The Irony of Iverson

Allen Iverson is on the Memphis Grizzlies.

What do I say about this? This was the guy who revived interest in the Sixers for me - and a lot of other kids - at a point where they were dead. After a bunch of awful draft picks, they took Iverson first, and while he didn't win right away, we could see he was talented and passionate. He eventually got them in the playoffs consistently and to one Finals appearance. Now he's on the most disrespected team this side of the Clippers, and one that has been mostly terrible in its existence, and then traded away its only all-star ever to save money just when it had a decent team.

What happened?

The Pistons shut down Allen Iverson for the rest of the season just a few weeks before it was over. In danger of missing the playoffs, they had to cut him out for injuries, but also for nearly wrecking team spirit. He hadn't been happy coming off the bench or just being in Detroit in general. They thought they might just be better without him for the next few weeks. How could this happen to a guy who was always one of the better scorers in the league, right up until the time he arrived there?

There's a lot of irony in how badly the Iverson experiment failed in Detroit... irony for the people involved and irony for me. Every Philly fan remembers how close they were to trading Iverson to Detroit 9 years ago, right before his MVP / Finals season. That didn't happen because of trade kickers and contract minutia, but everyone can think about what could have been. If I remember right, the Sixers would have gotten back Glen Rice and Eddie Jones, two good shooters... but without much time left. Rice was finished shortly after he won the first of the Shaq-Kobe titles, and Jones never regained his late 90's all-star form. Iverson came back and the Sixers made the finals, while the Pistons looked lost. GM Joe Dumars would have to work magic to get that team in shape. It seemed Philly had dodged a major bullet.

But did they? The next year, the Pistons looked a lot better, and the Sixers began to slip. In 2003, they met in the second round of the playoffs. Despite having the lead in most games, the Sixers had some rough late moments and lost in 6 games. Larry Brown then left - for Detroit - and the Sixers fell even further into a hole that resulted in them eventually trading Iverson away. Detroit won a title under Brown and came close to repeating.

When Detroit and Denver made that big deal, it was like things had come full circle. Chauncey Billups, signed as a forgotten free agent after the botched Iverson deal, had made himself into one of the top guards in the league. But he was always in Iverson's shadow for popularity, and the Pistons figured they could try something different after a few years of very good regular seasons but no Finals. It didn't work.

The personal irony for me is that I still thought Detroit would be a contender after the trade and I liked the combination of him and their players, especially Rasheed Wallace. I updated my season preview to say that I thought this was a good roster for him. Specifically, I liked him with 'Sheed. In my old columns, back in the mid part of the decade, I always rooted for the Sixers to acquire Rasheed Wallace. I thought he was the perfect complement to Iverson. He could shoot and had offensive moves, but didn't mind being a second option. He was great on defense. I figured the best complement to Iverson would be a big guy that could shoot, so they could run the pick and roll. The Sixers actually did try to do this with Derrick Coleman and Keith Van Horn, but those guys were awful on D. Just awful. 'Sheed played D hard and made open shots, and again, he was much happier than other guys deferring. He ran into trouble in Portland once he became the go-to guy there. He didn't want to carry a franchise. He was better in Detroit because the guards carried the offense. To top it off, 'Sheed is a Philly native.

So, as much as I don't care for the Pistons, I was a little happy to see that Iverson and 'Sheed would come together. I also liked their roster to fit Iverson's game. The Sixers did well to match Iverson with a taller point in Eric Snow, who could defend the big guards, and the Pistons had Stuckey as a big point guard who could also shoot threes. Tayshuan Prince was a shooter and defender. They had McDyess as another big man to make shots, and Amir Johnson for rebounding and D. It seemed like the best roster for his talents. I knew it would be tough to mix him and Richard Hamilton, who also likes to come off screens, but that was the only problem I foresaw.

Well, you know how it went. His scoring plummeted, he didn't fit into the system at all, and they basically dumped him. They were happy to get rid of him and get the cap space. It wasn't just Hamilton that clashed with him; no one seemed to like him being there. I really misread that. Looking back, I'm not sure anything I predicted about him was accurate. I don't know if anyone really could have succeeded with him. Melo scored with him around, and their numbers were both good, but they never really meshed. My reflection of his career is entirely different. I thought he was a certain hall-of-famer and franchise player. Now he's scrubbing for a lottery team that I have grown to hate.

I guess I don't know what to think of Iverson anymore.

A new direction

The Sixers' trade of Reggie Evans for Jason Kapono looks pretty simple, straight up: they traded a guy who can't shoot for a guy who can shoot threes. They dumped a big guy for a wing because they needed shooting and they have big guys with Elton Brand and Jason Smith coming back.

I had to notice, however, that this is the first move since they hired Eddie Jordan. It might not seem like a big coaching change, but it gives me hope. I wasn't initially with all their coaching moves this year. I thought they gave up on Maurice Cheeks too early and that their early season slump wasn't really his fault; they just couldn't build an offense around Brand (who was still hurt). His firing coincided with them playing small and fast, and they won more in the second half. Jordan, however, was also probably fired too quickly. Washington sucked, but they were destroyed by injuries. Jordan took a team of offensive (well, selfish) minded players with a few defenders (with no offense) and made them into a regular playoff team. He knew how to run an offense with limited guys. In the end, these were two coaches who deserved better, so maybe it all works out.

I do know that Jordan might have good ideas for the offense. He's talked about moving Brand around, doing more with him and Iguodala, and trying to get more of a rhythm going. This trade allows them to (hopefully) move people back to good spots. The Sixers did well by going small and running the past two years, but that will only get them so far. As I've said before, it's nice but it has limits, and that's why they needed Brand. Now, they could potentially start Kapono or Thad at the 3, move Iggy to the 2, move Green to the bench (please), and then go smaller on the SECOND unit, instead of the first. They have the hustle and speed that's good for the bench, but they've been using it too much. The starting unit has to be bigger and better offensively. It seems like they are moving that way.

I'm hopeful then that Jordan can figure out some things. Next up is the draft. It's not deep, but there are a lot of point guards available, and the Sixers can grab someone nice to eventually replace Andre Miller... or now, if he leaves. If they get a guy who can shoot (I like Ty Lawson), that adds to the new direction. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.

a Brand new day in philly

What is going on?????

This is one of the greatest days in Sixers history, especially recently. And who saw it coming? I asked for it, but never expected it to happen.... and not like this.



I'm shocked and elated. However, I can also feel the pain of a franchise that has had all too much of it.

See, as a Sixers fan living in LA, who also follows the Clippers a little, I'm torn. Since I moved out here, I've grown attached to the Clippers and they're really the only west coast team I can follow... in anything... pro or college. I have rooted for them especially in light of the Lakers, whom I cannot stand. I've been pushing the Sixers to go after Elton Brand for a long time, but now, I'm wondering if it should feel so good. After the Baron Davis news came out, I was sad that the Sixers would probably not get Brand, but it was nice to hear the Clippers finally get some recognition. Now they're stuck halfway, and I hate to see that. I am elated - again, DELIGHTED - to get Brand; he's not perfect but he's just what the Sixers need (as opposed to Josh Smith, who's too much like their other guys).... but I don't like doing it this way. And I do think the Clippers actually have a better supporting cast, at least offensively, but the imbalance of conferences had to factor in heavily in this decision.

As for my hometown team.... what can I say? They actually did the thing I wanted them to for the first time ever. They got the guy who fits them perfectly. They made up for the Iverson trade, because they used that deal to get cap space and they actually used it. And Andre Miller turned out to be still valuable. Two years ago, I was sure this franchise was dead and I was openly rooting for them to tank TWICE so they could get prospects in each of the past two drafts. But here they are, on a major upswing. They made the playoffs, surprisingly, with a feisty young squad, but they needed a real big man force to be taken seriously.... and they just got him. And I don't have to worry about them throwing cash at Smith! Truly, it is a glorious day. This stuff just doesn't happen in Philadelphia that often.

I don't think they will instantly be a favorite. They need some shooting off the bench, and some more experience for the young guys. But after next year, Boston and Detroit will be in a tough spot, LeBron will be making a big decision, and the Sixers could be in a great spot. Toronto, Orlando, Washington, Atlanta, and maybe some others will be better. But I like the future of the Sixers. I love what they're doing now. Just a few months ago, I was still furious with them. Again, I am sorry for how this went down. The Clippers deserve better than this. They've suffered too long. I hope the Clips can get Okafor and they both can make the playoffs. That would be a good way to end this all.

But I'm also happy. Happy for the first time in a while with the ol' team.

[As I hear more on the radio right now, it appears that Brand's agent was hell-bent on making this difficult for the Clips. I hear shades of Drew Rosenhaus and Scott Boras, and I don't like it. We're still hurting from the rug pulled out on TO and Rosenhaus; I do not like having David Falk's ego being the thing that potentially saved the Sixers.]