What do you really think of Iverson?

[hifigator]

As an "outsider" I am just curious how you all view Iverson as a player. I am sure that most all of you want him to do well and succeed simply because he is a Hoya, just as I would my former Gators. That is why I so enjoyed the NBA finals last year -- getting a chance to see a former Gator in Haslem get a ring. I also was very glad for Mourning after all that he has been through.

But my question is what you think of him as a player. I honestly still don't know what to think. I think how he and the new team respond and perform can go a long way ultimately in how he is viewed historically.

there is no denying the talent for sure. He can score and score some more. His defense is a bit of a risk reward style, but I think he is an asset overall defensively. Still he does take some heat on the National scale and I am not sure it is deserved.

On one hand, he does take a lot of shots and miss a lot of shots. But on the other hand he scores a lot of points when points have been hard to come by from the rest of his team. He is also very willing to take a last second shot. There are too many players that you can't say that about today. Personally, if I were trying to find a negative in his game it would simply be that I don't think he makes his teammates better as much as he should.

In any case, I think he has a tremendous opportunity in Denver. He and Carmelo form as strong a one two punch not featuring a center since MJ and Pippen in my opinion.

In any case I think there are two drastically different views of AI and I am curious what you biased/unbiased opinion is.

On one of the ESPN radio shows a guy called in who went to elementary and high school with Iverson. He said "he was a ball-hog then and he's a ball-hog now." that is certainly one view, but you could easily argue that he hasn't had enough to work with in Philly.

thoughts?

[williambraskyiii]

thoughts? how about i think you should jump in front of a bus.

[EasyEd]

Hifi - to even ask that question is puzzling. Iverson is a great player and one of the most exciting to ever play the game.

[hoyarooter]

There are a few other recent threads discussing AI that you might peruse without suggesting that people start repeating themselves.

Also go read Sports Guy's column last week on AI and the letters responding thereto.

[hifigator]

I should have known that I wouldn't receive a straight answer. I am still perplexed as to how brasky "unignored" himself, but that has been taken care of.

Still, I guess I should have waited a while to ask the question.

I agree that he is a stud player and a talent that is rarely seen. But unless you are the Hoya Ostrich with head in sand, you would have noticed that similar discussions about AI have been going on for years. More importantly, they have been magnified with his status on the trading block.

Like I initially said, I know that you will back him and support him, as well as root for him regardless of most anything else. My point was to try to get your opinion as "insiders" and "veteran" AI fans on him as a player ... Not as a person and not as a Hoya.

Obviously that hasn't happened yet.

Also like I said, I appreciate his talent on both ends of the floor as well as his willingness to take the clutch shot. That is all to be commended. I question whether he makes his teammates better as other stars have done. Incidentally, Kobe has received the very same criticism as well.

I really am not trying to cause trouble, but you don't believe me obviously.

[kghoya]

iverson is a once in a generation athlete...im glad i was able to enjoy him as a hoya...im also glad he got out of philly before it was too late

[hifigator]

kghoya said:

iverson is a once in a generation athlete...im glad i was able to enjoy him as a hoya...im also glad he got out of philly before it was too late

I agree wholeheartedly with that view.

I will probably catch bags of sh!t for this as well, but since I catch it from many of you anyway, I might as well say it.

Once again as an "outsider" I must say that many of the "criticisms" of AI sound exactly like those I have heard about "Pistol Pete Marovich." I am too young to have much if any first hand experience watching the Pistol play. But I have heard from several very intelligent individuals who refuse to elevate Pete to that super-elite status. More than one has slighted Pete and almost called him a "gunner," while giving their "blessings" on the elite status of many others. Chamberlain, Robertson, Jabaar, Russell, Walton, MJ, Bird and Magic among others were readily accepted to this "elite" status, while Pistol Pete was not greeted with such acceptance. Granted, this is very elite status, and I don't intend a direct parallel between AI and Pete, only that "criticisms" such as there are, are strikingly similar. Like I said, my experience with Pete is admittedly very limited, but while some view his career as one of a superstar cut short, others view him as a selfish scorer. Another "great" with such a rep, whether deserved or not, was the "Ice Man" George Gervin.

Again, I am trying to split hairs, and to even be remotely in the same league as any of these guys is a tremendous honor.

My question again, is what are your views on this topic?

[RDF]

If you've read this board the entire time you've been on it--you'd have seen the overwhelming response to Iverson and how we feel about him--read any thread during NBA Playoff time--and name the All Star Players Iverson has played with during his time in Philly--as in ALL STARS WHILE playing alongside him--not washed up trash. Mutombo is the only one and he was on last legs as a prominent player--and Iverson took that team to NBA Finals and gave Lakers their only loss in entire Playoffs and only decent Series in a dominant run to title.

If that doesn't sum up how majority of us feel about him, don't know what else does.

[hoyarooter]

I do remember Maravich (and in fact I attended the NIT game in which Mike Laska and the Hoyas held him to 20), and he was a phenomenal college player, and a very good pro - but not great. He was a different type of player than AI, but, in my view, not nearly as good as AI is.

[hifigator]

I just caught this:

HiFi wrote:

Again, I am trying to split hairs,

I meant that I was NOT trying to split hairs. One little word kind of matters in that case, doesn't it?

[SFHoya99]

Iverson is a tremendous player. Aside from his entertainment value, which others, including Simmons, have written oodles about, here's my honest evaluation as a player.

Top 10 offensive player. Would be better if he didn't take jumpers when tired and simply let someone else shoot or continued to take it to the hole. Unstoppable on the drive. Not selfish -- he simply needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Tons of players are like this, including "unselfish" players like Stockton, Kidd, Nash, etc. They dominated the ball like Iverson. Iverson has good vision and can dish. The key is his respect for his teammates. Sometimes he doesn't dish enough because he is confident in himself and not in Kyle Korver. You can understand. Ideally, he'd be paired with one other creator and a team of good defenders/shooters, kind of like in 2001. (I do not think Denver is ideal).

Defensively, he's mediocre. I don't think he is as bad as stated at times, because he will be a pest when it counts. Gets his steals, and likes to gamble so he is at his best when he has a shot blocker behind him. But his size hurts him.

As for the Nuggets, I think as long as they let their egos go, he and Melo are a good mix. Camby is great as a shotblocker to shore up their D and a rebounder. Perfect for this team. Everyone else is not a great fit -- less offensive talent and more D would be better. Karl, who acts like a child himself, is hardly the guy I want setting an example for two of the more emotional players in the L. In the end, will Melo accept Iverson? B/c I think Iverson will reduce his shots at this stage in his life.