Talk about showing respect to your competition. Not mention to a rookie no less. J.R. Smith pulled a classic blooper last night in Sacramento. Smith was clearly not paying close attention to what was going on around him. Check out the video, this is one you don’t see everyday.
If you watch closely on the replay, you can actually see Smith watching the ball going towards the hoop. It wasn’t like he had his back to the play, he actually watched Tyreke Evans’ airball come right down in front of him.
George Karl obviously needs to add some extra practice time for Smith to improve his game-time focus.
Gilbert Arenas likely played his final game of the 2009-2010 NBA season and collected his final paycheck on his way out the door. NBA Commissioner David Stern brought the hammer down on Arenas Wednesday, placing him on indefinite suspension while the NBA completes its internal investigation into the shenanigans involving gambling debts, unloaded pistols and a Mexican standoff that has taken place in the Washington Wizards locker room.
Arenas Suspended Indefinitely
The straw that broke the camel’s back played out in Philadelphia last night. While horsing around during pregame warmups, Arenas imitated fake gun shots at his teammates in a circle as they laughed and giggled over his display. The immature antics were caught on camera by Jesse Garrabrant of Getty Images. While his Wizards teammates thought it was hilarious based on their facial responses in the background, Commissioner Stern failed to find the humor in the display of stupidity.
It is disappointing that it has taken Stern this long to act. When Al Sharpton comes out in support of suspending an African American player for violation of gun laws and common decency, you know it is serious. The poor decision making displayed by Arenas marks some of the worst behavior ever seen in the NBA, perhaps even topping Ron Artest’s entering the crowd in Detroit to start a fight with a fan.
The sad part is that Arenas and his teammates in that Washington Wizard locker don’t seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Guns have no place in their lives, let alone the locker room. If you need to have a handgun with you everywhere you go, it is clear that the lifestyle you are choosing to live is not the correct one. Arenas’ explanation that he brought the guns to work to get them away from his child is a comical. The is much more to this and it is tough to believe anything that comes out of Arenas’ mouth.
As Arenas’ forfeits his $147,200 game check for each game he misses while suspend, perhaps he finally realize this is not a joking matter. It’ll become even less funny when his $118 million contract is voided for his blatant violation of NBA player conduct standard which he agreed to abide by when he signed the contract.
The only people that will be laughing when this is all over is the Washington Wizards management team when they get out from under the rock of Arenas’ awful long-term deal.
The saga in Houston is coming to a climax as coach Rick Adelman continues to enforce his will upon his star player Tracy McGrady. Reports out of Houston are that McGrady was allowed to leave the team and return to Houston to work with his agent to generate trade interest.
The countdown clock on McGrady’s days in Houston have begun.
Tracy McGrady Day in Houston Numbered?
The dispute between McGrady and Adelman is unfortunate. McGrady, in the last year of his NBA-high $23M per year contract, has been aggressively pushing to get back on the floor after microfracture knee surgery last February. McGrady said he was ready to go, Adelman and his staff said no. Finally, McGrady was allowed to return to action on December 15th, but Adelman has kept McGrady on a short leash, limiting his playing time to 8 minutes per game.
Following an internal meeting between the club executives, McGrady and his agent, they all agreed to allow McGrady to pursue a trade.
The Houston Rocket’s behavior in this matter has been truly disappointing. McGrady, when healthy, is one of the best players in the game. He typically is one of the leading assist guys at the SG position despite scoring over 20 PPG for his career. A true team player that will sacrifice his stat column for a victory.
Then look at this guy off the court. A model citizen in a league where there are more legal shenanigans than you can shake a stick. He’s a family man and dedicates significant personal time to worthy causes to end the bloodshed in Darfur. Truly one of the good guys in the league.
What more can you ask of the leader of your team?
The treatment McGrady is receiving from the Rockets is a shame. Thankfully he’s kept his head held high and has realized its just business. The guy just wants back on the floor to prove he still has a few years left in his legs and to get one final NBA contract before his career comes to a close. He’s not asking for much given the contributions he’s provided Houston.
Hopefully, the Rockets can show some class and get him traded to someone so that he can showcase that he can still play the game, even if they are going to get little in return for his services.
It’s the end of the year. Its the end of a decade. Nothing great ever ends without a list and a debate over that list. Today, we focus on the 10 biggest sports villians of the 2000 decade and the behaviors that defined their dastardliness.
10. Alex Rodriguez
Talk about a guy that everywhere he goes, trouble seems to find him. While Rodriguez has not run afoul with the law, his personal indiscretions and smug attitude made him a pariah. C’mon, the guy has paintings of himself in his home as a centaur. Talk about an ego. He became this highest paid athlete in sports and blamed his use of steroids on the pressure he felt for signing that contract. Let me shed a tear for A-Rod. Like we’re supposed to believe it didn’t start until then and the cyst in his hip wasn’t the result of steroid abuse. Rodriquez has assured himself the status of the anti-Derek Jeter in New York, no matter how many home runs he hits or Hollywood starlets he invites to sit along the baselines.
9. Plaxico Burress
Burress proved that one player can bring a team to its knees. His nightclub incident where he accidently shot himself in the leg not only cost the Giants possible back-to-back Super Bowl championships, it landed him in prison for two years. Burress’ trangressions are numerous, including speeding, damaging leased vehicles and not showing up for events while taking fees. He’s just an all around bad dude.
8. Adam “Pacman” Jones
Talk about a waste of talent. Pacman came out of West Virginia with huge expectations for NFL success. Jones was on the verge of greatness after a terrific 2006 season. Then the details hit the police blotters. Assault, vandalism, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, marijuana possession, obstruction of justice, speeding, car seizure for use in drug dealing, and causing a shootout in a Las Vegas nightclub that caused a death. A rap sheet a mile long. The Dallas Cowboys gave him one last chance and he squandered that when he beat up the security guard assigned by the Cowboys to keep him out of trouble. And to think, he was on the college same team with recently deceased Chris Henry and never did we hear about trouble in Morgantown.
7. Allen Iverson
Iverson will never be able to live down his infamous 2002 press conference rant when he repeatedly scorned reporters for questioning him about “practice”. He became the poster child of selfishness and the lack of sportsmanship that exists in American professional sports. He was also a key member of the USA Olympic Basketball teams that fell from grace during the decade due to their inability to play a team sport as a team. Iverson is the epitome of what you should teach children not to become when they get older.
6. Barry Bonds
A sure bet, first ballot Hall Of Famer if not for his refusal to acknowledge his use of steroids. The guy was great even without the juice. Tied to the hip of the BALCO steroids case, Bonds smashed the single season and career home run records during the decade. Fans could have cared less. Bonds stopped endearing himself to the people whose admission price paid his salaries before the decade began, but made matters worse with his anger towards the media for essentially doing their job and fans for their desire for the truth. He now faces prison time for obstruction of justice and non-entry into the Hall Of Fame for simply not telling the truth about something that most everyone already believes he did anyways.
5. Terrell Owens
Who can forget the press conference in his driveway working out while his agent ran at the mouth? Or how about calling his quarterback in San Francisco a homosexual. Or questioning the commitment of his quarterback in Philadelphia after a Super Bowl loss. Or accusing his quarterback and tight end in Dallas of conspiring to not throw him the ball and crafting up their own plays in their hotel room on the road. The guy was a walking highlight real of paranoia that ripped apart every team he has played for from the inside out. Shockingly, his stay in Buffalo thus far has been relatively smooth…but lets give it more time. Owens always seems to be a lightning rod in season two of any stay.
4. Tim Donaghy
Did he make critical calls on games he bet or didn’t he? The FBI says no, but we’ll never truly know unless Donaghy decides to purge himself. Donaghy sticks by his story he made bets based on NBA referees and their known bias against certain players (see Villian #7 above for prime example). He also said he made bets based on how referees reacted to word coming down from headquarters on officiating improvements. Donaghy’s behavior placed a black eye on a sport where one foul call can make the difference in a game’s outcome. His behavior no doubt has contributed to the attendance slide and lack of fan interest in the NBA, even if he stands by his story that he never made a call to help with his bets.
3. Marion Jones
Another BALCO client that made millions through the use of PEDs to earn gold medals and become the darling of the 2000 Summer Olympics. Jones lied both to the public and under oath, sticking to the story that she never used steroids until the evidence mounted too high. Not until her pending court date did Jones finally repent in October 2007, admitting she used steroids prior to her Olympic stardom as part of a plea bargain to avoid a lengthy jail sentence. Jones spent 4 months in prison for perjury in the BALCO case and filed for bankruptcy. Jones’ story shows that cheating holds no gender boundaries and that the consequences can be steep when you refuse to repent.
2. Michael Vick
The behavior of Vick was needless to say despicable. And it goes well beyond his conviction of bankrolling and overseeing a dog fighting operation and personally killing some of losers of the fights. In 2005, Vick got his first taste of public scorn under his pseudonym Ron Mexico, accused of knowingly transmitting genital herpes to an Atlanta woman. Vick was detained and forced to surrender a water bottle with a hidden compartment during a airport security check in 2007. Vick also failed drug test for marijuana use. Given the run-ins, you gotta ask yourself how many chances does on guy get? Even if Tony Dungy vows you are a changed man and PETA cuts you some slack.
1. Bud Selig
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball sewed up his status as the top villain in sports very early in the decade and it was going to take a mass-murderer to knock from the throne. Selig has presided over the darkest days in the sport since 1919m as he looked the other way while baseballs flew out of ballparks and turnstiles were spinning at record levels. Baseball was a sport built on the foundation of stats and its greatest hitters failed 7 out of 10 times. While the owners and players got rich, the fans got the shaft. Selig’s retirement announcement could not have come sooner. Here’s hoping that the next decade will bring baseball back to its brighter days as Selig heads off out to the sunset.
Allen Iverson is finished. The Denver Nuggets figured it out. The Detroit Pistons figured it out. The Memphis Grizzlies figured it out. The only people that haven’t are Allen Iverson and 76ers GM Ed Stefanski.
Since Iverson’s arrival, the Sixers are 2-8. This is the identical record that the Memphis Grizzlies sported before cutting ties with the malcontent prima donna of the NBA. Iverson has played in just 5 of 10 games since his arrival, landing on the injured list again with knee arthritis. While just logging 29 minutes per game, Iverson has done very little to even aggravate an injury. Father time is just making his final call.
Iverson’s arrival was supposed to generate fan interest, put butts in seats and open eyeballs at home on the TV. So far, it has done nothing but deliver the same distraction it did in Memphis. Since Iverson’s return, the team’s attendance has not improved outside of the spectacle surrounding his initial return game. The Sixers still languish at the bottom of the NBA in attendance with an average of 13,000 showing up for games. Essentially, the arena is barely half-full and you can hear a pin drop.
The damage Iverson is causing is severe to this franchise. Since being cut from Memphis, the Grizzlies are 11-8 and talk is abuzz about the team perhaps getting into the playoffs. The Iverson drama eliminated team camaraderie and caused internal dysfunction. The coach wasn’t allowed to coach, the team wasn’t allowed to play. A tailoring to Iverson’s needs were necessary and it sunk the team.
The same is happening in Philadelphia at this moment. The players have lost faith in the coach and the organization. Quarrels are occurring between players and the coach and organization’s moves are being questioned by the players. It is the worst case scenario and Iverson is the middle of all of it, even if he isn’t showing up for “practice”.
Philadelphia is a fickle sports town. If you don’t win, the fans don’t show up. The town doesn’t like losers and the Sixers are the epitome the word. Philly fans don’t ask for much, just some consistentcy. How can you explain Andy Reid’s tenure if they demanded championships? This isn’t New York, Philly fans just want to see wins.
The Sixers can still get out from the contract they signed with Iverson. The contract doesn’t become guaranteed until January 8th when they become responsible for his riding the exercise bike and earning a paycheck for doing nothing but destroy the franchise further. Iverson’s contract is the difference between paying $0.50 less for a hot dog or beer at the game. Right now, I think the Philly fans would prefer the discount at the concession stand.
It’s the end of the year. Its the end of a decade. Nothing great ever ends without a list and a debate over that list. Today, we focus on the 10 greatest sports teams of the 2000 decade and the accomplishments that defined their greatness.
10. Penn State Women’s Volleyball (2006-Current)
Penn State’s girl volleyball team is a trendy selection given their recent headlines at the top of the sport section. On December 20th, the Nittany Lions won their 102 consecutive game at the Division I level and won their third national championship in a row. Feeling the pressure, the Nittany Lions went down two sets to #2 ranked Texas and stormed back for a five-set victory. What’s make the accomplishment so special is that women’s volleyball has now become a national sport, thanks in part to Title IX and the Nittany Lions. Dominated by the West Coast, 16 of the first 19 NCAA Champions crowned came from the West Coast, primarily beach locations. The latest decade saw the emergence of the Big Ten and Big 12, led by Penn State. In short, Penn State girls volleyball proves you don’t need the beach for greatness.
9. Boston Celtics (2007-2008)
Danny Ainge was on the hot seat. It was put up or shut up time. He butted heads and pushed head coach Jim O’Brien to resign. He sent popular players such as Antoine Walker, Tony Battie and Eric Williams packing. He brought in recently fired coach Doc Rivers whom tumbled in flames during his first head coaching stint. It all hit rock bottom with coaching Red Auerbach’s death in 2006 and the second-worst record in team history at 24-58, including a franchise record 18-game losing streak. Ainge masterminded the trades which brought in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo prior to the 2007 season. Alongside Paul Pierce, they would generate one of the greatest turnarounds in sports, improving their won-loss record by 42 games and posting the 6th best single-season record in NBA history at 66-16. The season ended with the Celtics getting their 22nd championship in a 39-point blowout of the rival Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
8. Florida Gators Basketball (2006-2007)
In a rare display of sportsmanship at the college level, the Florida Gators welcomed back its underclassmen that recently won an NCAA championship the previous season. They would leave the NBA’s riches on the table to attempt becoming back-to-back champions. Led by wunderkin coach Billy Donovan, the Gators would finish their regular season stumbling in early February, ending the regular season with a 26-5 record. They would then march through the SEC tournament, earn the top seed for the NCAA tournament and cement their status as one of the decade’s best with a dominating run to the championship.
7. Chinese Olympic Team (2008)
The cold war dominance of the Summer Olympics by the Russians and Americans was put to rest by an upstart Chinese team hosting their first Olympics. Traditionally stereotyped as a power in gymnastics and table tennis, the Chinese arrived in 2008 as the future of Olympic sports. The Chinese won medals in 25 different disciplines, including its first ever gold medals in sailing, beach volleyball and field hockey. With its strong financing and development of Olympic athletes, the showing in Beijing appears to be the beginning of the next era in the Summer Olympics.
6. New York Yankees (2009)
The Yankees shelled out $423 million in contracts prior to the season for Mark Teixiera, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to win their 27th World Series championship. Based on payroll, they were supposed to win…although the Yankees expenditures had delivered nothing since 2000. After missing the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1996, the Yankees re-tooled for a big run. The season got started off with a steroids controversy swirling over Alex Rodriguez. The team stayed focused through a rough April, persevered by posting 103 wins and became the only MLB team in the decade to win over 100 games and capture the World Series title. In a sport that rarely crowns the best team for 162 games as it did in its pastime, the Yankees helped make baseball relevant and exciting again.
5. Miami Hurricanes NCAA Football (2001)
Perhaps the best single season team in NCAA football history, posting a 13-0 record and simply dominating everyone in their path. The Canes’ average margin of victory was 39 points, as they steamrolled over five Top 25 ranked opponentsm including a 37-14 blowout victory over Nebraska in the National Championship game. The roster read like the NFL’s All-Pro starting lineup with standouts that included Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathon Vilma, Bryant McKinnie and D.J. Williams. An amazing collection of talent that superceded expectations and succeeded in spite of a lack of coaching prowess in Larry Coker after Butch Davis’ departure.
4. Misty May / Kerri Walsh Volleyball
If you told me at the beginning of the decade that this list would contain two volleyball teams, I would have chuckled at the thought that even one would make the list. But how can you look past the accomplishments and dominance of Misty May and Kerri Walsh, the two-time Olympics champions in beach volleyball. Even President Bush specifically sought them out in Beijing for a picture op. Leading up to the 2008 Olympics, they had a 101 match winning streak, rarely losing a set in the process. The streak finally came to an end at 112 shortly after their Olympic repeat.
3. Duke Men’s Basketball (2000-2001)
College basketball’s version of the Miami Hurricanes football team. Led by Shane Battier, this squad developed 6 NBA players and left their collegiate competition in the dust. This team posted a 35-4 record for the season while winning is game’s by an average margin of 20.2 points. While the team stumbled in the rough and tumble ACC during the season, they blossomed at tournament time. They won the ACC Tournament while blowing out #6 ranked rival North Carolina by 26. They then ran the table in the NCAA tournament, defeating opponents by an average of 16.7 points and winning every game in the tournament by double-digits.
2. New England Patriots (2007)
Okay, so they lost the Super Bowl. It doesn’t matter. Even the most hardcore New York Giants fan will tell you that the 18-1 Patriots they defeated were the better team. Head and shoulders better. It was just one game…you can’t win them all. The Pats posted the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Not only did they win, they dominated most everyone they played. This team shattered offensive records across the league with its explosive superstars that included Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Their invincibility was shattered by one circus acrobatic catch by David Tyree from Eli Manning. The rest is history.
1. Connecticut Women’s Basketball (2008-2009)
The last decade ended with the USA Women’s Soccer team displaying “girl power” in the World Cup that would serve to define the next decade. No other team defined excellence in the manner that the UConn women’s basketball team in the 2008-2009 season. A perfect 39-0 season, an average winning margin of 31.5 points and an invincibility that would even make Michael Jordan genuflect. They won the Big East tournament over Louisville by a score of 75-36. Just how much better they were they than every other team? Their NCAA Finals matchup was against that same Louisville team they had pounded into submission just weeks prior. They captured the crown with a 76-54 victory. But what stands out most in their undefeated season, which makes them the team of the decade, is that they won every game they played by double-digits.
Mike D’Antoni has either made a pact with the devil or he made Santa’s extra-super-nice list this year. Instead of a Mr. Squiggles Zhu Zhu pet, Santa has rewarded D’Antonio with a fantastic December with a rag tag team that was put together primarily to dump expiring contracts in the offseason so that the Knicks can bring in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and more.
What’s going on here? How are the Knicks winning ball games?
Over the past few seasons, as the Knicks neared the Christmas holidays, their fate had been sealed. Isaiah Thomas’ disasterous four-year tenure was painful to watch. Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni were brought in to pick up the pieces of the fallen franchise. Hamstrung by numerous long-term deals with unproductive malcontents, Walsh left the cupboard bare for the fateful 2010 offseason. The Knicks were not supposed to contend.
Despite having little talent to work with, D’Antoni has shown he is a coach that will win when given the ballplayers. After a team record worst start of 1-8, the Knicks are one of the hottest team’s in the NBA winning 8 of their last 11 and stand just a 1/2 game out of playoff contention.
What’s turned this ball club around?
The turnaround started to gain steam Nov. 21 when the Knicks met and defeated the New Jersey Nets. In that game, backup point guard Nate Robinson horsed around at the end of the first quarter and shot a three-pointer at the Nets bucket as time expired. D’Antoni was livid, chastising Robinson in the middle of the floor and making it be known that his unprofessional behavior was unacceptable.
While the Knicks went on a five game losing streak after that game, they began to show signs of life. A buzzer beater loss to the Boston Celtic in overtime, a hard-fought comeback loss to the Lakers, and another last minute loss to the Denver Nuggets. It was clear after those games the Knicks players became believers in themselves.
The final turnabout happened on Dec. 1st, a 126-99 blowout victory over the Western Conference leading Phoenix Suns. In that game, D’Antoni made his biggest decision of the season, he benched Nate Robinson for good. Since then, the Knicks are 8-3 with victories over the Suns, Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers. More importantly, they are beating the teams that they are supposed to beat.
D’Antoni has clearly taken control of this team and has players on the floor that are buying into the system. The turnaround in New York City is amazing given the horrific start to the season and D’Antoni has perhaps done the best coaching job in the NBA.
As Knicks fans enter the holiday season, sugar plums and playoff basketball will surely be dancing in their heads.
Allen Iverson’s return from his pseudo-retirement hit another bump in the road, as the Philadephia 76ers took its 11th straight loss and 2nd since Iverson’s return. This time the loss came to the Detroit Pistons at score of 90-86. To add salt to the wounds, the Pistons were without its top three players, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince.
In the losing efforts since his return, here is Iverson’s stat line:
33% shooting from the field
80% shooting from the free throw line
9 assists
3 steals
7 turnovers
Not the numbers you’d expect from a so-called superstar that believes he could start on any NBA team in the league. Making matters worse, he is getting schooled when he is on defense. Chauncey Billups rang him up for 31 points and Rodney Stuckey dropped in 27 points.
The “Answer” is no longer the answer. And this relates to tickets sales as well. While the Sixers filled the Wachovia Center for Iverson’s first game back with 20,664 showing up, attendance was back down to normal levels for the Pistons game with 12,136. So far, the move to bring back Iverson is backfiring in the win column as well as the turnstiles.
But the biggest negative impact that Iverson brings is his impact on the development of some of the younger stars. Andre Iguodala is one of the most unheralded players in the league and does not get the publicity he deserves, mainly because he isn’t a highlight reel player. And then you have Jrue Holiday that will be learning from the worst as it pertains to team ball. And Elton Brand is never going to learn how to fit into the new system with Iverson there controlling and heaving the ball.
Memo to Ed Stafanski and Eddie Jordan. Polish up those resumes, you’ll need them come May.
During the December 8th taping of the Mike and Mike in The Morning Show on ESPN 2, co-host Mike Golic went on a tirade during a segment that discussed the recent 60 Minutes interview wherein disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy accused the NBA and it officials of being in collusion to aid certain teams with marketing value to get beneficial calls.
During the 60 Minutes interview, Donaghy shares that the NBA provided instructions on how they wanted officiating improved. An example, confirmed by the NBA, was a directive about fouls calls not being called on behalf of one of its biggest stars Kobe Bryant. Donaghy used this information to win seven bets knowing that the directive would lead to beneficial game calls in the Lakers favor.
Golic’s tirade, with Mike Russo’s support, chastised fans for believing that a league could fix games and the truth behind those fixes not get out. Both jumped on fans stating that it would have to start at the top of the NBA, coming down from Commissioner David Stern to Stu Jackson to a team owner to a head coach. Too many to keep it quiet, that everyone would have to be in on it. That questions that the Pau Gasol trade from Memphis to Los Angeles was fixed to help the Lakers win were absurd. Golic demanded from the fan that emailed him to provide the “proof”.
If Golic needs proof of possible collusion, all he needs to do is read up on the NBA’s revenue sharing agreement amongst team owners. Adopted at the end of the 2007-2008 season, the agreement provides for $49 million to “qualifying teams” to help close the gap between high and low-revenue teams. More interestingly, the league doesn’t disclose the formula for how the money is doled out to these “qualifying teams”.
Noted in the Street & Smith’s article is that one of the leaders of the proposal to increase revenue sharing by 63% from $30 million to $49 million was the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, Michael Heisley. Coincidentally, the proposal was approved just weeks after Memphis traded its star player, Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers in a highly criticized, unbalanced trade that helped send the Los Angeles Lakes back to the championship game.
While there is no smoking gun, Mr. Golic needs to take a deep breath and realize that revenue sharing agreements structured in this manner do not give incentive for smaller market teams to attempt to compete. The NBA stands to profit more by having its large market teams win and rewarding teams like Memphis with revenue sharing dollars by aiding those large market teams with unbalanced trades.
Clearly, Golic should offer up an apology to the listener he chastised. The NBA doesn’t deserve a free pass until to opens up the books and shares specifically what money is distributed out to what teams under the revenue sharing agreement.
If Golic and Russo are truly newsmen, they would demand Commissioner Stern to come onto the show, answer some tough question and open the books on the revenue sharing agreement. If there is nothing hide, Stern doesn’t need his lawyers his present and has everything to gain by putting this to rest.
Recently, I wrote a column on why Allen Iverson should retire. Today’s press conference announcing Iverson’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers just completely justifies my point.
Iverson breaks down in tears over the relationship he has with the Philadelphia fans, thankful for the opportunity to come back to the city that loves him. What about those fans in Memphis that bought season tickets to see Iverson play this year? Does he have any regrets bailing on a team that gave him a chance to play and a fan base that embraced his arrival?
Crocodile tears. He must have watched Hoosiers just before taking the dais for the press conference. The spots on the leopard will never change. Iverson is an individual contributor playing a team-based sport. Plain and simple. This will never change no matter how many fake tears he sheds.
The signing of Iverson means the Sixers have thrown in the towel for the 2009-2010 season. Maybe Iverson will fill a few of those empty seats, but his addition means the Sixers are Lottery Pick bound.
