Love him, hate him, or indifferent, no one can deny that Allen Iverson left evertyhing he had out on the court every single night. A former high school quarterback (by the nickname of Bubba Chuck) Iverson's taken more hits in his career than Donovan McNabb. The way he just pounds the paint, play after play, occasionally breaking opponent's ankles, or pulling up for an off balance jumpshot...the guy is one hell of a basketball player. I know he disrespected coaches and teammates, had brushes with the law (though most involved friends), and everyone remembers the "practice" comment, but none of those will define his career. Sure his best year came when he had a team of role players around him as they ventured all the way to the finals, but people forget that Iverson also won an All-Star MVP and was one of few bright spots on a disapointing Olympic team, proving that he can play with talent, the Sixers just never had any. Iverson took all the shots because he had to. The Sixers tried to surround him with other options, but looking back, it's not what Iverson did with these guys, but what did they do without him:
- Jerry Stackhouse - Never panned out as a consistent scoring shooting guard anywhere. Success only on a loaded team in Dallas.
- Larry Hughes - Definitely never became the player he was supposed to in a draft where we could have had Paul Pierce or Dirk Nowitski.
- Keith Van Horn - Drafted him, traded him, then traded back for him. We never should have traded back for him.
- Tim Thomas - Makes a good 6th man.
- Joe Smith - Career avg. 12 points, 7 boards, 1 assist...couldn't play with KG either.
- Matt Harpring - Career avg. 12 points, 6 boards, 1.5 assists...fun fact - weighs the same as Joe Smith, 225lbs, but gives up 3 inches.
- Julius Jones - Enjoyed the dunks, but that's about it.
- Glenn Robinson - Overweight and didn't like playing defense, was formerly part of a 3 man show in Milwaukee.
- Toni Kukoc - Was third option behind Jordan and Pippen. We tried to make him the second guy in his twilight years.
- Chris Webber - Again, twilight years...on bad knees no less.
But here we are, another Philadelphia icon departing in his prime, with the Sixers in the familiar place of a forced unbalanced trade (see Curt Schilling, Scott Rolen, Charles Barkley). I won't even discuss the reported trade scenarios because I don't trust Billy King to pick the right one, and the Sixers will still have Chris Webber's immobile contract (and body) anyway.
So an era comes to an end, one of the greatest basketball players this town has ever seen. How long will it take the team to create another identity and for a new era to begin?
2 comments:
I should point out that when you say it that way, I wonder if we would feel the same about him, given his off the court issues, if he played somewhere else. I also wonder if his trade demands and sitting out games would be tolerated for a baseball player although it seems normal in the NBA.
However, about Iverson the player, I agree completely. And while his contract is expensive, he is that difference maker a lot of teams need if you give him some talent. Mike & Mike on ESPN this morning said the same things you did about Olympic and All-Star competition, as did Steven A. Smith and their other basketball guests.
Check out the Bill Simmons column on ESPN Page 2 today about AI. After reading this, you have to think Billy King is the worst Philly GM, and realize that the best of the best could never get equal value for a guy like Iverson.
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