Iverson on being traded: It's a possibility. I wouldn't be upset either way..."

[w00terz]

Get the hell out of here. rockets say hell no. the turned down a offer of ri and billups for mcdaddy. what makes you think they would take a inferior offer of iverson. mcgrady>iverson.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

[Richie2k6]

Just one thing I want to point out to all the guys suggesting that AI signs to a "championship contender" team and play off the bench:

It doesn't matter that AI is 33 years old, he still leads the league in minutes per game. He hates being taken out of the game and there is no way in hell he will be coming off the bench, at least not this year or next year. Until he starts to slow down (which I'm assuming will happen in the 2009-2010 or 2010-2011 season), he isn't going to play off the bench.

A lot of people on here aren't giving AI enough credit. He's supposed to be slowing down, yet he's still leading the league in MPG, Top 3 in PPG, Top 10 in APG, and Top 10 in SPG.

Why exactly would he play off the bench when he's a better player/scorer than like 95% of the guys in the league? You bring a guy off the bench for limited minutes because he either 1) Isn't effective, 2) Isn't as good as the guy starting in his place or 3) Can't hold up playing big minutes. AI doesn't fit in any of those categories, at least not yet.

Btw, I would really like to see him in Orlando or maybe even Detroit.

Co-sign.

[w00terz]

Maybe because we're talking about another year from now? He won't put up 26/7 this year. Maybe 23/7? In the '09-'10 season when he's 34 years old he won't put that up. The reason I made the Van Exel comparison is because Nick was putting up 21/8 at the time he was traded, not too far off from what Iverson will be doing next year.

AI is more than capable of putting up bigger numbers than 26/7. He was limited with Denver, especially when we had JR, Melo, Kleiza, and the rest of the gang on the team. AI is a much more prolific scorer than Nick The Quick.

[w00terz]

Co-sign.

Thanks, bro. Good to see you on here. I'm actually excited that the Nuggets are looking to trade AI. If they get a few defensive pieces and some low post presence in the process, it will also improve the Nugs. It would also give JR some more (much needed) minutes.

[Rockets(T-mac)]

AI is more than capable of putting up bigger numbers than 26/7. He was limited with Denver, especially when we had JR, Melo, Kleiza, and the rest of the gang on the team. AI is a much more prolific scorer than Nick The Quick.

I agree, the fact that AI can still put up 27 ppg on a team as offensively talented as the Nuggets shows he isn't slowing down an time soon.

[ronnymac]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Scoring isnt everything. tmac brings more to the tabel then AI does.it's not just me. most experts have tracy as better to.

[Mamba]

come back 2 philly as a sixth man

[MiseryCityTexas]

He should go to the Knicks

the sad part about it, is that it might actually happen. the chances of this happening are slimmer now since isiah is gone.

i would love to see iverson in a celtics uniform. iverson would be a beast as the sixth man off the bench backing up both guard positions.

[AItheAnswer3]

come back 2 philly as a sixth man

I dont want him in Philly but again who the heck am i

[AItheAnswer3]

Thanks, bro. Good to see you on here. I'm actually excited that the Nuggets are looking to trade AI. If they get a few defensive pieces and some low post presence in the process, it will also improve the Nugs. It would also give JR some more (much needed) minutes.

I will miss AI in a Nugz jersey

[EricForman]

Just one thing I want to point out to all the guys suggesting that AI signs to a "championship contender" team and play off the bench:

It doesn't matter that AI is 33 years old, he still leads the league in minutes per game. He hates being taken out of the game and there is no way in hell he will be coming off the bench, at least not this year or next year. Until he starts to slow down (which I'm assuming will happen in the 2009-2010 or 2010-2011 season), he isn't going to play off the bench.

A lot of people on here aren't giving AI enough credit. He's supposed to be slowing down, yet he's still leading the league in MPG, Top 3 in PPG, Top 10 in APG, and Top 10 in SPG.

Why exactly would he play off the bench when he's a better player/scorer than like 95% of the guys in the league? You bring a guy off the bench for limited minutes because he either 1) Isn't effective, 2) Isn't as good as the guy starting in his place or 3) Can't hold up playing big minutes. AI doesn't fit in any of those categories, at least not yet.
.

I didn't suggest AI should play off the bench for a contender because he is slowing down or becuase he's not capable of playing long minutes.

IT'S BECAUSE HIS GAME IS HARD TO BUILD AROUND AND HIS BALL-DOMINATING, SHOOT-FIRST GAME WILL NOT GEL WITH ANY CONTENDER'S CURRENT SYSTEM.

I'm a Iverson fan, really I am. I made this youtube video comparing him to Rocky a while back and I love his heart and passion, but it's not hating on him to state that his game is nearly impossible to build around.

And his fans will always bring up 2001 to say how he's a winner. That's the ONLY season of his career where he was on a team that wasn't mediocre or flat out bad. OTher than 2001 his team was never a serious threat to do anything. They were either first round exits or completely outclassed/destroyed in the second round. So one season out of what, 12?

What excuses does Iverson still have? You guys claimed he had no help on the Sixers, even though Iggy/Webber/Korver/Dalembert are all solid. They couldn't even make the playoffs in the East with that lineup. And then what happened with the trade with Andre Miller? Andre made all those guys better within one full year. Not that Miller is a better player than Iverson, just that he was a better fit cause he's a pass-first point guard.

And what happened on the Nuggets? the Nuggets from from a 47 win-ish team with a first round exit ceiling without him to a 51 win-ish team with a first round exit ceiling with him. He never geled with Melo, they didn't clash--but they merely co-existed. ISH loves to bash Nash so much but I am sure Nash would have made the Nuggets far better in Iverson's place.

How many of you guys would have called me an idiot if I said "the nuggets will barely improve with Iverson while the Sixers will get better with Andre Miller" right after the trade? You Iverson fans were claiming Nuggets woudl be contenders and the league should be worried. It's been what, a year and half since the trade and everyone in Denver has already given up. It's not all Iverson's fault, but he definitely didn't help them as much as you guys thought he was, right?

Iverson would be a great addition and much help to a team with no firepower and talent. All he does is score so he'll give teams like the OKC Thunder a few wins off his offense. But Iverson wouldn't exactly be a great fit to teams already with talent/firepower (meaning CONTENDERS)

You put Iverson in the starting lineup of the Spurs or Lakers right now, you think that helps them? You think Kobe/Paul/Bynum all get better/easier looks with Iverson as their PG?

You think Chris Paul/Tyson/West all get better wth Iverson at the 2?

please. They wouldn't. If he goes to a contender, the smart coach will put him with the second unit.

(unless he drastically, drastically tones down his game, then he can play in the first unit and contribute. But if he plays his usual game, he's not gonna be helpful in the starting lineup of Suns/Spurs/Jazz/Hornets or Celtics)

[Richie2k6]

Iverson isn't going to come off the bench for any team in the next 2 or 3 years. He's just too good. Bringing him off the bench would be wasting his talent and last few years of playing all-star basketball. AI can still put up 30/7 if you put him on a team where he's the lone scorer. How many 33 year old guards who slash as much as him in NBA history can you say are capable of doing that? All this talk of bringing him off the bench does not make sense. It's like asking to bring Kobe Bryant off the bench. He and Iverson are not different when you look at it from that perspective. They're both over 30, they're both still playing amazing basketball and they both have been superstars for as long as we can remember. You just don't take a guy whose putting up 26/7 without problems and put him on the bench.

Don't put him on a contender, put him on a fringe contender and let him make them a contender. Put him in Orlando so he can take them to the next level from a 2nd round team to a ECF/Finals team. Put him in Dallas where he can pair up with Dirk and give one last push for a ring as a star. But Boston? San Antonio? Why would their GMs even consider bringing him in? Not because he's not a good player, but because you don't fix what ain't broke. If the Lakers offered Kobe to San Antonio for Duncan, 99% chance San Antonio says no. Because Duncan is better than Kobe? No, because Duncan has led them to 4 rings and has done nothing wrong in the past decade for them to want to ship him off, especially for someone whose almost as old as he is. Danny Ainge is sitting on a cloud of respect and praise for re-building the Celtics dynasty. Why risk all of that and possibly change the chemistry and trade away one of the big 3 for Iverson? There's just no point in altering what is already working.

Iverson won't hurt any team he goes to. They might win less because of on-court chemistry issues, but he doesn't hurt a team. Bringing in a 9x all-star, multiple time all-nba player and first ballot HOFer doesn't hurt a team. It just might not fit in right with the other pieces. You don't think Derrick Rose would want to play next to Iverson for a few years and learn from one of the best guards in league history? Of course he would; any rookie guard would want to play next to one of their idols and a basketball legend. Would it be the best thing for his career when you think about it? Probably not.

AI isn't an idiot. If you put him on a team with Chris Paul, he's not going to dribble as much. He knows Chris Paul is one of the best in the game, he knows Chris Paul runs the Hornets offense and he knows Chris Paul is the center-piece of the team. If you send him to New Orleans he's not going to dribble around for 23 seconds of the shot clock. He's smart enough to know that that would hurt the already-built chemistry, so he would adjust his game to it. He would still play his own attack-the-basket and speed-oriented game, but he wouldn't dribble around like he was a '97 Sixer. He's fully willing and able to give up the ball if that's what's best for the team and I don't know why some people can't understand that already. Watch a Nuggets game. And I mean more than one or two. See how much he passes compared to 5 years ago. He dribbles around, yes, but he's not totally oblivious to his teammates. The man is 33 years old. He understands the game. He doesn't have a rookie's mentality of "I'm going to cross this guy up and try to embarrass him and make a jumpshot to make a highlight reel". Some people don't give him as much credit as he deserves and refer to him as if it's the late 90's.

If you put him in different scenarios he'll show you different variations of what he can do on the court. Put him next to a playmaker and he'll show you he can play off-ball. Put him next to a dominant offensive big and he'll show you he can find him in the post when he's in the paint. Put him next to a shooter and he'll show you he can slash and make the defense collapse and kick it out to the perimeter. The man is not a robot, he knows how to pass and he knows how to adjust his game. He's 33 years old, has been in the league for 12 years and knows what's going on around him. He knows what teams are doing well and what ones aren't and he knows that certain teams have special chemistries so if he went there he would know what and what not to do. If you put him next to Steve Nash, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard he's not going to dribble circles around them.

He's a veteran... he knows the league. Some people need to stop making it seem like he doesn't know what the word "adjust" means. He knows all about sacrificing pieces of his game for the better of the team. Go ask Chris Webber and the Nuggets.

[EricForman]

I'll agree with you that he can turn a semi contender into a contender, like the Magic. But what I don't agree with is...

If you put him in different scenarios he'll show you different variations of what he can do on the court. Put him next to a playmaker and he'll show you he can play off-ball. Put him next to a dominant offensive big and he'll show you he can find him in the post when he's in the paint. Put him next to a shooter and he'll show you he can slash and make the defense collapse and kick it out to the perimeter. The man is not a robot, he knows how to pass and he knows how to adjust his game. .

I'd like to see that. Cause he hasn't done it ever. And it's not as simple as you make it out to be. He's a guy that needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Ask him to play off the ball on the hornets and what does he do? I don't see him being effective at all. Feed a big man in the post? He doesn't have the Nash/Kidd ability to really be a playmaker (I see Iverson's assists the same as Marbury's assists... they dribble dribble dribble and then kick to a shooter who woulda had that same shot without the dribbling. Or he'll drive and then throw it back out to someone for a J. It's not the kind of Nash/Kidd assist where they actually made the basket much easier for the teammate).

I'm not saying he'll hurt teams, but he just doesn't help them nearly as much as someone who's a former MVP and 30 point scorer should. He's a slightly better Gilbert Arenas, HE DOES NOT MAKE TEAMMATES BETTER WHAT SO EVER.

If I told you right after the AI/Andre Miller trade went down that the Nuggets would only improve by like, 4-5 wins and have the same playoff ceilling, and that Andre Miller would make the Sixers better than they were with Iverson, you woulda called me an idiot. AI doesn't make anyone better. The Nuggets with him are only SLIGHTLY better than they were without him, you can't deny that.

Would any other top tier superstar improve a team this little?

[Richie2k6]

I'd like to see that. Cause he hasn't done it ever.

Because he's never had the chance other than 2 scenarios. He played with Webber and Webber was still capable of putting up good stats next to him. He plays with Melo and shows that he can be effective while not hurting Melo's game.

If I told you right after the AI/Andre Miller trade went down that the Nuggets would only improve by like, 4-5 wins and have the same playoff ceilling, and that Andre Miller would make the Sixers better than they were with Iverson, you woulda called me an idiot.

Actually personally no I wouldn't have. I would have said the Sixers would get way better, but I wouldn't have a problem with someone saying the Sixers would get better. Iverson just wasn't working well there and it was time for a change and Miller was the perfect player to go there. As for making Denver only 4 or 5 wins better, I don't know what I would have said because nobody had any clue as to how well they would mesh and whether they would be a 40 win team or a serious contender.

AI doesn't make anyone better. The Nuggets with him are only SLIGHTLY better than they were without him, you can't deny that.

Their record shows that they're only slightly better. On the court they are much better with him than without. Unless you mean Iverson being there vs Miller being there then yes they're only a bit better. But Iverson being there vs Iverson not being there then of course yes they're much better.

Would any other top tier superstar improve a team this little?

There are plenty of top tier stars that if put in certain situations with certain teams would barely make them win anymore games. It all depends on the scenario. If you switched Wade and AI in Denver they would probably be just like they are now for instance.

If there was any way possible of seeing an Iverson trade midseason to the Rockets, I'd love to see it. Yao/McGrady/Artest/AI

I hope to god that happens, as a Laker fan I could officially scratch off Houston as a threat.