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

[wdleehi]

Is AI the new Reggie Miller?



You know, the old guy no longer in the NBA that fans want to come back?



Time to face reality.  AI is done in the NBA.  Teams do not want him.  He is no longer the selfish guy with amazing athletic ability.  He is just a selfish guy who still thinks he is that athletic freak. 

[slamtheking]

AI is washed dawg rofl he was an icon for my childhood as most of us modeled our games after dude

why would anyone model their game after this selfish, volume-chucker? 

[Celtic]

omfg let it go he clearly states he would never play for the freaking celtics! let it go!!!

Link?

i'll find it he said it during an interview around the same time he did that interview from the OP.

No worries.

I just found it a bit strange that someone that Red Auerbach himself seemed to have a lot of respect for would not want to come to BOS.

Per Let Me Tell You a Story:

The subject of Allen Iverson came up. Could Red have coached him? "Are you kidding? I'd have loved to have coached that kid. First of all, he's as quick as anyone who ever played. But beyond that, he's a warrior. I'd have gotten along great with him. The practice thing would never have been a problem. I would just very quietly tell him 'Look, you need to do this because it means something to me and to the other players.' What you have to do is let a guy know what's important to you and let him know that if he does right by you, you're going to do right by him. That's the thing: my guys always knew I'd take care of them if they played hard for me-- while they were playing and after they were done playing."

He puffed on the cigar. "Iverson reminds me of a story. Few years ago, the NBA asked me to come in and coach in the rookie game on all-star weekend. I remember this because it was Iverson's rookie year.... We won the game. And when it was over, Iverson came over to me and said, 'Coach, it was an honor to play for you.'

"And you know what? He played good defense the whole game."

I grabbed that quote from Poster Hila (TP), from a similar AI thread way back almost three yrs ago...Hila grabbed the quote from a book by Red Auerbach titled - "Let me tell you a Story."

http://books.google.com/books?id=1qmVEYZVpqMC&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&dq=red+auerbach+allen+iverson&source=bl&ots=uvlg8pTcJi&sig=EGTB8QHB7F5fPYr2ngeNcm32XGI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XyR2UOSRB6ea0QG944GoDw&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=red%20auerbach%20allen%20iverson&f=false

The above link was one of the very few I could find of the book.

TP, this is such an awesome story!!

I have been all for giving Iverson a shot, but this is the first year when I think he would be irrelevant. At these stages in their careers, Terry is a better scorer than Iverson. Now if Iverson was to reinvent himself (unbelievably doubtful) and become more of a passing guard with the potential to go off, I'm all for it.

I fear I'm slowly talking myself into wanting him back...

[coco]

The last thing we need is locker room Kryptonite.  Keep AI far and away.

[Celts Fan 92]

AI is washed dawg rofl he was an icon for my childhood as most of us modeled our games after dude

why would anyone model their game after this selfish, volume-chucker?

im talkin bout growin up when he was ballin on da 76ers we was 9 or 10 years old lol

[hipballinjigga]

I would love to take a flyer out on a player like Allen Iverson. Grant Hill is proof that age doesn't matter when you have not been able to play for a couple of years. As long as Iverson is in shape and determined to win in a bench only role, he could be pretty helpful to this already loaded team.

And we need a back up pg! Imagine him and Jason Terry playing together? MADNESS. It would be epic.

[wdleehi]

I would love to take a flyer out on a player like Allen Iverson. Grant Hill is proof that age doesn't matter when you have not been able to play for a couple of years. As long as Iverson is in shape and determined to win in a bench only role, he could be pretty helpful to this already loaded team.

And we need a back up pg! Imagine him and Jason Terry playing together? MADNESS. It would be epic.

Grant Hill didn't spend two seasons outside the NBA where no one wanted him.

[MJohnnyboy]

You'd think Allen Iverson would have signed with someone already if teams thought he was still good and worth the trouble.

There's not something you know that other NBA franchises don't.

For those of you who say, "Well he may have had ego problems in the past, but he's more humble now and will be willing to accept a bench role", just because the man says that he's willing to play off the bench doesn't mean it's going to be true. Egos don't just die.

Albert Haynesworth said he had bought into the Patriots' system last year and praised the organization, and then just a few weeks into the season he started acting up and was soon released. Actions speak louder than words. Always.

Besides, why would AI sign on to be our fifth guard? He wants to play, and time will not be guaranteed for him if he comes here.

[OsirusCeltics]

Allen Iverson is my inspiration for basketball. Watching him got me interested in basketball. The way he played with no fear and awesome scoring ability got my attention.... But that was 2001

[anthony83]

 Bring back Allen Iverson to the nba, he deserves another chance, the game and nba need to Iverson. AI is my inspiration as KG, PP...

 If Fisher, Kidd, Nash are playing, AI has to return, millions of fans want this now Stern.

[hipballinjigga]

I would love to take a flyer out on a player like Allen Iverson. Grant Hill is proof that age doesn't matter when you have not been able to play for a couple of years. As long as Iverson is in shape and determined to win in a bench only role, he could be pretty helpful to this already loaded team.

And we need a back up pg! Imagine him and Jason Terry playing together? MADNESS. It would be epic.

Grant Hill didn't spend two seasons outside the NBA where no one wanted him.

That is because he wasn't black-balled like Iverson was. Plus, during those two plus seasons out..he didn't play.

[badshar]

To those saying we have enough bench scoring:

1. As a Celtic fan, you should know that you never have guaranteed scoring from the bench. Forgot the 2 points that we scored off the bench last year in game 7 against heat?

2. As I said, ego shouldn't be much of a problem given he wants to play, which obviously means he is ready to sacrifice his ego. Additionally, he is playing under Doc and next to KG. That, right there, is enough to get him to play properly and get rid of any attitude or ego problems.

3. Having another scorer off the bench is only a positive for us. What if Terry isn't hitting his shot? Or Green is having an awful game? You want Darko to give you 10-20 points off the bench? That will not happen unless you are extremely lucky. Sully or Bass, whoever is on the bench, can only score so much. You can't rely on them to give you 15-20 points off the bench.

4. Doc has always said he doesn't want Terry to be the primary backup point since that would diminish his "scorer" role off the bench. He has publicly stated numerous times that he wants a legitimate backup point guard.

5. You have to understand there is a reason more players flourish in our current KG-Doc-era-Boston compared to other teams. You really think Rondo would have become this good/effective without Doc and KG? You really believe that Big Baby would have got such a big contract without all the help KG gave him? You really think Perk would have received such a large contract and would have played so well here in Boston without KG and Doc pushing him? That environment is not present anywhere else in the NBA, except for, maybe in San Antonio.

I hope you all realize and remember that KG was one of the most egoistic player in the NBA when he came to Boston. If he can adjust his attitude, then Iverson's ego problems can be solved within seconds. Moreover, if KG and Doc can get Rondo to become mature and "the leader" or "the man" from that young-egoistic-attitude-issue player he used to be, then Iverson's attitude problems can be fixed too.

Instead of simply saying no because of his has attitude problems, you have to think about it from an open mind and open perspective.

[badshar]

Is AI the new Reggie Miller?



You know, the old guy no longer in the NBA that fans want to come back?



Time to face reality.  AI is done in the NBA.  Teams do not want him.  He is no longer the selfish guy with amazing athletic ability.  He is just a selfish guy who still thinks he is that athletic freak.

You mean just like Allen is no longer the player he used to be but he still thinks he is that player?

Yeah, I agree with that.

[badshar]

One more thing, to those who say that they don't want a player that will be a problem in the locker-room:

1. Rondo was a big and serious problem in the locker room, often dividing himself and other young players away from the veterans.

2. KG was one of the most egoistic players in the NBA at the time of his arrival in Boston.

3. We survived a Rondo-Allen locker-room problem without even knowing it until the end of the season when everything was told to us. This proves that even if there are locker-room problems, we don't bring them on the court.

[nickagneta]

What is it about these very simple facts that Iverson fans just don't get:

1.) If GMs felt he was worth signing, someone would have signed him by now

2.) If GMs truly believed he could check his ego at the door and be a bench player, someone would have signed him by now.

3.) If GMs thought a re-enactment of his stints in Detroit, Memphis and his 2nd stint in Phiily wasn't an inevitability, someone would have signed him by now.

4.) If GMs thought his on the court performance would outweigh his off the court headaches he creates, someone would have signed him by now.

Do Iverson fans get this? Do they understand these simple things? Iverson is a major ego, major headache, and major locker room problem. He is a coach killer and being out of the league didn't change his ego, his personality, or his game. What is most likely is his skills have declined, his athleticism has declined and his idea of just how good he thinks he is hasn't. He has disaster written all over him.

He isn't coming back to the NBA. NO ONE WANTS HIM!!!