Curry was fired at the end of that season.
Iverson landed in Memphis, where Lionel Hollins played him sparingly after "The Answer" missed training camp this fall. It took a matter of days before Iverson cursed his new coach on the team bus, according to league sources.
Then Iverson returned for his ill-fated second stint in Philadelphia.
Originally, the player's absence from the team revolved around his daughter, then injuries.
Last week, after Iverson had left the Sixers to tend to his daughter, he was seen at the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament in Charlotte, N.C., purportedly for a fund-raising commitment.
"I love the guy," Brown said yesterday. "We might have had arguments, but at the end of the day, he tried for me and cared for me in his own way. He maybe was as important a player as we've ever had in the game; because wherever I went, folks didn't know who the hell I was, but they knew I was Allen Iverson's coach. That meant a great deal to me.
"All these young kids idolized him. Like me, they loved his courage. So it's a tragic thing to me to know he's going through this because he's had a wonderful life and wonderful kids and a phenomenal career."
Iverson's business manager, Gary Moore, addressed the player's latest troubles yesterday.
"We'll eventually issue a statement, probably around Monday or Tuesday, maybe before," Moore said. "I don't know. For now, though, just pray for us. Please pray for us. We need all the prayers we can get."
Contact staff writer Stephen A. Smith at 215-854-5846.
