Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
The question “where will Allen Iverson end up� has been answered, and it’s not
ESPN reports the 76ers are about to trade their disgruntled star to
We’ve traveled down this path over the summer, and I know a lot of you disagree with me. Hey, if Danny Ainge could have gotten him for Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West, I’d have fully supported the move. But to give up anything more would have been a bad move for the Celtics.
Simply put, Iverson would not have translated into a championship for the C’s. He won’t win one with
There's a reason for that…two actually. 1)Iverson isn’t worth much more than that and 2)the smart teams are saving their bargaining chips for the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes.
What do you think of the Iverson deal? Should the C’s have made a bigger push to land him?
Teddy, Teddy, Teddy....Alan Iverson is a flat out superstar on the level of the players you mentioned in your piece. Iverson would have been a great pick up for Boston, especially with the mix of youth and talent the Celtics have right now. Paul Pierce is phenominal, but cannot do it alone. Just ask him. Last time I checked, he was lobbying for Iverson. The Celtics have some great young players in Jefferson and Green and would probably only had to part with one of them. As far as who the Sixers got for Iverson, you can't say he's no good for who the sixers got in return.... blame that on the sixers front office. Speaking of front office mishaps, you should be familiar with that watching the Celtics over the years. Flat out Denver got a steal, Because the Sixers front office did not trade Iverson over the summer. If you follow your logic, than what can we say for the Lakers who traded Shaq. Did they get fair value? The answer is clearly no. Fact is they had no choice. As far as Iverson the player, if you cannot see that he is a super star capable of leading a team to the finals, then well, I cannot help you there. Do you think that the sixers had a better cast than the Celtics do now in 2000 when Iverson took the Sixers to the finals. People will argue that the east was weak that year, but us the east much better today?Iverson is that special type of player that just can flat out play the game at a level few can. It amazes me that people can be so limited in how they view him. They say he is a one dimensional scorer. Iverson's passing ability is hugely underated. The fact is the Sixers had no one who could put the ball in the Basket period. Of course Iverson was going to shot the ball, it was the only chance that team had. I said Iverson was underated as a passer before he went to Denver and look now. With a decent cast, he averages 11.5 assist in his first two games and that is without Carmelo, J.R. and Camby. Point is he would have made the Celtics a contender in the East, period. Would they have won a championship.... that would depend on the maturation of the team, but they would have been dangerous and fun to watch! If Pierce and Walker could make noise in the playoffs years back, you think Iverson would not have done the same with Pierce. Pierce is a great shotter who would have benefited tremendously from the attention Iverson would have drawn from opposing defenses. It would also take the burden off of Pierce to put up big numbers every night in order for the Celtics to win.West and Telfair would have matured greatly watching Iverson and Jefferson and the guys down low could concentrate on rebounding and playing defense. Unfortunately, this was an opportunity that the Celtics missed out on.
Welcome aboard T4! It's about time you started posting!
Iverson is a very good player, perhaps the most entertaining in the game over the last decade. He is not in the class of those guys I listed...not even close. Put anyone of them on the trade market and you'd have a feeding frenzy that would make "Jaws" look like a goldfish movie. Even an old, fat Shaq was able to fetch Lamar Odom in return.
As for his start in Denver, let's see what happens when Carmelo returns. Let's see what happens in a tight playoff game when only one of thse guys can have the ball in his hands at a time. Antoine was willing to cede Pierce the ball. I don't know if Iverson would have.
Ted.... I cannot believe that you really think that Iverson is not in the same league as LeBron James, Wade, Kobe or Duncan.. and going as far as saying not even close makes me think that you have a bias against him beyond him as a basketball player. His numbers are phenomenal and he plays hard day in and day out.. I am writing you this at the conclusion of the Denver/Seattle game where Iverson put up 44 points and 10 assists and single handedly beat the Sonics. Watch Denver this year. Particularly Iverson. I think you will be surprised to see what his assist total will be this year with Denver, especially when Carmello and J.R. get back.
Let's wait till after the honeymoon before we judge his stint in Denver. We'll see how enamored his new coach is with him after a few missed practices later in the year.
I grew up watching the 70's Celtics and then the greatest TEAM player and hardest "practice" worker of them all...Larry Bird. So gaudy stats don't necessarily impress me (except in fantasy leagues). When AI shows me he's a true leader and winner, I'll change my mind.