"After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement released by the team. "While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point."
Iverson missed 16 games from Feb. 27 to March 28. He returned for the past three games and averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 assists in nearly 19 minutes. He complained about his role as a reserve, saying he would rather retire than come off the bench next season.
Leon Rose, Iverson's agent, insisted Iverson's health was the only factor in the decision.
"There's nothing else going on," Rose said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
The Pistons began Friday as the seventh-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. They lead Chicago by a half-game and Charlotte by two with less than two weeks left in the regular season.
Detroit plays Saturday in Philadelphia, where Iverson was the league's MVP. The 76ers traded him two years ago to Denver and the Nuggets then dealt him to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups in November.
While Iverson's arrival started a slump that lasted much of the season, Billups immediately made a huge impact on Denver, which has become one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Iverson averaged 17.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds for the Pistons, who struggled to integrate him and his preference to control the basketball on offense.
