Ken Berger

Free agent Allen Iverson met for two hours in Dallas on Monday with 76ers president Ed Stefanski and coach Eddie Jordan, the first step in a possible reunion between the controversial star and the team that launched his career.

Stefanski issued the following statement on the team's web site after the meeting, held hours before Philadelphia was to continue a four-game Western swing against the Mavericks:

"This afternoon, we met with free agent Allen Iverson in Dallas for the first formal discussion regarding a possible return to the Philadelphia 76ers. The meeting lasted approximately two hours and covered a variety of topics, all of which we would prefer to keep between the team and Allen. The meeting was attended by Allen, his agent Leon Rose, and his personal manager Gary Moore, along with 76ers senior vice president/assistant general manager Tony DiLeo, head coach Eddie Jordan, assistant coach Aaron McKie, and me. At this time, both parties remain non-committal regarding a final decision and we will continue to discuss internally whether or not to pursue this course. We want to thank Allen, Leon, and Gary for taking the time to meet with us today. The Sixers will have no further comment at this time and further updates will be provided as they become available."

The two sides got together after Iverson spent the past week manipulating media coverage in his favor -- first, announcing his retirement on long-time confidant Stephen A. Smith's personal web site, then reaching out to the Sixers through intermediaries to express his interest in returning to the team that responded to his 2006 trade demand by dealing him to Denver.

Earlier Monday, it was reported that Sixers chairman Ed Snider said the team's basketball department would have autonomy to make a call on signing Iverson. For a team struggling with attendance and unable to recapture the relevance of the Iverson era, a reunion would make perfect sense from a business standpoint. Imagine the uptick in ticket sales, not to mention jerseys and other merchandise. But ask the Grizzlies how that plan worked out; Iverson lasted only three games before leaving the team amid complaints about playing time. The Grizzlies wound up shipping 3,000 Iverson jerseys to Tanzania, the birthplace of first-round pick Hasheem Thabeet, instead of handing them out as part of a promotion at a recent game.

Other than signing with the Sixers, playing in Tanzania would seem to be Iverson's best option at this point. Former coaches and teammates (Larry Brown, Carmelo Anthony) have publicly proclaimed that they don't want to see Iverson's career end this way. Yet no team other than the Sixers has stepped forward with legitimate interest since the Knicks decided not to offer Iverson a contract on Nov. 20. Prior to meeting with Iverson, the Sixers discussed the possibility of signing him over the weekend after learning that point guard Lou Williams would miss up to eight weeks with a broken jaw.

There continue to be significant objections among the Sixers' basketball staff to adding Iverson's dominant personality to a rebuilding team that has tried to distance itself from an era that included success and a litany of distractions. Notably absent from the meeting with Iverson was assistant coach Randy Ayers, for whom Iverson once lobbied to become the Sixers' head coach before quickly turning on him and getting him fired. 

Ultimately, Jordan will have to decide if he's willing to sacrifice the offensive system and winning culture he's attempting to instill and instead hitch himself to Iverson's whims, a tactic that did not work out well for many of his predecessors.