What to make of Iverson?

[HMcCoy]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I remember reading the ESPN mag artical where AI and Melo were hooking up for the first time as teammates, getting together to play some pool. The mag was there to cover the meeting.

AI is on the scene first and immediately he starts talking MAJOR ish about how he can't be beaten and he's gonna kick Melo's arse. This continues as Melo walks in. No "feeling out" period, AI's personality dominates the relationship right off the bat. Melo is playing it cool, but seems intimidated a little. Ivey is talking smack...but sinks the cue on the 8 ball, and talks Melo out of accepting the win. "Melo don't wanna win like that!"

Now I see why Iggy was ballin' outta control. Ivo is an intimidating personality, maybe too much so. He has the type of audacity that just swallows up the people around him. It just really struck me. Too much swagger, too much bravado, A supreme trash talker...not in a malicious way, but a cocky guy that keeps you on the edge. Like GP. Kinda' like that guy in HS that cracks on everybody real hard...and you just can't seem to get a good one back on him. What he says may not even be funny, but he delivers it so well everyone still laughs.

Iverson is and will always be a gunslinger. At 6'6" or so, he could get away with it, but at his size, he just can't finsh as consistently as a taller guy could. Can't get to the glass/rim instead of putting up floaters and ending up on the floor. Can't dish out hard contact, only receive it. He believes, just like every great player believes, that every single shot is going to fall...and if his low 40's career shooting hasn't convinced him yet, nothing ever will, IMO.

[P2K]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

It just AI game and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

Exactly.

[P2K]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

Who can he give it to in Denver besides Melo? Steve Blake? He had 8 dimes and Melo shot horrible too. (8-20) Thats why they lost...

So Iverson STILL doesn't have anyone to pass it to?


LOL c'mon man...

[P2K]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I remember reading the ESPN mag artical where AI and Melo were hooking up for the first time as teammates, getting together to play some pool. The mag was there to cover the meeting.

AI is on the scene first and immediately he starts talking MAJOR ish about how he can't be beaten and he's gonna kick Melo's arse. This continues as Melo walks in. No "feeling out" period, AI's personality dominates the relationship right off the bat. Melo is playing it cool, but seems intimidated a little. Ivey is talking smack...but sinks the cue on the 8 ball, and talks Melo out of accepting the win. "Melo don't wanna win like that!"

Now I see why Iggy was ballin' outta control. Ivo is an intimidating personality, maybe too much so. He has the type of audacity that just swallows up the people around him. It just really struck me. Too much swagger, too much bravado, A supreme trash talker...not in a malicious way, but a cocky guy that keeps you on the edge. Like GP. Kinda' like that guy in HS that cracks on everybody real hard...and you just can't seem to get a good one back on him. What he says may not even be funny, but he delivers it so well everyone still laughs.

Iverson is and will always be a gunslinger. At 6'6" or so, he could get away with it, but at his size, he just can't finsh as consistently as a taller guy could. Can't get to the glass/rim instead of putting up floaters and ending up on the floor. Can't dish out hard contact, only receive it. He believes, just like every great player believes, that every single shot is going to fall...and if his low 40's career shooting hasn't convinced him yet, nothing ever will, IMO.

AI dominates on and off the court. I don't know if he knows it or not, but that's the way it is. How he acts in the locker room and to the press affects his teammates. Then he goes out on the court, pounds the ball for the majority of the 24 seconds and tries to do his thing.


He's been doing this since he was a pup. It's all AI and he makes sure it stays that way.

Dude never runs a set offense. AI's set offense is AI. Dribble and shoot. If he can't get the shot, hope that a teammate is open. He doesn't use picks, he doesn't pass it around or anything. The ball is in his hands and that is it.


People expected that once he got good teammates, AI would change his game. And I always told these people that this would not be the case. He is who the hell he is. And people always wonder why he can't work with players with a shred of offensive talent. AI left and all of a sudden, Andre Iguodala turns into a 20-6-6 player. Looking like a legit All Star out there. Some fans asked "well, why didn't Andre play like that when Iverson was here?" LOL because Iverson had his thumb pressed hard in every possible way on the Sixers franchise. On the court, off the court, the locker room. Everyone was on pins and needles. Once he left, everybody could take in a deep breath and relax.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Larry Brown had the perfect formula on how to build a team around Iverson: Let AI be your offense. Everyone else concentrate on offensive/defensive rebounding and playing good defense. THAT'S IT. A couple people off the bench that can sink some buckets and voila!

I get it. I don't know why it's so hard for others to come to grips with the reality.

[amra01]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I think Denver wasn't playing basketball even in their winning streak at the end of the regular season, you have AI and Melo doing anything they like shoot with 5 defenders against them shoot 3s on the fast break I can't watch Camby make his ugly jump shot instead of getting him self inside...
Karl has to make them play some basketball they need to gain a team mentality watch some european basketball maybe another coach will do it. take some pride on defense they can play defense they have the size and quickness. They got make some plays some picks anything and they need a true point guard.

[Court_vision]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I remember reading the ESPN mag artical where AI and Melo were hooking up for the first time as teammates, getting together to play some pool. The mag was there to cover the meeting.

AI is on the scene first and immediately he starts talking MAJOR ish about how he can't be beaten and he's gonna kick Melo's arse. This continues as Melo walks in. No "feeling out" period, AI's personality dominates the relationship right off the bat. Melo is playing it cool, but seems intimidated a little. Ivey is talking smack...but sinks the cue on the 8 ball, and talks Melo out of accepting the win. "Melo don't wanna win like that!"

Now I see why Iggy was ballin' outta control. Ivo is an intimidating personality, maybe too much so. He has the type of audacity that just swallows up the people around him. It just really struck me. Too much swagger, too much bravado, A supreme trash talker...not in a malicious way, but a cocky guy that keeps you on the edge. Like GP. Kinda' like that guy in HS that cracks on everybody real hard...and you just can't seem to get a good one back on him. What he says may not even be funny, but he delivers it so well everyone still laughs.

Iverson is and will always be a gunslinger. At 6'6" or so, he could get away with it, but at his size, he just can't finsh as consistently as a taller guy could. Can't get to the glass/rim instead of putting up floaters and ending up on the floor. Can't dish out hard contact, only receive it. He believes, just like every great player believes, that every single shot is going to fall...and if his low 40's career shooting hasn't convinced him yet, nothing ever will, IMO.

Great post.

You're right Mac, he is struggling to get to the rim...taking too much contact...but still putting up the shot.

He doesn't rebound...so it's not J Kidd shooting 40%. Kidd makes up for it by getting ORB's and dishing out dimes all day.

AI needs to be scoring as that's his primary role. Yet 40% is not going to cut it in the western conference as a shooting guard. There's no 4 games v Boston to get his averages up either. The west is real and it's tough on guards as the paint is just about always full of bigs.

I don't know...I love AI, but I am dissapointed.

Watching all his post game press conferences...he's absolutely convinced his shot will fall and that he'll score. The 6-22 nights never faze him.

There's been enough of those nights though that it should.

[DocHolliday]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I remember reading the ESPN mag artical where AI and Melo were hooking up for the first time as teammates, getting together to play some pool. The mag was there to cover the meeting.

AI is on the scene first and immediately he starts talking MAJOR ish about how he can't be beaten and he's gonna kick Melo's arse. This continues as Melo walks in. No "feeling out" period, AI's personality dominates the relationship right off the bat. Melo is playing it cool, but seems intimidated a little. Ivey is talking smack...but sinks the cue on the 8 ball, and talks Melo out of accepting the win. "Melo don't wanna win like that!"

Now I see why Iggy was ballin' outta control. Ivo is an intimidating personality, maybe too much so. He has the type of audacity that just swallows up the people around him. It just really struck me. Too much swagger, too much bravado, A supreme trash talker...not in a malicious way, but a cocky guy that keeps you on the edge. Like GP. Kinda' like that guy in HS that cracks on everybody real hard...and you just can't seem to get a good one back on him. What he says may not even be funny, but he delivers it so well everyone still laughs.

Iverson is and will always be a gunslinger. At 6'6" or so, he could get away with it, but at his size, he just can't finsh as consistently as a taller guy could. Can't get to the glass/rim instead of putting up floaters and ending up on the floor. Can't dish out hard contact, only receive it. He believes, just like every great player believes, that every single shot is going to fall...and if his low 40's career shooting hasn't convinced him yet, nothing ever will, IMO.

That was a very good analysis of AI's personality.

[Dice]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

George Karl will have a lot to do with it; throwing J.R. Smith under the bus... and benching him to the press instead of talking to the player was inexcusable. It should cost him his job right now before he loses the players for good and implodes the team.

BINGO! This is what I've been talking about all year. Denver's problems is because of George Karl. Karl has been an under achiever as a coach all thoughout his career. REMEMBER, who was the coach of the team in 1994 that had the number one seed in their conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs?...you got it...Goerge Karl! That right there should always come into question when Karl tries for another coaching job.

And if Dallas looses their series against the Warriors then Avery Johnson should join him in the unemployment line of NBA coaches.

[Muzyk23]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

He shot 45% for the season. His low percentage shooting ought to be attributed to Spurs defense..it was great..there were always 2 guys in the back who were ready to help..he dribbled too much in order to get some room, that's how I see it..I'm dissapointed too..what can I say..Nuggets didn't play as a team..there was too much one on one and Kirl didn't have the balls to disrupt it..no inside presence on offense besides Nene..poor bench production..Philly syndrome took over - hey we struggle, we are losing I should take over, get them over the hump.

But..let's take a look at Parker..he drove at will and I wouldn't say he is better at it than AI..Spurs were just a better coached team

AI should take blame on himself..he didin't got it going..still I see good things happening in the Nugget land next season..they stayed close in every game

I don't see any team beating Spurs right now..their defense is just too good for any team to overcome and they have a great great coach..props

[bubbachuck]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I definitely was not satisfied with AI's play this series (or at least the last couple games). There was too much dribbling and bad shots, but you do have to give credit where credit is due though. The Spurs played GREAT defense throughout the entire series. Bowen would start on AI and Finley on Melo but anytime Melo touched the ball they would instantly double up and whenever iverson penetrated (because he is obviously quicker than Bowen) the D would collapse. I really wasnt expecting them to win the series anyway (Spurs D is way too strong) but i just hope they take this as a learning experience for next year. Now Rex needs to go out and get some consistant 3pt shooters (or Blake, Kleiza, and/or JR Smith needs to step up if any of them are still there next year) and with K-Mart coming back to add to their frontcourt i think Denver will be good to go. They will finally have a whole season together, baring any injuries or brawls that may occur of course, and they should really start to mesh well.


One more thing, AI also had way too many TO's and bad passes. I also think what Coach Karl did to JR was really messed up. Def shouldn't do that to a young player like that (or any player for that matter). I know this a pro level but Coaches are still supposed to help players out and not completly tear up their confidence! I mean its not like the kid doesnt have potential. Its just all mental with him.

[grunt]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

I always love AI heart but not his game. People fell in love with his cross over but his shooting % has a history of being really bad. AI never made players around him better.

[MaddenMan]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

Great trade for Denver and great for the future of the Nuggets.

Very simple as to what to make of it. A+ move.

[Muzyk23]

Re: What to make of Iverson?

AI has a history of bouncing back strong, very strong. He's extremely dissapointed with himslef right now.I hope he comes back strong as ever next season. That's the only positive coming out of it.