I wonder what the sports betting odds were on how long it would take Allen Iverson to return to the NBA. “The Answer” made his return to the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers in a 93-83 loss to Denver, where Iverson was traded to last year from Detroit. Iverson played 38 minutes, going 4-of-11 from the floor for 11 points, while adding six assists and five boards for the 76ers. Quite frankly, this is the best scenario for Iverson, and for the 76ers’ NBA betting odds.

First, Philadelphia fans LOVE Iverson. I mean, the last time they were good, he was the reason for it. They’ll follow that dude through a fire if they have to. Second, Iverson seems to realize that it’s Andre Igoudala’s team, as Iggy had 31 against the 76ers. Now, I have no problem with Iverson playing major minutes….as long as he understands that he’s no longer a superstar and starts jacking up 30 shots a game. Iverson is an excellent complementary piece if he keeps his head together, and you never know: the 76ers could be an NBA betting darkhorse in your sportsbook if Iverson sticks to the script.

While I was sitting here thinking about my upcoming March Madness betting picks, I got to thinking about former Georgetown star Allen Iverson. You know, Detroit was probably a solid NBA betting pick to start the season, but all their luck, on the hardwood and in the sportsbook, changed on November 3rd, when the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to Denver for Iverson. Billups, after initially resent the move back to his hometown, has responded by making the Nuggets a solid playoff contender in the West, and he was voted onto the All-Star team by the West coaches as a reserve. Iverson, on the other hand, made the All-Star team in the East via fan voting, due to his longstanding stature as one of the league’s most popular players while the Pistons are 22-28 with the “Answer” as a starter.

So the best solution to this mess, so says Detroit coach Michael Curry? Bring Iverson, who is currently out with a back injury, off the bench and put Richard Hamilton back in the starting lineup. Hamilton spoke out about his relegation to the bench, and responded with a 25-point performance in Sunday’s victory in Boston. The core group of Pistons (Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince) have played together for a while, and throwing Iverson in the mix clearly disrupted their timing. Also, someone’s gotta sit Iverson down and tell him, “you’re not THAT dude anymore”. Until that happens, whatever team Iverson is on (since it looks like he’ll be done in Detroit after this season) won’t be a major online betting player.