December 1, 2009

AI Reunion

One of the most enigmatic, idolized figures in basketball is coming back. Allen Iverson pulled a mini-Jordan with his mini-retirement and will be back with the 76ers, his original team, soon. The 1st overall pick in '96 and 2001 MVP will join a currently 5-13 team with a chance to make the playoffs due to the incredibly weak teams in the East this year (see 0-17 New Jersey Nets). While the squad has no chance to win a championship, Iverson has never won one, leading a team to the playoffs in the waning moments of his career would be a nice cap to a phenomenal career. Never an outstanding shooter, a career 42.5% shooter, Iverson built a Hall of Fame career by taking a licking and keeping on ticking. That's right, he had a motor that never quit. (I think I just used an exclusively white guy sports description on one of the hoodest players the NBA has ever seen). Driven by a desire to win Iverson's most memorable season came when he dragged a weak squad to the Finals. His emphatic walk over a fallen Tyron Lue in that series may be his most lasting move on the court (either that or crossing over Jordan as a rookie). While it would have been nice to see him surrounded by talent early in his career I do not believe a player who takes 28 shots a game while shooting under 40%, as he did in 2001-2002, can lead his team to a championship. While it will be exciting to see Allen return to his initial squad the team's winning potential is limited, just like him.

TBG

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