In a way, Allen Iverson sounds very much like a politician campaigning hard to remain in office.

His numbers certainly haven't fallen off - he's averaging 33.2 points, 7.3 assists and 2.0 steals - but he knows the fans no longer fill the Wachovia Center for every home game just to see his feats of derring-do.

They want a championship as much as he does, and there is sentiment in some quarters that perhaps the best way to rebuild a franchise in disrepair is to jettison the aging star and move in a different direction.

Except that Iverson is no Karl Malone, the longtime Utah Jazz standout who bolted to the Lakers in search of the elusive title.

"I don't want to chase a championship by going to another team, a contending team," Iverson said. "I want to win a championship as a Sixer. That's all I care about. I'm loyal to the organization and I'm pretty sure the organization is loyal to me. If I could paint the picture the way I want to, that's the way I would do it.

"That's why I never think about being traded or anything like that."