Comments on: Allen Iverson to sign deal with Besiktas Cola Turka

By: zblott

zblott — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:32:38 +0000

Here’s a very recent piece about his legacy and what he’s meant to the game.

http://www.hoopskarma.com/hk/2010/10/22/legacy-friday-allen-iverson.html

By: tubal22

tubal22 — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:42:41 +0000

@david:

I disagree. I think he was a top tier player when he was in his prime, compared to the other talent in the game at the time. Remember this was when Jordan retired. There was no one else who could be a superstar. Iverson was scoring 20+ points in ’97 on, his second year in the league.

Kobe didn’t come into his own until the 2001 season. Duncan was there, but he’s not “superstar” material. (Even though he’s a better fundamental ball player, he didn’t have the flash)

So for 3 years, deserved or not, Iverson was one of the faces of the league.

I wouldn’t put him in the same tier as Kobe or Lebron or even Wade. But during his time he was one of the top 3 players in the NBA.

That said, i think he’s a prima donna and a baby, and I’m glad no one else gave him a shot this year. He doesn’t deserve one.

By: david8726

david8726 — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:05:39 +0000

Iverson never fulfilled his full potential.

His ego was a big reason for this. The other problem was that NBA GMs, owners, and the league as a whole enabled him.

GMs labeled him a “franchise player” and he was paid as such. The league marketed him as a huge star. This never should have happened. Even at his very best he was never in the same category as true franchise players like Wade, Kobe, LeBron, Garnett, etc. He was almost always a second tier player because he was never as efficient a scorer or as good a defender as any of those guys. His MVP was one of the biggest farces in the history of the award.

Still, his owner in Philly gave him the keys to the kingdom, and Iverson wasn’t gonna have it any other way.

If he somehow could have been brought into a situation where he could have played as a 2nd or 3rd option on a good team for most of his career (and had he accepted this role), he might have won a championship.

It’s a shame, really.

By: cp3nola

cp3nola — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:04:40 +0000

I think this is a story because Iverson is still a very good NBA player (no longer an AllStar but still better than most guards). He would’ve been amazing as a 6th man Spark Plug because he can still score in bunches. Look at what he did against the Lakers last season. 15 pts in about six minutes. His reputation did him in, but it’s hard to insult a guy who’s about to make 4 million dollars BEFORE his endorsement deals and all that. Regardless, a first ballot hall of famer and he always kept it interesting.

By: cp3nola

cp3nola — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:48:07 +0000

Iverson’s ego was never any worse than any other huge NBA star of the last 20 years. I think journalists like to play it up though because of the whole “rebel” thing. Iverson’s career has been exaggerated like crazy. He never averaged 30 shots a game and he hasn’t even averaged 15 shots a game in 4 seasons or so. His assist numbers were always Top 10, his “playoff” percentage is 70% (while rewritten history will lead you to believe that he was a team killer.).
.
Iverson took his two main teams to higher ground. He took the Sixers from the worst record to the NBA Finals in just 5 seasons and he led Denver to their first 50 win season in twenty years. Don’t rewrite history because the end of his career was embarassing. It’s nothing different from Jordan, Olajuwon, Ewing, etc.