to rebound slightly. The same thing could happen to the Eagles if they miss the playoffs or McNabb gets hurt again.