Allen Iverson Is Unretiring, I knew he wasn't done

[LB3533]

Is anyone even remotely surprised at this "news"? Whatever you feel about him, the guy is an ultimate competitor, and he's not about to lay down and play dead.

It's too bad his arrogance won't allow him to realize his game is no where near what it used to be. 

Physically, Iverson isn't close to where he was in his prime, but his game is pretty darn close.

AI's last 3 seasons (Den, Det, Mem) PER = 18.8+ [I averaged all 3 seasons as if they were equal, clearly they were not since he barely played for Memphis and Detroit, so he clearly has higher PER than the average of the 3)

AI's career PER = 21.1

With the exception of his time in Detroit, this year and the two Denver years, AI's true shooting % and eFG$ were both greater than his career numbers, which basically shows that he changed his game to be more of an efficient player.

[LB3533]

I haven't seen a negative comment about A.I. in this topic.
The general consensus is that we want him?

No.

I just think the larger majority of fans that have had this argument of whether AI should join the Celtics are sick and tired of having this long drawn out argument with a very small amount of AI fans for about the 10th time in the last two weeks when these same AI fans can't seem to admit or come to grips with what we, the AI detractors and just about every single decision maker on every NBA team, already know. Which is, Iverson is a selfish, cancerous, divisive, awful fit for any team.

Iverson's never been a cancer to any team he's been on.

[Fafnir]

Is anyone even remotely surprised at this "news"? Whatever you feel about him, the guy is an ultimate competitor, and he's not about to lay down and play dead.

It's too bad his arrogance won't allow him to realize his game is no where near what it used to be. 

Physically, Iverson isn't close to where he was in his prime, but his game is pretty darn close.

AI's last 3 seasons (Den, Det, Mem) PER = 18.8+ [I averaged all 3 seasons as if they were equal, clearly they were not since he barely played for Memphis and Detroit, so he clearly has higher PER than the average of the 3)

AI's career PER = 21.1

With the exception of his time in Detroit, this year and the two Denver years, AI's true shooting % and eFG$ were both greater than his career numbers, which basically shows that he changed his game to be more of an efficient player.

PER overates volume scoring though, it also doesn't describe his defense. That makes it a very poor metric to evaluate a player like Iverson.

Also he was clearly a cancer in Detroit and Memphis. He cared more about his role than the team's success. I don't care if coaches and management didn't do a good job with those teams, you shouldn't quit on your team like that.

[nickagneta]

I haven't seen a negative comment about A.I. in this topic.
The general consensus is that we want him?

No.

I just think the larger majority of fans that have had this argument of whether AI should join the Celtics are sick and tired of having this long drawn out argument with a very small amount of AI fans for about the 10th time in the last two weeks when these same AI fans can't seem to admit or come to grips with what we, the AI detractors and just about every single decision maker on every NBA team, already know. Which is, Iverson is a selfish, cancerous, divisive, awful fit for any team.

Iverson's never been a cancer to any team he's been on.

That's your opinion. I and probably a ton of others, have a different opinion.

[Birdbrain]

I haven't seen a negative comment about A.I. in this topic.
The general consensus is that we want him?

No.

I just think the larger majority of fans that have had this argument of whether AI should join the Celtics are sick and tired of having this long drawn out argument with a very small amount of AI fans for about the 10th time in the last two weeks when these same AI fans can't seem to admit or come to grips with what we, the AI detractors and just about every single decision maker on every NBA team, already know. Which is, Iverson is a selfish, cancerous, divisive, awful fit for any team.

Iverson's never been a cancer to any team he's been on.

Just the opposite, IMO.  I'm betting (hoping) his opinion of his skills will keep him out of Boston.

[LB3533]

A team has to have a certain amount of health before it can be destroyed by cancer.

Both Detroit and Memphis were not healthy teams to begin with to be affected by any type of cancer.

Both teams were rebuilding, they were not good or great teams where one player ruined them.

Anyone who uses the Detroit or Memphis scenarios as examples where Iverson's "cancer" destroyed the team just doesn't hold any water.

Because, now that Iverson is gone from both places, did both those teams recover from the "cancer"?

No. Both teams are still awful.

[Birdbrain]

That's one way to describe a cancer.  I choose to look at his actions as being cancerous.  When you go against both common sense and what's best for the team in long run you are being a cancer to me.  I would also add Denver to the cancer equation.  He was like a tumor attached to Carmelo.  Now that the Doctor (Joe Dumars...) removed the tumor the patient is getting stronger and stronger and will be better in the long run.

[nickagneta]

That's one way to describe a cancer.  I choose to look at his actions as being cancerous.  When you go against both common sense and what's best for the team in long run you are being a cancer to me.  I would also add Denver to the cancer equation.  He was like a tumor attached to Carmelo.  Now that the Doctor (Joe Dumars...) removed the tumor the patient is getting stronger and stronger and will be better in the long run.

TP for that description Double B. Saved me the time to write the exact same thing.

[Finkelskyhook]

Allen Iverson Is Unretiring, I knew he wasn't done
 

steven i smith reported the retirement...Just based on steven's accuracy a person had to know it isn't true.

PER overates volume scoring though, it also doesn't describe his defense. That makes it a very poor metric to evaluate a player like Iverson.

  Describing Iverson's defense is akin to measuring global warming.     Hard to measure something that doesn't exist.

[Fafnir]

A team has to have a certain amount of health before it can be destroyed by cancer.

Both Detroit and Memphis were not healthy teams to begin with to be affected by any type of cancer.

Both teams were rebuilding, they were not good or great teams where one player ruined them.

Anyone who uses the Detroit or Memphis scenarios as examples where Iverson's "cancer" destroyed the team just doesn't hold any water.

Because, now that Iverson is gone from both places, did both those teams recover from the "cancer"?

No. Both teams are still awful.

So because both teams aren't very good to begin with Iverson can't have been a bad teammate and hurt the team? That doesn't make any sense. He was selfish and quit on both teams.

[Finkelskyhook]

A team has to have a certain amount of health before it can be destroyed by cancer.

Both Detroit and Memphis were not healthy teams to begin with to be affected by any type of cancer.

Both teams were rebuilding, they were not good or great teams where one player ruined them.

Anyone who uses the Detroit or Memphis scenarios as examples where Iverson's "cancer" destroyed the team just doesn't hold any water.

Because, now that Iverson is gone from both places, did both those teams recover from the "cancer"?

No. Both teams are still awful.

So because both teams aren't very good to begin with Iverson can't have been a bad teammate and hurt the team? That doesn't make any sense. He was selfish and quit on both teams.

The Philly teams and coaches he quit on were obviously bad teams also.

[LB3533]

Cancer doesn't quit, it keeps killing and killing, spreading all over....

Iverson quitting already proves he's not a cancer.

In all seriousness, Detroit is 5-10, horrible, some "cancer" other than Iverson still remains on the team.

Memphis is also 5-10, who's the "cancer" on that squad?

Oh, look Philly is also 5-10 and there's no sign of Iverson either....


Also in the long run, Iverson felt playing Iverson more would result in a more healthy team a more winning team, because he saw that the teams were losing with him on the bench. Iverson cares about winning.

When his debut with the depleted Nuggets was over Friday night, the feeling was familiar for the former 76er. Another crowd-pleasing performance, 22 points and 10 assists over 39 minutes, wasn’t enough to prevent a loss—101-96 to the Sacramento Kings.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Iverson said. “That’s the only thing I thought about, just getting the first one by me. I wish it could’ve ended with a win. I felt it could’ve ended with a win.”

In his debut, playing on a team with only eight healthy players, the newest Nugget gave the kind of gritty, gutty performance that has become his trademark.

During a stretch late in the third quarter, Iverson was at his tiptoeing, no-look-passing best, giving a preview of the difference he can make to this team.

He made a pair of 3-pointers, created an open 15-footer for himself and also had a sweet pass to Linas Kleiza as part of a big run that gave the Nuggets their first lead since early in the first quarter.

The highlight was a tiptoe down the baseline, followed by a no-look pass to Reggie Evans through traffic in the key for an easy bucket.

The game was tied at 87 with 3 1/2 minutes left when the Kings started pulling away with six straight points on a pair of baskets by Salmons and a layup by Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Iverson would have had 20 assists were it not for the struggles of his new teammates, many of them unused to the minutes they played and none of them accustomed to receiving the kind of passes Iverson throws.

“I was just playing basketball, taking what the defense gave me,” Iverson said of the Kings, who played a lot of zone trying to stop Iverson. “When they crowded me, and I saw guys open, I made the right plays.”

Iverson finished 9-for-15 and this was one of those rare games in which he may not have shot the ball enough.

Earl Boykins scored 25 points on an 8-for-23 night in which the Nuggets shot 37 percent as a team.

Denver was an OK team before Iverson got there, they had to deal with Melo's maturity issues i.e. suspensions, injuries to a lot key players.....when they got Iverson they became a great team.

[LB3533]

A team has to have a certain amount of health before it can be destroyed by cancer.

Both Detroit and Memphis were not healthy teams to begin with to be affected by any type of cancer.

Both teams were rebuilding, they were not good or great teams where one player ruined them.

Anyone who uses the Detroit or Memphis scenarios as examples where Iverson's "cancer" destroyed the team just doesn't hold any water.

Because, now that Iverson is gone from both places, did both those teams recover from the "cancer"?

No. Both teams are still awful.

So because both teams aren't very good to begin with Iverson can't have been a bad teammate and hurt the team? That doesn't make any sense. He was selfish and quit on both teams.

I don't see how AI wanting to play and go to war with his teammates makes him a "bad teammate".

I haven't heard any player (besides Chris Webber) say a negative thing about AI regarding him as a being a poor teammate.

[Texstyles]

Look I think Danny is a big fan of bringing him in and if the big 3 and Sheed aprove it should be done.  Sheed is a very important opinion because he is the only one to play side by side with him.

As for the cancer statements to this point you are prob. right,  but on the flip side I don't think he has ever been a team with the character to humble him like the Celtics, Cavs, and Lakers can. The Pistons were the closests to having that but they were self imploding and at the time of the trade Billups for Iverson i believe is a downgrade. In Den. Melo's immaturaty got in the way,  and as for Philly they were always a piece away.  Memphis does not count IMO.

 That being said the people out there that are saying keep from the Lakers are abesolutly right.  Iverson on the Lakers will be starting over D.Fisher after 2to 4 weeks.

[nickagneta]

When they got Billups, Denver became a great team, a team that went all the way to the WCFs. When Denver got Iverson they went from a 44 win, first round and out team, to a 45 win, first round and out team, to a 50 win, first round and out team.

I think you were thinking of Chauncey not Iverson