PHILADELPHIA – While the National Basketball Association prizes its identity as an endeavor in tune with the tastes of young America – as it should – it often casts a shadow over its past.

It’s not hip to be looking back over your shoulder.

There are retro jerseys to be sure, though the cynic wonders how much of that is more a nod to merchandising opportunity than it is to honoring heroes of yesterday. And each NBA arena has its retired numbers hanging from above.

To too many, however, NBA history is Michael Jordan leading Chicago to six titles in the 1990s. Dr. J seems like something out of a yellowed scrapbook.

It’s not been for lack of effort on the part of the league and its individual franchises. There have been countless nights across the country honoring countless former heroes. I recall a period in the mid-1990s in Auburn Hills where it seemed the Detroit Pistons were raising a banner or a saluting a member of their 1988 and ’89 championship teams on a monthly basis.

Of course, that may have had something to do with the fact the team itself had fallen to the bottom of the Central Division following a terrific run from 1986-92. It seemed only Fennis Dembo and Scott Hastings were left without some kind of a tribute night.

In 2007-08. the Philadelphia 76ers have spent much of the campaign looking back at their 1982-83 squad that claimed the most recent major professional sports crown in this city. Erving has been back, as has Moses Malone, general manager Pat Williams. Marc Iavaroni was saluted when he returned as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, and, of course, that team’s point guard, Maurice Cheeks, is presently in charge of the 76ers.

It is rather ironic that the current team is now demonstrating clear signs of progress in large part because its leaders ignored a general sense of gloom that accompanied any talk of a trade of the franchise’s icon for a decade, Allen Iverson.

In the weeks and months leading up to Iverson’s swap to Denver in December 2006, there was a fascinating dynamic at work here. On one hand, most observers had come to the realization that the only viable option if the Sixers wanted to move ahead was to deal the mercurial guard. Ten seasons of attempting to surround Iverson with a cast that complemented his unique skill set had produced one run to the NBA Finals in 2001 and much disappointment.

The argument here was always that the task was, from a basketball standpoint, formidable to the edge of impossible. Iverson is a 6-foot-1 force who really isn’t a point guard but needs the ball in his hands to succeed. Every decision made here from his selection as the top draft choice in 1996 until his departure a decade later was cast in the light of how it affected “A.I.” It required a crew of four to five lunch pail types willing to do the dirty work and sacrifice their own rewards. For one season it worked – and then that group of role players asked to be paid.

Iverson now has the kind of wing man he needs in Carmelo Anthony. His curse now is that he must make his charge in a Western Conference where a 50-game winner could be at home when the playoffs begin.

The view in Philadelphia was that general manager Billy King failed to properly accessorize the Iverson era. Critics pointed to Glenn Robinson, Kenny Thomas and Chris Webber as failed efforts to deliver the Sixer leader the appropriate help he needed to realistically pursue another run at the Finals.

No matter your view, the consensus was that change was needed. But there was a reluctance here owed to history: In three previous instances, Sixer swaps of their own legends returned little more than heartache.

First came the deal that took an aging Wilt Chamberlain out of his hometown to Los Angeles in exchange for some spare parts. Chamberlain and the Lakers went to four NBA Finals, winning one. The Sixers began a slide that didn’t end until they set a league standard with a 9-73 record of futility in 1972-73.

In the 1980s, there were two deals that backfired on the Sixers. Moses Malone was sent away to Washington, and his replacement was supposed to be the oft-injured Jeff Ruland. The Sixers then traded the No. 1 overall selection to Cleveland for Roy Hinson at the 1986 draft and then watched Brad Daugherty help lead the Cavs back to respectability. Meanwhile, Hinson and Ruland both were shells of their former selves thanks to creaky knees.

Finally, there was the trade that sent Charles Barkley to Phoenix for Jeff Hornacek and a package of picks and fringe players. By the spring of ’93, Barkley helped the Suns to a memorable Finals against pal Michael Jordan and Chicago while the Sixers were back in the lottery.

Cleary, the scars here were well earned.

Yet, they created a sense that history would inevitably repeat itself. Based on his track record, the fan base did not trust King to extract a reasonable package in return for Iverson. And it is true that the balance in any trade tends to go with the club that acquired the most gifted performer.

As Iverson prepared to return for the first time in March with the Nuggets, though, it’s hard not to be impressed by what has happened in Philadelphia since his exit.

Most suspected the Sixers would part company with Andre Miller soon after his acquisition. As a veteran floor leader, he held value for playoff contenders.  However, his leadership has been so vital to Philadelphia that he is still a Sixer 15 months after the swap. His ability to seamlessly guide an offense is rare in today’s game, and he helps steer a collection of young athletes with plenty of upside.

The trade also gave the other “A.I”, swingman Andre Igoudala, room to grow. Over the last season, he has grown into the role of go-to man and set himself up for an enormous financial reward, be it here or elsewhere. The likelihood is that the Sixers will find a way to retain the former Arizona standout.

Samuel Dalembert has also found space to display his gifts. His long wing span gives the Sixers a defensive presence, and he has learned to become a force on the glass. He is not yet a finished product, but strides have plainly been made.

There is also an intriguing cast of developing athletes in the mix around those three. The selection of Thaddeus Young after one season at Georgia Tech was widely panned in these parts, but he has emerged as a starter and talent in his first season. Former high school pick Louis Williams has the capacity to score in bunches off the bench, and young big man Jason Smith has some tools. Rodney Carney has shown flashes.

Of course, the irony here is that King was relieved of his duties in December before he saw much of the rebirth begin. Hometown product Ed Stefanski, who helped construct the New Jersey Nets success in recent years, is the new man in charge, and he rewarded Cheeks with a one-year contract extension.

This isn’t to say the Sixers are ready to battle the Celtics, Pistons, Magic or Cavs for conference supremacy. There is a void at power forward that must be addressed in the off-season, and the young crew has lessons to learn before it’s ready to become a major force.

But it is apparent the Sixers have made gains.

And the catalyst was the deal that sent its icon west.

History doesn’t always repeat itself.