Allen Iverson a later-rather-than-now issue for Heat

To a degree, an Allen Iverson-Heat marriage makes sense. For years, Pat Riley has run a last-chance saloon.

But it's not going to happen the first week of free-agent negotiations. It's not going to happen at the July 8 start of the free-agent signing period. And it's not going to happen until after the July 12 window opens for Dwyane Wade to be eligible to sign an extension.

Allen Iverson Iverson makes sense because Iverson may not have many other options. But until the Knicks spend their mid-level exception, until Larry Brown gets an official rejection from Bobcats management, and until the remaining precious little cap space around the league is spent, Iverson doesn't have to move to Plan B.

With the Heat already into the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, anything paid to Iverson will be doubled on the books next season. So even with a $2 million contract, is he worth $4 million at this stage?

Then there is the matter of the Heat being guided by a coach entering his second year. Has Erik Spoelstra done anything to deserve this?

With the Heat, an Iverson contract would be for one year. Is that what Iverson wants or needs at this stage? And is that what you want to add alongside the impressionable youth of Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers and Daequan Cook?

Oh, Iverson could help. But as a reserve. Finding backcourt offense with Wade on the bench has been an ongoing concern. Yet this is the same Iverson who said coming off the bench was intolerable last season in Detroit. Considering how much Wade wants and needs the ball in his hands, an Iverson-Wade backcourt could involve plenty of drama.

So why are we talking about Iverson? Because, as a league source said, there aren't many options out there for Iverson.

Yes, he might come cheap. But perhaps that says plenty about where Iverson stands at this point in his career. Source: SunSentinel.com