(ed. note: Yea, I know I said I'd have some NFL thoughts later today, but this Iverson idea just came to me. I'll probably give my NFL thoughts tomorrow. Oh and by the way-- lay the 11 with the Pats tonight. I just saw someone at school wearing a Brian Moorman jersey-- that's really all you need to know about the Bills.)
Rarely has there been a figure in professional sports quite as polarizing as Allen Iverson. As the NBA struggled to find an identity post-MJ, Iverson rose to prominence, and to the old guard, became a symbol of all that was wrong with the NBA. He's a thug. Look at those cornows. Look at those tats. He's a me-first gunner. Yet, to many of the league's younger fans, Iverson became a hero, and it isn't all that hard to see why. He's charismatic, overcame numerous obstacles in his life (some self-imposed, others not), and played the game with heart-on-his-sleeve reckless abandon despite his diminutive 6 foot, 160 pound frame. Despite never being a darling to the advanced stats crowd, he still has a career PER of 21.1, and before last season, he never posted a PER below 18. However, after last year's dreadful experience in Detroit, many in and around the NBA speculated that the demise of AI was imminent, buoyed by the lack of interest in the 34 year old free agent. Last week, Iverson surprised many by signing a one year, 3.5 million dollar deal with the moribund Memphis Grizzlies, a seemingly fitting partnership-- a legend on his last legs signing with a desperate franchise going nowhere and losing both games and money. But here's why I'm not counting out Allen Iverson.
1) It's a no lose situation- This applies from both Memphis' standpoint and Iverson's. For Memphis, the absolute worst case scenario is that Iverson repeats his performance from last year. He could sulk, he could fire up awful shots, he could play little to no defense, and he could impede the growth of the team's young talent (Gay, M. Gasol, Conley, Thabeet). And in that absolute worst case scenario, he's gone after the year at the absolute longest--they could always work out a buy out or just tell him to go home if it's that disastrous. The best case scenario for Memphis? Iverson is great-- he returns to his 07-08 form, he acts as a mentor to the young guys, he provides some interest in Memphis and maybe sells some extra seats. For Iverson, it's a no lose situation simply because nobody else wanted him. He didn't get the final big payday he hoped for, nor is he the missing piece on a championship team, but he's in a situation where he can just go out and play and not be surrounded by all the drama that engulfed him last season. If he goes out and plays hard and well this season, maybe the championship contenders will come calling with a meaningful role for him. And this last scenario is not as far fetched as you might think because...
2) Allen Iverson can still play- To me, the tales of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Last year, in an injury plagued season, playing for a new team in a new role he was not familiar with, surrounded by prima donnas and coached by an overmatched neophyte, yes, Iverson struggled. But take a closer look-- his PER was still over the league average (15.8). And the year before that in Denver? He posted a blistering 20.9 PER. Now, I realize Iverson hasn't done much defensively other than gambling for steals in the past few years-- and to be honest, at this point in his career that is not likely to change-- but I don't see him as being as inefficient a scorer as everyone else does. In fact, in the 07-08 season, he posted a career best true shooting percentage at 56.7%. While I would not expect him to replicate that next year, I don't see his career being on a downward spiral, but rather I think this season Iverson will produce somewhere between his numbers from 08-09 and his numbers from 07-08; Maybe something like a PER around 18 and a TS% of 52-53%. Sure, with Iverson you are always going to get some ill-advised shots, but as long as that does not spread to his teammates, I don't see this negatively impacting the Grizzlies, so long as his usage stays in the mid 20s like it did in Denver, and not into the astronomically high mid 30s peaks he saw it rise to in Philadelphia.
3) The normal rules don't apply to Allen Iverson, and he is just dying for everyone to count him out- Sure, you look at his precipitous decline in production last year, his age, the fact that his game is so dependent on his speed, and the litany of hits he's taken throughout his career, and you think ok, the end is near; almost all 2 guards and players like him see a rapid decline in their early 30s. Me? I'm not buying it. The big if here is IF he can stay healthy, but that's a question that's plagued Iverson his entire career. We've seen him fearlessly drive to the hole, get whacked by a guy 10 inches taller and 100 pounds heavier than him, and bounce back up time and time again. Furthermore, Iverson is proud, and his pride has to have been wounded by the yearlong lambasting he has taken for what went on in Detroit. With a full offseason to work hard, get back in shape, and to head into a fresh new situation, I have a feeling he'll be ready to give it everything he has, even for the lowly Grizzlies. I think last year's sulking had little to do with the Pistons stinking, but more to do with him being upset at being traded early in the season, upset at his new situation, angry at his overmatched coach, and the product of the whiny, entitled culture that guys like Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton fostered in Detroit. What I mean by that is Iverson sulked and underperformed last year not because he was on a bad team, but because of the circus around him. In Memphis, the distractions will be minimized and he'll be on a team of young players looking to play hard and make a name for themselves in the league, and I think we'll see a top notch effort from AI and a return of that passion and fire that initially endeared Iverson to us next season.
The "nobody respects me/nobody believed in me" card is something that is constantly played by athletes now, so much so that it has become practically cliched. Seemingly every athlete or team, whether or not anyone actually did believe in them, uses this for motivation. But the thing is, it seems to work, and there are few athletes that this is truer for than Allen Iverson. Coming out of high school he was too troubled and too much of a risk for a big time college. Nobody believed in him, but he went on to excel for two years at Georgetown. Those same questions plagued him as he entered the draft, along with questions about whether he was unselfish enough to play the point or big enough to play off the ball. Nobody believed in him, and Iverson relished in silencing the doubters. As he ascended to superstardom, nobody thought a team could win with him as their best player; nobody believed in him, but he took a team that started Eric Snow, Dikembe Mutombo, Aaron McKie, and Tyrone Hill to the NBA finals. And now, at age 34, coming off a disappointing season and following an offseason where nobody wanted him? Nobody believes in him. I'm giving him another chance before counting him out.
No comments:
Post a Comment