Unless AI Adjusts Ego, He Should Retire

He is, with no apologies to Isiah Thomas, the best little man ever to play the game. Allen Iverson exudes a sinister sort of energy that makes him appealing in every arena, if also polarizing and detestable. He's fun and dynamic and a perpetual conversation piece, always armed with a combustible dagger on and off the court, yet there's a side of him so unnecessarily pigheaded -- "We talkin' about prac-tiss!" -- that you really want to grab his earlobes and shake him.

I write in the present tense because I don't believe he's retiring from the NBA. What he's doing, in issuing "a statement" to the Web site of journalist Stephen A. Smith, is thumbing his nose at the league that has made him megamillions and tolerated his criminal misdeeds and selfish actions. Because no team has chosen to center its act around him and make him a starter, Iverson picked Thanksgiving Eve as a way of walking away from basketball and selling his case to the American sports public. Sorry, nothing is warm or fuzzy about A.I.'s plight.

This is a pathetic attempt to control the harsh reality of his career -- he has been shunned because he refuses to accept a supporting role off the bench -- while reminding franchises that he still believes he can play at the optimum performance level. "I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn't help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case," Iverson wrote to his fans. "I still have a tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."

So do I. But to do so, Iverson must compromise his ego and spend the holidays pondering how to reinvent himself at 34. If he truly were to go out this way, it would be a bizarre and unhappy ending for a man who entered the season with the fifth-highest career scoring average (27.1 points a game) in NBA history. Right now, his legacy is more troubled than triumphant, his career remembered more for controversy than celebration. I'm not even sure I'd put him in the Hall of Fame at the moment -- that's how far things have plunged for a guard whose last two gigs, in Memphis and Detroit, ended with his poison splattered everywhere.



To put a conquering ribbon and bow on his body of work, then, he must come back on another team's terms. And he must do so with a real contender, not a straggling team like the 5-10 Grizzlies, where his angry psyche would have rotted away on a team of young players in a town that isn't into the franchise. The Celtics, of all teams, have leaked interest in Iverson. This should excite him, make him realize he could change the way we view him by accepting a role with a team likely headed to the Eastern Conference finals, if not farther. But just the same, he has to acknowledge that he'll be a fifth or sixth wheel on that team and might not receive the minutes he wants. Rajon Rondo, the incumbent point guard who was so breathlessly brilliant in the playoffs, needs the ball and the playing time. Paul Pierce needs the ball. Ray Allen needs the ball. Kevin Garnett needs the ball. Rasheed Wallace needs the ball. Glen Davis, when he returns, needs the ball. It means Iverson won't have the ball that much.

Can his ego handle it? If so, sign in Boston and contribute much as Gary Payton did in the latter stages of his career. Payton, a more complete guard than Iverson, embraced a lesser role with several teams and finally won an NBA championship with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in Miami. With finality, Payton allowed us to grasp his rousing successes -- one of the greatest defensive guards of all time, nicknamed "The Glove," and an offensive force in his prime -- and certified himself as a Hall of Famer. He, too, had character issues, but that's down the list now. Iverson needs to find the Payton handbook, study it, grow up, play his 20 minutes a game and accept his 10 shots a game.

If he can't, he should stay retired. The game doesn't need him nearly as much as he needs the game.

"It's sad man, especially coming from a guy that's close to me and a friend," said Carmelo Anthony, his friend and former Denver teammate. "To see him go out the way he's going out right now, it's not like he wants to go out, he's almost being forced to retire. It's a bad situation right now. It was just, he got dealt a bad hand from when he went to Detroit up to right now. Everything kind of spiraled downhill. I never want to see nobody go through nothing like that, especially a guy with his talent, somebody who can still go out there and be productive."

At this point, Iverson needs friends who won't feed his head with what he wants to hear. He needs a slap in the face -- and how interesting that his old Georgetown coach and life mentor, John Thompson, is against the idea of retirement and has set up a meeting with Iverson after speaking with him Wednesday night. When word of his departure spread through the league, almost every reaction included a comment that this is a bad way to go out. Another contender that could sign him is Cleveland, which needs scoring help for LeBron James. Why do you think James wasn't ready to accept Iverson's "announcement" upon hearing it?

"He's one of the best when you talk about guys 6-foot and under ... He played injured and he played hard every single night. I don't think it should end this way ..."
- LeBron James
on Allen Iverson "His legacy would be huge," James said. "He's one of the best when you talk about guys 6-foot and under in the game of basketball. He played injured and he played hard every single night. I don't think it should end this way, but if it does, he's left a lot of great things behind."

"I don't ever believe anyone retires until they get to the point they have to," said Boston's Doc Rivers, his would-be coach. "He had a great career if it is true, but I still think he has more to offer."

Said George Karl, Iverson's former coach in Denver: "I think he still has something left to give some team out there. If that's his decision, he'll go down in history, I think, as the greatest little guard ever to play the game of basketball. I was happy to have him for a couple years, and hopefully our paths will cross. But I have a sneaky feeling that somewhere along the way, an injury or a circumstance with a team will open that window back up."

Of course, it will. It's just a matter of when the light bulb flips on in a pouter's head and which team commands enough of his respect to make the experiment work. Would he respect James and O'Neal in Cleveland? Not unless he realized LeBron will be dominating fourth quarters and taking every last shot, forcing Iverson to be another witness in the building. Would he respect the Celtics? Not unless he agreed to be a spot shooter in specific situations. The Lakers? It's Kobe Bryant's team, Kobe Bryant's ball, Kobe Bryant's show. Denver? If it didn't work before, why would it work now with rookie Ty Lawson proving to be a huge find in the backcourt?

Miami? Wade would make sure he blends in and becomes the No. 2 option, but the Heat aren't remotely near the championship level. New York? That would be an even sadder finale than even Memphis, with Iverson serving as aging, watered-down entertainment in Madison Square Garden while the awful Knicks await the 2010 free-agency bonanza. No, he needs to compete for a title in May and June. Otherwise, he shouldn't bother returning. His legacy would be one of individual greatness and team underachievement, along with an edgy flamboyance that advanced tattoos as an NBA fashion constant -- remember when the league tried to airbrush his tats out of a photo early in his career? -- and injected hip-hop culture into the sport. If this really is it, these would be The Answer's final words ...

"Stepping away from the game will allow me to spend quality time with my wife and kids. This is a reward that far exceeds anything that I've ever achieved on the basketball court. I have prayed for this day and I see it as my greatest gift.

"I want to thank the people of Reebok International Ltd., for always allowing me to be me and for supporting me my whole career through all the ups and downs. I have enjoyed 13 wonderful seasons in the NBA, and I am grateful.

"I want to first acknowledge my fans everywhere, who have been with me throughout my entire career. Without you, there would be no me. You should all know that I appreciate your support from the bottom of my heart. Thank you!

"To Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird, you guys gave me the vision to play the game that will be forever in my heart.

"To my Mom, who encouraged and inspired me to play every day, and to all of my family and friends who stood by me from the beginning. Thank you!

"To my high school coach, Michael Bailey, Coach John Thompson at Georgetown University, Coach Larry Brown and to all of my other coaches, teammates, administrators, owners and staff who've been a part of my career, Thank you as well!

"I'd like to give a special thanks to the people of Memphis. I never played a home game for your beloved Grizzlies, but I want you to know how much I appreciate the opportunity given me by a great owner in Michael Heisley, and the support of the city. I wish the Memphis Grizzlies' organization all of the success that the game has to offer.

"And finally, to the city of Philadelphia: I have wonderful memories of my days in a Sixers' uniform. To Philly fans, thank you. Your voice will always be music to my ears.

"God Bless all of you, ALLEN IVERSON."

He actually sounds humble and classy in the "statement." Now, transfer that tone to his competitive ego, and maybe, just maybe, this is a legacy that still can be rescued.