"THIS IS A DELICATE situation, because Allen Iverson is doing the right thing.

Family is family, and if he feels he needs to be with his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah, during her ongoing illness, that's exactly where he should be.

I applaud the 76ers for looking at Iverson as a man and father instead of only a basketball player. They provided him the leeway to leave the team and take care of what's truly important.

That said, the Sixers have another decision to make, now that Iverson has been granted an "indefinite" leave only three games after he returned from missing five games.

This one isn't about the man, and it must be made with the hard-line reasoning of what is best for the team.

Shut Iverson down for the rest of the season.

Sure, the timing would seem cold, but basketball doesn't stop, and difficult decisions still must be made.

So the Sixers should give Iverson their blessings and full support but tell him it's best for both sides if the team moves on without him.

The Sixers are 21-34 and seven games in the loss column out of the eighth and final seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Not that most people failed to realize this a long time ago, but with just 27 games remaining, the postseason is not happening.

Still, there are things that must be accomplished over the rest of the season, and the Sixers need to concentrate on that without the distraction of wondering when, or whether, Iverson will rejoin them.

By not making a team-altering transaction before Thursday's NBA trading deadline, Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski reaffirmed his commitment to the belief that his team has a young nucleus that he thinks can mature.

There's no time like the present to start finding out about the future, and I can't think of any scenario in which Iverson, whose skills have declined, plays a significant role in the Sixers' future.

Stefanski made a legitimate basketball decision when he re-signed Iverson, because Lou Williams had a long-term injury and the Sixers needed a veteran guard."