Bob Ford: As always, Iverson says the right words

The words have never been a problem for Allen Iverson. He has always been able to come up with the right words, and there's little doubt that, at the time, he has always meant them.

The words were there again last evening when he came back to the 76ers after three years in the wilderness. He didn't need a script, and the words that came from his heart were perfect for the occasion and, as always, he meant them at the moment they were delivered.

This is home. This is the team he loves. This is the only situation that could have lured him out of his brief retirement. This is the only place where the thought of playing again could bring tears to his eyes.

And it did.

"The opportunity to come back here. . . . I couldn't turn it down," Iverson said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm just happy."

Of course, Iverson was also happy to leave in 2006, happy to join the Denver Nuggets, happy two years later to join the Detroit Pistons and happy this fall to become a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Each time, he meant it.

"You never know what you've got until it's gone," Iverson said. "I thought all those situations were going to work because that's the confidence I have in myself. I ran into some bad situations."

Yes, he did. He ran into three separate situations that didn't work. He found himself a member of three organizations not willing to accommodate him as the Sixers had done for a decade.

The Sixers didn't set out to create the Allen Iverson who took too many shots, who didn't work on his game, who played indifferent defense. It happened slowly over time. The organization shaped itself around his undeniable talent and looked the other way at his equally undeniable drawbacks.

If he didn't feel like practicing, well, that became part of the deal. If he didn't take care of himself off the court, that would have to be ignored as well. He helped revive the entire franchise, after all, filled the new arena, and brought excitement that translated easily to the fan base.

The people cheering in the stands didn't care that there were two sets of rules for the team, those for Iverson and those for everyone else. Why would they? It was the team's burden to bear, and the organization bore that burden until it finally broke.

Only then did Iverson run into those bad situations, and is it possible that Denver, Detroit, and Memphis were all wrong and Iverson was right? He says he doesn't see it that way, either, and admits his reputation as a team-killer was one he earned.