Allen Iverson
a couple of people have emailed me asking why i think bobby clarke should be fired but i never say anything about billy king. truth be told, i think king is just as bad as clarke but realistically, this is only his third season as the GM of the sixers. since the devil had final say on personnel when he was still here, you can't blame billy completely for the either the lack of overall talent on the team or the fact that they have never been able to pair AI up with a decent big man. clarke has had two stints and, what, 10 years as GM of the flyers? there is no comparison, CLARKE MUST GO!
however, the real point of this blurb is about AI. he's the real reason why i haven't said anything about king. i'm too busy just watching and enjoying the AI show while it's still here. he's been a special player, and he'll be gone soon. i don't have any expectations that this team will contend for a title, so it's almost a relief to just watch and enjoy the show. my friend ben said the same thing about the phillies over the summer. he was just enjoying the show. i couldn't do the same with the phils because of "the head." i just detested him that much. but i don't hate billy king... i think he stinks at his job, but hey, at least he tries. ed wade didn't really try and was condescending to people who asked him to try.
but back to AI... here is something that bill simmons recently wrote about AI:
AI has flaws and warts, but boy has he been a pleasure to watch. the heart, desire, and athletic ability he has shown over the years have been remarkable, just remarkable. i think it's a shame that he's made some stupid mistakes that have overshadowed his greatness, but i also think there are too many members of the philadelphia media who emphasized the negative aspects of allen's tenure here and blew them waaaay out of proportion. of course the devil with his sneaky and backstabbing ways had something to do with that as well, but that doesn't absolve the media for their pack of dogs behavior.
my advice is to enjoy him while he's here, philadelphia. you'll miss him when he's gone... more than you realize.
however, the real point of this blurb is about AI. he's the real reason why i haven't said anything about king. i'm too busy just watching and enjoying the AI show while it's still here. he's been a special player, and he'll be gone soon. i don't have any expectations that this team will contend for a title, so it's almost a relief to just watch and enjoy the show. my friend ben said the same thing about the phillies over the summer. he was just enjoying the show. i couldn't do the same with the phils because of "the head." i just detested him that much. but i don't hate billy king... i think he stinks at his job, but hey, at least he tries. ed wade didn't really try and was condescending to people who asked him to try.
but back to AI... here is something that bill simmons recently wrote about AI:
There's an astonishing Iverson season in the works, and it's not getting nearly enough attention: Through 15 games, he's averaging 33.6 points and a jaw-dropping 43.9 minutes per game, 7.9 assists and only 2.9 turnovers, and shooting 46% from the field. C-Webb's addition has pushed Iverson to another level -- he's getting easy baskets, doesn't have to handle the ball as much, seems like he's enjoying himself and everything else. Amazing player, amazing career. Too bad I don't feel as good about his team.and that's coming from a boston fan.(Historical footnote: A.I. definitely cracks the starting five of my "We'll Never See Another Player Quite Like This Again" Team, along with McHale, Barkley, Magic and Gervin. Those have to be the five most unique players of all time. Even with Larry Bird, there were parts of his game that reminded people of Rick Barry. There is simply no historical precedent for McHale, Barkley, Iverson, Magic and Gervin. They made AND broke the mold.)
AI has flaws and warts, but boy has he been a pleasure to watch. the heart, desire, and athletic ability he has shown over the years have been remarkable, just remarkable. i think it's a shame that he's made some stupid mistakes that have overshadowed his greatness, but i also think there are too many members of the philadelphia media who emphasized the negative aspects of allen's tenure here and blew them waaaay out of proportion. of course the devil with his sneaky and backstabbing ways had something to do with that as well, but that doesn't absolve the media for their pack of dogs behavior.
my advice is to enjoy him while he's here, philadelphia. you'll miss him when he's gone... more than you realize.
posted by The Mean Guy at 4:36 PM
3 Comments:
Interesting....I would agree with all of the positives that you say about AI. It's just a shame what a travesty basketball has become, at least at the pro level. It's a bad product. Basketball coaches are sleazy used car salesman (my experience has seen that)....look at Bob Huggins, Kevin Mackey, John Calipari, Rick Pitino, et al. What can be done to improve this. I personally enjoy a physical game (that is why I do like the NBA) with picks and blocking out and screens and cuts and bruises and hard fouls and hand checks. Hard to find these days, though.
I would disagree with the Gervin mold breaker...I never got him...the finger roll does not qualify use as a mold breaker in my book (I know he could should, but I would put an Oscar Robertson as a mold breaker over him, but that was before my time)
Mold breakers: Charles, AI, Wilt, Jordan, McHale, Shaq, Magic, Isiah Thomas, and Tim Duncan...IMHO...
What kills me about Billy King is how free he is with first round picks. The Sixers have had basically two first round picks in the last five years: Sammy and Iggy. Those were good picks, to King's credit. But they picked Jiri Welsch for GS in '02, had no first rounder in '03, and then no first rounder again in '05. When your cap is maxed out, how else can you build around AI but the draft? If they had kept Welsch, they'd have the big complemetary G they've looked for most of AI's career. In '03, they would have been in position to draft Josh Howard, Leo Barbosa, or Dahnty Jones. All better options than giving KK 30 minutes a night.
As a Philly fan living in New York, I can tell you how hard it is to only have the Knicks and Nets to watch. Philly fans are spoiled with AI (and McNabb) for that matter. Most fans never see either type of player come through their city in a lifetime.
The trivia question of "Who is the best player AI has played with in his career?" says all you need to know about the lack of the team built around him. Mutombo, an old Webber, a young Larry Hughes, Stackhouse. Puke.
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