Iverson had help getting Philadephia to the finals. He had Mutombo, Lynch, Theo Ratliffe, Eric Snow, and one of the best x's and o's coaches in Larry Brown. Quite a supporting cast, and playing in the East. Remember, the Rockets went undefeated against teams in the Central division last year. Philly had an easier time than we do in the West. I really like and respect Iverson, but I would not trade Steve for him........
Is there some weird rule in the fine print of the clutchcity.net BBS charter that requires somebody to start a "Should we trade for this guy?" thread when trade rumors start surfacing for that player?
I'm in agreement with most of the guys here...I wouldn't trade Steve for Iverson either...on the flip side, other than Larry Brown, you wouldn't find a Sixer fan in all of South Philly that would give up Iverson for Steve.
Iverson would thrive in Rudy T's ISO offense. I am a bit surprised at all the No's on this board. I think Iverson is an amazing talent that can take over a game and make the competition look like complete ****. He can single handedly win a game for the Sixers, and is a pure joy to watch play. Dude just knows what the hell he is doing out there. Sure the guy likes to jack, but he did take the Sixers to the finals last year, and this year he didnt really have any help. Didnt Larry Brown give him the green light whenever he wanted to shoot anyways? (I thought I remember hearing that at one time). If the Rockets wanted to fill seats of Compaq center and the new arena quickly, Iverson is just the man that could do that. He could possibly take the Rockets back to the playoffs quicker and with more fanfare along the way. I am a big Steve Francis fan, but I would trade for Allen Iverson any day of the week.
Even though Iverson is the far better player, I'll stick with family. Sometimes it's better to lose with family than to win without it.
Why does everyone think we should trade Steve for Iverson. It makes more sense to trade Cuttino, and Eddie to philly instead. They are from Philly and would love to play there. I bet a package of Eddie Griffin, Cuttino and the #5 pick should be enough. Plus Iversion would love to play for Rudy T and his easy practices. I don't think we would lose out on Steve resigning either since he and Iverson are from DC area and would have a great team together.
Look, I love the Rockets. I love most everyone on our team. I love Steve Francis, but there is no way that I pass up the opportunity to get AI for Steve. I'm sorry, I don't care who's field goal percentage is better. I don' t care who gets more rebounds. AI is a freak. He is a true winner. A guy who's going to shoot untill he wins one way or another, and he will. You don't pass on a guy like that. He's got the same mentality Jordan and Bryant have. He's a stud. Sorry Steve. Steve could be the same kind of stud but I havn't seen it yet.
How about Cuttino, Eddie and Cato? Houston trades: C Kelvin Cato (6.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.4 apg in 25.5 minutes) SG Cuttino Mobley (21.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg in 42.1 minutes) SF Eddie Griffin (8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.7 apg in 26.0 minutes) Houston receives: SG Allen Iverson (31.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg in 43.7 minutes) TRADE ACCEPTED
I like that a little better than giving up Eddie AND the #5...I dont know if that deal would work for Philly or not. Im sure the fans would love to have Eddie and Cat but Im not sure they'd be willing to have them at Iverson's expense. If Brown stays, I think its a good possibility that AI could go. Philly isnt afraid to pull the trigger on a big name player ( ie. Stackhouse, Ratliff, Tim Thomas, Barkley) but none of the big name players in the past have won MVP's or gotten Philly to the finals either.
NO IVERSON...NOT NOW...NOT EVER...NOT STRAIGHT UP FOR JASON COLLIER...NOT EVEN IF HE ENROLLS AT THE JERRY STACKHOUSE SCHOOL OF BALL SHARING. The day Iverson becomes a Rocket is the day I find a new favorite team.
Francis and Iverson could not coexist, but I'm sure Reebok would really love it if their two marquee guys played in the huge market of Houston... Also, I think Eddie might be more untouchable than Francis at this point. Rudy really seems to think highly of this guy. But if we could get Iverson for Cuttino, Eddie, and Cato, we'd have to do it.
DrewDog, Don't take my criticism of Steve and Cat as meaning I don't want them on the Rockets. I just expect MORE from them, as they should be the teams leaders. When you are the QB, you get more credit and more blame then deserved. They are the ONLY hope at pulling this franchise out of its post Dream talespin. I criticize players that I have highe expectations of.... DaDakota
NJRocket: Notice the [...]. Anyways, a lot is riding on our draft position on how this would work out. For instance, if we had a top 3 pick, Philly would know it could definitely get Jason Williams or DaJuan Wagner. Then, we wouldn't have to include Francis in a deal. We could offer something along the lines of Mobley, Mo Taylor, and the pick for Iverson and their pick(#16). I'll take it further. We could then trade the 15th and 16th picks to move up and draft Caron Butler, giving us a lineup of... PG- Steve Francis SG- Allen Iverson SF- Caron Butler PF- Eddie Griffin C- Kelvin Cato Scary. This has Laker-beater written all over it.
That lineup has self-destruct written all over it. Answer this: 1) Who guards Kobe? 2) How do you motivate a rookie, a second year quiet mild-mannered player (EG) and Kelvin Cato when Iverson doesn't show up for practice? If Larry Brown can't control him, there is no way RT can. And don't give me that "players coach" crap..it'll just make it easier for Iverson's kid to be conveniently sick when he doesn't feel like practicing.
