Hypothetical: Which star to get A.I. a ring?

GoSixersBro · Post #1 » by **GoSixersBro** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:59 pm

I was reading some Instagram comments (lol) about Iverson being teamed up with this guy or that, which got me thinking.

If you had to pair Allen with one superstar during his time in Philly (1996-2006) to help him get a title, who would it be? Which star from that era would elevate Iverson and the Sixers to be an absolute favorite to win it all?

Also, whichever player you pick must be that player's version from that time-range. So you can't say "oh well put 2012 LeBron with Iverson". If you picked LeBron it would have to be 2003-2006 LeBron.

Also please give your reasons why (fit, etc.) if you can. We all know Iverson's style did not lend itself to every other superstar player. There are some absolute Hall of Famers so I want to see why you'd take this guy over that.

Negrodamus · Post #2 » by **Negrodamus** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:36 pm

GoSixersBro wrote:I was reading some Instagram comments (lol) about Iverson being teamed up with this guy or that, which got me thinking.

If you had to pair Allen with one superstar during his time in Philly (1996-2006) to help him get a title, who would it be? Which star from that era would elevate Iverson and the Sixers to be an absolute favorite to win it all?

Also, whichever player you pick must be that player's version from that time-range. So you can't say "oh well put 2012 LeBron with Iverson". If you picked LeBron it would have to be 2003-2006 LeBron.

Also please give your reasons why (fit, etc.) if you can. We all know Iverson's style did not lend itself to every other superstar player. There are some absolute Hall of Famers so I want to see why you'd take this guy over that.

I mean, is there any answer other than Shaq between 1996-2003? That is, if we're playing in that time period.

Allen wouldn't have to kill himself as much and Shaq would obliterate the Eastern Conference.

Sixersftw · Post #3 » by **Sixersftw** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:48 pm

If we remove the obvious answer, Shaq, I always wanted to see Dirk and A.I. That 2 man game would break that era of basketball if you load up on defensive stalwarts that could halfway shoot. MVP Dirk w/ 04-05 Iverson would be some fun ball.

Kobblehead · Post #4 » by **Kobblehead** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:50 pm

He already had that guy in house and they couldn't get along. Stackhouse from 1996 through 2003 was a star player.

GoSixersBro · Post #5 » by **GoSixersBro** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:50 pm

Shaq was the first in my mind, but does anyone think Iverson and that Jordan guy could ever figure it out to win one?

Negrodamus · Post #6 » by **Negrodamus** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:55 pm

GoSixersBro wrote:Shaq was the first in my mind, but does anyone think Iverson and that Jordan guy could ever figure it out to win one?

I have no doubt that they would be successful together, but their games aren't terribly conducive. He needed a big man that was going to dominate on offense. Naturally, the Sixers give him Mutombo and Webber on their last legs.

Olajuwon would have been great in '96-'97 I suppose, although he was slowing down. Same with Ewing.

KG would have been great in his MVP season.

Negrodamus · Post #7 » by **Negrodamus** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:01 pm

And, even though I feel his value was inextricably linked to Stocken, Malone was obviously a great scoring big man. Excellent mid range shooter which would spread out the offense for Iverson to get to the basket.

Samson · Post #8 » by **Samson** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:26 pm

Do you mean, OTHER THAN THE FACT that if we had the #1 pick instead of #2 in '97, a year after taking AI, we'd have had Tim Duncan... playing his career with Allen Iverson....

Or if in the late '99/early 2000 ... the Raptors didn't renege on the T-Mac trade...

Or if in 2001, when we had the league-leading scorer and stealer in AI, and acquired the leading rebounder and the Defensive Player of the Year in Deke Mutombo, we had run into ANYONE OTHER THAN in-their-prime Shaq & Kobe (and all those complimentary players like Big Shot Rob etc.) ... we would have surely won it all.

Or in 2005, right after my birthday, we got Chris mf'ing Webber ... who only a few years ago would have been perhaps THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT to AI... but microfracture knee surgery robbed him of what made him him...

Those are just the obvious ones...

Back when this forum was started, 2001 into 2002ish ... one of the real tantalizing prospects on this and the Trade Forum was breaking up the Jail Blazers, and sending us Philly's own Rasheed Wallace (usually with Scottie Pippen, who would have excited me even more than Wallace...) having AI with Wallace and Pippen would have been lights-out.

Also, while not as big of a name, yet still a solid basketball player and perhaps both a great complimentary player and calming influence on AI, was Shareef Abdur-Rahim ... there was a bunch of rumors that he would have absolutely loved to play with AI and I remember one time (this is like 20 years ago mind you) reading that there was a few talks etc. but it never happened. Wound up in Atlanta. I always thought he would have brought out the best in AI.

SixthStreet · Post #9 » by **SixthStreet** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:33 pm

This is pretty easy. Duncan. He impacted the game in nearly every faucet and their primes align perfectly.

Kobblehead · Post #10 » by **Kobblehead** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:40 pm

Wait, the answer is obvious. It's Jason Kidd.

Iverson's most trusted teammate was Eric Snow. A big defensive floor general that was a non-threatening scorer (a must for getting along with Iverson). Jason Kidd is like the maximum possible outcome of that player archetype.

Embiid P · Post #11 » by **Embiid P** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:56 pm

If we had gotten Webber a few years earlier than we did, he and AI might have won a ring together. Ditto with pre-injury Elton Brand. Same with a large number of other PF/C's since having a dominant low post presence was pretty much key to winning a title in that era. The obvious exception being Jordan's Bulls. Friggin Larry Brown and Billy King really screwed us over with poor draft picks and bad signings and trades.

Post #12 » by **Sixerscan** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:11 pm

SixthStreet wrote:This is pretty easy. Duncan. He impacted the game in nearly every faucet and their primes align perfectly.

Yeah it's Duncan. He also would have been a perfect balance to Iverson from a personality/team culture standpoint, much like Deke was. I'm sure they could have won a ring with Shaq but that also could have gone sideways.

Dirk would have also been great provided you had a good center. Though there is no way Brown would have actually let him become the player he was.

KG would have been great too.

youngcrev · Post #13 » by **youngcrev** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:43 pm

I think KG was probably the best fitting superstar of the era with Iverson. I think Shaq and Allen would bump heads, and wouldn't fit together particularly well, even if he was the most dominant guy of that time frame. Pair them together and Iverson probably gets traded.

elchengue20 · Post #14 » by **elchengue20** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:27 am

KG i think was the best fit personality and playstyle wise. Also they timelines meshed perfectly. Prime KG and AI from 2003 to 2006 would have been a crazy duo.

KG was a DPOY calibeer forward who also was great all around player on offense but could being the #2 guy and watch AI put up 30 shots without a problem.Sometimes he lacked the elite ability to create shots and carry an offense, so AI would help a lot there.

Also personality wise both were street dogs who played with passion, so they would probability understand each other well.

Duncan in paper also would be great but i think it could be a weird fit personalit wise and also they played a very different style of basketball, so they could be some chemistry issues there.

Shaq is the other obvious option but he wanted to be the guy putting up the shots, like his clash with Kobe showed. Plus he woudnt give any spacing for AI to drive to the rim, and defensively they arent the greatest pairing neither.

freshie2 · Post #15 » by **freshie2** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:39 am

AI was impossible to build around. Shaq is probably the only option. Otherwise it has to be another big and a star who makes AI a clear #2. Maybe then he would play the right way and you would have a chance.

UptownPhilly · Post #16 » by **UptownPhilly** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:46 am

GoSixersBro wrote:I was reading some Instagram comments (lol) about Iverson being teamed up with this guy or that, which got me thinking.

If you had to pair Allen with one superstar during his time in Philly (1996-2006) to help him get a title, who would it be? Which star from that era would elevate Iverson and the Sixers to be an absolute favorite to win it all?

Also, whichever player you pick must be that player's version from that time-range. So you can't say "oh well put 2012 LeBron with Iverson". If you picked LeBron it would have to be 2003-2006 LeBron.

Also please give your reasons why (fit, etc.) if you can. We all know Iverson's style did not lend itself to every other superstar player. There are some absolute Hall of Famers so I want to see why you'd take this guy over that.

Kevin Garnett, no question. With Larry Brown's style of coaching, a still serviceable Mutumbo, and a solid supporting cast, KG would have gotten us over the hump. He was a major threat on and off the ball and a lockdown defender.

Post #17 » by **sixers hoops** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:10 am

Good question.

1a) Shaq was prob a near perfect complement for AI’s passing out of double and triple teams in the paint. Todd Mac, the one big with good hands, was great with AI. Shaq and AI would be pretty much unguardable on the court together.

1B) Duncan was a great complement on both ends for any perimeter player, so him and AI would have been legit contenders.

3) KG, while I think Dirk is the better offensive fit, AI could have used that elite defense behind him too.

4) Dirk was an elite scorer that could still have his impact next to a high usage Iverson.

5) Paul Pierce by default. I don’t believe in Webber. I don’t see it working with Kobe. Mourning starting to decline by AI’s third year. I don’t think Kidd and Iverson are as dangerous as AI and Pierce. I love Vince, but he was never the big game player that Pierce was.

Embiid P · Post #18 » by **Embiid P** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 2:23 am

freshie2 wrote:AI was impossible to build around. Shaq is probably the only option. Otherwise it has to be another big and a star who makes AI a clear #2. Maybe then he would play the right way and you would have a chance.

Yo, has Larry Brown hacked into your account or something?

Skates · Post #19 » by **Skates** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:42 am

Iverson plus KG, but you likely needed a third like Ray Allen or Pierce.

Same thing with Duncan and someone like Kidd.

eyeatoma · Post #20 » by **eyeatoma** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:53 am

Iverson and Shaq
Iverson and Duncan
Iverson and KG

In that order... AI would have massive respect for Shaq, so I'm not sure why you guys think that their personalities would get in the way. Shaq felt the same way about AI.

Kobble, Stackhouse was not a star, sorry. He never was. He was just an empty stats guy on a bad team. Even if he was, two inefficient perimeter shooters would never work. You need to be able to play high low, with a perimeter creator and a front court beast/center.

Which star?