When I first heard of Allen Iverson's plan to retire, I was crushed. Although he has not done much lately to impress me, I have been a fan for quite some time, and despite his somewhat explosive personality, a personality which often gets him into trouble, I think he is an incredibly talented player. I must also add however that although I understand his role in his downfall, I believe that a lot of what happened was out of his control and to be blamed on both the former coach of the Detroit Pistons as well as the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. Having gone into this in further detail in previous blog posts though, I shall not repeat myself to ad nauseum, but all in all, in my opinion, AI had little to do with his trouble in Detroit and Memphis, and it would have been a shame for the league to lose such talent.
The question now is whether or not the 76ers will be a good fit for AI. At first glance my initial answer would be sure, why not. Not only did he play with them for ten seasons but also managed to set the record for highest scoring average in team history while under their wing. Of course it must also be noted that AI parted ways with Philly on less than friendly terms, but seeing as the Sixers ended up reaching out to him when it seemed as though all hope was lost, one can hope that the past will stay the past and that all the drama AI once caused is water under the bridge. However, even so, what does Philly gain from bringing Iverson back onto their team? It is no secret that he is a bit of trouble maker, often breaking league rules and playing by his own, due to lack of time on the court or in practice, he has not shown any incredible playership in quite a while, and he is 34, an age considered relatively old in terms of basketball standards. So why go out on a limb for him? Why give him a second chance?
Well, first and foremost, one of Philly's star players Lou Williams is currently out with a broken jaw, something that would have been quite a problem had the 76ers not found a replacement in Iverson. Second of all, it is no secret that their attendance record is one of the lowest in the league, fans having either lost hope in their team or not being interested in anyone on their team. And third of all, seeing as their record is currently 5-14, and they are on a 8 game losing streak, it can stand to be said that they need some help. AI not only brings them the talent they need to start being a better team, but also gives them the name to attract fans to games and give them more confidence in their team overall.
Do I think Philly taking AI back was a good idea? Yes. But then again one can never be sure with a player who has had as many ups and downs as AI. One thing is for sure though, letting him retire would have been a huge mistake. For now, I personally am going to sit back, relax and wait to see what happens. AI's first game back is this coming Monday, against the Denver Nuggets, so I guess we will all have to wait and see how that goes. I for one am quite excited and I wish him all the best.
Welcome back AI. Now show us what you're made of.
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