"I am thinking about bringing in Allen Iverson, he agreed to come off the bench, and wouldn't be a distraction.
Right, because this worked so well in Detroit.
Can we get off of this notion please for the love of god!
Iverson has no problems coming off the bench.
Iverson has problems with people lying to him.
Michael Curry lied to every Pistons player last season and specifically to AI and Rip Hamilton.
The Memphis Grizzlies lied to this past offseason, if they were straight with AI, the Answer would never have signed with the Grizz.
If the Celtics are straight with AI, and Doc is straight with AI, letting him know what the deal is, AI will have no issues coming off the bench for the Celtics.
Revisionist history. AI made if very clear last year that he was not comfortable coming off the bench. Go look up his reasons.
I don't buy the lying claims. Some players expect the coach to justify all their decisions to them personally. They get sensitive when that doesn't happen.
Curry tried starting AI. It didn't work. He decided it would be better bringing AI off the bench. That is what any coach should do.
1. Of course AI stated he wasn't comfortable coming off the bench last year, it was the 1st time in his career he had to do that. After being a starter his whole career, wouldn't a change like that be kind of difficult?
Once he could accustomed to it, he would be fine with it IF the team was winning. But the Pistons didn't win, they were struggling and mediocre at best with AI off the bench. So yes, AI got "hurt" last year and didn't play much if at all down the stretch. Pistons got swept in the playoffs anyway, starting AI wouldn't have changed that....why?
2. Because no one played for Michael Curry, the Pistons tuned him out. Why? Because he lied to his players.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4602452&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlineshttp://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2009/10/was_allen_iverson_right_all_al.htmlWhen you lose the support of your team's best player or your team's longest standing player, you're gonna lose EVERY player on your team and then you are going to lose support from your GM, the boss that hired you.
People act like AI was the sole reason the Pistons stunk up the joint last year.
Nope. Joe Dumars had no clue what kind of impact trading Chauncey, at the start of the season last year, would do to the team, absolutely no clue.
The Pistons had won 4 straight, started the season 4-0 WITH a new ROOKIE head coach, and then you go and trade the heart and sole of the team (Billups) away for what? For WHAT?
For salary reasons...every Piston fans knows it was for salary reasons that the trade for AI was made. (And Dumars had too much over hyped confidence in Rodney freaking Stuckey, I'm sorry one good playoff series doesn't a starter make in this NBA).
Remember when Danny traded Eric Williams right early in the season, after the team had won 5 in a row, the team went into a huge funk....O'Brien lost key guys, his system guys for unknown players who probably would have never been able to fit into the defensive style the Celtics were playing.
It's the same deal with the Pistons, they traded away Billups, a better defender at his position so Stuckey could get abused and AI could get abused defensively.
The Pistons were based upon defense. We all know that.
You change the dynamic or the identity of your team, you're going to struggle.
Look at the Phoenix Suns the last couple years. Same deal.
Now the Celtics right now, we are going to win, with or without AI. But if we are straight with him and tell straight out what we want from him and what he will be able to do for us, there is no question in my mind he can be a good soldier and not cause any inner turmoil for this team.
The Memphis Grizzlies have zero clout in this league compared to the current Boston Celtics. That Grizz franchise is a joke and they don't have a head coach or the veteran players to sway Iverson any which way but his own.
Topic: A.I. To Boston, a real possibility according to Donny Marshall( Rumor) (Read 18094 times)