Posts tagged ‘Allen Iverson’

Listen as we discuss whether the super sixth man Ben Gordon or the young talented forward Charlie Villanueva was the better off-season pick up for the Detroit Pistons heading into the 2009-2010 NBA season.

What’s Going On World?

First of all before we get to this story.

Why are you still in Detroit AI? Go home! Leave our state!

Go fix your back and head and everything else that ails you!

Now to the latest AI drama from my favorite Detroit TV station’s website!!!!

———————————————————————————————
Man Says Iverson’s Bodyguard Hit Him
No Charges, No Arrests Made In Alleged Altercation

VIA CLICKONDETROIT.COM — An Ohio man is claiming Detroit Piston Allen Iverson’s bodyguard attacked him Saturday night while attending a birthday party in Detroit.

Guy Walker told Local 4 he was at the South Beach Pizza Bar when Allen Iverson showed up.

“Everyone was excited because we were among superstars,” Walker said. He added that he’s followed Iverson’s career for years.

Walker said he joined a group of people in the restaurant who were trying to talk and get autographs from Iverson.

“I was like, ‘AI, what’s going on?’ And he was ignoring me,” Walker said. “So I was like whatever and went back to my spot.”

Walker said Iverson’s bodyguard started to give him a hard time and words were exchanged. As he turned to walk away, Walker said the bodyguard hit him.

“We were just jaw-jacking back at each other. And just as I was about to turn, I just felt this pain in my eye,” Walker said. “I didn’t touch him, I didn’t raise my hand or act like I was going to touch him.”

Walker was taken to Henry Ford Hospital where he received nine stitches.

Walker said he didn’t know if Iverson knew, or saw, what happened. But he said it’s not about getting money or taking legal action.

“It’s about what is right and wrong,” Walker said.

According to a police report Walker showed Local 4, a man identified only as “Allen Iverson’s body guard,” is listed as the defendant.

The Pistons have not commented on the incident and police have not confirmed the name of the man who is allegedly Iverson’s bodyguard.

No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.

Whats Going On World?

John W. Davis here.  I thought since the regular season is winding down that it would be cool to look at the Most Important Pistons since the February All-Star break.

I’m going to just count it down for you 13 to 1.  Well honestly we only have 12 guys now but we will go 13 to 1 just to be correct.

13. Allen Iverson- He has to be last right now.  The guy is done as a Piston.  Thank God his contract comes of the books this year…

12. Walter Sharpe(Check out the exclusive Pistonscast interview)- The kid hasn’t played much but when he does, he takes it to the hoop STRONG! Look for him to contribute next year.

11. Amir Johnson- I honestly wish I could rank him higher but I can’t.  We are talking Most Important and right now he is hardly in the mix.  I thought this was going to be your year Amir!

10. Kwame Brown-  With this guy, “It Is What It Is“.  Nothing more, nothing less. At least he is 6′11, 270…

9. Walter Herrmann- If his 3 point shot isn’t clicking, whats the point?

8. Jason Maxiell(I MISS THIS VERSION OF MAX)- Another victim of the Coach Michael Curry PLAYING TIME BUG aka DNP-CD Disease…

7…  The Rest of the Most Important Pistons: Post All-Star Break will be published later this week.

Who are your Most Important Post All-Star Break Pistons…  Leave your list in the comment section!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.twitter.com/johnwdavis

Are Allen Iverson’s days in Detroit over?

According to the Detroit News, Pistons coach Michael Curry spoke on Saturday as though Iverson’s tenture with the team is now over, talking about how both parties tried to make things work but it just did not happen.

“It just didn’t work; it didn’t blend well,” Curry said before Saturday’s 95-90 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. “There was a lot to do with guys changing roles and accepting different roles you have to play. It’s unfortunate things didn’t go as we thought they would.”

Curry thinks Iverson, 33, still can be a force in the league.

“He’s still a starter in this league; he’s going to have a lot of success,” Curry said. “This was a tough situation this year. As he gets older, he’ll have to do different thing so his body can hold up for the rigors of an NBA season. He’ll probably have to adapt a little bit, because I’m not sure how many teams will be centered just around him, but he’s still a very capable player, and at times this year, he was really, really good for us.

“A lot of things maybe I could have done better, and the players could have done better, and maybe he could have done better. All of us, we haven’t gotten it done this year. By no means do I want to make it seem it was just on Allen.

“The reality is we’re in the position we’re in, and we have to make the most of.”

Via Det News:

Just like Coach Curry said, the reality is, we are in 8th place and its DO OR DIE!  PLEASE BOSS UP PISTONS!  We at least need the 7th seed.  Remember wherever Orlando is seeded we want to match up with them in the 1st round!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.twitter.com/johnwdavis

VIA Pistons.com Text Message:

The Pistons have announced due to problems with Iverson’s return from injury, he will miss the rest of the season.

———————————–

What’s Going On World?

See this is what I’m talking about. The truth shall set you free!  Allen Iverson will miss the last two weeks the rest of the season INCLUDING PLAYOFFS!

Hopefully, Joe D can work some magic on AI’s head (and back.)

I just talked to Deven and he brought up a good point.  Joe D is showing future superstar players that he can handle difficult situations gracefully.  This is important if you want Chris Bosh, Amare or any other superstar in the near future.

Joe D… you are always two steps ahead!

*Pistonsnationblog.com checks in with their take…

*Check out Need4Sheed.com take…

*Detroitbadboys.com take…

*PistonsPowered.com opinion piece…

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -

Looking into the future, Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson would rather retire than be a full-time reserve.

“I’m in a position now that I’ve never been in my whole life,” Iverson said. “It’s harder than I thought it would be. With the back injury, I have to sit out at the start, then go in, then sit again. It’s tough to really get going. I take my hat off to the guys who can come off the bench and be effective. It’s tough for me. I’m struggling with it.”

Iverson said he would not accept being a reserve next season.

“I’d rather retire before I do this again,” Iverson said.

“I can’t be effective playing this way. I’m not used to it. It’s tough for me both mentally and physically. If I’m able to go out there, I should be able to get it done and I can’t right now. It’s my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder and you can see that I’m not 100 percent.

—————————————————-

My reaction is simple.  At least he told us the truth.

The truth hurts but at least he is keeping it real.  But you know what, just like the Chappelle Show,  sometimes keeping it real goes wrong!

AI we all knew how you felt before you opened your mouth.  Your actions spoke much louder.

At least he partially acknowledged his faults:

“It’s my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder and you can see that I’m not 100 percent.”

—————————————————-

*Check out what Matt Watson of DBB had to say on the subject.

*Also, Coach Curry likes Sheed off the bench.  (ME TOO!)

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson (CLICK THE LINK) participated in a full-team practice with the Pistons on Friday, which hasn’t happened in over a month.

“They were all out there and they all looked good,” coach Michael Curry said. “I am saying that everybody is going to play (Saturday in Washington) because I want to be positive. I told Abs (athletic trainer Mike Abdenour) to make sure he brings everybody’s uniform.”

Hamilton is the only player of the three that is certain to face the Wizards on Saturday night.

“Realistically, Allen probably won’t play,” Curry said. “The one I am most confident about is Rip. We will have to see how Allen and Sheed respond. Allen hasn’t done anything for 15 games, so that’s tough. Sheed and Rip both moved around real good. So hopefully with treatment and some rest they will be ready to play, at least in a limited role.”

VIA DETROIT NEWS

by Prof. David Berri

· 46 Comments

On Sunday, while most basketball fans were tuned to CBS to watch the NCAA Tournament, ESPN telecast a game between the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.  As a fan of Detroit, I decided to look away from the tournament and look in on the Pistons basketball.  The picture was almost good.  Specifically the Pistons — without the services of Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Richard Hamilton - managed to lead most of the way before faltering at the end.

Although the game was entertaining, the comments of Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were more interesting.  At different points in the broadcast the conversation turned to why the Pistons have faltered.  And once again the viewers were able to see “expert” broadcasters try and reconcile these three “facts.”

• Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
• Chauncey Billups is a very good player, but not one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
• The Pistons with Allen Iverson are clearly worse than the Pistons with Billups.

The simplest way to reconcile these three statements is to acknowledge that the first is not true.  At least, if we focus on productivity, Iverson is not one of the most productive NBA players in history.

But if you can’t make that leap, then you have to resort to words like “team chemistry”.  Unfortunately, since “team chemistry” can’t be quantified (unlike player productivity) we can never properly evaluate the merits of the “chemistry” argument.

As I have noted throughout the season - most recently last month - one does not need “chemistry” to explain the Pistons demise.  No, much of the decline (although not all) is tied to the fact that Iverson is not as productive as Billups.

Another Reason Why Trading Billups was a Good Idea

Again, I have said this before.  What I wished to add to the subject is something I observed in looking at the numbers Billups is posting in Denver this season.

Table One: The Denver Nuggets after 70 games in 2008-09

As Table One notes, Billups has produced more wins than any other player on Denver’s roster this season.  But if we compare his production to what he did last year in Detroit, he clearly has declined.  Last year he posted a 0.304 WP48. This year in Denver his mark is only 0.188.  Yes, he is still above average (average is 0.100). But he clearly is offering less.

When we look at the individual numbers - posted in Table Two - we can see where he has declined.  This season Billups has seen declines with respect to both his shooting efficiency and assists.

Table Two: Evaluating Chauncey Billups

The next question we should ask is why Billups is doing less.  And one issue I would emphasize is his age.  Billups is 32 and will turn 33 in September.   This means he is rapidly approaching the age where playing basketball in the NBA is not possible.  To illustrate, across the past 30 years, 95% of player seasons were played by players who were younger than 35 years of age.   In sum, the clock is approaching midnight for Mr. Big Shot and when it hits 12, he won’t be of much use to an NBA team.

All of this suggests that the Iverson-Billups trade was a good move by Joe Dumars (Detroit’s GM). Yes, fans of Detroit are suffering this year.  But as noted previously, Iverson’s contract expires and this gives Detroit hope for next year.  Plus, Dumars got rid of a player that will be approaching 35 years of age in 2010-11 while collecting $13 million.

In sum, it looks like Dumars has done the same thing to Billups he did to Ben Wallace.  He let a player depart whose production was destined to slip.  And this is something every prudent general manager should be doing.  As the late Cotton Fitzsimmons once said (and I can’t find the quote but I think he said something like this): “Please don’t let my great players retire on me.”

-Prof. David Berri

The Wages of Wins Journal

VIA DETROIT NEWS:

Pistons guard Allen Iverson is getting closer to a return after two days of tests on his aching back revealed no structural or nerve damage.

“Our hope is he can get out on the court as early as Monday,” coach Michael Curry said. “We are anxious to start that process of getting him back and into shape.”

Iverson has been out since Feb. 26, the day after he twisted his back against the Hornets and found out he’d move to the bench.

“Yep, he’s on board with it,” Curry said of Iverson handling a reverse role. “I was comfortable with that from the beginning. No great player wants to come off the bench, but that’s how were going to utilize him.”