Why Allen Iverson Deserves One Last Chance with the Philadelphia 76ers
I am one of his biggest fans but they gave him a chance and he messed that up. The team has an defensive identity and AI don't play D. They had a ceremony for him to come back to the city and they had to get like 10 people to make sure he was at the arena and in the city on time. I got mad love for him but even if he gets a chance not for the Sixers...he did it to himself.
AI must carry a lot of baggage as we have not seen one contender reach out to him in the last couple of years. Hell the Heat even signed Eddy Curry and look at all the stuff that surrounds him. It must be more than AI still wanting to start or be a star as otherwise one of the contenders would surely have reached out to him and I've never heard a franchise player lets say Kobe saying he'd like to have AI on their roster.
You could almost see a current superstar wanting to have AI there on maybe veteran's mimimum playing behind them just to give their own ego a boost.
I think it is a shame that AI has almost been forgotten in the last couple of years yet other players from his era are still plying their trade effectively in the NBA. AI has a load of miles on the clock and has been worn down over the years so his explosiveness has probably gone but he'd still have his ball handling and shot selection skills to fall back on.
Allen Iverson got 3 2nd chances. He SAT OUT THE PLAYOFFS while in Detroit because he was unhappy with his team role. He had a great opportunity to redeem himself in Memphis, but wouldn't even play because he was coming off the bench and in Philly he retired mid season due to problems with alcohol.
Allen Iverson, three years younger than he is today, was good for 14 ppg 4 apg on 41% shooting for a team that won 27 games. Why does 37 year old Iverson deserve a chance to potentially disrupt the team chemistry on one of the most promising young teams? I don't think he could get 13 minutes per game on that squad, I don't think AI would be okay with a DNP- Coach's Decision.
Iverson also said that he would contemplate a stint in the Chinese league to earn a living if the NBA doesn't come calling.