Wow. This is shocking. Iverson wants out. Read this. 'I need to get out of here' Despite being benched for the final 20 minutes of the game, Allen Iverson led Philadelphia in scoring with 19. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown has always had a roller-coaster relationship with superstar point guard Allen Iverson. Saturday night, it took a definite downhill turn. Brown benched three starters, including Iverson, the league's leading scorer, for the final 20 minutes of Philadelphia's 104-91 loss to the Pistons. A fourth starter, Tyrone Hill, played only one minute in that stretch. "I've never sat down in the second half for nothing before," the angry Iverson said. "For some reason, my style doesn't fit this team no more." Philadelphia trailed by 23 points when Brown pulled all five starters with 8:15 left in the third period. George Lynch played most of the fourth, but Iverson, Eric Snow and Theo Ratliff stayed on the bench, even when the Sixers pulled within seven points. "So I need to get out of here," Iverson said. "It's as simple as that. Something needs to happen. Right now, I don't like what is going on. When I get back to Philly, I'll let that be known. However you look at it, I'm going to be the bad guy, but I'll deal with it. "I've never been done like that ever in my career." Brown said that the mass benching wasn't aimed just at Iverson, who was playing just his fourth game after sitting out with a fractured thumb. "It wasn't an indictment of one guy," he said. "It's everybody in the first group. Everybody's got to execute, everybody's got to share the ball and everybody's got to defend. That's not happening." Iverson still led Philadelphia in scoring with 19, while Matt Geiger added 17 off the bench. What teams do you think will go after him?
they shouldn't let him go. if you let him go, you are giving all the power to the player and letting him have complete control. a player like that will never accept discipline and consequently will never be a team player and will never really be a winner. i wouldn't want a player who is going to threaten to leave the team every time he disagrees with a coaching decision or disciplinary action. just bench him till he decides to just shut up and play.
A lot of teams will go after him. But Iverson was just mad. I don't think he will really demand a trade or something. The thing is, Iverson wants to be the man all the time. If he could score 22-25 pts a game, and DO IT EFFICIENTLY, then he would be very sought after. Philly has a lot of other talent, and in order for them to be good, they must utilize those talents. Iverson's got to give up some of his shots to Larry Hughes, Aaron Mckie, etc. anyway, I don't think that he will actually do anything. He might just complain or something, but once he gets his 30 shots a game, he'll be fine. But, who knows? I might be wrong.
Don't worry about it, they would fire Larry Brown instead of letting Iverson go, that's a no brainer.
I dont know.. Iverson is frustrated with the management and the coaching. I dont think iverson fits well with them anyway.
WHAM said it right: "just bench him till he decides to just shut up and play" There are only two things to do with a player like that - bench him and hope he learns a little discipline / respect for the coach and system, or trade him. This guy has got an attitude problem. He needs to learn a little patience, and how to respect the coach's decisions - even if he thinks they're wrong. Sure, he's an awesome player, but an awesome player can only get so much done. And an awesome player will NOT win any rings if he won't work with the coach (and henceforth, the rest of the team). This man does not realize that this is a team sport and that the head of the team is the coach. Until he realizes that, he will never be on a championship team. I wouldn't want this guy on my team unless we were playing a couple of sixth graders 2 on 2.
What I mean is, TEAMS win rings, not players. Iverson doesn't seem to realize that... If anyone's wondering, NO, I don't think we should even bother to acquire him. We don't want any di*kheads on our team.
Mobley , Cato , Anderson for Iverson and Ratliff? Just Kidding I dont ever want iverson on my team. He doesnt play team ball. He shoots the ball 50 times a game and makes 9 of them.
Francis and Iverson on the same team would kick ass. Too bad we'd never win a championship. Even if they decide to trade him, I just hope he stays in the Eastern conference. We dont need anymore good teams in the Wild Wild West.
To be honest with you I think Allen Iverson Is the best player in the NBA. I dont think the sixers will trade him, There Gm (I forgot his name)absolutely loves Iverson, I think if anyone goes it will be Coach Brown, and i say he will be fired. Remember When Penny wasn't getting along with Bryan Hill, the magic fired him and Penny was not near as good as Iverson is now. ------------------ "Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Wally Szczerbiak and Shawn Marion are guys who are going out to score. That's not my job on this team right now. But if I needed to, if my coach asked me to go out and score 30, I can get it in one quarter" -- Steve Francis.
Francis23, Penny looks like POO now compared to his golden days in Orlando. That guy used to be a terror. I can remember watching the the Suns play a couple of times this year and every time you look out on the court and wonder for a second who that is. Back in the day I thought the Magic had the making of a dynasty. Then everybody started leaving. As far as guards with most raw talent: Iverson Rider Allan Bryant Carter Jones Francis Not in any order. Put those guys in the dunk contest! But seriously Iverson will stay in Philly, Brown will sit down with him as will Pat Croce and they will have a heart to heart. Iverson needs to learn how to handle the bench, because he's going to see it somewhere in the game no matter where he goes.
Guys, just keep in mind that the Rockets Organization does not recruit assholes. Iverson's a great player, Rider's a badass, and Vernon Maxwell has become an even better player (arguable) since we let him go. But None of them would fit here - we don't recruit or salary assholes. This is why I'm so big on acquiring Duncan next year or the year after - he's a good guy. A nice guy - not averse to charity... We want good players who aren't assholes. (also one reason I like Stevie - he holds himself well on the court and off, as far as I can tell)
...not to mention the fact that a Cato-Duncan (should that be the other way around?) offense and defense would be devastating and stifling, respectively...
I agree that there is no way in hell that Iverson will be traded and that Larry Brown is the expendable one here. But, Iverson needs to be more coachable. He does not make the calls as far as when he plays in the game. If Larry felt the starting unit wasn't getting it done, then it is his perogative to make substitutions and sit the starters. Rudy did it the other day to our starters even though Francis felt like he was having a pretty good game. If you recall, he didn't exactly agree with it, either. But, to say you "want out" because you were benched is ludicrous. What kind of coach or team would want a player that is practically uncoachable. There is no way Philly would part with Iverson....the fans would riot. It's just not possible. The fans love Iverson in Philly. They don't love Larry Brown. If someone has to go, it's obvious who it will be. Philly would lose fans and money if they moved Iverson. I don't care who they replace him with...after all, he may be the best at his position(and possibly the NBA). Surfguy
Well new news coming from Philly. Read this. PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson did not attend an optional practice Sunday, the morning after saying he should be traded if coach Larry Brown is unhappy with his play. Only four players attended Brown's optional practice Sunday: Tyrone Hill, George Lynch, Eric Snow and rookie Todd MacCulloch. Iverson lashed out at his coach Saturday night after being benched for the final 20 minutes of Philadelphia's 104-91 loss at Detroit. Though he has disagreed with Brown many times, it was the first time Iverson mentioned a trade. "For some reason, my style doesn't fit this team anymore," Iverson said. "If that's the way it is, something needs to happen. Something's got to give. "If I'm hurting this team, I need to get out of here. I don't like what is going on. When I get back to Philly, I'll let that be known. However you look at it, I'm going to be the bad guy, but I'll deal with it. "I've never been done like that ever in my career." Brown challenged Iverson to meet with him if he meant what he said. "My door is always open," Brown said. "I'm here today. If it's such a pressing, urgent matter, I'm accessible." Iverson anticipated Brown's reaction, saying Saturday night, "I mean every word I'm saying. Every single word." At least one of Iverson's teammates agreed that something has to be done. "If it is a major problem one way or another, it has to be solved," Snow said. "If he is sincere in what he says, I don't know what has to be done." Hill said, "This is Allen's team. Everybody knows that. We need Allen. He's the franchise." Brown benched Iverson and three other starters with Philadelphia trailing 73-50 with 8:15 left in the third quarter. Starters Lynch and Hill returned in the fourth quarter, but Iverson, Snow and Theo Ratliff stayed on the bench. The Sixers got within seven points with 3:37 left, playing the unselfish style Brown prefers. "In that 16 or 18 minutes, we played the way we've been playing for a three- or four-week period," Brown said. "It was amazing." The Sixers were 6-4 when Iverson was out with a broken thumb. They are 7-9 with him in the lineup. Iverson, who gets upset when he sits out a minute or two, wore a towel over his head and a disgusted look while he watched from the bench. He made no effort to hide his feelings afterward. "I don't know nothing about basketball, so I don't know what happened," Iverson said. "I guess 95 percent of it is probably me." Iverson and Brown have disagreed on everything from shot selection to the dress code since Brown was hired for the 1997-98 season. Rumors swirled in Brown's first season that the coach wanted to deal Iverson for Damon Stoudamire. Last January, Iverson signed a $70.9 million, six-year contract. Brown's relationship with Iverson took a hit last season when he sent Iverson back to the bench after the star player cursed at him. The two patched up their differences, and Iverson won the NBA scoring title and led the Sixers to the playoffs for the first time since 1991. This season, Iverson expressed disappointment with Brown's decision to use him as a point guard at times so second-year pro Larry Hughes could play in the backcourt with him. As Brown grew impatient with Hughes' work ethic and defense, the Sixers began entertaining offers for the 20-year-old. This did not sit well with Iverson, who has befriended Hughes. The Sixers don't have much time to sort all of this out. They play the Pistons at home Monday night. "The two best parts of our team are coach Brown and Allen," MacCulloch said. "Things get said in the heat of the moment, and I hope that's all it is."
