Allen Iverson In Contract Talks with Grizzlies
Chris Wallace should have gotten a cut from Mitch Kupchak for helping construct the Lakers’ championship team. And if he’s able to get Allen Iverson to Memphis next season, he should also get a chunk from HBO after they create a spin-off of their hit boxing series “24/7″ about the 2009-10 Memphis Grizzlies.
It may even be difficult for Iverson to find a team willing to give him the full mid-level exception for next season, starting at $5.854 million. But Iverson has been linked by various reports to both the Grizzlies and Miami Heat, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Wednesday that Heisley was giving serious consideration to giving Iverson a one-year, $5 million deal.
Heisley didn’t say that the Grizzlies wouldn’t ultimately sign Iverson only that such a decision has yet to be made.
“More or less, we’re going to have discussions initially with his agent,” Heisley said. “But it’s very, very early. I don’t want people to think there’s more to it than that. It’s very, very early and it’s nothing more than exploratory.”
While Heisley contemplates whether he should use the $4 million he made by sending Greg Buckner away as part of the Shawn Marion trade on Iverson, he should also spend some time thinking about how this team will work on the court. Compile the shots attempted per game last season by Iverson, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, and Gasol, and you’re at 71.6 shots. That’s a drop under the 76 shots that the Bobcats took as an entire squad last year. Yikes.
Even if Wallace is assembling a roster less interested in playing defense than any other team in NBA history, this could be a great business decision. Who cares if defense wins championships - offense sells tickets. And internal team strife creates drama, which could sell some more tickets.
This could be a hybrid between “Hard Knocks” and “24/7″:
Episode 1: AI and Z-Bo stroll to camp to find a locker room already unified behind O.J. and Rudy. The two newcomers decide to create their own clique - and they come up with a nickname for themselves. Smash and Dash.
Episode 2: Z-Bo, O.J., AI, and Rudy get over their differences when they all storm off the court after Marc Gasol decides to take a jumpshot.
Episode 3: The Grizzlies find their groove. They rattle off five straight wins, and the media touts Chris Wallace as a visionary for bringing together players who were originally pegged as a “toxic” combination.
Episode 4: Just as Memphis prepares for a playoff run, Wallace pulls the trigger on his latest genius concoction, trading O.J. and Rudy to the Lakers in exchange Adam Morrison, Sasha Vujacic, and next year’s No. 1 pick.
I’d tune in. But even if HBO can’t get the NBA’s permission to make that show, the Iverson-to-Memphis move will still be fun to watch. And thankfully there won’t be enough shots to go around for Hasheem Thabeet.
Source: NBA.com
July 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Mikey F Baby says:
dear God nooooooooooooooo
July 9th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
bobby stew says:
That is a crazy lineup. AI, Mayo, Rudy, Randolph, Gasol. They would have to trade somebody.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
fallinup says:
C’mon man. AI can’t go out like this. How can one man fall so hard as to be an MVP and face of the league to being involved in a rumor to sign with the Grizzlies if he’s lucky.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Answer to Fallinup:
By being a DUMMY. I mean, I love to watch AI do his thing, but he never took the time to learn the finer points of the game. So now he’s got like NO basketball IQ, NO real accomplishments except for a bunch of points, and now NO contending teams want any parts of him. This is all his fault.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
fallinup says:
Once he lost that quickness, it was all down hill from there.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Jah says:
This is crazy enough to actually work…? Nah…
PG - Allen Iverson
SG - O.J. Mayo
SF - Rudy Gay
PF - Zach Randolph
C - Marc Gasol
—-
G - Mike Conley, Jr.
F - Hakim Warrick, Darrell Arthur
C - Hasheem Thabeet
July 9th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Jah says:
A.I. fell off strictly from a “attitude” aspect. He wanted to win, but he went about it the wrong way. Everyone thought they’d do damage in Denver with him there but again, there wasn’t an appropriate meshing that took place and…failure.
He can still ball though, and he can make a team full of scorers like this one better by penetration & dime dropping, along with the constant threat of getting to the line and hitting the pull-up. That’s how I see it from here, and I could be wrong but…let’s hope that A.I. doesn’t go out like a sucka’ during the final years of his career.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
nerditry says:
@jah: All this will serve to do is keep the Grizzlies in limbo, with no real plan on how the team runs and completely invalidate all of the PG chasing they’ve done in the draft.
He HAS to have the ball in his hands to create because even running around screens like Reggie or Rip, he’s too small to get those over the defense passes. I can’t imagine a scenario where anyone scores on offense other than putbacks with him and Z-Bo on the same floor.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
@ fallinup:
Yeah, man…that’s what I mean. He’s not quite as quick (still mad quick tho!), so now he has like…NOTHING to fall back on. Lots of players lose their quickness/hops as they get older, but they still understand how to win games and make positive things happen. Now it’s clear why practice is so important! You gotta get an understanding of basketball, like the movement and defense and strategies and stuff. Now his anti-practice rant looks more foolish than ever!
July 9th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
jdote says:
I just don’t see AI’s career how others see it. He’s won an MVP, made All NBA teams, reached the second round of the playoffs 4 times, and of course the finals once. So he’s had success, and i dont think the scoring titles and all the individual accolades should be seen as a negative. It’s has been a little rough the past 4 seasons.. but from 96-05, i think u saw the development of one of the great player’s of this era, but of course he had his ups and downs. i still think he has game left, so i dont mind him signing with the grizzles. he can average in the teens on a run and gun team
July 9th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
the cynic says:
Iverson and Z-Bo together!?!?! Batman and Robin step aside we have a new dynamic Duo, “THE DEVELOPMENT KILLERS”!
Young promising players BEWARE
July 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
The Advisor says:
That team would win a lot of games! People are always down on Zach but all he does is put up 24 points/12 rebounds every night! Defense is a foreign language for him though. But AI — he could play 5 more years if he would NOT demand 25 shots per game. If AI would accept being a role player..be happy with 12 shots, get a few steals, a couple of break-aways, then he could possibly help a championship-caliber team get over the top. But I don’t think his ego would ever allow him to accept a lesser role–seems he has to be “the man” and I think it will shorten his career.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
flavur says:
Iverson isn’t going to start he’s gonna be more of a locker room guy to mentor OJ and Rudy Conley is gonna start and Iverson is gonna be a sixth man.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
The Advisor says:
Has Allen said that? He didn’t accept the sixth man role on the championship contender Detroit Pistons. But he’s gonna accept it with the Memphis Grizzlies???
July 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Coop says:
I shake my head at those throwing themselves off the AI bandwagon. Show some respect.
July 9th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Marcus says:
What ever you guys say this team will be better than last year’s team with AI and big ZACH GO GRIZZ!!!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Guitar Hero says:
AI would be a great signing for the Knicks.
A one-year deal to bolster his stats w/Mike D and get ready for the 2010 FA bonanza.
I would be a fun year in NY.
July 9th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
tvb17 says:
might as well get allen iverson if they dont they will talk about the grizzlies if they do the y are going to talk to about the grizzlies the same people that are talking about the grizzlies will be the same national media critic that will follow the team and wont interviews with zach and A.I. so the hell—-o with it go for it at least they will be talking about zach and A.I. than the team losing
July 9th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
marcus the great says:
^wtf did he just say??
July 9th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
haslem says:
I could see AI or Steph doing well on the mavs.
AI could do well in New York for a year, simply because “why not”?
July 9th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
D.H. says:
whata ya know Steph and AI articles back to back . . . yo mean neither of them have deals next year yet . . . what a surprise.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
bill says:
IVerson article - what have you done for me lately…
How one year in Detroit turns you from a GREAT star season (Denver) into a potential 6th man on a cellar dweller..
I am still a fan of Iverson
- Iverson to Mavs, Heat, Spurs please. Thanks
July 9th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
kowtz says:
AI, Mayo, Rudy, Randolph, Gasol.
Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Mullin, Chris Webber and a Center… Hahahaha…
This Line up would kill in an arcade game…
July 9th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
loc says:
Iversons still that dude,
unfortunate season last year but I still hope he can pull it together make the end of his career memorable. People forget that for YEARS he was the man in the NBA. All you haters, you used to have #3 Sixers Jerseys when you were younger.
I just hope AIs time in the NBA mimics Nas’s ressurection as opposed to Ja Rules downfall……..
July 10th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
PWEEZY says:
Iverson should try to go the Gary Payton route and play for a champsion contender team…play hard when called upon and get that chip and retire. If he demands a lot of money like Spree than he’s a goner but he must have saved alot of money from his tenure in NBA so he should be financially sound.