The Allen Iverson Saga

[Cebby]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

noooo, apparently hes some ghetto thug or whatever, how some prejudices run deep.

I'm not sure how this applies to the NBA board in any way at all.

[TMagic]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

What I'm wondering is if there is if any of the contenders have the money to sign A.I.?

I mean, what's the worse that can happen really? He doesn't mesh well, and the team plays bad, then you don't play him. Then you're back to working with the same team you had before A.I. arrived.

But wouldn't it be crazy if one of the contenders took a chance on him and it worked out?

Other teams would be kicking themselves for not giving him a shot, that is, if they had the means of acquiring him and not giving much up.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

I agree. I think something will happen eventually (he's too competitive to retire this early), but he might not get signed until after the season starts. I have a feeling someone goes down to injury and AI comes in to save the day... that'd be great.

[DC]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

It is somewhat sad to see that nobody really wants him though. It has to hurt his ego

[GSW]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

that is very sad....

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

I wouldn't say sad but more like ****ed up.

[P2K]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Pfft ignore ps2, that guy's another hating sheep who has prob been on the anti ai bandwagon because of stupid gossip stories since day 1.

Who the heck is 'ps2'? And I'm anti-AI because why? Because I don't bow at the altar? Anyone that tells me Iverson played defense or can still play defense and "give his all" is delusional. These folks are the sheeple of the AI people. Digusting.

Personally I'd like to see AI go to Miami and prove everyone wrong that he's not the egomaniacal self-absorbed ball hog everyoen makes him out to be, he would complement Wade and Beazley well. The guy can score and he's undersized, you'd think people would respect that (well his fans do) but noooo, apparently hes some ghetto thug or whatever, how some prejudices run deep. Anyways hope he does well next season and enjoys it wherever he ends up, even if it's with a non contender.

People respected AI for what he did, but everything coming to him now is all on him. He refuses to redefine his role, which is the sole reason he's in the predicament he is in now.

I don't want to hear about prejudices. Why is it that everything that is wrong with Iverson is blamed on everyone else BUT Iverson himself? It's always the "haters" to blame or the media. Meanwhile, Ron Artest is in everyone's good light when just a few years ago, he was potrayed as Lucifer himself.

[23]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

People respected AI for what he did, but everything coming to him now is all on him. He refuses to redefine his role, which is the sole reason he's in the predicament he is in now.

That right there has been said time and again in here. That's the entire summary in a nutshell.

I have nothing to say against his character or person but as a player.... I hope he has someone around him letting him know its okay to make adjustments.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Can I hear thoughts on this hypothetical: would DEN have achieved as much as they did last year with AI instead of Chauncey? I say Hell no.

[WeLLWeLL]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Can I hear thoughts on this hypothetical: would DEN have achieved as much as they did last year with AI instead of Chauncey? I say Hell no.

Hell no as well.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

I think they would've been a slightly lower seed (remember that it was only half a game keeping them in the #2 spot with those favorable matchups in Rounds 1 and 2) but I think they would've gotten to the 2nd round and knocked out by LA regardless. I don't really consider getting knocked out of the Conference Finals by LA any better than getting knocked out in the Semifinals... same result in the end. I think if they secured the #2 seed then would've had the exact same scenario (win vs. NOH, win vs. DAL, loss vs. LAL).

So in short, no, I think they would've had a slightly worse seed and had a bit of a tougher road. But in terms of final result, yes, I think they would've ended up in the playoffs getting eliminated by the god damned Lakers again. Again, I point to the health and play of Nene/K-Mart, the defensive-minded additions of Birdman and Jones, the off-season commitment/focus on defense, and Melo/JR's continued improvement as the primary reasons that last season went so well. Chauncey is certainly better equipped to helm a defensive-minded, in-control team than AI is, but I think that most of the great defense we played was due to changes in scheme and effort from other players (not the PG) as well as the roster changes from 07-08. Losing Camby and gaining Bird for cheap was the biggest thing because both K-Mart and Nene are better on-ball defenders than Camby and Bird more than made up for Marcus' production blocks-wise in about half the minutes.

I'm expecting Chauncey to have a bigger impact this season than last simply because he's had a full off-season with the younger players, had a full off-season with George (so he can tell that bastid to implement some out of bounds plays haha), and just another year of getting comfortable in the system. Having JR in the starting 5 will get him easier shots, so I expect his shooting numbers and efficiency to go up... assists as well.

[23]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Stumble there is no way that Nuggets team would've been swept in the first round with little to no resistance on defense like they did a couple of seasons ago with AI leading

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Blame George Karl for their defense in 07-08... he had literally no scheme except to encourage gambling and hope Camby blocked the shot when the wings got into the lane... it was really pitiful. And with K-Mart and Nene not 100%, the interior defense was just rough, it was literally nothing but Camby getting 5 blocks per game from the weakside.

Last season they implemented the high trapping scheme that shut down CP3 as well as a more organized switching system on pick and rolls and that was responsible for most of their improvement defensively (as well as controlling the ball to cut down on transition buckets, which Chauncey certainly helped with). Then adding Bird and Jones (as well as improvement from JR and Melo, especially Melo) put it over the top and kept us pretty high in the defensive stats all last year. I think most of that would've happened with AI or Chauncey at the helm, but Chauncey added that bit of efficiency that we needed. AI scores more and kept the pace of the offense higher, so I think a lot of it would've been offset by that. But yeah, it's not like AI would've been guarding CP3 anyway, so I think we still would've won that series... Billups wasn't on him much at all really... he can't defend quick guys like that much better.

And remember that George Karl was stupid enough to start Anthony Carter with AI for the vast majority of that season... just a horrible idea against any team but Dallas with the twin PG lineup.

[23]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

No escape on Karl but AI and the rest of the guys werent even interested in playing defense. They just stood there while LA shot wide open 3's the entire series.

[Cebby]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Can I hear thoughts on this hypothetical: would DEN have achieved as much as they did last year with AI instead of Chauncey? I say Hell no.

Yes.

For all the hype, the won four more games in 09 than 08 in a West where Phoenix, NO, SA, Utah, and Houston were all worse than the year before.

Even assuming they only won 50 games, they would have played Portland in the first round and LA in the second round. It basically just affects in which round they lose to LA.