Trade talks heat up as Iverson sits two games ESPN.com news services
PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers appear headed toward a bitter parting.
Iverson is talkin' about bolting Philly -- and the Sixers may finally be ready to show their franchise player the door.
Iverson's 11-year career in Philadelphia took another tumultuous turn Friday when the former MVP hinted that a trade may be best after the Sixers sent him home and ruled him out of their next two games.
"As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone," Iverson said. "I hate admitting that because I love the guys on the team and the city of Philadelphia. I truly wanted to retire a 76er."
i hope he lands in Minnesota with KG. that would be a hell of a duo, and KG needs help. they both deserve a ring before they retire
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Skins2daGrave wrote:i hope he lands in Minnesota with KG. that would be a hell of a duo, and KG needs help. they both deserve a ring before they retire
Philadelphia has been content paying the bills with the IA show instead of acquiring a competitive team, and it appears that it would do so indefinately.
Maybe now, if it gets decent value for Iverson, it can start building a team instead of running a circus act. This could be good for IA too. At any rate, it's the only way he'll ever get a ring.
The Sixers actively shopped AI all summer, they weren't able to make a deal, additionally they failed to improve that mostly awful roster. Kinda hard to fault Iverson here, he's been incredible (and underrated) for quite some time with little to show for it
The hard part of a trade in the NBA is matching salaries...whoever gets AI has to unload contracts worth AI's 2006-07 pay. There aren't too many players making what AI makes -- which is somewhere around 17 or 20 mil this year.
That means the team getting AI will have to give up a bunch of guys -- maybe 3, 4 or 5 guys who have a total salary this year that equals AI's salary. It will strip whatever team of the players you need to win in the NBA - not superstars but the guys that support the stars. Two great players and 3 guys named Darrell won't do it.
I would only trade for AI if I had a guy on my team that was also making wayyyyy too much salary and I could unload him -- Kenyon Martin is a good example but his injuries may be career ending. The 6'ers wouldn't want him. AI will be hard to trade, assuming the 6'ers want to get something in return or maybe they'd be willing to just get guys with huge salaries that end this year. I understand AI's contract has 2 years beyond this year.
AI is a super one on one player but is not a team player. He takes a large number of shots and that tends to "teach" his teammates to stand around too much. Where Gilbert gets other players into the flow, I just don't know if AI could do that.
Fios wrote:The Sixers actively shopped AI all summer, they weren't able to make a deal, additionally they failed to improve that mostly awful roster. Kinda hard to fault Iverson here, he's been incredible (and underrated) for quite some time with little to show for it
Word here in Philthy is that Billy King (Sixers GM and rabid Redskin fan) had a trade in place but Ed Snider (owner) said no to the Deal. King wanted A.I. gone before the season. The final straw it seemed was during a practice when Cheeks told him to get on the court but Iverson was Hungover from the night before and told him to "F" Off. They got into it and the rest is history.
I watch many Sixers games and while I repsect his game, Iverson turned into a cancer for that team and they had to get rid of him for thier young guys to develop.
May #21 never be worn again by another Redskin but may every Redskin play like they are wearing #21 on their backs.
