The Official Iverson Get Your Butt Back Here Next Season

[Don]

Chill out. I loved him since he came here, prob more than you, but you can't go back there. When you got your a$$ kicked once, you learn to walk away the next time, unless you're prepared to fight. We tried once for a LONG friggin time, and it didn't work. He aint worth it. Try with new talent, new personnel. He will ruin the chemistry of this squad, and believe me, all is NOT forgotten on his part. Brand is the type of guy you need. Bring AI in with his 40 member entourage, and you've just rewound yourself 3-4 years to wives thrown out of the house naked and guns in guys faces at Cobbs Creek. I don't wish to beat a dead horse, so this is my last response on the topic. If you want him back, good luck, but I know the team's not going for it so I'm not worried.

[bebopdeluxe]

Don:

Dude, if that is the way you are going to roll on this forum (talking about "wives thrown out of the house naked and guns in guys faces at Cobbs Creek"), then you are rolling without me.

*ignore*

[Don]

Look, I'm not trying to offend you, but just restating the well-publicized. If I know a guy's a bad guy, I stay away, unless I want to tangle. By the way, this isn't the only Sixers forum I'm on, so if I'm ignored, that's ok with me. I'm not "rolling" with anyone, just stating my opinion. I give you freedom to state your opinion on AI, and I state mine. I'm not disrespecting anyone on the forum, just what AI's done in the past. I agree with Phillyboy's views on AI.

[CPops57]

Like with all decisions Ed would be making, this should be viewed as a basketball decision, not an emotional one.

People on both sides seem to have very strong emotions about him that cloud objective-decision making.

[Brand 76]

If all goes down hill with Miller at the end of the season or we trade him come deadline and AI wants back.....then we absolutley have to consider the option...even if it's not next year i can see him back here for one final season some day, you Know he wants that #3 retired some day!

[The Guilty Party]

This is official????

Either way, I don't see Iverson fitting in that much on this team. This is a team in which it's player have defined roles and their egos in check. If AI is prepared to play TEAM basketball, then I would consider it. However, his performance... or more specifically... his team's performance in Denver does leave me longing for the days AI.

[bebopdeluxe]

CPops:

I think that I am being completely objective about this...and if anybody wants to go back to threads before AI was traded, I think my "AI is a PIG" (when it comes to shooting the ball and facilitating his teammates) position on the guy should suggest that I am not trying to wistfully return to my 'love" for AI before he was traded.

I have stated my position on this pretty clearly. If the situation comes up next summer where 1) we need an impact PG, and 2) AI is a UFA and would consider taking the MLE from us to come back, I would have to consider it. From a price/value perspective, it would virtually impossible to ignore. IMO. The guy has played PG in All-Star and Olympic situations where he has been a facilitator. The numbers between when he was here and last season in Denver are pretty telling:

Sixers ('00-01 to '05-06): 25 shots a game, 41.7% FG%, 1.64 ast/TO ratio

Nuggets (last season): 19 shots per game, 45.8% FG%, 2.36 ast/TO ratio

Anybody who watched the Nuggets last season (and I watched a bunch of games) and said that AI had not changed his game is just not being honest, and the numbers support that subjective position: he shot less (and shot a better percentage), he too MUCH better care of the ball, he facilitated 'Melo and his other teammates...and - if he did come back to a Sixers team that has another great score in BRand and a qualitiatively better roster than when he left, then why wouldn't we see the same guy that we saw in Denver last season - huh?

[sixerswillrule]

I haven't paid too much attention to Denver, but I've noticed that AI has been playing a lot better in terms of taking less shots, shooting efficiently, and lowering his turnovers. In that case, however, why is it that he isn't working out for them and they are now looking to trade him? Is this even true? Or is it just their fans that want this?

[badnews313]

It's not as if they aren't doing well, they won 50 games in a conference that 50 games only got you the eigth seed.

Denver has a lot of holes, though. The roster isn't the best blend and they've had some injuries. They didn't have their best defender in Nene(yes better than Camby who is overrated). Then one of the biggets problems is a coach that seems to just not care. They had no real offensive system and they started a backcourt of Iverson and Anthony Carter, while Carter played near 30 minutes a game all season despite the mismatches it caused for any already bad defensive team and despite the improvement in production with an Iverson and JR Smith backcourt. The team had no real direction and only seemed to want to buckle down when their back was against the wall.

As for trading him, there's been no real news of that. Some Denver fans want to move him because they feel the trade just hasn't worked and the team isn't constructed to win a championship the way it is and they know Iverson has some value and would rather cash in on that, then see him walk after this season. And some Denver fans would just rather watch Melo win a scoring title and win 40 games.

[bebopdeluxe]

I'm not talking about trading for AI...I'm simply talking about a scenario where 1) Miller does not agree to an extension, 2) AI does not agree to an extension with the Nuggs, and 3) he is available to us next summer for the MLE.

I think that it is a very unlikely scenario...but if it came up, I would certainly consider it.

[ProcessDoctor]

I haven't paid too much attention to Denver, but I've noticed that AI has been playing a lot better in terms of taking less shots, shooting efficiently, and lowering his turnovers. In that case, however, why is it that he isn't working out for them and they are now looking to trade him? Is this even true? Or is it just their fans that want this?

Iverson has been playing so much better since he got to Denver (team-wise.) I live in Denver and the Denver fans I know personally agree that AI is better than Carmelo in terms of team game, defense, and even scoring. They think Carmelo is a whiner and does nothing but chuck. For some reason though, the Nuggets fans on the internet love Carmelo and think AI is the problem, but after watching the Nuggets plenty, Carmelo is the obvious problem on the team. He is the biggest chucker in the league, even though he shoots a good percentage. The way he plays is something that cannot be shown by statistics. He's just a ball stopper who ruins team chemistry and is still very immature at this point in his career. Losing is a laughing game to him. As long as he gets his 30 points. But I would actually love Iverson here next year to play PG for this team. I don't think Miller's heart is here and I think he really wants to head out west (GS maybe?) Iverson belongs here IMO and I believe can be a PG who averages 22pts, 9ast, 3rebs, and 2 steals on 48% shooting. And I think he'll play harder than ever his second time here. All we need is that 9th rotational guy that can put us over the top. I'm not really a fan of Green or Carrol being that guy. But it's tempting:

Iverson/Williams
Iguodala
Young/(Posey-type player)
Brand/Evans
Dalembert/Speights

[badnews313]

I don't think AI or Melo are the problems in Denver. They don't play off each other as well as they could, but part of that is the lack of any system offensively and that they both are isolation players for the most part offensively.

The problem in Denver is team defense, sub-par rebounding, and the biggest problem is lack of focus and direction, mainly from the coach. I don't think the team as constructed could win a championship, they just don't have the roster, but they could be better and more competitive.

[G.e.B]

I would love to have AI back if he was put into a 6th man role for the MLE. That way he brings a change of pace to the team and could be a real asset.