Evaluating The Iverson Experiment
Who didn’t see this coming? I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all, so I won’t say I did.
The coffee house’s, the corner bar, the chat rooms all asked… Why would the Grizzlies take this chance? Everyone says they knew this would happen. Not so fast.
Allen Iverson
From this…
Iverson Meeting with Grizzlies
Then…
Iverson Worth the Risk
To…
Iverson Takes Leave of Absense
Now the end game…
Iverson Grizzlies Part Ways
There’s a simple answer… you know “The Answer,”… what other 10-Time All-Star, former MVP was available for a struggling team at a bargain price. In 889 career games, Iverson has AVERAGED 27.0 ppg… 24,020 points! That, alone, is the reason. Professional teams, at least in basketball, will spend whatever they need to to get more wins. Iverson, potentially, gets you wins. If they can get what they need to get more wins, for less… Go For It! At a one-year, incentive based contract it was a no-brainer. No harm, no foul. A few million is nothing to risk for potentially 18 extra wins. Could Iverson at 34 provide 18 extra wins? He averaged 26.4 ppg in ’07-’08, season before last at 32. With the other new players on the Grizz roster… maybe.
The Grizzlies at 22-60 in 2008-09 a potential improvement to 40-42 in 2009-10 is was worth the risk.
The NBA’s Southwest Division: San Antonia, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Memphis is arguably one of the leagues toughest. The trouble with a 15-game improvement is that in the Southwest Division, Memphis wouldn’t have moved up at all based on last season’s finish. They need a lot more help.
There are reports now that the New York Knicks have interest in Iverson. Why not?! New York is the Memphis of the Eastern Conference. The NBA can’t afford New York to continue to be one of the worst teams in the league. It is not healthy for the league. Remember New York BEFORE the Patrick Ewing draft pick? The league was not healthy then. The league is much healthier now, but the economy could change that rapidly if it doesn’t improve. Signing Iverson also may distract New York fans from the potential fact that the #1 overall pick might have been traded away this year. Doubtful. How would an Iverson signing impact LeBron’s thoughts of being in New York? There are major questions here.
On another thought New York already had Iverson, right…. sorry, that was Stephon Marbury. Different player, potentially the same result?
We will see where this continues or if it continues.
