The Allen Iverson Saga

[tehova]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/61460/20090906/iverson_grizzlies_closer_to_deal/

Allen Iverson is getting closer to joining the Grizzlies. Iverson and Memphis owner Michael Heisley spent Saturday trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting. The development indicates that the guard is close to accepting the team's one-year offer, according to sources.
Iverson has yet to meet with Heisley because Memphis had been dealing solely with the guard's agent, Leon Rose, until now.

[tehova]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Sidenote: can teams raise the prices of the games after the schedules are released? Because you can get Griz tickets for like 5 dollars


thats cheaper than a high school game

[Santino]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Iverson tweeted he's joining the Grizzlies.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Nice. It'd be great if he comes off the bench and torches people.. we'll see. That'd be in his best interest for getting another contract next season (either elsewhere or again with the Grizz, who aren't likely to want to start a 34+ year-old when they have Mayo, Conley, Gay, etc.). He won't prove anyone wrong on the winning front in Memphis, but hopefully he can shut some people up about his selfishness or ego by helping out a young team and improving them.

[chance]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Iverson tweeted he's joining the Grizzlies.

Yea they also said it on ESPN

SMH why AI???

[chance]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Yea but Stumble if he's gonna do that why not just go to a good team?

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

..because nobody contending wanted to try to work him into their offense this year? He's got some work to do to build his stock back up after the Detroit fiasco. But this year was just the perfect storm of teams not wanting AI -- cap went down, most of the contenders are in the same or better condition as last season, his DET stint killed his value, and the thought is still that he'll likely want to start (or at least play 30+ minutes) and there aren't a ton of teams who have that kind of room in their lineups for a small tweener guard. If he contributes well in Memphis and shows that he can handle either coming off the bench or still start and be effective while keeping negative attention away from himself (skipping practice for example), then he'll probably get picked up by a better team next season.

[GSW]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Allen Iverson isnt coming off anyones bench... especially in memphis.

cmon Stumble.

[Gibbz]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Memphis has got so much talent, but it looks like their team chemistry is going to be laughable.

[tehova]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Do I even have to say it?


Grizzlies Bandwagon is open fo business


Season tickets for as low as 225

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Allen Iverson isnt coming off anyones bench... especially in memphis.

cmon Stumble.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Unless he agrees to play PG, I don't see how he doesn't come off the bench in Memphis. He'll probably still get 32 MPG or so and finish most games instead of Conley... but the article I read today said that he didn't make any demands about starting and that he'll just be competing for the jobs like everyone else. We'll see I guess.

But yeah I wouldn't expect him to come off the bench normally, just seems like that's the scenario for this particular team and it would go a long way towards getting him a job next season, which is probably in his mind.

Season tickets for $225? Jesus, I should be a Grizz fan. It's $199 for an 11-game pack for the Nugs.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Yea they also said it on ESPN

SMH why AI???

Huh? Why wouldn't he go to the only team that showed a bit of interest in him?

Stumble's right, he needs a place where there's extremely low expectations so he can repair his basketball "image". He had better display a willingness to get teammates involved and not mess up the flow of the offense.

If he does a halfway decent job I'm sure he can land on his feet next year with a REAL team.

Here are the tweets:

alleniverson God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career.

I met with Mr. Heinsley, Chris Wallace and my next head coach Lionel Hollins

I feel that they are committed to developing a winner and I know that I can help them to accomplish that. I feel that I can trust them.

[JBH3]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

AI Memphis bound.

He'll be traded at the deadline...mark my words.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

AI Memphis bound.

He'll be traded at the deadline...mark my words.

Could be. I wouldn't be surprised. He's going to have to prove he won't be a ball stopper.

Also, it's tough for me to think of a contending or even playoff team that would really "need" him. Even if one of those teams suffered an injury.

Maybe Utah, NO's, or Miami??

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Allen Iverson Saga

Utah and Miami are the ones that came to mind for me of the likely playoff teams, though Ronnie Brewer is a better match with Deron than AI would be... but yeah, both teams could use a scorer off the bench pretty badly. I don't think any of the competing teams would use AI as a starter unless someone goes down with an injury. This smaller contract makes it both more and less likely that he's traded -- he doesn't have that expiring value where someone might roll the dice on him and just take the savings if it doesn't work out, yet he's able to be traded for someone who isn't a quarter of the player he is since he'll be making between $3 and $5 mil... so if there's an injury, it would be much easier for a team to replace the production lost by their starter.