Just when fans and the media had believed that the offseason had died down, rumors about Allen Iverson's future destination resurfaced. D-Wade has expressed interest in playing alongside A.I., a "be careful what you wish to" remark that was heavily criticized by Around the Horn panelists, otherwise respected as ESPN's elite. However, the legitimate news has come out of a very illegitimate franchise: the Los Angeles Clippers. Apparently, serious talks have been going down between Iverson and the C's. But, figuratively speaking, the Answer hasn't answered very many questions lately. Where does he want to play? Must he start? How much money does he demand? Will he even have an impact?
Last year in Detroit he made it pretty clear that coming off the bench was below him. For Miami and the Clips, that's not a problem. Although, there are different circumstances for each team. For one, the Heat and the Clippers are in different conferences, which means different requirements for playoff contention. In the last two years, Western playoff spots have not been very accepting of 50 win teams and if they did make it, they just barely squeezed. In the East, 50 wins guarantees you a playoff spot and you could probably slide if you're around .500. Now, it's just a matter of how much or how little will your record change by adding Allen Iverson.
For the Heat, they're in a bit of a sticky situation. They made a dramatic improvement last season in contrast to their disastrous 07-08 team and are among the NBA teams enticing young players. If Allen Iverson were to land in South Beach, a few problems might arise. Does Miami's front office really want to decrease the playing time of a steadily improving Mario Chalmers? Do they want somebody taking over the minutes of a confident Michael Beasley? No, because they want to keep their youthful movement going. Allen Iverson would only destroy the progress they've made. I'm sure that once minutes, shots, and attention are stolen from the rest of the Heat squad, confrontations will occur and pandemonium will arise.
As far as the Clips are concerned, they'll also have to coordinate their backcourt to make this transaction work. I don't know how fruitful a Baron Davis-A.I. tandem would potentially be, despite how dangerous the pairing looks on paper. Some expected the Anthony-Iverson experiment to help out the Nuggets, but it soon became apparent that the project wouldn't fair as well as Rockies' fans had hoped. The Clippers also have their own pool of young talents, including Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, and Blake Griffin - which means they should have the same fears as Miami. Will Blake Griffin allow Iverson to steal his interviews and take the focus off of his rookie season? Will Al Thornton fly off the radar? Will anyone remember Eric Gordon?
Ultimately, though, things get a bit more interesting if Iverson moves to L.A. For one, he will reunite with former teammate Marcus Camby. Camby is said to be on board with the decision to bring Allen to Cali and who knows, maybe Iverson will start throwing lobs to Camby. I remember very vividly during Lakers games, during the immediate post-Shaq era, when the Nuggets not only defeated Los Angeles, but did so just because Andre Miller could throw the ball in the air and Marcus Camby could finish things off with a posterizing jam. Things weren't as great for the Cambyman when the Answer rolled into town, but if Iverson can dish the ball to Griffin and find Camby in the post, the Clips might make the playoffs.
As I was writing this post, I decided to take a peak at the NBA section of Yahoo! Sports, and was awakened by an explanation of why Iverson is being recruited by the C's. Adrian Wojnarowski essentially argues that this move is motivated by the pursuit of capitalism, not success. I'm not sure I can agree. Even though he may be the worst owner in pro sports, Donald T. Sterling sleeps on money and you can bet that selling tickets, or on the contrary, not selling them, doesn't keep him awake at night. Sure, the Clips were down about 30% in ticket sales. But the money spent on acquiring The Answer may undermine any potential profits. Not such a convincing post, Woj.
Whether or not he goes to Miami or Los Angeles, the success of the team he chooses will hinge on Allen's mindset. If he comes in with a selfish attitude, wanting to finish his career off on a bang and demanding a starting role, then trouble could be ahead. On the other hand, if he eases his way into retirement, as he should, and comes in trying to make his teammates better, I'm sure the team that signs him will improve. In retrospect, however, A.I. has never been one to pass first.
Last year in Detroit he made it pretty clear that coming off the bench was below him. For Miami and the Clips, that's not a problem. Although, there are different circumstances for each team. For one, the Heat and the Clippers are in different conferences, which means different requirements for playoff contention. In the last two years, Western playoff spots have not been very accepting of 50 win teams and if they did make it, they just barely squeezed. In the East, 50 wins guarantees you a playoff spot and you could probably slide if you're around .500. Now, it's just a matter of how much or how little will your record change by adding Allen Iverson.
For the Heat, they're in a bit of a sticky situation. They made a dramatic improvement last season in contrast to their disastrous 07-08 team and are among the NBA teams enticing young players. If Allen Iverson were to land in South Beach, a few problems might arise. Does Miami's front office really want to decrease the playing time of a steadily improving Mario Chalmers? Do they want somebody taking over the minutes of a confident Michael Beasley? No, because they want to keep their youthful movement going. Allen Iverson would only destroy the progress they've made. I'm sure that once minutes, shots, and attention are stolen from the rest of the Heat squad, confrontations will occur and pandemonium will arise.
As far as the Clips are concerned, they'll also have to coordinate their backcourt to make this transaction work. I don't know how fruitful a Baron Davis-A.I. tandem would potentially be, despite how dangerous the pairing looks on paper. Some expected the Anthony-Iverson experiment to help out the Nuggets, but it soon became apparent that the project wouldn't fair as well as Rockies' fans had hoped. The Clippers also have their own pool of young talents, including Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, and Blake Griffin - which means they should have the same fears as Miami. Will Blake Griffin allow Iverson to steal his interviews and take the focus off of his rookie season? Will Al Thornton fly off the radar? Will anyone remember Eric Gordon?
Ultimately, though, things get a bit more interesting if Iverson moves to L.A. For one, he will reunite with former teammate Marcus Camby. Camby is said to be on board with the decision to bring Allen to Cali and who knows, maybe Iverson will start throwing lobs to Camby. I remember very vividly during Lakers games, during the immediate post-Shaq era, when the Nuggets not only defeated Los Angeles, but did so just because Andre Miller could throw the ball in the air and Marcus Camby could finish things off with a posterizing jam. Things weren't as great for the Cambyman when the Answer rolled into town, but if Iverson can dish the ball to Griffin and find Camby in the post, the Clips might make the playoffs.
As I was writing this post, I decided to take a peak at the NBA section of Yahoo! Sports, and was awakened by an explanation of why Iverson is being recruited by the C's. Adrian Wojnarowski essentially argues that this move is motivated by the pursuit of capitalism, not success. I'm not sure I can agree. Even though he may be the worst owner in pro sports, Donald T. Sterling sleeps on money and you can bet that selling tickets, or on the contrary, not selling them, doesn't keep him awake at night. Sure, the Clips were down about 30% in ticket sales. But the money spent on acquiring The Answer may undermine any potential profits. Not such a convincing post, Woj.
Whether or not he goes to Miami or Los Angeles, the success of the team he chooses will hinge on Allen's mindset. If he comes in with a selfish attitude, wanting to finish his career off on a bang and demanding a starting role, then trouble could be ahead. On the other hand, if he eases his way into retirement, as he should, and comes in trying to make his teammates better, I'm sure the team that signs him will improve. In retrospect, however, A.I. has never been one to pass first.
0 comments:
Post a Comment