The Dilemma of Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson was, at one time, my favorite athlete in all of sports. In fact, I would go as far as to say that he is the reason why I am a huge sports fans. It was incredible watching him play on a daily basis as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He would go all out, and he lived up to his cliche of, "playing every game like it's his last." He gave 76ers fans a great ride when he lifted the team to the Finals, and he always put on a show trying to score as many points as he could. There was a time where everything he did was cool, from the hand on the ear, to the stepover of Tyrone Lue. That is why Reebok at one time was the more popular shoe than Nike, because Reebok was an AI product. Through the lows (practice?) and the highs (game 1 finals upset), I was an Allen Iverson fan. However, right now, it is sad to see how much he has fallen.

Nobody really wants him to help their team. Even I have to admit, as a GM of any type of team, I don't know how he could make my team better. For a team with Allen Iverson to be successful, a team would need to be built around him. I don't know a GM in their right mind would build their team around a 34 year old, 6'0" shooting guard. It wouldn't make any sense.

But there isn't any other way to use Allen Iverson. He was never made to fit into a team structure. As we saw in Detroit, you can't add him to an established team and expect him to fit right in and make them better. Teams like that will be forever searching for the balance between Iverson adjusting to the system, and the system adjusting to AI. Maybe he could be instant offense off the bench, right? Well, Iverson killed that when he made the comments that he would rather "retire" than come off then bench. Well Iverson, retiring might be your best option at this point.

Going to Memphis would be embarrassing for AI, just as embarrassing as it was to say you are interested in playing for Memphis.  The Grizzlies have the worst front office reputation in all of basketball. That is why no one wants to be drafted by the Grizzlies. They are known for being cheap, and not dedicated to putting a winning product on the court. All they are looking to do is put butts in the seats. It sounds like the Grizzlies are running a circus; and if Allen Iverson signs with them, he becomes a clown.