How is it possible that a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and potentially the most athletic sub 6-footer in the history of the NBA can’t get a job? Has the NBA changed that much that a one-time scoring champ and a guy that averaged 20+ points just 1 season ago is unwelcome on any team?
If you ask Allen Iverson about his off-season, the “Answer” is YES!
So what happened from to The Answer in 1 season that makes him kryptonite to NBA GMs. Most will tell you it is chemistry. His foray in the Motor City did little to impress, as Iverson was unable to adjust to a smaller role. GMs want no part of a high-profile role-player if he doesn’t want to put the team first. Look at what “stars” have done for the LA Lakers with Lamar Odom coming off the bench; or the Boston Celtics’ Big Three sacrificing their individual numbers for team wins. If Iverson wants to succeed, he will have to adjust.
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How quickly the mighty have fallen. Like the auto companies, Detroit Pistons basketball has gone from a model of efficiency to a barren wasteland. The exodus of aging stars will help their salary cap, but new additions Ben Gordon & Charlie Villanueva will not add wins.
Remember when you could write-in the Detroit Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals? That was just a few short years back. The nucleus of Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyees (and one-time All-Star Ben Wallace) made the rough-and-tough Pistons a force in the East. But now, the team has gone in a different direction.
Ben Wallace didn’t feel the love and left for Chicago in 2006. The Pistons held it together as guys like McDyees & Jason Maxiell stepped it up. But desperation (and the beginning of a rebuilding effort) was apparent when team president, Joe Dumars, traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. The move was “supposed” to be for salary cap purposes. Iverson would hang for a year, then be released to free up cap-space for the 2010 bonanza. The unintended effect was that Chauncey was the glue that held the Piston’s ship together. Iverson was an unmitigated disaster and Chauncey spearheaded a revival in Denver.
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