NEW YORK -- In the end, Allen Iverson was, well, Allen Iverson. He was repentant for some of his childish behavior. But not really. He acknowledged his transition to the final phase of his NBA career would have been easier had he been more willing to accept a lesser role, but then declared that he "wouldn't put my talent behind anybody." Indeed, if Friday was the last look America gets of Iverson -- sitting in front of a handful of cameras and a surprisingly sparse group of reporters at the St. Regis Hotel, where he announced his decision to sign with the Turkish club Besiktas -- before his eventual induction ceremony in Springfield, Mass., then Iverson did not disappoint.
The president of Turkey's Besiktas basketball team says he has a verbal agreement to sign a $2 million contract with former NBA most valuable player Allen Iverson.
SI.com's NBA writers analyze the latest news and address hot topics from around the league each week. (All stats and records are through March 8.)
Allen Iverson's second tour with Philadelphia may be nearing an end.
1. Malice at the Palace. What seemed like a typical early-season game between the Indiana Pacers and the host Detroit Pistons on Nov. 19, 2004, turned into the ugliest night in the history of the NBA. After the Pacers' Ron Artest stretched out on the scorer's table following a shoving match with the Pistons' Ben Wallace (who was upset with a hard foul from Artest), a fan threw a cup of beer on him, precipitating a brawl that spilled into the stands. Commissioner David Stern acted in accordance with his name and handed out a rash of suspensions, including a full season for Artest. The brawl paved the way for many fruitful discussions about NBA arena security, and many overblown discussions about the level of violence in the NBA.
So Allen Iverson is back in Philly. This is a really good trailer for a really bad movie. You see the highlights, the flashbacks, the crashes in the lane, the ridiculous crossover. Then you go buy your ticket and realize there is no script.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson's first stint with the Philadelphia 76ers ended with the team yanking his nameplate off his locker and editing him out of video highlights before he was even traded.
Allen Iverson appears to have announced his retirement, but that doesn't mean he's retired.
It usually takes at least 10 games before dysfunctional NBA franchises discover the wishful thinking of the offseason isn't going to pan out and belatedly begin scrambling the mix. In that sense, Memphis, Golden State and Charlotte were right on cue Monday with personnel moves that involved this young season's poster problem children, Allen Iverson and Stephen Jackson.
LOS ANGELES -- Allen Iverson's frustration was evident when asked to explain why he signed with the Grizzlies if he didn't want to come off the bench.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- No team in the NBA had a more whiplash-inducing summer than the Grizzlies. After two years of shedding payroll and stripping away veterans in favor of young talent, the Grizzlies appeared to do a 180-degree turn in the offseason when they signed 34-year-old guard Allen Iverson and acquired 29-year-old power forward Zach Randolph.
The announcement was fitting for the position in which Allen Iverson has found himself.
If you are Allen Iverson, Wednesday is a day for celebration. After the worst season of your professional career, a season in which your presence was viewed as the cause of the demise of one franchise (Detroit) and your absence was touted as one of the reasons for the success of another (Denver), you still managed to squeeze $3.5 million and a chance for redemption out of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Here's the thing about Twitter: It's kind of addictive. It's also a good forum for questions. So I bring to you the first of what I hope to be many Twitter mailbags:
It is equal parts arms race, high-stakes poker (we'll see your Shaq and raise you a 'Sheed) and familiar tradition, this practice of top teams selectively plucking an NBA veteran free agent and enticing him with the prospect of a deep playoff run, a final season or two of fun and a few more solid (if not grand) paydays. Rasheed Wallace to Boston is a classic example, a player in the twilight of his career who is willing to fit his somewhat diminished skills into a specific role for a good team that's getting better. Grant Hill might try to do it with the Celtics, too, two years after applying the rationale in his move to Phoenix.
This story appears in the May 25, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated.
The "old Pistons," as Celtics coach Doc Rivers referred to them the other day, continued on their newfound path Tuesday when they beat the visiting Nuggets despite a sentimental 34 points from Chauncey Billups.
We tune in and show up for the snapshots, the moments, the highs and sometimes even the lows. That thrill-of-victory and agony-of-defeat stuff is compelling and powerful, one drawing us to its warmth the way house plants bend toward the sun, the other slowing us to a crawl like gapers past a jackknifed rig. The sudden, the swift, the surprising and the searing are the things that grab our attention, holding it only long enough for us to scout out the next one.
Is all the attention paid to the NBA's 2010 free-agent class a good thing or a bad thing? That's a question that, in one form or another, has been posed frequently since the defining moment of Summer 2010 Madness -- the Knicks' dealing two starters from a playoff-contending team for cap purposes.
The Pistons' stunning trade for Allen Iverson continues to shake itself out. The latest ripple has affected Tayshaun Prince, the deferential wing player who is becoming a point forward in place of Chauncey Billups.
Is The Answer the answer? Allen Iverson made his home debut with the Pistons on Sunday night with a horrifying 88-76 loss to the champion Celtics, the team he was acquired to beat.
SI.com NBA writers Ian Thomsen, Marty Burns, Jack McCallum and Chris Mannix will analyze the latest news and address hot topics from around the league each week. Have a question you'd like answered? E-mail us at siwriters@simail.com.
The Pistons' bold decision to trade for Allen Iverson is a move that helps Detroit in two eras: Rasheed and post-Rasheed.
When I saw the neon tabloid headline "Allen Iverson faces lawsuit," I thought that the 21st-century NBA bad boy was back courting trouble. I felt the jolt of curiosity that always comes when the man who causes David Stern to reach for the Maalox makes headlines for off-court issues.
SI.com: Delayed impactupdated: Wed Mar 14 2007 18:20:00
The agonizing decision to trade Allen Iverson was like a surgery postponed for too long a time. The fear of undergoing it turned out to be worse than the operation itself.
SI.com: Rocky timesupdated: Fri Feb 23 2007 10:22:00
Also in this column: • Bad karma for the Heat's Riley • Top 10: Coaching-salary curiosities • Scout's Take: Pistons are rolling
DENVER (Ticker) -- A day after Allen Iverson returned, the Denver Nuggets learned that guard J.R. Smith will be sidelined for at least three weeks.
Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson will not play in Sunday's NBA All-Star game because of a sprained right ankle, the team said Tuesday on its Web site.
SI.com: Observation Deckupdated: Tue Jan 23 2007 00:13:00
We're not sure if Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson can act as a duo for the ages, or even if that would mean a Nugget championship should they put it all together, but you have to be convinced of the fact that it will be an entertaining run toward symbiosis.
Allen Iverson made his first start for the Denver Nuggets a triumphant one, scoring 28 points and passing out 13 assists to power his new club past Boston 116-105.
The Denver Nuggets have reached an agreement in principle to acquire former MVP Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers, according to NBA sources.
Allen Iverson's 11-year career in Philadelphia appears to be over after he was excluded from the line-up as the 76ers were routed 113-98 by the Washington Wizards on Friday.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|