I don't understand the Grizzlies' thinking. You signed Iverson so play him, let him go all out, he might even start leading the younger guys and helping someone like Gay learn how to play a role. Then you can trade him pre-deadline to a desperate playoff team (Miami) for something you can really use in the future. They turned a win-win situation into a loss for the sake of what? Letting Mike Conley play an extra 6 minutes per game?
I don't think he will retire, if he does he will be back. The problem with him is he wants to start and has the talent to start, but teams want him to come off the bench and he just refuses to accept that. It's not like A.I. is washed up it's just that Philly situation he came into when he was young was a perfect situation for him and now there is no team he could go to where the situation would be like it was in Philly for him.
I thought Miami and Charlotte made him an offer? Or maybe they were just interested and didn't offer him anything.
I thought there was "interest" from Miami, Charlotte and New York, but no offer was made. Might be code for 'they were only willing to offer him the vets minimum' - which is all he'll get now!
The Griz are giving out minutes to Conley instead of having him earn them. They kind of did that with Lowry vs. Conley last year, there wasn't much of a gap between those 2 and they decided to go with Conley, if anything Lowry is the better player. I guess they did it because Conley was a high pick and they didn't want him to be a bust.
I don't understand why you guys criticize AI so much for his difficulty in accepting he is past his prime and would be best suited to a role off the bench. If I recall correctly, god himself, Hakeem Olajuwon, went to Toronto not because the Rockets were unwilling to pay him - but because they no longer wanted him to be the focal point of their offense. Olajuwon just couldn't accept that his abilities had diminished and his role needed to change. The Rockets opted to develop their young players - Francis, Mobley, Taylor and Cato. It happens. Nothing will change the fact that Allen Iverson was a one of a kind talent. And considering his reputation for not practicing, I was amazed to see the level he continued to play at as his speed and athleticism diminished with age. Also, when considering the quality of the teams he played with in his best years - it's really amazing he had as much success as he did and actually led a team to the Finals. This is just a sad end for a truly legendary talent.
