Eddie Jordan Wants Iverson to Start
Well, that’s certainly one way to ensure that A.I.’s return to Philly won’t be a total disaster: “We’re looking at a couple options,’ said coach Eddie Jordan when asked about his rotation once Iverson is in uniform. ‘One of the options we’re looking at is obviously, I would like him to start. I haven’t talked to the team about it, but it’s a thought process. When I make that decision I will talk to the team first and then will tell you guys. I’m really looking to see if he can fit into our starting lineup, but it’s not etched in stone.’ It would be hard to imagine Iverson not starting come Monday, particularly after his disdain of sitting on the bench led to his parting with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season. Add to that what the fan reaction might be when he is announced, it certainly would be a nice change to what has been a very quiet Wachovia Center.”
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For the uninformed, Iverson has long said, since he was in his prime, that if there ever comes a time when he’s not number 1 or 2 on the other team’s scouting report, it’s time for him to quit. He has also long had a problem with players who sign on to a “hot” team in the hopes of winning a ring. He feels that if you are just jumping from ship to ship looking for a ring, that takes something away from you as a player. This has been documented in multiple media sources and was just mentioned recently by Eric Snow on NBATV.
So, this whole meme about Iverson’s selfishness and ego and everything seems to ignore some very salient points. Iverson has a certain way he thinks its ok to win a championship. For him it’s just as much about how he does it, as it is about getting it done. Some people believe the end justifies the means, some folks don’t. That’s a personal thing.
As for comparing Iverson and Jordan, those of you too young to remember the MJ in Washington years must have forgotten how Jordan clashed with several players about minutes and shots, and how he basically forced a young up and coming team to build it’s entire offense around a 40-year old jumpshooter with bad knees and bad defense.
Either you’re too young, or you have faulty memories.
But Allen Iverson isn’t 6’6″, so why give him the credit he would deserve if he was 6’6″. And not to mention, AI may not have had Pippin, but he has had Carmelo Anthony and C-Webb in his career, and couldn’t do anything with it. He is a hall of famer, but nowhere near Jordan, Magic, Russel, Bird, etc.
AI is NOT Jordan. AI could NOT freaking win even ONE ring with the teams Jordan won on. Jordan had a fantastic team, but it was Jordan’s team, through and through. Replace it with other lesser stars and they win nothing.
Also, read Allenp’s last post for the truth.
So, yeah, twenty million is a little bigger than that.
How many championships did Jerry West win?
One. And he played with three or four HOF his entire career.
Bottom line, it ain’t about how many rings you win, it’s about whether the media likes you when you do it. Oscar Robertson kicked Jerry West’s butt, put up better numbers and won just as many rings with less talent. Yet West was used for the NBA’s icon. Let’s not even mention that the NBA didn’t even honor Bill Russell with some sort of official tribute until like last year or something.
Stop fooling yourself.
Let’s be honest, you have no idea how much money Iverson gives to charity.
Neither do I.
The difference between us is that I KNOW Iverson makes charitable donations regularly, visits sick kids and generally does good work. I don’t know exactly how much, but I know he’s doing it because I pay attention to that kind of stuff.
Jordan donated his $1 million salary to Katrina vics. That’s nice and cool for him. But, to pretend that Iverson doesn’t give back is ludicrous.
Then again, let’s not underestimate the ability of the triangle to make players better. That really is one of the best systems in basketball.
Rings mean something.
I don’t think Iverson is on Jordan’s level, or even on Kobe’s level as much as it pains me to make that latter admission. Those players not only got more out of their talent, they also had more team success.
But, as a basketball icon, Iverson exceeds Kobe and, in many places, is damn near at Mike’s level.
My point was, as Tavoris noted, some players have their careers denigrated because they failed to win a certain number of championships, other players have their careers celebrated no matter what.
Hell, has Iverson ever gotten as much love from the media as Pistol Pete? And which one of those cats had a better career?
Kobe is a malcontent.
Character flaws are easier to accept from some folks it seems.
You condemned Iverson for being a malcontent and inconsequential.
On the first point, I noted that dozens of cats in the league are malcontents. Why does it upset you so much that Iverson is one? Why do you feel like that makes him unworthy of attention?
As for Iverson being inconsequential, the amount of attention paid to his situation by NBA fans and this magazine would seem to disprove that. Clearly he is consequential. Is he a superstar? No, I’ve been one of the people most willing to say he has fallen off as a player. But, does a decline render him inconsequential? I can’t see that.
You don’t like Allen Iverson as a ball player. You think his career is full of hype based on one good year. That’s fine. You know I disagree.
But, I have a problem with applying labels to folks. It irks me. Labeling Iverson a “malcontent” is a way of marginalizing him, and it ignores the fact that his mentality and ego are par for the course in the NBA…
What Allen Iverson should have learned from this entire ordeal was that no player is bigger than the corporation known as the NBA. No one. The game will move on as long as there is a game to be played. He is a cog in the system, but there will always be newer and better cogs. It’s a lesson EVERY player learns one day. Some learn it gracefully, others do not. But they all learn.
Who said this will end in championship glory? I’ve only seen that stupidity from the most loyal of Sixers fans.
Most folks seem to believe that Iverson’s career gets to end the right way, not with the horrible ending he seemed primed to create earlier this year.
As for the young players, no doubt you are right. Iverson is not a role model, nor a leader. Again, I’ve admitted this on several occasions. He’s particularly bad when it comes to conducting himself off the court. That said I think it’s possible that the Sixers can make the playoffs this year. It’s not so ridiculous as you make it. I also remember Igoudala saying he learned how to play through pain and compete from watching Iverson.
I remember Melo raving about Iverson as a teammate. Sure, I heard the stories about Iverson’s bad influence on JR Smith, but it appears that Earl has problems with or withoug Iverson.
I am happy that dude swallowed his pride and signed the deal he signed with the Sixers. I still see how this could all end horribly in January, but I’m happy for the chance Iverson got.
I don’t are about the ulterior motives of the Philly brass. I care that Iverson isn’t pushed out of the game the same way Barry Bonds was pushed out of the game because of stuff off the field of play that were overblown by a media that largely never liked either player. Sure, Iverson cares a large share of the blame for what’s happened to his career, but I see the other factors and I’m glad he got another shot.
Really, read The Pistol. Dude gets credit for shaping the way basketball is played, but he certainly didn’t get it in his playing days. Very similar to Iverson, if you wanna think about it.
So, you’re advocating that Iverson should be taught a lesson. Like a child.
At 34-years old.
Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
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