Nuggets take on Iverson and the 76ers
Monday, December 7th, 2009
And in case you’re wondering, Iverson will start.
After all the whining about not starting this 2009 NBA basketball season, it looks like Allen Iverson may finally get his wish because after he returned to the Philadelphia 76ers a few days ago, current 76ers head coach Eddie Jordan has already said he will start Iverson, probably because he doesn’t have anybody else left.
In case you didn’t know, yes, Allen Iverson is back where it started it all, Philadelphia, returning to the very team that drafted him to the NBA after a bitter parting back in 2006.
It’s funny that when Iverson left the 76ers, the team was at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference and on game night, he will return to the same team still at the very bottom of the East. When the Sixers traded Iverson to the Nuggets in 2006, they were 5-18 and on an 11-game losing streak. The Sixers are 5-15 and on a nine-game losing streak when Iverson returns Monday.
Will Iverson’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers be the boost the team is looking for? Maybe. At least their dwindling ticket sales will improve a bit.
Iverson practiced with the other four starters who will likely start on Monday against the Denver Nuggets, one of the three teams Iverson played for after leaving Philly in 2006. Iverson joined Samuel Dalembert, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Willie Green in his first practice back with the team.
”It was like deja vu,” 76ers center Samuel Dalembert said of watching him practice.
”He made a difference already in practice,” coach Jordan said. ”His talking, his presence, being a step ahead of the play defensively.”
The 76ers hope they can say the same of the returning Iverson come game time with the injuries they’ve been having this season. Leading scorer Andre Iguodala is out with a sore ankle and is questionable for Monday’s game while Lou Williams it out indefinitely because of a broken jaw.
All these injuries equate to a miserable 5-15 start for…
Iverson returns to 76ers vs. Nuggets
Saturday, December 5th, 2009
Will he cry like a baby too?
Allen Iverson is happy to be back with the Philadelphia 76ers this 2009 NBA basketball season. The way he cried like a baby almost from the start of his return news conference ’til the end was evident of that.
And in case you missed it, yes, Allen Iverson wept, throwing away every street cred he had out the window in the process. He’ll play his first game back with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, ironically against the same team the 76ers traded him to following a bitter parting, the Denver Nuggets.
Will Iverson start? Can A.I. show us that he really can still play at a high level? How in the hell can he help the Philadelphia 76ers, a team THIS CLOSE from throwing away the season? Well get the answers soon enough but as far as Iverson is concerned, he can now breathe a sigh of relief.
”I want to retire here,” Allen Iverson said. ”Coming back home, all I could think about was the people who made me who I am.”
”I always thought it was strange having another uniform. I couldn’t feel comfortable with another uniform.”
”I watch other NBA teams. I can’t watch the Sixers. Ever since I left, I wasn’t able to. Not because there was any bitterness, it was just a feeling I get. I gave everything I had here for 10 years. It was just always tough for me to watch them, so I didn’t.”
”I don’t want to prove anyone wrong in this situation. I’m not in it for that. If I can help my team win basketball games the way Coach wants me to help, then I’ll be satisfied.”
”I want to fit in. I want to be a part of any success we have. I just want to be one of the guys. I don’t need a whole bunch of praise. I don’t need a whole lot of accolades. I just want to play basketball.”
Iverson’s first game back with the 76ers against the Denver Nuggets on Monday will be the first time he puts a 76ers jersey on since…
Grizzlies let Iverson go, retirement next?
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Looks like being benched in Memphis is really getting to Iverson now.
A.I. was really hoping for better things coming to the 2009 NBA basketball season. People following him on Twitter know that. But after an auspicious start to the season and realizing that he will still be relegated as a bench player in Memphis like he was in Detroit last year, Iverson ain’t happy with the Grizzlies no more and now, rumors claim that he’s already contemplating on retirement because of it.
Yes, Allen Iverson, the former league MVP and multi-time scoring champion, is on the brink of walking away from his career. Things haven’t been working out as Iverson had hoped in Memphis and since his new head coach Lionel Hollins ain’t budging, rumors claim that Iverson could take the easy way out, retire.
Still, Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has shot down the idea that Iverson is already considering retirement. For all ya’ll who didn’t know, Iverson took a leave of absence from the Grizzlies for ”personal reasons,” and as far as Heisley is concerned, retirement is not one of ‘em.
”I expect him to come back,” Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said. ”If he does retire, I’ll be tremendously disappointed. I feel bad because I don’t think that’s the way he should go out.”
He’s right. Iverson is only averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists in 22.3 minutes per game this season and by Iverson’s standards, those are unacceptable numbers. But hey, at least he can go out a lot better than Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis did right?
One thing Iverson had in common with those guys however, is that all of ‘em just had trouble with the idea of coming off the bench.
”It’s something that I never did in my life, so obviously it’s a big adjustment,” Iverson said last week. ”I’m so tired of discussing that, talking about that, every single day. It’s just not something that I want to discuss.”
”When I hear anything about the…”
What’s next for Iverson and Memphis?
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Uh oh, heeere we go again.
After all kinds of hoopla concerning Iverson’s move from Detroit to Memphis this 2009 NBA basketball season, A.I. Found out that he’s still coming off the bench, the very thing that led to his divorce with the Pitsons.
You read it, Allen Iverson, at least for the first weeks of the season, is still relegated to a bench warmer after refusing to come off the bench last season for Detroit and as far as A.I. is concerned, he ain’t happy.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, 
Allen Iverson voiced out his displeasure with his nonstarting role with the Memphis Grizzlies, saying that he’s ”not a sixth man.” Iverson also said, ”I had no problems [with the hamstring]. I had a problem with my butt sitting on that bench for so long.”
”I’m not a bench player. I’m not a sixth man,” he continued. ”Look at my resume and that’ll show I’m not a sixth man. I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league. I’m not a sixth man. And that’s that.”
Haven’t we heard that when he was playing for the Detroit Pistons last year?
Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins has made it clear that Iverson is STILL coming off the bench, no matter how much the player complains about being utilized as a reserve. And since the team owner is backing up the head coach, Iverson better get on with the program or the Grizzlies will send him packing too.
”Lionel will handle it,” Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said…
Can the LA Lakers win the title again?
Monday, November 9th, 2009
That’s if Gasol can return in time for the Lakers.
In case you didn’t know, the 2009 NBA basketball season is here. And since we already have the NFL season underway and the MLB playoffs starting to heat up, it’s certainly nice to be a sports fan at this time of the year.
And as far as the NBA season is concerned, the Los Angeles Lakers will try to defend Kobe’s first ever title without Shaq, hoping that last June’s successful run to the title will be the first of successive championship seasons. After all, teams coached by Phil Jackson are known to win titles by threes. But do they have enough this season to win it all again?
With the departure of Trevor Ariza, mercurial stalwart Ron Artest should quickly fill that hole. At this point of his career, Artest just wants to win a title so hopefully, he won’t be a distraction to this Lakers team like he once was with the last few teams that he played for.
Back to back titles would virtually be a wrap if the Lakers could get steadier production from big guys Andrew Bynum and Josh Powell. The team’s Jekyll and Hyde play is still a concern but as long as Kobe Bryant keeps this team together, they will still be in the position to win a world title.
If there’s one team that can challenge the Lakers this season, it would have to be the very team they played in the conference finals last season, the Denver Nuggets. After acquiring a true floor leader in Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets tied their franchise record of 54 regular season victories back in the 2008-09.
Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony will continue to stand out, so it’s up to their big men Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen to come through again if the team hopes to duplicate their Western Conference Finals stint and finally take the next step towards playing for the NBA championship.
Also looking for better things this year are…
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