Then:
Now:
AI: Damn man, I'd rather be talkin bout practice.
Back in 1996, in the good old days of middle school, some 6-foot-nothin guard emerged from Georgetown. Dude went by the name of Allen Iverson. He turned into – without question – my favorite player on the planet to watch play basketball. Keep in mind Michael Jordan was still playing, and not with the Wizards.
I miss those good old days, when Iverson was still “The Answer” – and not a just a toned down and more talented Stephon Marbury. AI still has a little game left, but when you are a free agent in November and the hapless New York Knicks are your best “fit” — life isn’t what it used to be… not even close.
I felt compelled to look up some old Iverson highlights – back when he was still The Answer. He was twice as quick as anyone on the court. He could pull up and shoot from anywhere on the floor. He was all over the place, stealing passes and picking the pockets of overmatched point guards. No matter what the opposing team threw his way. Allen Iverson had The Answer.
Side note: There were some better, shorter highlight reels out there, but none of them had the added bonus of seeing the old-school ESPN2 logo (you know, back when it was the cool and hip version of ESPN, aka “The Deuce”?). This was way back when Charlotte was still the Hornets and Cleveland just got the Browns taken away – I wonder if Cleveland would still want them back if they knew what was coming. Hmm. OK, back to AI…
I almost, kind of, sort of hope Iverson does sign with the Knicks and he flourishes in D’Antoni’s system. But I feel like that’s false fan optimism waiting to get chewed up and spit out. It’s the same reason no one was that happy for Blake Griffin after he was draft No. 1 overall to the Clippers. Yeah, he was the first overall pick, and could really help that franchise – but that franchise is the Clippers. Good things just don’t happen to people who wear Clippers jerseys.
Can Iverson revert back into flying up-and-down the court, making plays and scoring buckets if given the opportunity for minutes and shots wearing a Knicks jersey? I wish the best for him, but no, probably not.
Sorry AI, I wish I had a better answer.
-Tidbit
