Allen Iverson To Knicks Gaining Momentum
As legitimate and off-the-wall Allen Iverson destination scenarios bounce all over the internet, A.I. signing with the Knicks rumors are starting to take the lead. When Allen and the Grizzlies split ways earlier in the week, the immediate reaction out of New York seemed to be something along the lines of “No way in hell are we going to sign him.” But this afternoon the New York Times’ Howard Beck says that the Knicks are now expected to pursue Iverson:
INDIANAPOLIS – Allen Iverson will become a free agent Thursday evening and he might become a Knick soon after that.
With the team in a free fall, and no other help on the horizon, Knicks officials are seriously considering Iverson as a quick fix. The matter was still being deliberated on Wednesday, but one team official said the chances were at least 50-50 that they would pursue Iverson.
Another person with close ties to the team put it in stronger terms. “It’s a given,” said the person, who was not authorized by the team to discuss private deliberations. “They’re going to make the biggest play for him.”
The decision rests with the team president, Donnie Walsh, and ultimately with James Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman. There are strong indications that Coach Mike D’Antoni is already sold on the idea.
They have one more day to debate it. Iverson, who was waived Tuesday by the Memphis Grizzlies, is scheduled to clear waivers at 6 p.m. Thursday. Given Iverson’s reputation and his $3.1 million contract, it is unlikely that any team will claim him.
Only teams with sufficient salary-cap space can make a waiver claim. The Knicks, who are over the cap, will have to wait until Iverson becomes a free agent. They would probably offer him the veteran’s minimum, $1.3 million for one year.
In the unlikely event that the Knicks end up in a bidding contest for Iverson, they also have their mid-level exception to spend, which is any amount up to $5.8 million.
The decision to chase Iverson would be a direct result of the Knicks’ record (1-9 prior to their game against Indiana Wednesday night), and a growing lack of faith in the current roster. D’Antoni has seemed close to despondent at times, while Walsh has been somewhere between irritated and perplexed.
Honestly, why wouldn’t the Knicks push to sign him? They should have signed him the first time around, when Allen was a free agent this summer. This would be a total low-risk move for New York. If it doesn’t work out, he’s gone after the season (or before the season ends if need be). What’s the worst that can happen, they don’t win games?
Source: NY Times NBA Blog
November 18th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
AdvancedMind says:
Good i already hate the Knicks, now ill have more reasons to blow them the FU@K out in 2K10.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
KnicksFan84 says:
Iverson gives Knicks that go-to scorer they DESPARATELY needed. Perfect fit. .500 here we come!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
sh!tfaced says:
All that drama with AI this season, hopefully his New York stint won’t turn into Starbury 2.0 …and this just might be his last chance..?
November 18th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
Yup, they should sign him up ASAP. NYK needs someone to takeover and if he doesn’t have it anymore than we can cut him. Personally I know he still has game left so this would be fun to see
November 18th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Diggity Dave says:
Iverson will win you a few more games, but .500 is a major stretch. Anything to make that lottery pick worse for Utah is the right move, though.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
quest??? says:
this is a perfect match. Perfect style for him, remember he has great passing ability, he just doesnt uses it, maybe he will use some of it, and they play no defense!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
JBaller says:
Dantoni is a joke. He needs to shut the fuqk up and start AI, give him the ball and let him shoot every time down the floor. NY has nobody that can create their own shot, or should I say make a shot. Who’s gonna score on this team? Danilo? A.H.? Nobody can get the job done, and nobody wants to come play for the greatest basketball city in the world because there is no chance of winning. Might as well sign a future hall of famer.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
JBaller says:
I hat Dantoni. I hate A Walsh. I hate Dolan. I hate almost every member of the team, but I love the Knicks; or at least I want to love them again. Bring in some talent. Bring in AI. I wanna see him in that blue and orange playing all out to win, cause I aint seen a Knick who gives a damn in a long time, and why should they when they’ve been brought together because of their expiring contracts, meaning that none of them are wanted there, they’re just holding a space for someone else. Dantoni doesn’t even motivate them by saying that they are playing for spot on next year’s team with LeBrick, Ru Paul, or some other max contract guy.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs before Slamball says:
y not? D’anotni is a joke and his system inflates peoples stats…Heck he could turn iverson into steve nash. Just gun and gun and gun and not worry about defense. And iverson already averaged 7.9 assists for his career. Plus it will at least fill seats in the garden for a few months. If D’antoni doesn’t start A.I dude should get fired already.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
JBaller says:
Glad I moved to COlorado. Go Nuggets!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
JBaller says:
Fire Dantoni! Fire Dantoni! Fire Dantoni! I wanna hear that chant every night at the garden till we win a friggin game, then I wanna hear it again as the next losing streak begins. Fire Dantoni! Fire Dantoni! Fire Dantoni!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Ny Nick says:
We would of had him(Iverson)this summer if it werent cause of Mike D’Antoni’s(Mr Pringles)dumb ass,Donnie Walsh(Count Dracula)gives D’Antoni way too much freedom.How do you play Duhon over Marbury??? SMH..And f*uck all the talk about wanting to develop players,1 & 9 speaks for itself.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Dagomar says:
I love how you guys now think D’antoni is a joke because he can’t get wins out of (arguably) the worst roster in the league. What is your rationale here? When your best player is David Lee you have serious problems. The coach is the best thing about the Knicks organization and the one big draw the Knicks have, other than NYC itself. How is firing a highly respected coach going to make players want to come to NYC? It’s just going to add further to the image of a dysfunctional franchise. Meanwhile getting rid of all the horrible contracts that weigh down the team and shorten the team’s distance to the salary cap was always going to take time.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
loons says:
Whats the worst that can happen? Iverson take minutes away from the young players. He will set a bad example with his No Practice rule. He will bitch and moan if he doesn’t get twenty shots per game. Marbury 2.0.
Sounds like fun, bring him in!
November 18th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
loons says:
Jballer, have some patience. After all the shit Isiah and Layden did, its not gonna be a quick fix. Despite their record, there is still hope, though not for this season. For the first time in a LONG time, there is fiscal responsibility, and with that comes hope. It’s tough to ask this of fans because of how much the F’d everything up, but we have to be patient!
November 18th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Name (required) says:
this season is 100% lost anyway, why not add AI? anyone who takes minutes away from Duhon or Hughes is more than welcome.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Chris Paul says:
Yo dime, put up our new hornets mardi gras jerseys!
I’m gonna look so sick when i’m rockin that shit….
November 18th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
jheck says:
oh my…I still dont have that memphis jersey by AI no one are selling this here in the philippines and now a jersey from NYK my God I must save some bread for this…
but i think they should sign him…chris suck..
November 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Big Island says:
The last 3 sentences of this article were said all summer long. NY is garbage and will be garbage for awhile. AI is just turning into a joke. If he goes there, shoots 30 times a game, averages 22 points, and people start saying “yall thought he was done!! I’ve always loved AI!!!”, I will have to turn back into the old me and start beating bitches up. Pure crap.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Lawschool Douchebag says:
A desperate team and a desperate player – it’s like two desperate people trying to fuck – it’s not going to be pretty.
Dagomar said: “When your best player is David Lee you have serious problems.”
That’s the realest shit you’ve ever wrote. Too bad I’m a Knicks fan, but luckily they’re never on TV so I don’t have to experience the emotional trauma of watching five losers schlub it up on the parqet.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Ny Knick says:
The Knicks must lead the league in steppin out of bounds..SMH It’s super disgusting(see the 97/98 Nuggets disgusting)
Watching the game vs the Pacers,Duhon should just take a few years off,anything would be better than this.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
momo says:
getting traded to the knicks will inevitably lead to the end of his career when the team realizes that iverson isn’t the answer to their problems.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
arlan says:
new york’s a mutha fukin cancer town. i would hate for ai to land there. i aint ready for dude to go spiralin down.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
ProphetGK says:
A.I. to the Sixers come on, its a match made in heaven..
November 18th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
QQ says:
A dysfunctional franchise, a dysfunctional, self-absorbed bitch. What else could go wrong?
EVERYTHING. Iverson DOES NOT deserve to play in a NBA team right now, no matter how fucked up that team is.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Joker_Wild says:
Knicks should bring back Starbury and Stevie Franchise… then sign The Answer… whhhaaaatttt…. PLAYOFFS baby!!!! oh wait… this isn’t 1999???
November 19th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Maynard says:
I just don’t get Knicks fans. Most of them complain (idiotically) that they’re losing too many games after they’ve gutted the team to finally get under the cap and move toward finally being a respectable franchise. So now, they have a chance to add one of the greatest players of all time for minimal financial risk, it won’t mess up the cap for 2010, and they may just win a few more games and hopefully avoid having the No. 1 pick go to Utah — and people still rip it. Make up your minds. And while you’re at it, get outta here with your criticisms of D’Antoni. Learn the game.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Willis says:
lol the Yankees have as many wins as the Knicks in November. LOL
November 19th, 2009 at 2:58 am
Bron42 aka Had Springs before Slamball says:
@dagomar, what has d’antoni ever done? he came up with a flashy system that doesnt win anything. Even in phx when he had 5 legit allstars, he couldnt win. So him going to the knicks was a horrible signing from the get go. HE couldng win with nash and amare, you think hes gonna win with duhon and david lee? All hes good for is inflating peoples stats on offense since theirs so many shots going up and so many potential rebounds but i dont care WHO they sign or draft, no coach who teaches defense last is winning anything. D’antoni is completely overrated.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:40 am
ryan smith says:
Im sick ofyou people saying your a Knick fan. If you are you’d stop talking shit about coach, aknowledge David Lee can be a super star, and stop throwing our line-up under the bus. Your a fan your a fan regardless the fuckign record. End of story..I dont like teams bc they win every game, drop the NY state of mind..
November 19th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Anthony says:
THE KNICKS NEED A.I. I love the Knicks but it hasn’t been fun to watch them in a long time. Would love to see AI running up and down the court.
The Knicks need AI and AI needs the Knicks. They sign him and I’m going back to the Garden………..
November 19th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Anthony says:
BTW – Why all the D Lee hate? My man is legit. They need to bring him back in 2010!
November 19th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Anthony says:
THE SEASON IS 82 GAMES LONG NOT 11!!!!!!! 71 MORE GAMES TO GO….