"The Answer" Retires

Allen Iverson.  I didn't even know he was still playing.  Or wanted to play.  In fact, he hasn't played in the NBA since 2010 and last played pro ball in 2011 in Turkey.  This explains why nobody picked him up, his reflexes are 3 years too slow.  He turned down lucrative offers to play in China because he was eyeing a return to the NBA.  I'd take an untested Phil Pressey over this 38-year old self-delusional has-been.

He was "The Answer" as long as the question was "who is the laziest ME-baller in the NBA?"

Did you know he only shot 42.5% from the field for his career?  A point guard who only averaged 6.2apg, despite averaging over 41mpg?  He averaged 21.8fgas/game career.  21.8!  Kobe Bryant, who is certainly not shy about pulling the trigger, averages 19.6/game.  MJ averaged 22.9fgas/game, but he also averaged 49.7%, a truly amazing fg% for a guard. If you're gonna take that many shots, you owe it to your team to hit a respectable percentage of them.





Good riddance to undisciplined, gangsta rubbish, I say.


bob


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Bob,

I never really liked AI as a person, but you are really downplaying how good he was as a player. You can't focus on his how many assists per game he averaged. He was almost never the pg on his team. In the 2000-01 season when Philly went to the Finals, Iverson averaged the third most assists per game on his own team behing Eric Snow and Aaron Mckie. In Denver Billups was the pg. Yes, Iverson took a lot of shots, but it's not like there were other players on his team begging for the ball or other stars on his team. Can you think of other superstars or all-stars that Iverson played with? Me either. Iverson averaged 26-33 ppg for 10 straight years, which is very hard to do. He led the league in steals 3 times and in the history of the NBA only 7 players have a higher career average for steals per game.

Next stop: HOF for AI.

Practice?

tjmakz wrote:Bob,

I never really liked AI as a person, but you are really downplaying how good he was as a player. You can't focus on his how many assists per game he averaged. He was almost never the pg on his team. In the 2000-01 season when Philly went to the Finals, Iverson averaged the third most assists per game on his own team behing Eric Snow and Aaron Mckie. In Denver Billups was the pg. Yes, Iverson took a lot of shots, but it's not like there were other players on his team begging for the ball or other stars on his team. Can you think of other superstars or all-stars that Iverson played with? Me either. Iverson averaged 26-33 ppg for 10 straight years, which is very hard to do. He led the league in steals 3 times and in the history of the NBA only 7 players have a higher career average for steals per game.

Next stop: HOF for AI.

TJ,

He was a prolific scorer, that's because he took a ton of shots. When you have the ball in your hands as much as that, you are expected to generate a lot of offense, both directly and indirectly (e.g. like Rondo does).

Iverson had the 3rd most assists behind Snow and McKie? Which one of them was the point guard? If they can out-assist him, and they definitely weren't point guards and he had the ball in his hands the whole time...

I know he's going to the HOF. The man's ppg alone qualify him for that. Throw in that he was league MVP and he's a lock. I just can't help but see him as a ME-baller and a locker room cancer. His Alfred E. Neuman "What, Me Practice?" attitude detracted from whatever on-court performance he delivered by undermining the team.


bob


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When AI first came into the league I didn't care or him or the lifestyle. But over the years he grew on me. I respect him for owning that lifestyle and celebrating it. He did so against a lot of criticism, especially from people like me who just didn't understand this younger generation. lol I respect him for the changes he made when he became a father. I respect him for giving so much when he played the game, and played it so well, that I understand why he didn't feel he needed to practice. I would have loved to see him play.

Hmm... A.I. What can I say about him?

He was certainly a talented player with a massive ego. I enjoyed watching him play in those days, though.

Of course, he's another "great" that didn't "win."


KJ