Iverson undergoing a period of adjustment, but he still commands attention

"It wasn't anything, really," Curry said. "It was no different than when other guys have missed a workout or been late for something. We fine him, we talk about it and we move on."

Sixers guard Willie Green, who has seen similar episodes, said, "I take the positives with Allen."

"He's left a great legacy as a hard-working player," Green said. "Sometimes he's just him, though. I think that's why Philly embraced him the way they did. He's a strong-minded person; the thing we can say about him is, every game he gives you his all. A guy like that, you've got to love him. He reminds me of Charles Barkley a little bit, just outspoken and things of that nature. That's A.I. He's going to be A.I."

Make no mistake, there are games in which Curry is going to want the A.I. who is in the record books.

"The hardest part is incorporating him into a really good team," Curry said. "There are certain things he brings to the table we really need. There are certain things he's done in the past we don't really need him to do here. It's definitely an adjustment for him. It's an adjustment for our guys."

The adjustment, Sixers backup center Theo Ratliff said, goes beyond that. Ratliff was a teammate of the younger, even more headstrong version of Iverson and finished last season with the Pistons.

"A lot of people don't understand that when you change teams you change the whole atmosphere of what you're used to," Ratliff said. "When you get traded in midseason, it's like another life. You're used to having your life a certain way, in a certain place. You have your whole routine and all of a sudden you've got to try to figure it out all over again."

But at whatever point Iverson is asked to go out and dominate, he firmly believes he can step seamlessly into that role.

"I'm a scorer," he said. "Simple as that. That's what I can do. Whenever I'm needed, that's what I'll do."

You never know. Could be tonight. *

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