Allen Iverson retires, unretires, then signs with Sixers

[Dee.]

I heard that Knicks don't need Iverson anymore.

[Andrew]

Quite right, we just made mention of it.

[Dee.]

So i guess it's the end.
This guy could just forget about the roles,and just play basketball.
As Charles Barkley said: He should just play,and leave as a player,that can still score.
His Character messes everything.

[Andrew]

Easier said than done when there's pride and ego involved. And again, if Iverson still feels he can play at a high level then it's understandable that he wants to be in a position where he at least has an opportunity to get significant playing time and compete for a starting role. He's probably not content to be a "mere" role player and he probably still has too much left in the tank to be just that, so I can't blame him. Unfortunately for him, with the way things went in Detroit not to mention the short stint with the Grizzlies, he doesn't exactly have a lot of leverage.

[Lightning Strike]

Why did Denver trade him in the first place? Or Philadelphia for that matter?

[Dee.]

Denver traded him because of lack of defense i think.
Billups changed the whole team.

[NovU]

they(den, phi) made a right decision, one step closer to a championship. and one step closer to retirement for iverson.

[Andrew]

Denver traded him because of lack of defense i think.
Billups changed the whole team.

Pretty much. The Melo/AI combination hadn't failed terribly, but it didn't appear as though it was going to take the Nuggets to the next level.

[TomCat]

That trade was the worst decision Detroit could have made.

[Andrew]

It depends what they do next, or perhaps more accurately what they can do next in the wake of signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. In the short term, the trade for Iverson did little except free cap space which was immediately spent but things could still work out in the long run.

[Dee.]

Well when you look at the statistics,Ben Gordon Won't have really bigger stats than Iverson did in Detroit.
Billups was just so good at being Controller of the Team.They really lack such a playmaker.

[Jeffx]

Iverson Retires!

http://btabasketball.com/news/allen-iverson-retiring/

[Dee.]

Not surprised,no one wanted him anymore.
From probably the best player in the league,to a pain in the ass.
Sorry to see this happen.

[Andrew]

Updated the thread title.

A shame the way it went down, say what you will about Iverson but he was a significant player in the league for over a decade and the way his career has fizzled out is unfortunate. Still, it can't be said that he didn't bring some of it upon himself, but it's a shame all the same.

[Patr1ck]

Mid-Life crisis for AI.

[Fresh8]

Did not see this coming but not surprised either. Well, I think in a few year's time, people won't remember how his career ended and remember how prolific of a scorer he was - especially for a man of his stature.

[Andrew]

Worth noting the "for now" in this article. It would hardly be unprecedented if he changed his mind and probably not unrealistic if there was serious interest from a team that could offer him either the role he's after or a shot at a championship.

[TomCat]

I think he'll be back.

[Lightning Strike]

Yeah, I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll be back, whether it's for one day or not. Sad to see him leave in any case though, I found him entertaining to watch when I got to see him play in Denver.

[Modifly]

I think he'll be back too. He's still capable of averaging 20+ ppg if given the playing time, but then again, he cant accept bench roles.

[Its_asdf]

Hopefully now when I go out to play basketball the number of disillusioned 15 year olds trying to do their best Iverson impression will start to go down.

[NovU]

Worth noting the "for now" in this article. It would hardly be unprecedented if he changed his mind and probably not unrealistic if there was serious interest from a team that could offer him either the role he's after or a shot at a championship.

Doesn't his retirement mean he's pretty much after the role, not championship. I think he'd be already with a contender as a second unit player if he was after a championship.

[Oznogrd]

Worth noting the "for now" in this article. It would hardly be unprecedented if he changed his mind and probably not unrealistic if there was serious interest from a team that could offer him either the role he's after or a shot at a championship.

Doesn't his retirement mean he's pretty much after the role, not championship. I think he'd be already with a contender as a second unit player if he was after a championship.

He'd have to also take a much smaller contract which i'm sure he's refusing to do.

[Kenny]

If his career has ended, it's a shame it's ended in this fashion. I really liked AI back when he was playing in the sixers backcourt with Eric Snow. The Denver move wasn't horrible, but putting such a prominant scorer with Melo was probably never a great idea.

[Patr1ck]

Putting Allen Iverson next to Carmelo was actually a good move. It forced Carmelo to learn how to play better without the ball.