One Answer. Lots of Questions.

It's not that we don't like watching Allen Iverson play. The guy is an absolute warrior - wants to play hurt, wants to play when the Sixers are up, wants to play when the game's close, wants to play when they're getting hammered. Time and time again, he gets knocked to the court, and you just wait for him not to get up, because he's not the burliest guard in the league, after all, but then, there he is, scraping himself off the floor and hobbling to the free throw line.

And people here appreciate that. If any other player in Philadelphia had spat out that "We're talkin' about practice!" line, he'd have been ridiculed faster than you can say, "Ricky Watters." But Philly fans take heart over talent every time; that Iverson has a great deal of talent is almost secondary around here. A.I. never takes a play off, never seeks to recede into the background and let someone else take the risk. He wants the ball - all the time.

And therein lies much of the Sixers' problem. For Iverson to get his nearly 30 a game, he has to take way too many shots. That the 76ers made it to the NBA finals all those years ago is a testament to Larry Brown's ability to get his team to play defense; that allowed the Sixers to absorb all of A.I.'s clangs off the rim. Since then the coaching door at the Wachovia Center has resembled a turnstile on the Broad Street subway, and we're still stuck watching an incomplete team that barely makes the playoffs, only to get dismissed in the first round. Different coaches, different philosophies, same result. Different players brought in to complement Iverson's unique game, that of a hybrid guard who's good at both the one and the two, but not excellent at either; same result.

Oh, and as much as the "practice" line has been forgiven, we're inclined to see it differently. No. 1, practice helps you get better. No. 2, even if you'd rather spend your free time getting Punk'd, your teammates deserve you at practice so that they can better. No. 3, we never heard Michael Jordan complain about practice, and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us.

The 76ers begin their 2005-06 season Tuesday night. There's lots of excitement over Mo Cheeks's return home. But as long as the black hole of A.I. is sucking up minutes and shots in the backcourt, the Sixers are going to be on the outside looking in next June. Again.