Most Valuable Player? Allen Iverson might not even be the slam-dunk answer

in the Most Valuable Sixer sweepstakes.

Coach of the Year? Larry Brown definitely needed a boost before thrusting

little Allen into prime position for a transformation.

In both of those hardware quests, Matt Geiger has to figure in somewhere.

Can't talk about Iverson and Brown, can't dissect how they brought love and

brotherhood to Philadelphia, without bringing up Geiger. No joke, folks:

Geiger counts as an instrumental third party in the Iverson/Brown dynamic,

injuries and suspensions aside, just for what he did prior to this

breakthrough season.

Geiger, remember, refused to waive the $1.2 million annual trade kicker for

the final four seasons of his six-year, $47 million contact.

And that stance was high among the sparks that imploded one of the most

complex swaps in NBA history -- a four-teamer discussed in July and August

that would have landed Geiger and Iverson in Detroit, weeks in advance of

the fall's first Larry lecture.

We'd like to think that Brown and boss Pat Croce would have ultimately

scuttled the deal no matter what, with or without the Geiger factor. That

they were simply trying to scare Iverson into the compliance he has

unexpectedly maintained all season, just as with those rumors of a

banishment to the Clippers.