Here’s today epic win over LeFraud and his cronies.

Ah, life is good today.

If Allen Iverson truly went to Turkey to play his way back into the NBA as he would have use believe, the former toast of Philly may want to rethink his plan.

The future Hall of Fame guard is not taking Turkey by the drumsticks. In three games, AI is averaging less than nine points to go with just over four assists per game. He’s scored a total of 26 points, dished out 13 dimes, and committed eight turnovers in 84 minutes of action.

This can’t be the production Besiktas ColaTurka Istanbul had in mind when they handed AI $4 million over two years.

Iverson is still a prime time name who will draw attention among those in the United States. The fact that he isn’t playing in the NBA can be attributed to a number of factors. No matter what, it’s sad to see the guy who filled the basketball stadium in South Philly with enough electricity to energize the region for a decade play out his career in this way.

Don’t look now, but the Sixers have a better winning percentage than the Dallas Cowboys. Two months ago, you thought that statement would be followed by optimism for a playoff birth next spring by our once proud NBA franchise.

While that doesn’t appear to be the case right now, the fact that the Sixers are in the win column for the first time in the 2010-11 NBA season is cause for celebration. Who knows how many more mornings we’ll wake up with this feeling.

Elton Brand was beasting on the Pacers Wednesday night.

Elton Brand paced the Sixers to a 101-75 win with 25 points, a dozen boards and four dimes. Thaddues Young came off the bench to add 16 points, and rookie Evan Turner dropped 12.

Coach Doug Collins missed the end of his first victory due to vertigo. He spent the second half in the trainer’s room on his back.

The Sixers next host the LeFraudless Cavs on Friday.

A year ago, Evan Turner was prepping for his senior year at The Ohio State University while the Atlanta Hawks were surging toward joining the upper echelon of Eastern Conference teams after years of futility.

Now, Turner is trying to help end the futile state of the Sixers. Tonight, Turner and the Sixers host the Hawks, winners in the season opener against the Grizzlies. The Sixers were turned away by the Frauds of Miami in their season opener on Wednesday.

Evan Turner looks to continue his rise to a legit NBA guard against the Hawks on Friday.

The second overall pick in June’s draft will come off the bench as he did on Wednesday. He added a spark as the Sixers tried to make a run at the Frauds in the second half, dropping a team-high 16 points in the process. He quieted critics who thought he’d be a complete bust because Sixers coach Doug Collins said he wasn’t the shooter Jason Kapono was.

Collins has to get Turner in early and hope he and Lou Williams can slash and dash to the hoop to light up the Sixers scoreboard.

Defensively, Andre Iguodala must continue his ascension to the upper level of NBA defenders if the Sixers are going to have a chance to get Collins his first win as The Man at the Wells Fargo Center.

Evan Turner had the City of Brotherly Love at the sound of, “with the second pick in the 2010 NBA Draft …”

But, as we know, you have to earn respect here. Nobody in a blue-collar city like Philly is ever handed it. The same applied to Turner.

Evan Turner dropped a team-high 16 points in his NBA debut against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

The fact is, we all wanted to love him right away and were prepared to do it. Everyone expected a legit shooting guard that we’d lacked forever and a day. As good as Iverson was, he wasn’t really a shooting guard. He ran the position and slashed the lane. But, he wasn’t a true SG.

Then, the wall came crashing down on Turnermania. Coach Doug Collins started Jason Kapono over the rookie from Ohio state. The reason Collins gave for the move was damning. He said the team needed a shooter on the floor and that Turner was more of a facilitator.

Um, he told fans that the second overall pick, a shooting guard, wasn’t a shooter. Right away, many, including your DailyPhiladelphian were concerned. Had we wasted a pick on Turner instead of taking a Derek Favors, a legit power forward. That was our thought, especially when Collins said he lacked a true NBA SG and PF.

All Turner did was come off the bench and rack up a team-high 16 points to go with seven boards and four assists.

He also gave us this Iversonesque highlight.

For one night, Turner showed that he is NBA ready. He showed he can come in and run the offense and fill the basket. But, it’s only one night. He now needs to do it on a consistent basis.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Reports surfaced today that future Sixers Hall of Famer Allen Iverson intends to lace up the Reebok’s in the NBA next season.

“Allen is working out and he’s getting himself prepared to make his return,” Iverson’s personal manager/untrained flack Gary Moore is quoted as saying. “He absolutely will try and play next year.”

The last part of that is the key — “…try and play…”

There’s one major problem with Iverson’s intentions — nobody wants him. If that isn’t clear to Iverson and Moore, it’s about to become a giant piece of Swarovski they can place on top of the TV to look at during commercials on NBA games they’ll be watching next year.

Allen Iverson is pondering a return to the NBA next year. Will anyone give him a chance?

Look, I loved Iverson and appreciate everything he did for the City of Philadelphia. He gave me and countless other Sixers fans one of the best springs of our lives in 2001. We even agreed with the Sixers bringing AI back last season. They needed him to provide a spark when Lou Williams went down, and he needed them to resurrect his image after being shown the door by three teams in a little more than one calendar year.

Yet, AI did nothing to make teams want to sign him. And, it has nothing to do with his 13.8 points and four dimes per night, all major drops from his career numbers.

After basically being banned from Detroit’s locker room as the Pistons were fighting for their playoff lives because he didn’t want to come off the bench, he went all last summer practically begging for a chance to play. The Memphis Grizzlies gave him a shot, and then severed ties with the former All-Star after just three games for the same reason.

Iverson was staring retirement in the face before the Sixers desperately came calling. Hell, even the New York Knicks passed on Iverson.

AI’s return was something special and, likely, the last great moment Sixers fans and he will share. In fact, we’ll go out on a limb and say that will be his last great NBA moment, period.

After appearing in just 25 games, Iverson was finished as a Sixer due to personal problems. His daughter was very ill and nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. We’ll never question AI’s love for his family and he was where he needed to be. However, he also announced (or the Sixers announced) he was going to stay home for the year a day or two before his wife filed divorce papers.

The timing was questionable.

Iverson played just 28 games in 2009-2010 and saw his numbers drop to 13.8 points and 4.1 assists per night. Will he accept a role as a bench player for an NBA squad?

Then, Stephen A. Smith reported that AI’s close associates were very concerned for one of the top three little men in NBA history due to excessive gambling and drinking. It’s no secret, especially in Philly, that AI liked to party. Just ask Friday’s on City Line Ave., or the AC casinos.

And, that is all part of the problem. Iverson loves to party, but that — along with all the hits he’s taken driving the lane with the big men — have taken a toll on his body. Combine that with the negatives relating to gambling, and his outspoken nature when it comes to being a starter on a team and we just don’t know which team will sign him.

Remember, he sat all last summer before Memphis gave him a shot. He was ready to retire before the Sixers gave him a chance.

Who do you see stepping up to the plate for a declining 35-year old guard with AI’s baggage?