The Answer is unequivocally yes. As I watch the NBA these days I cannot help but become disenchanted with the poor play and uneventful nature of most games. It boggles my mind that in an age where athletes are pretty much all prima donna’s, that a player of Allen Iverson’s stature cannot find employment. Why should we even be talking about how a player is in the locker room or how good of a teammate he may or may not be? Are most people afforded the luxury of choosing their coworkers in the real world? The bottom line here is that most professional sports leagues are so diluted that it is almost impossible to field competitive first teams, let alone reserves. Aside from A.I’s undeniable stats, he is also regarded as a player who always shows up and gives maximum effort, which is more than we can say for countless professional athletes.
Watching my beloved Orlando Magic, it is painful at times to watch the cavalier manner in which some of the Magic players approach playing the game. Dwight Howard’s constant grinning and Vince Carter’s half hearted drives to the basket and nonchalant passing down the stretch of games makes me wanna jump through the screen and yank him off the court myself. It is no wonder Jason Kidd couldn’t wait to get out of New Jersey. He hated playing along side a player who didn’t compete night in night out. Don’t get me wrong, I value sportsmanship, being a good teammate and citizen. However, those things alone aren’t going to win you any prizes at the end of the day. We are paid for production in all professions, so why should sports be any different? Especially, when the salaries are so astronomical.
Allen Iverson is still capable of giving a team 20 points and 7 assists every night. Look around the NBA at the starting guards for some of the so called elite teams and tell me how many players you find capable of coming close to that. Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics just signed a $55 Million Dollar contract and is shooting 20% from beyond the arc and a mere 25% from the free throw line. With the Big 3 aging rapidly, his deficiencies are glaring and can no longer be hidden. I’m going to love watching Danny Ainge try to trade that albatross of a contract in a few years for spare parts. Derek Fisher, a clutch playoff performer at times, is a low percentage shooter, inconsistent and vastly declining. Mo Williams in Cleveland is another example of an inconsistent player who pulled one of the greatest disappearing acts of all time in last years playoff series against Orlando. I could go on, but I’m sure you get my drift.
Unless there is something we are not privy to as fans, I cannot fathom how teams aren’t chomping at the bit to sign a sure fire first ballot Hall of Fame player, who still has some gas left in the tank, for a pro rated veterans minimum of $1.2 Million Dollars. If the experiment doesn’t work, you simply cut him and move on. Even the magic can afford to eat such a pultry sum of money. Not to mention he will probably increase there initial ticket sales to defer any loss in salary that could occur. I cannot help but think there are other things at work here that either the media, GM’s or coaches are somewhat responsible for. We saw it happen with Barry Bonds, a still capable star left for dead because of the stigma that went along with him.
Iverson is not without blame in this equation either, and he should stand up and take some responsibility for where he stands right now. Acknowledge that you are aging, stop worrying about stats, since we already know you can fill a box score like few others, and join a contender in whatever role they see fit. If he is willing to accept that, which ultimately I think he would, since he did come off the bench in Detroit before the deceitful coach Michael Curry manipulated him and Rip Hamilton, then one of these mindless GM’s needs to step up to the plate and get this man a uniform. This is not Stephon Marbury part two, Allen Iverson actually has a ton of game and puts it on the line every night. So lets hope he gets back in the NBA soon, since I’m sure there are many like me who still miss watching him perform.
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