Sixers' Iguodala still waiting for his NBA All-Star Spot
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:46 pm
Phil Jasner: Sixers' Iguodala still waiting for his NBA All-Star shot
Philadelphia Daily News
NEW ORLEANS - This was supposed to be the breakout season for Andre Iguodala. He was the player who emerged as the clear leader of the 76ers down the stretch last season, helping them win 17 of their last 26 games in the dawn of the post-Allen Iverson era.
This was supposed to be the season when Iguodala, the No. 9 pick in the 2004 NBA draft, took a major step toward All-Star status in the Eastern Conference. This was the season in which he would sign a long, rich contract extension.
Didn't happen. Iguodala, despite averaging a team-high 19.4 points, won't be part of the All-Star Weekend extravaganza. He walked away from an extension reportedly worth $57 million and insists he hasn't looked back. As of July 1, he will be a restricted free agent, with the Sixers allowed to match any offer from another team.
"We're winning games right now," he said earlier in the week. "If we can get in the playoffs, that's been my main goal, despite what everybody said about us being expected to finish last in the conference.
"I don't think of this as a lost season, even though it's tough getting double-teamed every night and still trying to get numbers."
And he's getting them. He got a box score full of them in Wednesday night's 102-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, putting together 29 points on 13-for-25 shooting that included three three-pointers, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He has been in an elite group with Orlando's Hedu Turkoglu, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Boston's Paul Pierce, New Jersey's Vince Carter, Cleveland's LeBron James, Washington's Caron Butler and Houston's Tracy McGrady as the only players averaging at least 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Whether that helps Iguodala's case as a restricted free agent this summer remains to be seen.
Bryant, Pierce, James and Butler are All-Stars; you can make a solid case that Turkoglu should have been. Carter and McGrady have been All-Stars seven times each.
"If you win, everything takes care of itself," Iguodala said. "Now we're starting to win, but there are guys every year who think they should have made it. I always want to think about the team concept first. I think I'm very valuable to our team; if we can make a strong showing after the break, if we can get to the playoffs, that'll take care of itself [in the future]. It's all about winning."
I think . . .
Upon further review, it's fair to at least temporarily remove Portland's Brandon Roy from MVP consideration and insert Cleveland's LeBron James. But not at the top of the five-man ballot.
And before all the e-mailers who screamed for the inclusion of James start applauding or congratulating themselves, remember that this is a fluid list. The real ballot is filed in April.
Not so covert
Referee Bob Delaney is making the rounds promoting "Covert," his autobiography detailing his work as a New Jersey state trooper working undercover. But there had been stories in recent years about Delaney's double life before becoming an official, which led to this pregame scene several seasons ago in the Wachovia Center:
Delaney was at the scorer's table, double-checking with the crew just before tipoff when he was approached by the Sixers' Aaron McKie and Eric Snow.
The conversation was brief and animated, ending with laughter.
I remember asking what that was all about.
"They wanted to know," Delaney said later, "if they could pat me down."
Free money
If you think Aaron McKie hit the jackpot being signed for $750,000 by the Los Angeles Lakers and traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Pau Gasol deal to help make the salaries match, please don't forget about the legend of Amal McCaskill.
The Sixers still had McCaskill's rights after the 2003-04 season and included him in a sign-and-trade when they decided to acquire Corliss Williamson from the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Coleman to make the transaction work.
Then-Sixers president/GM Billy King called McCaskill and told him to get to a fax machine as soon as possible. By league rule, a player included in a sign-and-trade must sign at least a 3-year contract, with at least 1 year guaranteed.
King faxed a contract to McCaskill, who signed it and immediately sent it back.
McCaskill never played a minute for the Pistons. He walked away with a free $900,000.
Party of one
Lenny Wilkens remains the only man to have played in an All-Star Game and coached both conferences in one. New Orleans coach Byron Scott, who will coach the West on Sunday and coached the East in 2002, is the seventh to guide both conferences.
"I guess," Hornets guard Morris Peterson said, enjoying the moment, "maybe he's a better coach than a player."
FYI to Mo Pete: Scott averaged 21.7 points for the 1987-88 champion L.A. Lakers, and came back at 19.6 the following season.
Words to live by
Kyle Korver, traded by the Sixers to the Utah Jazz, in the Salt Lake Tribune: "There's a lot of great things about playing professional basketball. Knowing where you're going to be tomorrow is not one of them." *
Send e-mail to jasnerp@phillynews.com.
