"In the end, the Sixers will have to ask themselves if it was worth bringing Allen Iverson back, to go through the drama that Iverson brought -- reporting out of shape and missing four games with an arthritic knee, plus taking two leaves of absences and missing nine more games before leaving for good last week.

The Sixers believe that it was worthwhile, though Iverson's play had clearly declined and the Sixers' record with him (10-15) wasn't much better than their record without him (12-24).

Don't be fooled. Iverson's tenure wasn't worthwhile -- and that includes at the box office -- and it could end up costing Sixers coach Eddie Jordan his job.

For starters, it's never a good sign when the entire team said Iverson's influence was felt mostly off the court.

"I think he helped the guys out a lot, just being at ease," Sixers forward Andre Iguodala said. "Not just from a basketball standpoint, but going through rough times. It can be really frustrating, losing a lot of games. He did a good job bringing his personality to us, as far as even on the plane or the bus, guys just having a chance to laugh. It wasn't all negative. He brought a positive side."

Great, so Iverson was comic relief, the class clown to break up the tension during a hard exam.

But he never really showed the Sixers how to pass that exam, or win that close game. Lately, they haven't even been in close games. Their last seven losses have come by an average of 18.4 points per game."