Allen Iverson: He Wasn't Quite Good Enough, He's Not Quite Gone

JW,

Now that Allen Iverson has retired (note: signing with the Knicks doesn't count as a comeback), let's take a moment and put his career and inglorious exit in context. I'll start by saying that when future historians tell his story (and I know they will), I hope they include last Saturday's article in The Onion:

Memphis Grizzlies Continue To Insist They Have 5 Players Better Than Allen Iverson.

Has any story, satirical or not, ever captured a situation so perfectly? Take a look at some of its excerpts:

"We're really confident about the decision to put Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Marc Gasol on the floor instead of Iverson," general manager Chris Wallace said of his starters, who combined have appeared in 10 fewer NBA All-Star games than the former No. 1 draft pick.

"[Marcus Williams has] been coming off the bench and putting up 4.4 points a game. He wowed us when he scored seven the other night."

Funny stuff, right? And yet the fictionalized (sort of) version of Chris Wallace has inadvertently hit upon a key truth. You really are better off playing crappy rookies and young guys, seeing what you've got, and getting a lottery pick than you are winning 41 meaningless games with A.I. and sneaking into the playoffs. Yeah, it's an NBA problem, but it's an Iverson problem, too. He's a ball hog. He's moody and ridiculous. He absolutely could never have won a championship without more help than Kobe had last year. Throw in the fact that his vaguely funny "practice" bit has become one of the all time most annoying pieces of self-referential fluff that ESPN anchors have ever filled air time with and you've got a career that, on balance, has got to be considered a waste.

But that's just me. Where do you rank the guy?

-GM

GM,

While you were writing, ESPN reported that the Knicks have decided not to offer Iverson a contract. GM Donnie Walsh said the decision "has nothing to do with Iverson." I don't see how a decision not to sign a player could have nothing to do with the player. I mean, certainly a 2-9 team would be willing to sign somebody if he were the right fit. The problem is that Allen Iverson isn't the right fit for anyone--not for anyone trying to win a championship, not for anyone trying to build its team into a contender. Not just now, but for his career, he's a remarkably talented athlete whose buckets are more entertaining than just about anyone's. His career field goal percentage of 41 percent is well below league average, as is his listed 6-foot height, which requires that a team's other guard be 6-foot-5 or better. What part of that sounds like a guy who really helps a team?

"He'll never win a championship," I said in 2001 after he won the MVP and took a completely mediocre team to the NBA Finals out of a historically weak Eastern Conference. "Neither will Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, or Stephon Marbury as long as they're the offensive focal points of their teams." It's just impossible to build teams around these guys. The 2004 Olympics showed us that you can't even win a gold medal with Iverson as your offensive leader.

My team committed two of the three worst trades I've seen in my lifetime--trades that smart fans knew were idiotic the moment they happened. In chronological order, they go:

1. Jason Kidd (to Nets) for Stephon Marbury (to Suns)
2. Shawn Marion (to Heat) for Shaq (to Suns)
3. Chauncey Billups (to Nuggets) for Allen Iverson (to Pistons)

Sure, Iverson could probably beat Billups in a one-on-one game, but everyone knew that Billups was one of the best team players in the game while Iverson destroyed team chemistry. The results were even more lopsided than I expected. Billups actually received some MVP talk while making the Nuggets one of the four best teams in the NBA. Iverson ended up on the bench--complaining--for a team that had been a dynasty and all of a sudden became a lame-duck eighth seed. He winds up in Memphis because no one else was dumb enough to sign him, and he starts complaining again. If the Grizzlies can realize it, maybe the whole league can. It's doubtful that he'll never play again, but it's certain he'll never see significant time in another playoff game. Teams finally know better.

-JW