Allen Iverson Live

Good news is that Allen Iverson is scheduled to come back on Monday in Portland. He has been resting his arthritic knee for what will be four games. It will be interesting to see who Jordan starts in the backcourt then.

When Allen Iverson heard from doctors that he was diagnosed with arthritis in his left knee, only one word popped into his head: Old.

“That was the worst part of the whole thing,” Iverson said with a laugh yesterday after he watched the team practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “You could have said anything but arthritis. I mean, that sounds so old. But it’s something that I’ve got to deal with and that’s what it is.”

After not playing for close to a month after his brief three-game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies this season, Iverson jumped right into the fray with the Sixers, admittedly out of shape and lacking his normal basketball skills. That didn’t stop him from putting in major minutes in his five games back in Philadelphia, as he’s averaged 34.4 minutes since returning.

It could have been what has cost him the past three games and perhaps two more.

“Just trying to jump back into it too soon,” Iverson said, when asked what he thought caused the injury. “I wasn’t ready, in no type of shape. I had the problem in my right leg [stress reaction of right fibula] and obviously I was favoring that leg and put all the pressure on my left and it flared up. It was just being out that long and coming right back and trying to jump right back into the war. My leg didn’t respond.”

Good News is that Iverson may be returning on Monday for Sixers’ game against Portland.

Some bad news for Allen Iverson and Sixers’ fans.

Allen Iverson has arthritis in the left knee and will not play for the Philadelphia 76ers at Boston on Friday night.

Iverson had an MRI on Thursday after he needed the knee drained twice this week. The Sixers listed Iverson as probable for Saturday’s game against the Clippers.