Bring AI to Miami

No, not that AI, the AI as in "The Answer". He would definetly be the answer to what ails this team.

The latest is Allen Iverson wants out of Philly. This time, for good and its for real. It seems the 76ers are going to move as quickly as possible to make a deal and there are going to be a very large number of suitors out there for #3.

I hope Riley is able to convince not only himself, but Mickey Arison, that the Heat could benefit from this deal.

Sure, it is highly unlikely. Allen Iverson has 3 years and $60M remaining on his contract. That is a pretty steep price to pay for any team, especially the Heat. And yes, the Heat acquiring AI is indeed a long shot.

But so was the Heat winning it all last season, right? Well, at least if you went with what the media was saying.

Still, there is a possibility for the Heat to be a player in this deal. They have Antoine Walker, whose contract was inked in 2005 for 6 years and $53M. *** Not to mention, the Heat have some attractive young pieces in Wayne Simien, Earl Barron, and especially Dorrel Wright that may entice Philly. Walker's deal could net the Sixers some cap space, adding a young player like Wright may help them in the 'now' department but most likely be used to set them up for the future with pieces like Carney, Dalembert and Hunter in place.

For the Heat, AI would be a great addition. His athleticism and speed would greatly increase the Heat's attack and his offensive firepower would help spread the floor. Not to mention, his ability to penetrate and draw contact would be a nice counter with Wade on the court. Teams would have to find a way to cancel out the attack of both Wade and Iverson, while also accounting for the gravity of Shaq's presence (when healthy).

More importantly, a move like this would shake up the champs and perhaps free them of their biggest problem - stagnancy and apathy. While this isn't entirely true of the whole team, there have been some major rumblings about Walker and Payton and even to the extent they are clashing with Riley. That will amount to a short shelf life for both players, and considering that both are playing horribly and digging themselves deeper into Riley's doghouse, a trade may be the only thing left. And the Heat did try to trade Walker this past offseason.

The main thing missing, like I alluded to earlier, is hunger. There are plenty of players that have it on this team, but some of the key players do not. This notion was on Wade's mind pretty recently:

"I don't want to turn into one of those players that come out and be jacking, trying to win the game with every shot I take. ... The team I was on the first year (2003-04), we weren't that good, but we played hard. That same effort is not being applied here. ... We understand that you go through times like this in the NBA, but to lose by 20 or so every game you lose, it's pretty tough. You get to a point where you wonder why, even though we're not at full strength. We're just not performing to our capabilities."

Adding some AI to this team may get it back to that level it was at coming into the playoffs last season. Shaq may be down, but the Heat desperately need to do something to right the ship while he is out. They will burn Wade up. Bringing in AI as a complementary player would be both the ideal role for Iverson, and for the Heat.