Is Allen Iverson or Raymond Felton the answer for the Bobcats?

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After four seasons, Charlotte Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton had the best season of his career in 2008-09, averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 assists per game.

After Charlotte traded with the Phoenix Suns for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw earlier in the season, the Bobcats finished with their best season in franchise history, and they did it not with a big name superstar, but with a number of key role players.

Six Bobcats averaged double-digits in points on the season -- Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Emeka Okafor, D.J. Augustin and Felton.

Although Charlotte ranked at the bottom end of offense in the NBA, their newly found defense is what kept them in games throughout the season, credited to head coach Larry Brown who was at the helm for his first season in Charlotte.

Now with almost one month away until training camp, the Bobcats have yet to resign the only successful starting point guard in franchise history.

After only five seasons, the ownership of the Bobcats is in question with Bob Johnson working hard to sell the team in a troubling economy.

Financial times are rough around the country, and that includes the NBA. A number of quality NBA players have had to settle for mid-level exceptions and smaller contracts as they enter the 2009-10 season.

One all-star point guard, Allen Iverson, is a big name that is still without a team, and rumors have been circling about the Bobcats potentially signing, "The Answer".

Iverson and coach Brown have a good relationship from when they spent time in the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Although they butted heads at the times, Iverson credited Brown as being one of the greatest coaches of all-time, and Brown has said that given the opportunity, he would love to coach Iverson again.

So why has this all-star and household name not been given a shot with a new team in the NBA?

Why do 61% of NBA fans surveyed in an ESPN.com poll (out of over 100,000 votes) say that they would not like their favorite team to sign Iverson?

Why was the veteran yanked from his starting role with Detroit last season and replaced with second year guards Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey?

The answer to all three of these questions is that Iverson wants to be the superstar of every team. It happened in Philadelphia, it happened in Denver and it happened in Detroit.

But is that such a bad thing?

If the Bobcats sing Iverson, it is a win for the city of Charlotte. Not only can he put up points for one of the NBA’s worst offensive teams but he is a name that will bring fans to Time Warner Cable Arena and generate revenue for a team that is hurting financially.

The Bobcats had a quality season last year with a starting lineup full of role players, but lacked a go-to offensive threat when game were close in the fourth quarter.  Although everyone in the starting lineup averaged double-digit points, they were one of the few teams not to have a player average over 20 points per game.

Gerald Wallace led the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game, good for 42nd best in the league.

If the Bobcats resign Felton, it is also a win for the city of Charlotte. Collectively, the team as is with starters Tyson Chandler, Diaw, Wallace, Bell and Felton/Augustin appear ready to take the Bobcats to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Second-year point guard D.J. Augustin had an amazing rookie season, averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 assists per game under a coach that hesitates to give quality minutes to rookies. Sharing time with Felton, he would hopefully be able to improve off an already impressive first-year campaign and provide the Bobcats with a quality one-two punch at point guard.

Regardless of what Charlotte decides to do at point guard, it needs to be done soon. Iverson is a short-term answer that will generate more fans, while Felton is young with plenty of upside and could be a franchise point guard.

So for now, “The Answer” may be a phone call away. For the future, the solution may be waiting for figures and a signature on Felton's contract.