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PHILADELPHIA - Since it's unlikely Larry Brown will be Allen Iverson's coach again, Brown is at least pitching in as Iverson's promoter.
Following the Charlotte Bobcats practice Tuesday, Brown was adamant Iverson shouldn't retire after parting ways with the Memphis Grizzlies.
"We need him in our game," said Brown, who had a successful, if friction-filled, relationship with Iverson while coaching the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown said he spoke with Iverson's agent Leon Rose and exchanged texts with Iverson after the Grizzlies and the guard agreed to terminate his one-year contract.
Brown reiterated at practice what he told the Observer late Monday: that while he'd happily coach Iverson again, signing Iverson doesn't make sense relative to the guard-filled roster.
That was true during the summer and still is.
"He was coming with us but, again, it wouldn't have been fair," Brown said of the offseason discussions with Iverson. "We drafted a young guard, Gerald Henderson, who we all love. We had Raja Bell. We had Raymond Felton, we had D.J. (Augustin). Two of those guys would have been put in an uncomfortable position" by Iverson's presence.
Iverson has said repeatedly he still perceives himself as a star deserving major minutes, preferably as a starter. Brown said it makes no sense to sign Iverson unless you're sure he'd be one of your primary three guards.
"If we had a need for him, if he could be one of our three guards, I wouldn't hesitate," Brown said. "But we don't have that right now. My goal is that somebody else might realize what he can bring."
