From J.A. Adande’s piece, published in early November:
"He does have to show some sort of growth," the Eastern Conference exec said. "Even if it's just cosmetic. That's what he needs to show."
There'll never been another player like Iverson. Except now he has to follow a pattern that's been set before him. The older veteran yielding, acknowledging he can no longer dominate, helping out where he can.
For example …
"Gary Payton with the Heat," the Eastern Conference executive said. "You're going to tell me AI couldn't do that?"Uh, what? You want Iverson -- Allen Iverson -- to do this?
Marc Stein expressed a similar sentiment yesterday on ESPN.com.
What I don’t get is, WHY DON’T THESE GUYS GET IT?
Growth? Acceptance? Seriously? Come on. We know who Iverson is. He’s been the same player* with the same mentality, more or less, since Georgetown. It comes down to two main things with him:
1. He wants to start
2. He wants his teams to play hard and try their damndest to win
That’s it. If you’re willing to accept that, AI will be good for your team. He will. Why is this so hard to understand?
Per Marc Stein:
Iverson missed almost all of training camp with a slightly torn hamstring, played 18 minutes in his Grizzlies debut after missing the first three regular-season games, then complained immediately and loudly about coming off the bench and playing a reduced role.
The Answer's unforgettable prac-tiss routine made more sense.**
No player on Earth goes from an injury that severe straight into heavy minutes … especially not after missing all of camp with his new team. You'll note that even the most desperate team on Earth -- New Jersey -- has been bringing Devin Harris off the bench since the Nets' lone All-Star returned this weekend from his groin troubles.“Heavy minutes” and “starting” are not one in the same. You can start Iverson and play him only 10-15 a night until he gets his legs back. He will accept this. He will. What he won’t accept is coming off the bench. Yes, that’s unconventional. Yes, Devin Harris is willing to do that. But AI isn’t. So?
Is this a little ridiculous? Maybe. But this is who the man is.
I’m not defending it, nor am I judging it.*** I’m just saying that it is what it is. It’s what’s on the table, and it’s what’s been on the table, for almost 15 years. So how are so many coaches, GMs, sports writers, etc., not seeing it?
You know how I feel about seeing Iverson in a Sixers uni again. I know it won’t mean much in terms of wins and losses, and I know we’ll be starting over again next year -- pretty much from scratch -- without him. F it. The thought of The Answer playing for us again gives me a warm feeling I haven’t had about Sixers basketball in a long, long time.
Let’s hope Snider and Jordan don’t eff it up. Just let him start, gentlemen. Just let him start.
-G
* All right, not quite the same. That explosive first step is gone, for one thing.
** I hate that this story won’t die. Especially since no one remembers the whole story. Let’s consider the context of the infamous “prac-tiss” interview: Spring 2002, first round of the playoffs against the C’s. After dropping the first two games, AI put the team on his back and scored a combined 71 points over the next two games to even it up. He said after Game Four: “Win. It’s the only thing we can think about. We fought hard to get back in the series...the only thing I care about is finishing out.” But come Game Five, AI was the only Sixer who showed up; the rest of the team was sleepwalking. They got bounced. HARD. In the post-game press conference, a frustrated Larry Brown inexplicably saw fit to talk about Allen’s absence from practices during the season. (Now, was Iverson guilty of this? Undoubtedly. But there’s a time and a place for criticism. And this was not it, LB.) So when it was Iverson’s turn at the mic, they went after him. Iverson answered (upset): “Franchise players don’t go through this. Franchise players’ daughters don’t have to go to school and hear, ‘Is your daddy coming back? What’s going on with your daddy and Coach Brown?’ And yadda yadda. She’s 7 years old and that’s what she has to deal with. It hurts because...I do all I can for this city, this team, this franchise and my teammates. I don’t think nobody in the world plays harder than me. I’m tired, you know. Everybody in Philadelphia knows that I want to be a Sixer for the rest of my career. But I’m tired and hurt, too.” Then a reporter fired back with this: “Allen, could you be clear about your practicing habits since we can’t see you practice?” THAT’S when Iverson went off. And you know what? I would’ve gone off, too.
*** Okay, I’m defending it a little. AI has always been a team leader, and being a starter is important to him. It’s a psychological thing. As his coach, I’d be more than proud and happy to start Allen. You can’t run a successful team if the players aren’t 100% dedicated to the cause. Why piss off one of your key guys over something so small and insignificant? Seriously? Why, why, why? Can you tell I want to pull my own hair out?!
