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Just listen to the trade rumors that were gently leaked, if not allowed to cascade. Just listen to Iverson as he shrugs with acceptance at the notion of double-parking outside another arena.
Mostly, just listen to King, the Sixers’ president and general manager and a man clearly at professional peace with what will become the signature moment of his career as an NBA executive.
"The thing about it is that there have been numerous times in the past where people have called about Allen," he said. "But the speculation at the end of the season was a lot higher this year. In the past, people would call and I would say, ‘No.’ But I always listened. I think that’s what you have to do.
"But I have probably listened more this year because of where we are as a franchise and an organization."
So he’s listened. More, he’s let it be known that he’s listened. Now, the customers know he is listening, and that he has been listening for weeks, and that he will continue to listen. When he takes that leap, then, the fans may cover their eyes and hope for the best. But the howling will be muffled.
It had to be that way. So it is that way. Allen Iverson has been too popular -- and Hall of Fame-caliber successful, too -- to have been traded without such public preparation. The 76ers, with King as their face, could not risk their fan base waking up to a "Goodbye, A.I." headline. Had it happened that way, swarms of rebels and wearing Iverson headbands would have paraded around the PCOM Center brandishing torches and burning their season tickets.
No, the customers were entitled to the therapy they’ve been receiving almost from season’s end. They needed to be prepared. Now, they are.
"Even at this point, Allen and I have met and have talked about it, and he understands what we are trying to do" King said. "And I understand what his thought process is. We will listen and we will try to talk to other people about trying to make this team better."
King can say that now. Out loud. On radio, in the papers, on TV, and, should he desire, on top of a stack of telephone books downtown at lunchtime. He can say that now because of the way he prepped the public. Mostly, he can say it without fear of fan rebellion. And of all the recent developments in Philadelphia sports, that is the most significant - yet by ingenious design, among the least controversial.
Five years ago, such sass would have been cause for King’s dismissal. Three years ago, it would have commanded six unfiltered days of sports-radio yelling. Last year, even, it might have driven Iverson himself into a stand-up rant about everything from disrespect to the practice schedules to something Larry Brown might have mumbled six years earlier.
Now?
Now, there is a strange calm, that peace with the idea that not only can the Sixers trade a guard who’d just averaged 33 points a game, but also peace with all of its consequences and, yes, all of its possibilities.
"I think my job is to do what I think is best for this organization," King said. "Some people may disagree with what I think is best, or what our staff thinks is best. But we have to listen. We can’t base it on ‘This guy is way too popular to do anything’. The thing about it is, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) was traded. Wilt (Chamberlain) was traded. Jason Kidd was traded. A lot of teams make decisions based on what is best for the franchise. Nobody ever thought Shaquille O’Neal would leave L.A."
So King is listening. He listened to Boston on draft night, and was willing to broker a deal that would have cost the Sixers Iverson, but would have landed them Randy Foye from Villanova. It’s been reported that he’s listened to Golden State about Troy Murphy. Atlanta was mentioned. Just a hunch, but when Iverson goes, it will be to a team that wasn’t even rumored at all, because that’s the way those things tend to work. When it happens, though, the story won’t really be where Iverson will be playing next, but where he won’t be playing any more.
Should the Sixers trade Iverson? Please. No mas. That sluggish debate is no more likely to be won or lost than it was on the day Brad Greenberg made him the No. 1 pick in the draft. He’s too small to physically survive a championship playoff run, misses too many shots and is a chronic off-day distraction. Yet he beautifies any boxscore, never takes a shift off and is an underrated defender and passer. Pick a side, as most have, and argue it until last call. But if there is any reasonable tiebreaker, it is this: That lottery business is tired, too. So not even a headfirst plunge can worsen that headache.
"You’ve got to go with your gut," Billy King said. "You have to do your due diligence and do what you think is best, and not get so hamstrung that you can’t make decisions."
Eventually, it is time to leap.
More than ever, the safety nets wait.
To contact Jack McCaffery, e-mail sports@delcotimes.com.
