AI, Grizzlies part ways

On which account?

 

So, unless I've got this wrong ...

Iverson spends the entire offseason trying to find somebody ... ANYBODY ... to pay him and play him. And when pretty much everybody tells him to piss up a rope, he signs with Memphis. And after 3 games he's gone?

Did I miss something, or are there suddenly a bunch of teams willing to pay him what he wants, play him how much he wants AND put up with his shit?

 

He's a HOFer no matter what he does on the court from here on out.

 

What teams? Shitty teams that won't mind one dude jacking up 30 shots as the path to the lottery is paved? He isn't taking any team deep into the playoffs and he won't stand for being being the 3rd option.

 

The Knicks-- they need the buzz that Iverson will bring. Givem him a one year contact and let him hoist em up from all over the Garden.

 

AI's problem is AI. If he wants to continue to play in the NBA, he has to conform. When his game was on the upswing, people would take his belligerent attitude as no big deal. Now, he's an old timer. There are plenty of kids who can do what he does without causing a media circus. And at a cheaper price too.

 

He's probably in, but had he finished his career in even remotely positive terms, it would have been unanimous and automatic -- he would have been an instant first-ballot selection. Now, I can see a lot of voters, especially the TMASW brigade, taking the attitude that AI "exemplifies everything wrong with the NBA, etc etc," and making him wait a while.

On the other hand, if he takes my advice, signs with one of the league powers, shuts his mouth and behaves and rides the coattails of Kobe, LeBron or Garnett to a ring, he'll be elevated to all-time legend status.

Right now, he's kind of in the Dominique Wilkins/Bob McAdoo classification.

 

McAdoo has a title with the Lakers

 

unfortunately, that was my first thought, too.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the player's union will have something to say about that.

 

I don't get this viewpoint. The Knicks before D'Antoi were all about buzz, whether it was trading for McDyess or Marbury or Eddie Curry, or signing Allan Houston to that absolutely insane contract. In hindsight, almost all of those decisions were bad at the time and worse several years removed. If anything, they should be consciously trying to avoid signing a player to create a "buzz" in MSG, given their past history with that.

 

If its a one year contract that does not hurt the cap why not? People will still pay to see AI over Chris Duhon.