Bobcats Need to Sign Iverson

Michael Jordan still hasn't created the buzz that the Charlotte Bobcats need to be relevant again.

Allen Iverson could.

And Larry Brown knows it.

The Bobcats could spend the next three years treading water in Charlotte, mired in mediocrity or worse, while support for the franchise continues to erode and Jordan shirks more front office duties.

Or they can take the bold step, light the fuse and sign Iverson as a free agent next week, enjoying the fireworks that surely will follow when he and Brown renew their love/hate relationship.

The Bobcats won't pay Iverson anywhere close to the $21 million he made last season with Denver and Detroit – no one else will either -- but they easily can clear enough space to pay him the $7 - $10 million he will take to continue carving his legacy as the toughest little man in NBA history.

There is no reason not to do it.

The 'Cats have an owner losing millions and trying to sell. Attendance is way down, particularly troubling for a town that once led the league when they had the Hornets. They have a sparkling new arena with too many empty seats. And they aren't going anywhere with the team they have now.

Iverson could put them in the playoffs for the first time in Bobcats history, giving the long-suffering fans a reason to watch once again. Just give him the ball and watch.

Don't ask him to fit in. Tell him to sparkle. Don't ask him to practice. Tell him to score every night.

Remember, it was Brown and Iverson who put the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals in 2001, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. They almost killed each other as they learned to co-exist, but it worked. Iverson made Brown's hair turn gray, frustrated him at every turn, but he never played better than he did under Brown's coaching.

"There were things that went on during our careers (together), but the work he did was phenomenal,'' Brown said recently. "He played hard every night. He played hurt.''

The Bobcats won 36 games last season, Brown's first in Charlotte, but it's hard to find any reason for optimism with the current roster. First-round draft pick Gerald Henderson of Duke is a complimentary player at best.

Current point guard Raymond Felton will never be more than average. Shooting guard Raja Bell should be a reserve. Iverson could replace either one in the lineup, and give the Bobcats 25 points every night, teaching a relatively young team how to compete like he does. And no one competes any harder than he has, getting knocked around by players twice his size, bouncing up each time it happens.

Iverson was a disaster in Detroit late last season, contributing to the recent firing of coach Michael Curry. He didn't fit into the rigid system the Pistons already had created. It was a bad fit from the start.

But that's where Brown's presence in Charlotte would work wonders. He knows how to get the best from Iverson, one of the most unique players the league ever has seen. He can do it again, turning around a franchise in desperate need of a spark.