The Case Against Iverson
Some fans wanted the 76ers to bring back Allen Iverson. The Sixers are not planning to do that. There are multiple reasons why the Sixers, even with their thin backcourt, are correct.
The Case Against Iverson
The messages filtered in for most of the summer, sometimes several a week. The basic premise was generally the same: If the 76ers were facing a transitional season, if they seemed to have a thin guard line, if they weren't going to win a whole lot of games, why not bring back Allen Iverson?
That troubled me, because I've always believed the basketball constituency in this area really understood and appreciated the game, especially backcourt players. But now there was a segment of fans who simply wanted a show. They wanted to recreate Iverson's performances that led him to four scoring titles and an MVP during his decade-plus here. They weren't accepting that Lou Williams, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, rookie Jrue Holiday and, at times, Andre Iguodala could be sufficiently effective, even in new coach Eddie Jordan's pass-and-cut Princeton offense.
They might be right about that part, but--and I should have said this in Sixerville much earlier--they were wrong about bringing back Iverson.
He might turn up in Memphis, or possibly in Charlotte, and he might sell some tickets and create some marketing benefits in those markets, but there would be no reason for him to turn up as a re-born Sixer. The evidence shows in his post-Sixers career in Denver and Detroit: The Nuggets improved dramatically when they acquired Chauncey Billups in a trade for Iverson; the Pistons became so disenchanted with Iverson's rebellion against coming off the bench that they sent him home.
So, each time an emailer broached the subject of bringing him back to the Sixers, I patiently tried to explain:
He's not the player he was during the Sixers' spectacular run to the NBA Finals in 2000-01. You can't live on memories.
He insists on playing major minutes, and that would mean holding back the development of Williams and Holiday. Williams has played four full seasons and has never started a game; it's time to find out whether he can be the3 backcourt leader. Holiday might not play much at the start, but--unless you're challenging for a championship--why give even those minutes to an aging star? That was part of the thinking in allowing Andre Miller to leave in free agency.
Iverson has never been one to make the players around him better. Even during '00-01, the opposite was true. Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Theo Ratliff and Dikembe Mutombo took care of the defense, rebounding, scratching and clawing, allowing Iverson to provide the offense. When word surfaced that Iverson could be joining the Bobcats, the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell turned to former Sixers president/general manager Billy King for perspective. Among other things, King said "Allen never made the people around him better in the first place, because it's always about Allen.''
King also told the Observer ''Everything is about Allen, and it can't all be about Allen at this point in his career. He's no longer that intimidating figure who can just blow by everybody. So he's got to do other things, and I'm not sure he will.''
And: "When Allen plays the point, nobody else touches the ball.''
That's not the type of player I would want mentoring my young guards.
I understand the deep loyalty of Iverson's fans. They sincerely love their guy. They will revel in someday seeing his jersey retired in the Wachovia Center. They miss the show. In a way, I do, too. He was a phenomenon, filling the arena the way no player ever had. I don't know why this particular memory has stayed with me, but I remember a night when the Daily News was celebrating the retirement of editor Zach Stallberg. I missed the arly portion of the party in town because I covered the Sixers game first. I paid my respects to Stallberg by laughingly saying ''In honor of you, Allen just dropped 60.''
Allen could do things like that.
The show, at some level, will go on, in Memphis or Charlotte or somewhere.
But not here. That time has come and gone.
A.I. = deeper playoff potential / Klambake - beso mi culo.— Will.i.Am- Iverson was entertaining, and maybe the best athlete ever in the NBA, and that's saying something. But his biggest weakness was that he wouldn't come off the floor and keep himself fresh for the whole 90 games. Hated to be out of the game, and that translates into a terrible bench player. Nothing in the last year suggests he's committed to being a great complementary player. Very underrated as a person. I was always impressed by how much the other players in the NBA respected him, and by his sportmanship on the floor. But a terrible move to add him to the Sixers, and hard to see a team in the league that could benefit by adding him.— tacklinjoe
- Bring him back. Immediately, the team becomes interesting again.— fgdavis
- Bring him back. Immediately, the team becomes interesting again.— fgdavis
- Bring him back. Immediately, the team becomes interesting again.— fgdavis
Comment removed.- I would bring him back for games, but not for practice. I've heard that Allen Iverson is not a big "practice" guy.— fmMD
- I hope that A.I. can, somehow, find his way to a team with a chance to win something.— ClarkU
- Bring him back. Immediately, the team becomes interesting again.— fgdavis
- Who wants AI's act around guys the team is trying to develop as future point guards? The additional offense he would supply this team would be overshadowed by his influence over the young players. He is a great talent but he is not a winner.— joe19131
- All you true sixer fans and I too am one.Iverson carried the sixers on his back year after year and the coaches and owner are the real ones at fault for spending just enough money to get low rank players and when then did spend ,it was wasted on contract extensions to the same lame wanna bees. Julius Erving didnt get his ring until we got him some real help remeber that.Iverson was'nt givin that chance.— Mrroe
- The sixerss are a boring team without Iverson period. Brand is a good player but he hasnt done anything since becoming a sixer and Andre is named AI but he will never be as exciting to watch as the real AI,Allen Iverson. So why not bring him back atleast for the excitement and the sixers owe him that much.What we really need is a great coach like Phil Jackson.Sixers organization need to reorginize.— Mrroe
- a i is not what he was but he is still better than any guard we have on the team— kbgphilly
- Denver improved significantly when Iverson joined them. Denver's improvement after him was due to much more than the Iverson/Billups trade (Anderson/Nene/Karls philosophy/weakened Western conference).— pyleiton
- Comment removed.
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
