For a team with one supposed borderline star player around which to build, you’d think the Sixers would be able to develop a better highlight video than the one posted on Sixers.com today. Besides the crappy music selected, the video doesn’t do much to enhance Iggy’s image as an athletic guy who can dunk, but falls short elsewhere on the court.

The Sixers posted their 2009-10 Andre Iguodala highlight video today, and we expected a better product considering Iggy is one of the guys the team is expected to try to continue marketing to us this season. Sure, Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday will get promoted. So will Doug Collins. But, Iggy is the “veteran” of the group who has gotten people to jump out of their seats with thunderous dunks through the years.

The issue is, at this point in his career, Iguodala should have a short game to complement his dunks and explosive athleticism. The video doesn’t do anything to dismiss the concept that Iguodala regressed last year and is a nice No. 2 player, but not capable of being a true star.

The video shows 52 plays. Of those 52, we see just three blocks, two ballsaving dives out of bounds and one steal. For a guy that new coach Doug Collins sees as a First Team All Defensive player, we’d expect to see more highlights on the defensive end, even if offense sells.

We also see 12 shots that aren’t dunks and 35 rim-rockers. Again, we know dunks sell and bring the crowd, but we’d expect more and-one shots from a guy who is paid like a No. 1.

Take a look for yourself.

By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

Allen Iverson struck gold this week.

Once the most dazzling player in the NBA that everyone admired for his willingness to take his small stature straight into the Land of the Giants, Iverson has become an afterthought in NBA circles. And, rightfully so.

The man has been banished from two teams publicly and one privately in the last fourteen months. His career was on the brink of busting quicker than any blackjack hand he’s had at the casino. While he’s stated his desire to play next year, the overlying question is this: Will a team take a final chance on The Answer?

LeBron James may have cracked the door open for AI to not only play in 2010-11, but cap his career with the ring he covets.

Allen Iverson wants to dive on the NBA hardwood next year. Can he find a team?

With LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh all signing with the Heat, and Michael Beasley being driven to the airport with a paper bag on his head, Miami now has four players under contract for next year. Even with their three second round picks, that gives the team seven players. They need more and don’t have much cap room to do it.

Sure, Mike Miller is close to joining the Three Amigos in South Beach. Yes, rumors now persist that Derek Fisher is exploring playing fourth fiddle to James. But, they still need bodies.

Iverson is sitting at home waiting for phone calls. He was sent home from Detroit when the Pistons were struggling for their playoff lives in 2009 because he didn’t see himself as a bench player. He went all summer practically begging for a chance to play. He lasted just three games in Memphis for the same reason.

Rumors of retirement were put to sleep because of a Lou Williams broken jaw. He came back home to Philly — for 25 games anyway. His daughter’s medical condition and his own marital issues apparently kept AI from finishing the season.

In recent weeks, Iverson has restated his quest to grace the NBA hardwood with his sweat one last time.

“I want to return to the NBA this season, and help any team that wants me, in any capacity that they feel that I can help,” Iverson tweeted on July 5. “I’m disappointed, and I owe my fans more than what they have seen of me the last couple seasons. However, now that my family is healthy and rock solid, I can concentrate fully on doing what I do best! At the camp, I will help teach kids some of what it takes to be successful in life. On and off the basketball court.”

When tweeting that statement, Iverson was beginning his second annual summer reality show “Groveling for a Job.” Honestly, nobody was going to take a chance on AI at this point.

The Miami Heat have star power in James, Wade and Bosh. They lack depth and a complete roster. Could AI be in the plans?

Then, he struck gold Thursday with The Decision.

The Heat need AI and AI needs the Heat. It’s a marriage made in Leon Rose’s office.

Leon Rose?

See, Leon Rose is the agent for Dictator James; he’s also AI’s agent. In fact, Leon rose to the top of the NBA agent profession based on his recruitment of Iverson from David Falk, the former King of the Agents.

You don’t think Rose wants Iverson back on the court? You don’t think he’s going to talk to James about AI joining the team?

If there is one team out there that can control Iverson’s ego at this point, it’s the Heat with James, Wade, Bosh and Pat Riley. If Iverson’s serious about just wanting to play and helping a team in any way possible, the Heat is his best option.

Aside from the agent connection, AI playing in Miami makes basketball sense. If nothing else, Iverson showed that he is willing to pass and doesn’t need to hog the rock during his brief layover in Philly last year. He was clearly a different player from the 2001 Iverson we all fell in love with.

If he has the mentality to come off the bench, sign for the veteran’s minimum and be one of the guys, Miami is where he must end up. If he truly wants that elusive NBA Championship, he knows where to go.

Thursday presented Iverson with a golden opportunity. Now, will he sacrifice the way he says he’s willing to? Will he sacrifice like Wade, Bosh and James have? And, more importantly, will Miami give him the chance to make that sacrifice?

Spencer Hawes, the projected starting center for your 76ers, has joined the summer league team to work out with the younger guys and get a feel for his teammates.

Acquired from the Kings for Samuel Dalembert, Hawes himself is just 22 years old and needs to grow with Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Marreese Speights and Jodie Meeks. Those guys are going to be part of the core youth movement the team is going with right now.

Hawes said he likes the way the summer league squad is playing right now. Also, he reveals he had dinner with Coach Collins in Philly and is excited to get a fresh start under his tutelage.

Below is video from Sixers.com detailing Hawes’ thoughts following the team’s summer league game against the Celtics on Wednesday.

Will James Dolan meet all of Dictator James' requests?

Just hours from a national TV special on ESPN, LeBron James still has not decided where he’ll lace up his Nikes next year.

According to a source extremely far removed from the situation, King James is still working to create the ideal scenario for him to join either the Heat or Knicks. Here are some of the requirements:

• He will be named defacto GM and President of Basketball Operations, much as he was in Cleveland.
• No coach will last more than two years, unless they win a championship. In that case, the coach will be fired before the trophy presentation so as to not get credit for LeBron’s title.
• He will no longer be known as “King James”. Instead, he will be known as either “Dictator James” or “Grand Exalted Ruler of the Universe.”
• Delonte West is not allowed in any arena when Dictator James’ mom is present.
• David Stern agrees to relinquish his role as NBA Commissioner to James.
• Tim Donaghy is reinstated as an NBA referee and is assigned to every LBJ game.
• No. 6, James’ new uniform number, is unretired from each NBA city so that it can be retired in his honor when he’s done playing.
• In three years, after he’s made trades and signings that create salary cap hell for his team, he can opt out of the contract and do this all over again.

According to the source, Knicks owner James Dolan has agreed to all terms and has sweetened the pot. He’s said to have offered James the role of GM/coach/player. James, reportedly doesn’t like that idea because then he couldn’t fire the himself after failing to win a championship. He needs the “scapegoat clause” in any deal he signs.

Dolan then offered to rehire Larry Brown for that purpose.

The source, who happens to be my 11-year-old nephew, has no NBA Insider knowledge. But, hey, with all of ESPN’s “sources” floating things out there, why not give the kid a shot.

Only hours away from seeing where Dictator James intends to play next season.

Dubbed King James before even receiving a high school diploma, it’s no wonder that LeBron James, the biggest name to hit free agency in the modern era of sports, has acted as if America is the land of peasants hanging on his every word, his every tweet.

The truth is, sadly, we are.

As much as LeBron has been bashed for announcing that he’ll make his announcement during a one hour live special on ESPN Thursday, we’ll all tune in. Is it because we think of this as the Jersey Shore of NBA free agency — the train wreck we can’t turn away from? Or, is it because we really care about what he has to say and don’t want to be the only ones to miss out on the historic announcement.

And, make no mistakes, this is historic. History will look back at this as the first time a free agent held a national prime time television special to announce his intentions. And, LeBron will add to the circus. This won’t be your run-of-the-mill announcement. Plus, you’ll likely see a reality TV series come out later this summer that documents the LBJ Derby.

Expect graphics and slideshows explaining why he’s chosen his city. Expect the actors from Miami Vice or The Drew Carey Show in studio performing a live skit showing us why the city the chosen one has chosen should get down on their hands and knees and buy LeBron merchandise from Lebronjames.com yesterday.

Will leBron James be tearing the Cavs jerseys off of the nation's kids tomorrow? Only time will tell if the NBA will see a spike in Cavs or Heat jerseys.

LeBron’s gone about this free agency period unlike anyone else because he wanted to do the best for his brand identity. Creating suspense will create greater opportunities to pump up his bank account and ego. How else do you explain ESPN telling us sources say LBJ will announce his playing destination on ESPN?

However, this has backfired and King James’ image will take a knock in the eyes of most Americans. He’s already become a laughingstock on Twitter. Respected NBA Blogs such as InsideHoops.com have tweeted that James “just got up and ate breakfast.” Once King James launched his Twitter account, he had hundreds of thousands of followers before a single tweet. He even dubbed himself “King of Akron.”

He quickly became a trending topic on Twitter as people cracked jokes about what his first tweet would be. He ended up saying hello and thanking Chris Paul for getting him to join the Twitterverse.

But, it’s so much more than that. He’s acted like he’s entitled and made no bones about it. Consider:

• James made the Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Cavs, Heat and Clippers go to Cleveland to make their pitch at the base of his throne. He was concerned with what the teams could do for him. He didn’t care about the facilities or environment/team culture. You can only get a true sense of that when meeting in a team’s facilities. Sure. he plays in each city every year, but it’s different when you’re just visiting. Wade and Bosh followed James’ example.
• LBJ has acted like the GM of each team. Now, it’s not his fault teams like the Knicks say “what you want, we’ll do. You pick your supporting cast.” However, that’s the perception people have gained. Seriously, this era of free agency is making GMs look as pertinent to NBA teams as cashiers in a self-checkout lane at the supermarket.
• Bron Bron relaunching his web site during all the attention.
• Rumors circulating about when and how he;s announce the Decision Heard Round the World.
• The ESPN prime time special announcement.

LeBron has used this free agency period to enhance his brand identity. The end result may be that he's hurt it more than helped it.

LeBron has become an mass media attention whore. The only people that can truly enjoy and appreciate the James’ circus are BP Oil and Brett Favre. The media attention James has received has pushed those two into the rearview mirror. It’s pretty sad when an NBA free agent racks up more time in the public conscience than a national environmental disaster.

People are sick of LeBron and the way he’s carried out the process in a way that makes him look like the self-serving, narcissistic youth of today. Even Buzz Bissinger, the author of his book, has ripped Lebron on Twitter. Bissinger says he was duped and that he doesn’t even know the man now.

Is it LeBron’s fault? No. It’s ours for pumping his head with hot air from the time he was in high school with things such as ESPN broadcasts during his senior year.

Still, LeBron has had no issues with taking every opportunity to make this period about himself. For that, his image in the present has suffered.

Of course, actually winning a championship will cure everything.

The Sixers backcourt could be deep for the foreseeable future. Rookie Evan Turner, and second year guards Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks combined for 41 of the Sixers 86 points in their second summer league win in as many games. The Sixers dropped the Celtics, 86-69.

Meeks led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point line. Turner dropped 13 points and four assists. He also registered two steals, including this beauty.

Holiday, the second year point guard from UCLA, had his second straight impressive performance with 10 points and five assists. He does need to become more consistent as a starter. Shooting 3-of-10 isn’t a good sign.

The other big thing out of tonight’s game was Marreese Speights’ work on both ends of the court. A night after a poor offensive outing, Speights, the third year forward from Florida, had 12 points and 11 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end. Nobody has really ever questioned his offensive prowess. The defensive end is where he needs to improve. Crashing the glass is a step in the right direction.

All eyes were on the kid from Ohio State. Fresh off his MLB ballpark tour of tossing out first pitches and singing “Take me out to the Ballgame,” Evan Turner made his debut in a Sixers uniform.

But, two second year guards stole the show.

Jrue Holiday played with the court awareness of a veteran and continued to add to the thought that he’ll be a solid point guard in the league and team with Turner to form the backcourt of the future.

The second year guard dropped 23 points and had eight dimes.

Jrue Holiday exploded for 25 points en route to a Sixers win over the Nets in summer league action.

The other guy who turned heads, and caught our attention in limited action last year, was Jodie Meeks. He second year pro from Kentucky scored 18 points and had five rebounds.

Will Meeks ever be a starter? unlikely. Can he be an Aaron McKie type of player off the bench who scores when needed? Absolutely.

Turner looked rusty and scored 12 pints on 2-of-5 shooting. He also had eight boards and four assists. Look for Turner to be more offensive in tonight’s game.

If anyone questioned the fact that sports are a business, the New York Knicks pursuit of LeBron James will remove all doubt.

The Knicks aren’t selling LeBron on their basketball team, likely a smart move. They’re not even selling him on New York. They are trying to sell him on the fact that his brand will increase in value the most if he plays in New York.

Forbes has gotten its hands on the PowerPoint presentation based on research conducted by Interbrand, a marketing consultant hired by the team, which the Knicks showed LeBron. (Bang it here to view the presentation; it’s at the bottom of the story this link takes you to.)

As someone who worked in public relations for nearly a decade, I’ll tell you it’s fairly impressive. The presentation points out the positives and negatives of playing in New York, Miami, Cleveland and Chicago.

In New York, Interbrand estimates King James could make $1 billion through endorsements and appearances. The numbers fall in the other cities.

While this is definitely new and innovative — and something LeBron will surely be impressed with — we hope the Knicks didn’t piss away too much money on this. The fact remains that LeBron already has enough money to live on for his whole life. Winning will bring endorsement dollars no matter where he plays, as the presentation also mentions.

More to the point, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets would give James the same opportunities. If the Knicks think LeBron won’t put two-and-two together, all James Dolan needs to do is look out his office window for a reminder that a new blueprint is coming to town. And, wouldn’t it be a kick in the nuts if James is added to the billboard next week?

We were a little surprised to see the following tweet from for NBA baller and Sixer Donyell Marshall minutes ago: “Wow thanks to my new basketball family the GW Colonials. The fans have already accepted me. I’m excited to be part of this wonderful program.”

Upon further investigation, it appears Marshall has left his one-year gig as analyst of CSN’s Sixers Postgame Live to become an assistant coach at George Washington.

In a tweet response to us, Marshall said he is done at CSN, but may do occasional guest appearances when the college season ends.

Donyell marshall is leaving the TV studio at Comcast SportsNet for the pine at George Washington.

Coach Karl Hobbs, an assistant at Connecticut when Marshall turned himself into an NBA lottery pick, believes Marshall adds instant credibility to his program, especially in terms of recruiting. Hobbs cited Marshall’s work in the AAU circuit recently.

In following Marshall on Twitter for the last few months, it’s clear he has a passion for the game, coaching, and helping bring kids along in the game and in life. He recently went back to school to complete his degree, something not everyone who had earned millions in the NBA would have done.

From our standpoint, we think GW just got a great person to help the program grow.

One would have been selected last year after reaching the Final Four, the other expected to be picked this year after winning a national championship. In the end, both players’ cell phones were quiet on draft night.

They traveled different paths, but Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds and Haddonfield/Duke product Brian Zoubek will both compete in NBA summer leagues.

Reynolds was added to the Suns team a couple of days ago. Fresh of Nova’s improbable run to the Final Four in 2009, Reynolds toyed with entering the draft last year. He opted to remain in college and now will travel the tough road toward making an NBA roster.

Reynolds averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 assists and 2.7 boards a game for the Wildcats last season.

Zoubek, on the other hand, has battled back from injuries and questions about his toughness to put himself in the NBA mix. A 7-foot blue chip prospect coming out of high school, he was supposed to be a major force in college ball. Foot injuries derailed his career.

Last season, he assumed a starting role and became a leader of the eventual NCAA National Champs.

He’ll play with the Nets team, and New Jersey may be his best option to play in the NBA next year. As sucky as they were, they are continuing to clear cap space in hopes of signing prized free agents, most notably LeBron James and Chris Bosh, this summer. If the Nets strike out, they’ll need to add players like Zoubek just to fill a roster.