AI/Grizzlies agree to terminate contract

[Brankles]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Think we can drive a stake into the heart of the AI, " self sacraficing, give 110% at all times, warrior," myth now?

He was at one point, though. What he did in Philadelphia and for the 76ers organization was incredible.

[vols bravesfan]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

AI has got to understand he's not as good as he thinks he is.

[NINJAK2]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

I missed that memo B about it being ok for coaches to throw players under the bus in the media for motivational puposes. It's not ok it's just excepted. How is it ok for a coach to single out a player in the public but a player needs to call a closed door meeting about his displeasure? You're making excuses man for the exact same tactic. If players are supposed to keep their issues inhouse I don't see how it's ok for the coach. The fact is he could have said it after the game in the locker room right? This is what A.I. should have done right. He was angry and his emotions got the best of him and I didn't vilify the man for it. How many games was Mike head coach before that blowup Brankles out of curiosity? Not sure. I mean you no disrespect at all B.

[o_capone]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

I missed that memo B about it being ok for coaches to throw players under the bus in the media for motivational puposes. It's not ok it's just excepted. How is it ok for a coach to single out a player in the public but a player needs to call a closed door meeting about his displeasure? You're making excuses man for the exact same tactic. If players are supposed to keep their issues inhouse I don't see how it's ok for the coach. The fact is he could have said it after the game in the locker room right? This is what A.I. should have done right. He was angry and his emotions got the best of him and I didn't vilify the man for it. How many games was Mike head coach before that blowup Brankles out of curiosity? Not sure. I mean you no disrespect at all B.

Lol, it's a lost cause man. Only because it's AI though. People can't stop judging him by a separate set of rules. I don't know why, it makes no sense to me but that's just how it is. In a lot of people's eyes Allen Iverson can do no right. If he was to shut up and just play the 20 MPG for a losing team, people would talk bad about him, if he speaks up people talk bad about him. With the media and the people who won't apply logic, Iverson is in a lose-lose situation.

[Brankles]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

A coach calling his players out is way different than a player calling his coach out. One is a form of leadership and one is a form of mutiny. It is the job of the coach to be pushing his players and make them think about their mistakes so they can improve. It is not the job of a player to be questioning the coach's every decision and undermining their authority. Coaches have different methods to reaching their players, but players should only have one method in communicating with their coach, and that's one-on-one.

This is the way things work in every type of organization where there are superiors and suboordinates and it's done that way for a reason. Teams need to have the same goals, not 12 different ones depending on what each player wants.

And no disrespect taken. I hope nobody feels disrespected around here, it's just a message board talking about games and sports.

[Brankles]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Lol, it's a lost cause man. Only because it's AI though. People can't stop judging him by a separate set of rules. I don't know why, it makes no sense to me but that's just how it is. In a lot of people's eyes Allen Iverson can do no right. If he was to shut up and just play the 20 MPG for a losing team, people would talk bad about him, if he speaks up people talk bad about him. With the media and the people who won't apply logic, Iverson is in a lose-lose situation.

I'm pretty sure you've missed every point made coming from the other side.

Your hypotheticals never happened.
What did happen was that after one game, coming off of an injury, on a brand new team, he immediately started backstabbing and complaining about minutes. Then he quit. This is what I'm judging him on. Not on him being Allen Iverson, or his past or his future.

His actions at this time... they're wrong, period.

[J.R. Locke]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Lol, it's a lost cause man. Only because it's AI though. People can't stop judging him by a separate set of rules. I don't know why, it makes no sense to me but that's just how it is. In a lot of people's eyes Allen Iverson can do no right. If he was to shut up and just play the 20 MPG for a losing team, people would talk bad about him, if he speaks up people talk bad about him. With the media and the people who won't apply logic, Iverson is in a lose-lose situation.

Iverson is also voted into the all-star game every year by the fans. He is polarizing. See above post.

[DC]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Ninja did you NOT see where I said peopel give MJ a pass for everything?

[P2K]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Lol, it's a lost cause man. Only because it's AI though. People can't stop judging him by a separate set of rules. I don't know why, it makes no sense to me but that's just how it is. In a lot of people's eyes Allen Iverson can do no right. If he was to shut up and just play the 20 MPG for a losing team, people would talk bad about him, if he speaks up people talk bad about him. With the media and the people who won't apply logic, Iverson is in a lose-lose situation.

I hope you are just engulfed in this devil's advocate role and don't really mean all the stuff you spewing.

Guess what...after his '01 run, the whole disliking AI deal faded away quickly. He was an embraced person not just by fans, but even the league. And AI embraced it back. But he still found ways to put himself in the crosshairs. Why is it the majority of the league, even superstars, can keep bad press away? Iverson is way too careless on and off the court. When you're like that and you don't show respect unless people kiss your ***, you deserve the criticism and not getting the benefit of the doubt. He brought on himself.

You do know this not the first time he's skipped out on a coach because the coach brought him off the bench to ease him back into game shape after an injury.

[NINJAK2]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

A coach calling his players out is way different than a player calling his coach out. One is a form of leadership and one is a form of mutiny. It is the job of the coach to be pushing his players and make them think about their mistakes so they can improve. It is not the job of a player to be questioning the coach's every decision and undermining their authority. Coaches have different methods to reaching their players, but players should only have one method in communicating with their coach, and that's one-on-one.

I'll just agree to disagree here B. Don't think they should be different. If you are saying a coach or player addressing himself and the team in a negative light such as "we need to play better", "we weren't ready to play today" in the media I get that B. When you start saying "Mare cost us the game" or "Sasha's D lost it for us" that is something completely different. That's what I'm referring to - coaches calling out players individually. IMO there is nothing motivational about that but those things happen when your emotions get the best of you and I get that.

[HMcCoy]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

The funny part for me...here's AI looking at other players of similar age who have all lost something, lost a little hops, a little speed, a little mobility or strength...most of whom have been no more than his equals at best...all still relevant players. Not back ups, not role players, but meaningful contributors and front line guys.

It's easy to pinpoint the problem from the outside, but put yourself in the man's shoes for a moment. If you've never been told there was anything fundamentally wrong with your game...and you've been mad popular, the public has adored you for playing that game for 14 years...how on Earth could you accept being told that your game has really been gobbitch all these years? That you suddenly have to change the way you play the game in order to even make a team? Like you've been the butt of some long, sick joke...that NBA fans have enjoyed watching you, but never thought you were anything but an amusing sideshow. That you never could, and never will win big as a main guy. Most of us would have just as tough a time digesting that.

Obviously, AI is the bad guy here, but I can certainly understand his perspective. Why do I have to be some bench dude on a bum squad, when guys like Ray Ray, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd and Michael Finley are all starting for contenders even with their similarly declining skills.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Sorry, I can't feel AI's perspective at all. He's just not being goal oriented. He's responding like a child. What you're saying relates to feeling how he feels, but a man doesn't just catch feelings and then act. A grown man takes his feelings as one of many factors, thinks hard about where he wants to be in the next 6 days, weeks, months and years, and then acts based on the most direct path to that destination.

Publicly acting out makes him a fool, and whether or not he's right or wrong about his game is irrelevant, because his actions are moving him backwards rapidly. He went from a top individual talent to a pariah in an eye blink, and his "me, me, me" approach has failed him very often.

AI is a genuine person, and I like that about him, but there is more to life than just being "real". He is becoming the very embodiment of a loser.

He needs to shut up and compete. If he's right about his game, that is all the more reason to do so. Torch these dudes in practice, torch the opponents on the court, take this talented team to the playoffs, and lead these youngins to a better place and remind everyone why you were once MVP of this league.

Instead, he lets his mouth do what his game is doing. "I'm better than my teammates, this team sucks, how can I come off the bench, after one bad year I gotta come of the bench, what the hell, wah wah wah wah wah wah!"

If I had a kid, I'd be showing this to him with a point by point discussion on how to do the opposite.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

Sorry, I can't feel AI's perspective at all. He's just not being goal oriented. He's responding like a child. What you're saying relates to feeling how he feels, but a man doesn't just catch feelings and then act. A grown man takes his feelings as one of many factors, thinks hard about where he wants to be in the next 6 days, weeks, months and years, and then acts based on the most direct path to that destination.

Publicly acting out makes him a fool, and whether or not he's right or wrong about his game is irrelevant, because his actions are moving him backwards rapidly. He went from a top individual talent to a pariah in an eye blink, and his "me, me, me" approach has failed him very often.

AI is a genuine person, and I like that about him, but there is more to life than just being "real". He is becoming the very embodiment of a loser.

He needs to shut up and compete. If he's right about his game, that is all the more reason to do so. Torch these dudes in practice, torch the opponents on the court, take this talented team to the playoffs, and lead these youngins to a better place and remind everyone why you were once MVP of this league.

Instead, he lets his mouth do what his game is doing. "I'm better than my teammates, this team sucks, how can I come off the bench, after one bad year I gotta come of the bench, what the hell, wah wah wah wah wah wah!"

If I had a kid, I'd be showing this to him with a point by point discussion on how to do the opposite.

And with that I can finally say just case closed.

He could have been the hero.. that's what so disappointing about all of this. Like 23 said, the team had no expectations. Had they made a run at the post season I'm sure AI would get the most credit. Setting himself up for a nice contract from a contender.

The last point that Born made had me

[o_capone]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

If I had a kid, I'd be showing this to him with a point by point discussion on how to do the opposite.

teaching your child to have low self-worth and not to speak up is not positive at all... that would be opposite of iverson...

[P2K]

Re: Guess who already sounds upset in Memphis

teaching your child to have low self-worth and not to speak up is not positive at all... that would be opposite of iverson...

Yeah, you're definitely playing the devil's advocate here because there is no way a sane, unbiased person could have to that conclusion. No way in hell.