"We DO/DON'T Want Allen Iverson" Thread (merged)

[Vermont Green]

Maybe Miami will sign him and he can ruin their locker room chemistry.

I would rather not see him in Green.

[GreenFaith1819]

But AI still wants a Championship, too.

Has he ever played with the sort of help that he could potentially be a part of in Boston?

I don't think any team he's been on has had that sort of talent.

And AI didn't quit in Philly.

Greenfaith, are you this idiot's agent or something?  

With the exception of the one finals year...When he had arguably the best coach of his era, arguably the best defensive center of his era, a perfect combination of defensive minded role players to cover for his occasional-cheat-the-passing-lane defense.  Iverson has alienated every NBA coach he's had except maybe Karl.  Every team he's left has been better after and every team he's joined has been worse with him.  If he hadn't quit in Philly he'd have never been traded in the first place.

Be it on the court or behind the mic, Iverson has always been all about Iverson.  So your line that he "still wants a championship" is laughable.

Danny spent years de-sleazing and de-flaking the team.  Why would he bring in the poster boy for self absorpsion?

Because Danny has brought in the following "poster boys for self-absorption":

Marbury.

Nate.

Sheed.

Now - Sheed and Nate, to a lesser extent, of course. But Marbury? I remember him being a HUGE question mark before he came here from NY.

And Marbury fit in, indeed - he even won a playoff game for us, just like Doc mentioned he would.

Arguably, Boston would've won it all in 08-09, if KG and Powe hadn't went down.

And - Stephon Marbury would've won a Championship Ring, in Green. Imagine that.

For wdleehi and Finkle - you can believe what you'd like about AI - but I will do the same as well.

Let's just agree to disagree? My mind is not changing here.

It's hard to figure out the Marbury thing.  Sheed is a champion. 

The problem is that Iverson still thinks he's better than anybody playing ahead of him.  He isn't.

Like it was said in here..There are plenty of gunners who play no defense who at least have character. 

Well, since we are going down "The Character" Road, let's see:

1. Paul's "Band-Aid" incident in the Indy series a few years ago.

2. KG's antics over the last few years.

Look - I love our Big Three, but all of them have been misunderstood or made mistakes, and we forgive them.

What about AI? I don't know him personally, but it seems as if some of us here do?

Sure..AI has his warts..some bigger than others, but all I know is that at least in this video, he's a hero to some folks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZykFbXQOYro

[wdleehi]

Wallace.  Issues with officials.


Teammates love him.  The loved playing with his unselfish on court.



Marbury, stat hanger.  He is AI light.  Falls in with Franchise. 




KG and Pierce were always known to play with teammates.  Pierce and Walker were a duo.  KG was said to pass to much.



And no, I do not agree AI would not cause lockerroom issues.  Evidence and history points to the opposite. 

[JoT]

Well, however we may feel about him, his desire is undeniable.

He took a PHI team to the Finals, even though they lost to Shaq and Kobe.

I think he would fit in here, no question...get him to a team where there is an established identity...a team with Championship aspirations (still), and a need?

As a backup PG or offense off the bench he would be intriguing. Get him here with a coach like Doc, too?

I'd still prefer Delonte as the 1st option off the bench as PG (especially if he can come back healthy), but if we had a bigger need I would not discount AI.

My only concern is that our track record with older players the last few years has not been good - at all:

Sheed was hobbled with aches and pains during his time here..he played well in the playoffs, though.

Shaq? Don't want to beat that dead horse.

JO? Same thing.

It just seems as though here lately when we've tried to rely heavily on quality (but older) players, it just hasn't worked out well. This is where I am really concerned about bringing Allen Iverson in here.

AI's talent and desire could help, but can his body hold up? And if Delonte can come back healthier is there really a need for AI?

It's not how we feel about him.


It is about how the NBA teams feel about him.


Not one single contract offer last year. 

No doubt, but I would not be surprised if Danny wasn't thinking about him. Danny's been known to kick the tires on many players.

The only player not in the league he kicked the tires on was Miller, a guy that would have brought a single skill at a top level rate (outside shooting)


AI doesn't do that.  The Celtics do not need a little volume shooter who has never allowed a team to have him come off the bench without quitting on them. 



And why does AI come?  He can earn more money and be the man overseas. 

AI only got paid 2 million in turkey for 2 years that he didn't even finish out. The man wants to be back in the NBA badly and you could tell by his face when he decided to go to Turkey. He was homesick and had barely no one to be around he knew.
If he did change his ways and realized that he had to be a team player then yeah I wouldn't mind it, but that's too much of a gamble  to be able to trust AI like that.
Also I see him getting along with the players and becoming close to them. He's already good friends with the big 3 and Jermaine if I'm not mistaken and doesn't have any issues with the players. The one thing AI didn't have was dislikes from his former players. They all loved him and still support him to play in the NBA. He burned his bridges with the coaches (besides Brown and Karl) and the execs.

[wdleehi]

Well, however we may feel about him, his desire is undeniable.

He took a PHI team to the Finals, even though they lost to Shaq and Kobe.

I think he would fit in here, no question...get him to a team where there is an established identity...a team with Championship aspirations (still), and a need?

As a backup PG or offense off the bench he would be intriguing. Get him here with a coach like Doc, too?

I'd still prefer Delonte as the 1st option off the bench as PG (especially if he can come back healthy), but if we had a bigger need I would not discount AI.

My only concern is that our track record with older players the last few years has not been good - at all:

Sheed was hobbled with aches and pains during his time here..he played well in the playoffs, though.

Shaq? Don't want to beat that dead horse.

JO? Same thing.

It just seems as though here lately when we've tried to rely heavily on quality (but older) players, it just hasn't worked out well. This is where I am really concerned about bringing Allen Iverson in here.

AI's talent and desire could help, but can his body hold up? And if Delonte can come back healthier is there really a need for AI?

It's not how we feel about him.


It is about how the NBA teams feel about him.


Not one single contract offer last year. 

No doubt, but I would not be surprised if Danny wasn't thinking about him. Danny's been known to kick the tires on many players.

The only player not in the league he kicked the tires on was Miller, a guy that would have brought a single skill at a top level rate (outside shooting)


AI doesn't do that.  The Celtics do not need a little volume shooter who has never allowed a team to have him come off the bench without quitting on them. 



And why does AI come?  He can earn more money and be the man overseas. 

AI only got paid 2 million in turkey for 2 years that he didn't even finish out. The man wants to be back in the NBA badly and you could tell by his face when he decided to go to Turkey. He was homesick and had barely no one to be around he knew.
If he did change his ways and realized that he had to be a team player then yeah I wouldn't mind it, but that's too much of a gamble  to be able to trust AI like that.
Also I see him getting along with the players and becoming close to them. He's already good friends with the big 3 and Jermaine if I'm not mistaken and doesn't have any issues with the players. The one thing AI didn't have was dislikes from his former players. They all loved him and still support him to play in the NBA. He burned his bridges with the coaches (besides Brown and Karl) and the execs.

Where is the "teammates loved him"?


Quite a few (mostly offensive players) did not like playing with him.

[Mr October]

Once upon a time i hoped AI could be a backup for Rondo.

But, yeah , as others have said, he's too much of a chemistry killer and doesn't have skills (volume scorer) that translate to being efficient for 10 minutes per game.

[KungPoweChicken]

What makes people think Iverson can even play NBA level basketball anymore?

[wdleehi]

What makes people think Iverson can even play NBA level basketball anymore?

It wouldn't surprise me if he could.  He had an amazing talent level.

But, his play level is no longer so great that it outweighs the negatives. 

[Who]

I thought Iverson was a poor backup PG caliber player during his final two NBA seasons. A very good third string PG or a poor backup PG.

Even if he was still capable of playing at that level, after a year outside the NBA and possibly more decline athletically, Iverson still wouldn't be as good as Delonte West is (one of the best backup PGs around).

No interest. Not talented enough. Lost too much athletically and was too reliant on his athleticism to be effective. No longer a quality rotation player (even as a bench player) in the NBA.

[makaveli]

How many games into the season would he endure before announcing that he feels he can do a better job being a starter in front of Rondo. My guess is pre-season

[Finkelskyhook]

How many games into the season would he endure before announcing that he feels he can do a better job being a starter in front of Rondo. My guess is pre-season

The first press conference

[Smitty77]

Someone mentioned him earlier, so I decided to check his stats from 2009-2010.  They are really NOT bad.  Could we use 12-14 points, 4 assists and less than 2 TO's, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal off the bench?  Of course we could.

I have a feeling AI will be in Green next year!!!

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/allen_iverson/

Smitty77

[byennie]

Same old dilemma... IF Iverson has an epiphany and wants to be a role player he still probably has a couple years left in him. However, he's already blown several chances at that.

I'd take him as a Rondo backup for 10-15 MPG (NOT as a 6th man or SG), IF his heart was in that role. That's about it. And then I'd hope Bradley took away him minutes.

[greenpride32]

Those numbers from 09-10 are over 31 minutes per game and mostly as a starter.  Just don't see him getting that much time if were to ever come here so you'd need to cut the expectations down quite a bit. 

I wouldn't mind giving him a chance with a non guaranteed vet min, but somehow I doubt he accepts that.  He made more than that playing in Turkey.

[Smitty77]

I think we could get him for the league minimum because he wants to compete for a ring and prove he still has it.  Plus, those numbers were on a BAD Grizzlies' team!!!