How bad have things got in Sixerland?

Injured players more than occasionally skipping joining their teammates on the bench in street clothes during home games.  On the verge of being eliminated in the race for a place in this year's playoffs... in the East!  And now superstar Allen Iverson failing to complete his morning rehab session for his injured right knee yesterday at the team's practice facility.  Enough is enough says Philly boss Billy King.

Iverson had left the Sixers' practice site at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine before reporters arrived and was unavailable for comment, but King was there to report on the latest concern by saying "It'll be dealt with internally. It's done. It'll be handled."  And he didn't stop there.

"There are a lot of things right now that are very frustrating,'' King said. "There have been some things that are very distracting and very disappointing, and things that will be dealt with.

"I don't want to single out one guy. There have been a lot of things this year; it's not just one player that's been disappointing. A lot of people's behavior hasn't been up to par...As I've said before, it's going to be more important about the name on the front of the jersey than the name on the back. It won't happen again. Not on my watch...I know exactly what direction we need to go.''

Sadly, the only direction the team took this season was due south.

"I don't think anybody would [want another season like this],'' said point guard Eric Snow, who has shared the captaincy with Iverson. "I don't think the organization should want to, I don't think the players should want to, I don't think the city should want to...I just know the team needs to get better. You can take injuries out of the equation, we probably would have still made the playoffs, but the object is to compete for a championship.''

"If there are drastic changes, I don't see where I would fit,'' said Snow, completing his ninth season in the league. "If you're going to go completely young and have me [under contract] for 5 more years, I don't think that's good for the team. But if it's just subtle changes here and there, I would see myself playing here.''

Injured players not sitting on the bench in street clothes? Or, far worse, Iverson sitting on the bench in Auburn Hills, Mich., wearing a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Milwaukee Bucks retro jersey and, embarrassingly, munching on nachos?

"Next year, it won't happen,'' King said.  But will Iverson be around to see that it doesn't?