Friday, December 15, 2006 Sayson: Where is The Answer going? That is the question By Homer Sayson Secondovertime
CHICAGO—He has MVP and All-Star credentials. And his productivity this season, 31.2 points per game, is No.1 in the NBA. Normally, a player of this caliber is desirable, untouchable, untradeable.
But Allen Iverson is anything but normal. At a mere 6-feet and 165 pounds, he is arguably the biggest little man in the NBA. He is a four-time scoring champion, a three-time steals champion, a six-time All-Star and a one-time MVP.
Often, words cannot capture his tenacity, courage and indomitable will inside that 94-by-50 feet of basketball hardwood. I've seen him play in the flesh, in the 2001 NBA Finals. Only few NBA guards have enthralled me the way the diminutive Iverson has.
Unfortunately, his greatness comes with baggage. Too much baggage.
An icon in the city of Philadelphia, the franchise had painstakingly cuddled him. But the love and patience, which had flowed freely like a never-ending waterfall, had ran dry. And so after 11 years of being admonished and diminished, Allen Iverson was finally banished from the Sixers last week.
It's one of the biggest divorces ever. It's like cream separating from coffee, or bread shunning away butter. Hard to swallow indeed, but that's the nature of professional sports. Rules get violated, unions are broken. Here now. Gone tomorrow.
If Iverson is such a good player, why in this round Earth is he still available five days after being openly shopped? Good question.
Let me try to explain why.
AI's pay this season is a whopping $17.1 million. He gets another $19 million next year, plus $20.8 million in 2009. All that guaranteed money is scary. Even to those teams willing to take the risk, finding the pieces to match Iverson's current $17.1 million salary, as required by the league, is making the swap quite a challenge.
Another thing slowing down the trade is Iverson's lasting power.
Yes, he is tenacious as ever, tougher than leftover steak. But he has considerable wear-and-tear at age 31. In fact, the sound you just heard was the wind ripping through the holes in Iverson's durability.
Eventually, AI will be traded. But Philadelphia will never get equal value for their former superstar. Just like me, I can never get market value from the jewels of my first marriage, one that ended in heartbreak and animosity.
The Charlotte Bobcats were willing to pull the trigger, but Iverson allegedly "nixed" it. For the record though, AI doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he can't rescind any trade his team makes. Kobe Bryant is the only player in the NBA that has that veto power.
Minnesota is a rumored destination. Iverson alongside Kevin Garnett is a lavishly attractive proposition. It's an explosive one-two punch, a probable championship run waiting to happen. But can AI co-exist with KG?
Boston is another possible stop. AI and Paul Pierce sounds like another dynamite combo. But will AI play second fiddle to a fellow All-Star will lesser credentials?
Denver is reportedly hot on AI's trail. Iverson plus Carmelo Anthony equals devastation. But can they play together with only one ball? And can coach George Karl handle two mercurial superstars at the same time?
Memphis is also in the mix. But that team is for sale. Will the Grizzlies invest nearly $60 million on a 31-year old ex-MVP?
For a lot of teams looking for hope and star power, Allen Iverson is still The Answer. But for now, though, AI is just a riddle full of questions.
