Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Ask and you shall receive. The question was asked whether or not missing out on the AI sweepstakes is good or bad. Well, it’s one of those questions with more than one side to it. Let’s weigh the good and the bad of not having Iverson under the tree this Christmas.

Let’s start with the optimistic approach.

• First, if you’re a Celtics fan you probably can feel a little relieved that the Celtics didn’t lose Gerald Green or Al Jefferson, which means they may still be members of the Green if they pan out to be all the Celtics hope. Jefferson has played like a man with something to prove in recent weeks, averaging 14.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game in the month of December.



• Also, while you can never be sure how a new location and a new team setting can effect a player, or not effect him for that matter, the possibility existed that along with his talent and instant credibility, Iverson could’ve brought some bad habits and/or attitudes to the Celtics locker room.



• Along those lines, there is also no telling how the dynamic with head coach Doc Rivers would worked out. Maurice Cheeks had Iverson’s vote of confidence when he came in, but things still didn’t work out. I certainly wouldn’t claim to know enough about how everything went down over the years to call Iverson a coach killer, but that case has been made by some. At the very least it would have been something to keep in mind.



• One big area that could have turned into timebomb is the pecking order. If somehow the trade went down and Iverson, Pierce, and Szczerbiak ended up on the Celtics roster, adjustments would’ve had to be made on the court. Players and coaches would have to settle into an understanding of who is going to play which roles. That’s not even mentioning the amount of money the organization would have tied up over the next few years. Those three alone would account for $44.4 million of the payroll this year and 48.5 next year.

Now, for those folks who can’t get past the urge to yell “But they had a chance to get ALLEN IVERSON,� lets take a look at what good AI’s addition could’ve meant.

• In the eyes of many, the Celtics would have been better as soon as the paperwork was filed. Contenders in the East right away. Of course they still would have had to play the actual games and get the job done on the court, but perception-wise at least, no opponent in the East or West could’ve taken them lightly.



• Bringing in Iverson also would’ve meant relying on a proven veterans with an league MVP to his name as opposed several unproven guys with “potentialâ€? attached to their names. The thing about potential is that there is the potential to be good, there is the potential to be great, and there is the potential that never gets realized. It’s all still “potential.â€?



• Imagine what Paul Pierce, who had arguably the best all-around season of his career last season, could’ve done when opponents couldn’t focus their attention on him. He could stop forcing the action on offense when nothing is there (his 3.8 turnovers per game are 5th most in the NBA). He could’ve deferred late in games to Iverson instead of shouldering all the pressure. He also could afford to have nights when his game just isn’t on. That’s a luxury he surely doesn’t currently enjoy on this team.



• For those people still harping on the lack of a shortened rotation, a trade that would have assuredly sent two or three players to Philly could have made the rotation tighter by virtue of the players being subtracted from the mix.

It all comes down to (1) how you want to look at it and (2) how the Celtics, however depleted, make out as the season goes on. We'll all just have to stay tuned.