It’s official, Iverson accepted the Sixers’ cheap deal:
Allen Iverson informed the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday morning that he will accept their one-year, non-guaranteed offer. The contract is for a pro-rated veteran’s minimum of $1.3 million. ~ ESPN
And just in case you care about Ed Stefanski’s BS:
“In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time.” ~ Ed Stefanski
Here is the press release. Key thing to point out:
Following tonight’s game at Oklahoma City and Saturday’s game at Charlotte, the Sixers return to Philadelphia for a five-game home stand beginning on Monday, December 7 vs. Denver at 7 p.m. Iverson is expected to make his season debut with the Sixers that night.
Tickets for the game against the Nuggets and all remaining home games are available now and can be purchased exclusively through ComcastTIX at SIXERS.COM
Hahaha, sell those tickets, boys.
I already bought mine for the Denver game last night before they started jacking up the prices on StubHub. Lower level, section 101, row 15, seats 1 and 2. They got me!
First off let me say I am happy this got done for a couple reasons:
1. The Sixers are boring, and my attention to them is waning. Not so much because they stink but because their effort is inconsistent and their coach and management are clueless. It’s hard to get invested in a club when you can’t really see any light at the end of the tunnel.
I said it before; I will say it again: Iverson IS GOING TO add some pepper to the bland dish the Sixers organization has been serving us. And I like a lot of salt and pepper on my meals.
2. Win-win. Look there are plenty of people against this, and they have their reasons for it. But at the end of the day, three positive things could happen out of this.
- The Sixers become relevant again, if only for a month or so, and the team recoups Iverson’s salary and then some. Management wins.
- Iverson comes out and plays with reckless abandon with a chip on his should and something to prove and helps (not carries) this team to win some games. They go on another one of their typical late season runs and slip into the playoffs. Fans and management win. Young players also win because they get another year of playoff experience under their belt.
- Iverson plays nice up until the January 10th deadline. The team still stinks, but he is playing hard and isn’t causing any issues. The team keeps him on past cut day. Then all hell breaks loose when Lou and Speights return. The team spirals into the bottom of the league and now have the one of the best chances to land John Wall. Fans, management and the future of the team wins.
3. I love Iverson and want to see him play personally. I want him to redeem himself, if only a little bit before he hangs it up. And there is no better place for him to get started in that redemption than the place his legacy grew. In the end I’d love for him to go on one last push, get in the playoffs and scare the crap out of some top team in the first round and then just retire on a good note as a Sixer. If not, play well enough that some contender will take a chance on him next season.
4. Another way to justify firing Eddie Jordan. More on in a bit.
What About All the Bad Things That Could Happen?
Sure there are negatives. I’ll use one of Brian’s takes since he is openly against this and does a good job of expressing it:
Worst-case is Jrue’s meaningful minutes end the second AI steps on the floor. AI and Willie start alongside each other until Williams gets back, then Lou and AI start in the back court. Thad never gets touches, AI9 never has the ball in his hands, Jrue may as well get sent down to the NBADL for all the DNPCDs he accumulates. Thad spends another season playing primarily the 4, Iguodala plays another season primarily playing the 3. We’ve now completely lost the first two seasons of Brand’s contract, and probably relegated him to a sixth-man role, fighting Speights for limited big-man minutes in the small ball lineup. We get considerably worse defensively, probably slightly worse offensively with Iverson taking too many shots.
The list goes on from there. Bottom line, the season comes to an end without Iguodala assimilating into the lineup as a 2, Thad as a 3, Jrue playing even nominal minutes. We come back next summer with the same issues we had this past summer, no clear direction for the franchise, and really no hopes that don’t involve lottery balls. ~ Brian, Depressed Fan
Yeah that might happen for sure, especially since Eddie Jordan is the coach.
But how you feel about it depends almost entirely on your perception of the team and its potential before Iverson.
If you had confidence is this roster’s future and potential, you would absolutely hate this move. Adding a meaningful player (someone that will get minutes and have the ball offensively) like Iverson is going to take touches away from other guys. I don’t deny that at all. Even if A.I. rehabilitates his game and passes more, he still will be the dicator while everyone else will be following.
If you like this team you want those young guys getting reps as the leader. The ball-handler. The offensive focal point. The shooter.
You want them to have to take their lumps and grow (hopefully) from them without A.I. to lean on.
I get it. Don’t care too much about it because I don’t trust this roster and don’t buy into their potential that much. They are an okay team, with a spread of bad to pretty good players, and that’s the main reason their results have been, well just okay. But that’s just me.
So Who Should the Sixers Put On the Court?
Two options, neither of which I expect to happen given the coach.
1. Start Jrue, Iverson, Dala, Brand and Sam.
Tell me this doesn’t look similar to the 2001 squad. You have 4 good defenders surrounding Iverson. The biggest difference is Iverson himself. He isn’t that guy anymore. But guess what, he doesn’t need to be.
Brand and Dala are better offensive players than most of the Sixers from that ’01 team. And there is plenty of offensive firepower waiting to be called on from the bench.
This is easily the best defensive line-up we have where Iverson is on the floor. On top of that you don’t relegate Jrue to DNPCD every game either.
This is my personal choice for the ideal starting line-up. But I have one major issue with it…
Thad’s psyche. I just think he is soft mentally and physically. Nice kid with some talent for sure. I like him. I think he could be a solid contributor off the bench on a good team as his best role given his one-dimensional game and my belief he will stay relatively close that way in the future.
But I really don’t think he would handle going to the bench all that well mentally or in his performance. I think they would both suffer. So if you care about that my second choice would be:
2. Iverson, Dala, Thad, Brand, Sam
You still have three solid defenders around Iverson, with Thad being sometimes good, more often bad on that end. But you don’t kill his confidence and you continue with the Dala at the SG and Thad at the SF experiment.
Thad’s jumper has been better as of late and with Iverson on the floor he would get a lot more open looks from out there.
Dala and Thad on the wing with A.I. pushing the break would be electrifying. Oops all day. He would have two flight brothers. And if Jordan was smart he would put in more half-court sets that took advantage of the Sixers’ athleticism on the wing instead of structuring them into taking 20-footers all the damn time.
Get Eddie Jordan Out of Here!
So I mentioned above in point four that this could be a blessing in disguise for everyone that hates Eddie Jordan.
We know he won’t go with the more traditional (in size) and defense-oriented line-ups I mentioned above. SO, his only hope of winning is to truly outscore teams with regularity.
His claim to fame (just a figure of speech) is being an offensive smarty pants.
He said he needs another ball-handler, penetrator and someone who can make plays off the bounce.
Well you got it and more. Offensively Jordan has at his disposal:
- Allen Iverson – He is older and slower, but he still can get his shot and penetrate into the defense.
- Thad Young – A very efficient scorer in iso situations against bigger defenders and a solid low block scorer against smaller SFs.
- Lou Williams – Allen Iverson’s mentee.
- Andre Iguodala – A willing passer, streaky scorer in iso situations, a guy that can run the floor better than most and finish at the rim.
- Elton Brand – A effortful bruiser who looks to be knocking the rust off his offensive game. If he keeps it up you have another 20ppg PF.
- Sammy D – Yup, Dalembert helps too with his offensive rebounding and blocking shots that ignite the break.
- Marreese Speights – A 25ppg scoring PF waiting to happen. Can make perimeter shots facing up at a high rate and has a nice developing low post game.
- Jason Kapono – The dude with the second best three point shooting percentage in NBA history.
- Jason Smith – A developing three point shooting 7-footer (40% this season).
In my opinion Jordan has sucked from the very beginning with this team, and that alone is justification enough to fire him immediately.
But for the remainder of the season if he can’t get that roster to outscore teams and win games by simply ratcheting up the offense, emphasizing offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers so they can fast break, then he doesn’t deserve the reputation that precedes him as an offensive coach.
He doesn’t deserve to coach this team or any other team. Because while a system is cute in theory, it lacks the most important part for it to be successful…
A coach who can get players to actually buy-in and execute the game plan.
I could probably go on for days, but this should be enough to keep you all going until the Thunder game tonight.
Welcome back, A.I. See what you’ve done and you haven’t even played a game yet.
In our first Iverson poll 76% of you said “yes” to bringing A.I. back. This is the logical follow-up poll…
Now that Iverson is back, will you go to a game?
- Yes, and I will pay for a good seat (35%, 66 Votes)
- Yes, but I will get the $10 tix (19%, 36 Votes)
- No, I wouldn't even accept free tix (18%, 34 Votes)
- Yes, but only if I get tix for free (14%, 26 Votes)
- No, I won't pay for tix but I'll go if I have freebies (14%, 25 Votes)
Total Voters: 187
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Great! I am happy for AI he gets a chance to prove himself all over again it is make or break for him and his career. This could mean good things for the Sixers. I think he has the heart and determination to help us out immensely. It is time to get in gear and turn this season around. AI back in Philly!!! (AM I Dreaming).
Here’s to hoping the Sixers are 5-15 before upon AI’s return….since they are now making it much more difficult to secure a top 5 draft pick in the lottery…and THAT is what this team needs, (hell they need a COUPLE of them!) NOT AI. I am so disgusted with this organization….it really, really pains me to think the Sixers were my always my first prority in Philly sports love…now…well if they moved out of the city I wouldn’t shed a tear.
Well it should churn up some interest.
Any guesses on when the first “ear cup” crowd jacking occasion is? A few of those might be worth this whole experiment. Because the last player that the arena chanted for was… REGGIE- which is sort of sad.
Like it or not, the Answer is back. Will he be the answer to the Sixers problems? Probably not. But then again, who is? Willie Green? Royal Ivey? Mike Bibby & Jason Kidd had their seasons best games against Jrue Holliday. Come on. Let’s be real. These Sixers, while still very young and showing promise on a distant horizon, have no heart or identity. They have no true leader. No true scorer. No matter how hard they play, or how close they get, they cannot win a game in the 4th quarter. I commend the Sixers on bringing back our future hall-of-famer despite all of his recent issues. A player like that shouldn’t have to spend the twilight of his illustrious career in a place like Memphis. Like the Spartan warrior, A.I. wants to come back with his shield, or on it.
With DeSean Jackson getting injured Sunday, it is now doable for the Iggles to call Buffalo and seek receiver depth. Gee, I wonder who I might be talking about.
I actually think this is pretty cool. Maybe its the bleeding heart liberal side of me, and its not that I feel attached to Allen Iverson as a person in any way, shape or form, but I admire unique talent, and I am glad to see whatever talent he has at this point be displayed, and prolong the chance to have him end it more on his terms than circumstances were dictating.
I understand the intensity of the moment for Iverson lovers and haters alike, but this is a long season, and those thinking this is Iverson’s last chance to me are shortsighted. All it takes is the right injury at the right time (like this, sorta), and this may not be his last stop this year. He may still wind up playing in a meaningful basketball game (playoffs, or implications) before its over.
That said, we’ll look forward to the moment, and enjoy it for what it’s worth.
For the record, I will offer a prediction on Iverson’s first game.
When Mike returned to the Bulls after playing baseball, he (I think) had really just started playing hoops a short time before the Sunday afternoon game against the Pacers. Mike started, which in a way, was an interesting decision.
But what I remember most about the game was that despite the long layoff, there wasn’t any work his way back in. Mike took 26 shots (made 5), taking more shots by far than any other Bull. That’s called something between charisma and arrogance, I guess.
I would think Allen starts, and puts up similar numbers.
But it will leave a positive feeling, despite Denver winning. Then again, emotion can work wonders. When Wilt came in for Opening Night after being traded to the Lakers, the 6ers, still a good club, crushed Dippy, Jerry and Elgin, 114-96 and it wasn’t that close.
Maybe they can beat Detroit in the game after. Probably more realistic, whatever realistic has to do with it.
Trying to think how AI will complement the current roster.
I think he will click really well with Speights (more so than Brand.) I’m hoping he can find Iguodala on some oops and reconnect with Sam.
If AI can draw some defensive attention and share the ball it could open up some opportunities for other players… trying to glass half full right now.
Wow man this is like a fairy tail ever since iverson left this wachovia centre i missed him and the leadership and and scoring he bought to this team. He was the reason I started following the sixers and got into basketball pretty much, I always have and always will remain a sixers man through and through but iverson is still my favourite player I love the way he would would play his ass off every game no matter what and the fact the he took a tremendous beating every night and never complained, how can that attitude and work ethic not be enticing to watch as a fan, and i would like a nice finish to his career he deserves it for all the hate he has received through out his career.
Yeah he deserved some of it but he sure as hell didn’t deserve the bulk of it. It’s obvious the media never liked him and it shows continually in poor sensationalised journalism full of opinions and unsubstantiated claims about the man. I won’t lie when i saw the headline on espn it bought a tear to my eye i never thought i’d ever get the chance to see him back in a sixers jersey.
Yes! Ai is back.
Dannie, as respectfully as possible, HURRY THE FUDGE UP WITH THE IVERSON WRITE-UP!!! So far, I haven’t read anything very good about his coming back, even ESPN’s coverage is lame-o.
Quick thought: People have said that now that coach EJ has Iverson, he might not use the Princeton Offense anymore – and I say effin’ yeah good! I wanna see if Eddie Jordan can focus his energies away from that damn offense and towards other things (like defense), because I’d like to think the Princeton Offense isn’t the only reason he was able to become a head coach in this league, that there’s gotta be more there.
Seriously, coach EJ - it’s okay, you tried your thing and it didn’t work. Your best move right now would be to come out and say so, and that you’re gonna coach differently from now on. Take a page from Andy Petite and other steroids guys who’ve come clean: “Yes, I did it, it was wrong, but I don’t do it anymore.” Simple!
Zack – You do know that we have regular day jobs right?
Not going to have something up for a bit. Work is busy. Sorry.
Tim,
When you write
<<Yeah he deserved some of it but he sure as hell didn’t deserve the bulk of it. It’s obvious the media never liked him and it shows continually in poor sensationalised journalism full of opinions and unsubstantiated claims about the man. >>
which of the following from Wikipedia are the results of poor sensationalized journalism?
1997: Iverson, along with his friends, was stopped by policemen for speeding late at night and was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to community service.[37]
2000: Iverson recorded a rap single named 40 Bars. However, after being criticized for its controversial lyrics, he eventually was unable to release it. Going under his moniker, “Jewelz”, the album was alleged to have made derogatory remarks about homosexuals. After criticism from activist groups and NBA Commissioner David Stern, he agreed to change the lyrics, but ultimately never released the album.[38]
2002: Iverson allegedly threw his wife Tawanna out of their mansion during a fight. The following night, an enraged Iverson later went looking for his wife at his cousin’s apartment.
2004: During the latter part of the 2003–2004 season, Iverson bristled under the disciplinarian approach of the Sixers’ new head coach Chris Ford. This led to a number of contentious incidents, including Iverson being suspended for missing practice, fined for failing to notify Ford that Iverson would not attend a game because he was sick, and refusing to play in game because he felt “insulted” that Ford wanted Iverson to come off the bench as he worked his way back from an injury.[39]
On February 24, 2004, Iverson, a noted regular casino patron, was spotted at Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City urinating in a trash can in full view of staff and patrons. He was told by casino management not to return.[40]
When the 2004 United States Olympic team gathered in Jacksonville, Florida for its first exhibition game, Iverson was late. He was suspended for the game.[41]
2005: On December 9, 2005 after the Sixers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, Iverson paid a late-night visit to the Trump Taj Mahal. After winning a hand at a three-card-stud poker table, Iverson was overpaid $10,000 in chips by a dealer. When the dealer quickly realized the mistake and requested the chips back, Iverson refused and a heated head-turning argument between him and casino staff began. Atlantic City casino regulations reportedly state that when a casino makes a payout mistake in favor of the gambler, he or she must return the money that they did not legitimately win by playing.[40]
Also in 2005, Iverson’s bodyguard Jason Kane was accused of assaulting a man at a Washington DC nightclub after the man, Marlin Godfrey, refused to leave the club’s VIP section so Iverson’s entourage could enter. Godfrey suffered a concussion, a ruptured eardrum, a burst blood vessel in his eye, a torn rotator cuff, cuts and bruises, and emotional injuries. Although Iverson did not touch Godfrey himself, Godfrey sued Iverson for the injuries caused by his bodyguard. In 2007 a jury awarded Godfrey $260,000. The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in 2009.[42]
NBA Dress Code: In 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern banned what critics and supporters call “hip-hop culture“-related attire such as Mitchell & Ness brand throwback jerseys, baggy jeans, crooked baseball caps, do-rags, knee-length t-shirts, large items of jewelry, and Timberland boots. Punishment for violations would include fines and possible suspensions for repeat violations.[43] Iverson harshly criticized Stern’s dress code, saying that it “would not change a person’s character regardless of what type of clothing they wore”, and that “associating hip-hop styles of dress with violent crime, drugs, or a bad image is racist.” Iverson also said that the advertising of many prominent NBA sponsors, such as Nike, Reebok, Puma and Adidas were heavily influenced by hip-hop culture.
2007: Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing referee Steve Javie following a game between the Nuggets and Iverson’s former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, played January 2, 2007. During the course of the game, Iverson committed two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. After the game, Iverson said, “I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal I should have known that I couldn’t say anything anyway. It’s been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad.”[44] Former referee Tim Donaghy, who was sentenced to a 15-month prison term in 2008 for conspiring with gamblers, corroborated Iverson’s claims in an unpublished memoir whose excerpts were released in October 2009. The league denied claims made in the book and Triumph Books, a Random House imprint, did not publish Donaghy’s book after “a close legal review of the final manuscript” and “independent evaluation of some of the author’s sources and statements.”
Pretty consistent pattern of being a lightning rod combined with wrong place wrong time to blame the media if you ask me. I find this compelling as a in uniform story. Outside of that, I’m in no rush to blame the media for an image problem.
I like the deal. Basketball is all about entertainment, and A.I. will certainly bring more of that, which this team really needs. Will he make the team better I have no idea, and don’t really care. Best quote I’ve heard on radio. “A.I. is just Allen Iverson, he’s not the ‘Answer’ anymore, but I’m glad he’s back”
O.K. coach Jordan. Once everyone is back from injuries you will have SIX legit scorers who can drop 20 points on any given night (AI, AI9, Thad, Brand, Lou, Speights.) We all hear how you are an offensive genius… time to prove it.
let the madness begin; ‘woooohoooooooo!!!!!!’
i’m not an Iverson fan at all but sometimes you wanna throw a wrench into the works just to see what happens.
this is gonna be so much fun. cant wait till he starts giving post game conferences. lol
personnel changes; who goes to the bench – Holiday or Thad Young?
well it seems clear enough, but Dannie seems to think that Thad wont be exhilarated to be our 6th man.Holiday, AI, Iguodala, Brand and Sammy. bout as strong a combination defensively to cover AI’s ass. seems fair. wow cant believe how excited I am.
theyve started jacking ticket prices. should’a known.
i wonder if this makes them better in any way?
best case scenario; they become a 100ppg team. still lose a ton of games and secure a lottery pick. Comcast gets their voluminous (albeit ephemeral) surge in ticket sales and AI finally calls it quits after ending his career finishing 3rd for the scoring title.
and then in the offseason we’re back where we started.
Dannie why would the Sixers draft John Wall when they have Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday? http://www.draftexpress.com has them taking a center Cole Aldrich. Drafts today are worthless, all of the player’s are developing no one comes kills it unless your Bron, Wade or Mello. Even Kobe took a year or two to become good and that’s because there are so many kids coming into the league. This is why I’m totally on board with AI coming back. Come draft day it won’t make a difference. If they can’t pull of something similar to what Boston did to get Ray Allen and Garnett, it won’t matter because whoever they draft won’t come right in and contribute anyway.
And all these wise guys who say this is a bad basketball move, it’s all about selling tickets and entertainment; isn’t basketball a game and isn’t it supposed to be entertaining? I don’t care what anybody says you can learn more from winning than you can from loosing. Do you really want Holiday’s learning curve to start with loosing the way Thad’s has. I don’t, and that’s not to say that AI is going to make us a contender either, but he can certainly get us some wins; so bring it on.
I disagreed w/ it, but that’s over.
EJ should do the following:
Lineup should be Dre, AI, Thad, Brand, Sam with 2nd unit of Jrue, Kapono, Carney & Smith. Scrap the PO, run simple P/Rs with some weakside motion, post isos for Brand, Thad & Dre. Improv is the watchword from here on out.
Take all the time that was spent on the PO and focus on Pressure D, overplay the wings, mix in some zones maybe, crash the boards and run out, non-stop. Force everyone to keep up.
It might work, if EJ can do the above.
Am surprised Iverson accepted Sixer’s skimpy, conditional offer. I have my doubts whether the irrepressible AI will toe Monsignor Stefanski’s stern line; could be expelled before end of 1st semester (Jan. date) while attempting with great fanfare and considerable personal challenges to simultaneously resurrect his woebegone career & woebegone first pro team under parochial hawk-eyes of Stefanski, Lynam, Dileo, Nash, Ford (yes, all still affiliated w/Sixers), et al. Of course Pope Snider I has ultimate ruling power and surely does not have a tin ear for the sound of incoming coin.
E.J. will not abandon the P.O. for AI or anyone. i do like the idea of plugging AI into Lou’s old spot in the starting line-up- but my guess is that they will eventually go small- again because of E.J.
As for John Wall, not drafting him because you have Lou/Jrue is like passing of Barkley because you have Spoon. You draft the player you think will be a star.
TT32 – I could write an entire post to answer your question. But here is a the short version.
Do you want me to continue?
I will get a good look at Wall on Saturday when Kentucky faces UNC.
Tk76 – Jordan already said A.I. will start in place of Jrue but didn’t indicate if the rest of the starting line-up would be Sam, Brand, Thad and Dala.
We can only hope.
The expressions on Sam’s face (end of game, following his shot interference) and Iggy’s face (after made 3) on Monday night were priceless. I wonder if Comcast will exploit Iggy’s ‘I’mLessThanStupid’ mugging for future promos after AI fever settles.
It’s a shame Eddie Jordan is a complete idiot.
If Iverson can still score (which it looked like he could in his couple games with Memphis – 15-26 from the field) this does legitimately have the potential to help the team on the court as well as at the ticket booth.
Mix and match the right line-ups and devise a defense strategy that makes sense given the players you have. He has offense players around him and in theory some good defenders around him as well.
I am most curious to see how Dala acts and how shot distribution shuffles.
I added a new Iverson poll to this post and it’s in the sidebar as well.
Damn I wanted him to return for the Saturday game @ Charlotte. That is the one I’m attending! Missed it by one game!
I’m going to hold off my opinions because right now I am happy, just because I am a huge A.I. fan. Once we get a couple games in, I’ll know more about how I feel. In the meantime, I’ll be reading everyone else’s thoughts- good or bad.
Dannie, great write-up as usual, I was starving and that was a good, hearty meal, thank you!
I don’t have much to say about Iverson coming back, I wanna watch a game or two first. But I am sickened just thinking about how this organization might be able to hide their ineptitude behind any team success as a result of this signing. In addition to more lottery balls, the other benefit I saw from this team continuing to stink it up was that it would push the organization closer to replacing DiLeo, Stefanski and Jordan.
Guest – You know the underhanded real reason Iverson isn’t playing until Monday right?
Not giving the home fans a preview of Iverson before the first home game where it financially benefits the team.
Think about it.
It would be a gamble to play Iverson tonight or Saturday and have him straight up suck and the team get their arses kicked by weak teams with him on it. That would seriously depress the marketing impact of this move before it had a chance to succeed (from a business standpoint).
AND he is playing against his old team in Denver the first game back who just so happen to have Ty Lawson (the guy many Sixers fans wanted) playing real minutes for them.
Ticket poll question I voted yes but only if I get free ticket, so yo hook me up with some PBP box seat and swag. No seriously I voted that way but keep in mind before A.I. got here, I would not have gone even if I had gotten a free tix, and I did get one freebie offer in the last year and didn’t go.
Yeah Dannie, I fully understand why he is waiting (I’m not sure exactly who’s decision it is), but for the simple fact that I’ll probably never get to see him play live again… I was hoping he could give it a go… against Larry Brown by the way.
Stefanski to be interviewed momentarily on 950 AM/ 97.5 FM (after a word from those commercial radio sponsors).
Dannie, that’s why I asked. You the man. I’ll definitely check him out as well. I know we’re getting way ahead of ourselves but the rest of the season should be interesting.
“by-product” = buy product
TT32 – I will say this. Having a chance at the top pick in a draft would provide for a more exciting off-season than having substantial cap space for me.
I love college basketball and prefer it over the NBA by a lot, I watch as much as I can so I can follow certain teams (UNC, Nova, Temple) and players. And I just don’t think Philly would attract an elite level superstar like Wade or LeBron via free agency. Not that I think Philly is that bad. I just think there are better spots out there for a variety of reasons.
AND I would love to get a legit stud in the draft and watch him grow with the team (like Barkely or A.I).
But as you say. Getting ahead of ourselves.
The biggest story in all of this – Samuel Dalembert as a prophet:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/20091130_An_Iverson-Sixers_reunion__Answer_is_maybe.html
Now if only he can have a dream of the Sixers winning a championship.
Welcome back AI! Wouldn’t be shocked if he’s a little better than people are expecting.
If only Sam can foresee every boneheaded play he makes and avoid it. Unless his life is like FlashForward and he can see his goof ups in advance but cannot stop them.
Hell with Sammy, I called this on here when he was traded to Detroit for cap relief.
I can understand why so many fans are up in arms on this one. Last year I would of been too, but like you said Dannie, I have no confidence in this team right now. Maybe not the personnel as much, I think they’re constructed to be much better than they’ve played, but this coach has turned an average playoff team to lottery bound way too fast, and I would shit if he was fired this early into his contract. I think some changes needed to be made in the front office to work these players in the right direction, or players need to be moved to fit a system.
I have been watching the Sixers this year just because I have nothing better to do, it has been bad, and I was around in the 90′s. This year this team turned into that kid in high school who came to school everyday, tried hard, got B’s, then BAM! He’s doing dope and stealing from his mother. Tragic. At least now there will be some form of excitement.
I said before that I can’t blame them for chasing some excitement and ticket sales in a terrible economy. And while this is a desperate move by a directionless GM, now that the reality of the move has begun to set in, I can see the appeal of catching lightning in a bottle, and improbably acquiring a still viable superstar. Stefanski’s throwing up a cheap hail mary that AI has a Favre-like rejuvenation. And, where this team is, at this moment in time, why the hell not!
All that said, they won’t, but they’d really be smart if they restored Larry Brown’s best idea, playing AI at SG with a defensive minded unselfish PG. I think Igoudala should play SF, and Thad becomes our instant offense off the bench.
Last point: A back court of Lou and AI is hilarious. Even more hilarious than the Igoudala/ Carney combo I’ve been seeing.
I was more pissed at A.I. for his comments in the last few years than any selfish play. At Denver and Detroit he seemed to tone down his dominating of the ball and passed to his more talented teammates. So I think having some talent around him, and being near the end of his career combined will make this move successful. I also feel ,if used with the proper lineups, he won!t kill us defensively but that will be up to our head coach. Dannie, I prefer your lineup but expect Jrue to be used off the bench with L.Will. when he returns. We have wanted Iggy as a 3rd option for years and if Elton is back, he may become just that. I expect around [17 ppg. , 5 ass. , 3 reb., 44 % f.g.] and many trips to the line, something this team lacks. The players SEEM excited about this, losing tends to do that. My minutes would be distributed as follows:
Sam [32] , Jason [16]
Elton [32 ] Marreese [16]
Thad [32] Kapono or Carney [16]
Iggy [32] L.Will [16]
A.I. [32] Jrue [10] L.Will. [6]
As far as L.Will. and A.I. together in the backcourt, once in a while for a few minutes, fine, but not for long stretches, though L.Brown seemed to do it with success with Augustine and Felton when we played them but that was against OUR backcourt.
thanks, Dannie, for bringing up Ty Lawson. I had almost forgotten how pissed off I was when we picked Jrue instead. I was so pissed, mostly because I felt that he is a legit PG and runs the fastbreak so well. Him playing in a small lineup of Ty, Lou, Iggy, Thad, and Brand would be able to scream down the court off a steal or a long rebound. From what I saw of Ty last year, he is a decent rebounder because of his ups, even though he is so small. If we had drafted Ty instead of Jrue we wouldn’t be even making this move right now in my opinion.
Adam, supposedly Teague was rumored as their 2nd choice, a typical E.Jordan type of pick. I am okay with Jrue but wouldv!e been really pissed if they passed on Lawson for Teague , who may be a clone of Lou.
i saw this even though i absolutely love AI and can’t wait to watch him play Monday
Well, it only took THIRTEEN years from the time we drafted Iverson in June of 1996…but after 11 years of Iverson being surrounded by 4th and 5th options…maybe once a 3rd at the very best…management finally got The Answer a somewhat legit 2nd (Brand) 3rd (Iguodala) and 4th (Thad) offensive option to run with. Even three point shooters (Kapono and Carney…somewhat) and some defenders (Jrue, Billie, Sammy).
Guess Billy King was right when he preached patience back in the late 90′s!
In all seriousness though, I couldn’t be happier. This team is going no where, it’s a desperate move from a franchise that has huge holes in its boat…but as a fan, I am 1010% rooting for AI to be given a total green light and just start dropping 23-25 ppg on people and hoist this team on his shoulders a bit for some wins to give a nice FU to the entire league and everyone that’s ever doubted him.
This year is totally meaningless, so I’m fine with injecting some fun into things. And if people don’t tune into this Sixers team just out of the mere curiosity to see what AI does with his back against the wall…they’re nuts.
Basketball gods’ chuckle – Over the hill AI…who granted can still probably avg. in the mid 20′s…for the first time EVER has Sixers around him that are better offensive players than:
-Lazy stiff Tim Thomas
-Stoptakingsomanydamnbadshots.com Larry Hughes
-Hmm the Joe Smith experiment isn’t working too well…
-Toni Kukoc, the worst Larry Brown fit ever
-Twilight point of his career Derrick Coleman
-Whoops-we-overrated-the-talent-of Matt Harpring
-Oh, there’s a REASON Milwaukee just mailed us fossil-aged and heartless Glenn Robinson for free…
-”Hey guys, check out how well I can still play on one leg!” says Chris Webber.
Let’s all look over that collective list again and give a collective sigh of brotherly love. I mean…in 2001 Iverson took a bunch of 4th options on offense (Mckie, Mutumbo) and 5th options (Snow, Geiger, Ratliff) to the freaking finals where we stomped on LA…IN LA…one one of the most memorable Game 1′s of the finals in the past 15 years. Obviously in Denver he had an offensive stud like Melo to play with…where they did co-exist decently enough…but probably the BEST offensive player AI ever played with in Philly was the 03-04 incarnation of Derrick Coleman, and Keith Van Horn that year at SF. Unreal.
Ken bland did u actually read any of that before you copied and pasted it? seriously? Aside from the first indescretion, obviously when he was in his first year it’s all just insignificant crap. WOW! Iverson didn’t see eye to eye with a coach :O who also happened to be a disciplinarian…. If i recall none of the other players did either. He made one statement issuing his opinion on the dress code as did many other players…. gee what a thug. Has he been fined once for been in breach of the dress code since it’s inception? no… and he got fined because he didn’t agree with a terrible no call from a ref… once…. So does that mean tim duncan, lebron, kobe and kevin garnett are a bunch of gang bangers now??? Does the media ever touch on the positive things he does like his copious amounts of charity work? not just throwing money at charities either but taking the time and being hands on and involved in charity work like the boys and girls club of america. Or the annual scholarschips where he pays the way for underprivellaged children to get a good educatioin and make something of their lives and oppurtunity they otherwise wouldn’t have and couldn’t afford? NO, instead all u hear about is negative crap most of which is just poor journalist’s writing unsubstantiated shitty articles which is just full of their own opinions. Do they ever give him credit for the effort he puts forth consistently on the court in a league where u could question the commitment of a large number of overpaid pre madonna’s. I’m not saying he is a saint but the guy is the most hated player in the nba from the media much more even then the fan bashing, wife bashing alcoholice, talentless ballhog ron artest. Next time u want to put forth an argument at the very least use your own words…