The Downfall of Allen Iverson

I'm going to state this right off the bat: Allen Iverson is my favourite basketball player of all-time. When he was in his prime in Philadelphia, he was one of the dominant shooters in the NBA. He played hard every game (maybe not during practice), usually took a pounding and put up massive numbers. He also gave one of the best rants in the history of ranting. The Answer was pure entertainment.

It kind of makes me sad the way he's going out, but he's not doing himself any favours. The last few years have not been kind to A.I. He sulked his way out of Philadelphia and forced a trade to Denver. In Denver, he didn't really mesh with Carmelo Anthony and injuries slowed him down. He definitely got a raw deal in Detroit, never quite fitting in with their system. Signing with Memphis was a chance to kick start his career and maybe develop a new role as a mentor. He had the opportunity to throw off the selfish player label and become a leader on a team of young up and comers.

One game into his stint in Memphis, Iverson's ego kicked in and the whole idea of Iverson as a leader and mentor was thrown out the window. He told the media that he didn't enjoy coming off the bench and later left the team to contemplate retirement.

I'm not sure what he's thinking. He didn't have any takers this summer, except for the Grizzlies. I would have hoped he would have realized that with Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo playing guard, his minutes were going to be severely limited. He had the chance to come off the bench, mentor Conley and Mayo, and play well enough to either earn himself a contract next year with a contender or have a contender trade for him down the stretch. But he blew it.

I think A.I. has more gas in the tank and can be a productive NBA player. He just needs to realize that his role has shifted. If he can't do this, well, maybe he'd be better off retiring.