Iverson Refuses to Play: Allen Iverson refused to play on Sunday for the 76ers, after he was informed that he would not start. Iverson, who changed back into street clothes after attending the team shoot-around, had his normal eloquent excuse for the incident:

"I'm a starter. I've been a starter here for eight years. I'm not a sixth man," Iverson said after the game. "I'm a starter. I know in this league ... if someone comes back from an injury, if he's a starter he starts. What's the difference? If you're going to cut my time down, cut my time down. It doesn't make any difference. I'm a starter."

Hey, Allen, if it doesn't make any difference, then why not be a man and come off the bench for one game? This is a blatant violation of his contract and he should be heavily sanctioned. He should be suspended without pay and fined $1 million -- it will be reduced on appeal, but the message will be clear: we pay you an exorbitant amount of money to do a job, and so long as you are physically able, you will do that job. Some team will undoubtedly sign Iverson as a free agent this off season, but the real question is why. He has never won a championship and it is clear that he is not interested in trying.

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