Ok so ever since he was re-signed by the Sixers every media and blogging outlet in the greater Philadelphia area has been jumping all over this story like flies on a crap pile (which oddly enough is a really good analogy for whats transpiring). The reason I didn't want to write anything was because:
1. I wanted to think this through clearly
&
2. I didn't want to state false information about the details before I had all the facts (i.e. money stipulations, contract details etc.)
Yes Allen coming back to Philadelphia is a big deal. He was clearly the best free agent on the market after Lou Williams went out for eight weeks with a broken jaw and he had an amazing career here in his first 10 seasons in the league. The only problem that I see is AI himself. This is a guy that has never really held himself professionally or personally with a lot of maturity. He travels with a 15 man entourage and acts like he is some sort of NBA prophet. Hes a damn talented player but a lot of his skills is lost for me because of his antics. You could see how this arrangement was going to go in the press conference.
The Press Conference:
First off just like the infamous "practice" speech Allen looked high as a kite and was glass eyed the entire time. He cried and then stumbled through words like he was just given the cure for cancer. Many people took this as him being sincere, personally, I took it as the first act of a very long play that is going to be the rest of the Sixers season.
Finally the Sixers get some attention:
The only really good thing (if there is one) that has come out of this is that in a town that has been dominated by Phillies and Eagles talk (both very valid) the Sixers have finally generated some water cooler talk, and in a league that really lacks in media attention compared to the big two (MLB, NFL) it is nice to see the Sixers getting some love. Not only that but the Sixers are finally going to have some people at the games, the team has ranked second to last in attendance this season and as a fan watching the games its been really hard to watch. Whether Philadelphia fans notice or not the Sixers are the most decorated franchise in this cities history and they deserve to be talked about.
By the way I think everyone in Philly and around the country that has paid attention to this ongoing story needs to give some props to Mikey Miss of 97.5 The Fanatic. Not only did he break this story to the nation but he really helped the cause by giving this story a lot of media attention on his radio show....
Contract: Money breakdown and possible traps:
And now to the contract. If you look beyond the name Iverson and just take him as a veteran point guard you see certain things that make this deal look really good on paper. Hes a top five all time scorer in the NBA, and at 34 he can still get you about 25 points (debatable) a game and for a team that is loosing most of its games by less then five points this could really make the difference. Not to mention the Sixers are getting him for a pro-rated veteran minimum contract of just over $600,000. For the type of production he can produce this is a really smart move.... (brace yourself) and I gave kudos to Ed Stefanski for the way he handled it. gulp
Here is the only problem I see with this contract. Since it is a non guaranteed contract (which was a smart idea for the Sixers) all Allen has to do to get his money is play good solider for just over a month. If he plays nice with his team and media until January 10th he is guaranteed all of his money, and by the look at how things turned out in Memphis, this is something everyone needs to be cautious of. Allen is a charismatic guy and when he needs to be he can make people love him. The only thing is the guy is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He can turn on a dime and turn into a prick when things aren't going well. We all saw how he threw Billy King, Larry Brown and pretty much anyone he needed to, under the bus to cover his own ass and with an un-popular coach like Eddie Jordan (Who should be fired) things could get messy quickly.
So there it is everyone. After a long look at Allen Iverson and this whole media spectacle here is my opinion on "The Answer" in Philly (I know you all were waiting on the edge of your seats).
now to NBA news 2......
The reason I say this is because last night in the premier game on the NBA schedule Kobe not only dominated the Heat but he won the game by himself with a shot that is going to go down on highlight reels for YEARS to come.
Kobe had 33 points last night and hit almost half of the shots he took. After the Heat took the lead with just over 3.2 seconds left and looked as if they would walk away with a win, Kobe hit an off balance three at the top of the three-point arc, OVER D-WADE, and added just another highlight in his young and impressive career.
Not only did he lead his team in minutes played but he lead them in assists and clutch shots going 7-8 from the free-throw line, most of those taken in the final stanza.
Now I am not a Lakers fan but if your a fan of the game or even just sports in general you have to be impressed with the game last night. And the video is priceless......
And Finally....
After going 0-18 this season the New Jersey Nets finally won a game last night. Now I had the pleasure (and I really do mean that) of watching the entire game last night and I could not see, at any time during the game, why this team kept loosing. Yes they are young and we all know its going to be a rebuilding process but this team has potential. Now I know potential is one of those scary buzz words that everyone fears but with a little tweaking this team could be the Atlanta Hawks.
I use this analogy because Atlanta was trash a few years ago and are now turning into an elite NBA team.
Brook Lopez is going to be a very good player in this league. Hes the best player on the worst team and against an up and coming Charlotte team he finished with a double-double shooting over 50% and grabbing 14 boards. He was a warrior last night playing almost 40 minutes.
Beyond the play of Lopez the real impressive thing was the play of the Nets guards. Devin Harris played outstanding basketball finishing with 16 points and eight assists and got New Jersey back into this game many times with clutch free-throws.
Since coming over from Orlando in the Vince Carter trade, Courtney Lee has become a major contributor to this team. He had 27 points last night and knocked down three key shots from beyond the arc.
I think the real key to this game was Kiki Vandeweghe and how he seemed relaxed an calm. In the first 18 games of the season Lawrence Frank seemed scared and nervous and looked as if he was going to be sent to the showers by David Stern for terrible performance. It seemed as if the team was very receptive of Kiki and looked as if they were playing with an amount of confidence not previously seen. Its like the old saying "if a man has nothing, he has nothing to loose".
Now I am not saying they are making the playoffs but its nice to see. I felt bad for Lopez and CDR. Those guys looked sad and for a young team confidence in what you do on the court is the biggest thing. Jay-Z should be proud, besides at least their not the Knicks.
Now I am not saying they are making the playoffs but its nice to see. I felt bad for Lopez and CDR. Those guys looked sad and for a young team confidence in what you do on the court is the biggest thing. Jay-Z should be proud, besides at least their not the Knicks.
Ok Ladies and Gents (not that anyone reads this) that's my take on the last few days of the NBA. I am going to be doing a special piece on Wednesday or Thursday about Iverson's first game back and Wednesday's game against Detroit. Until then.....
-on a side note-
The Examiner.com page has been going really well, thanks for those of you who have been reading, I know its not much but its really about the fun of writing so I appreciate the support and if you haven't checked it out yet. Check it out.
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