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Written by Zach Harper
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Thursday, 04 March 2010 02:26 |
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(Ed. Note: This is a guest post by Greg Wissinger, who is best know for his brilliant work on Sactown Royalty as Exhibit G. He posted this on his personal blog Exhibit G on Sports and was kind enough to let me post it here at Talkhoops. Enjoy his brilliance)
Allen Iverson's second stint with the 76ers is over. His career may be as well. It's difficult to imagine anyone giving Iverson another chance. It's a shame that this could be the end.
Iverson has been one of my favorite players in the league over the past decade or so. I was fortunate enough to see him play live several times during his tenure with the Denver Nuggets. If you're a basketball fan, I sincerely hope you had a chance at some point to see Iverson play live. He was truly special to watch.
Iverson is a singular talent. We'll see a dozen Vince Carters again before we ever see someone like Iverson. Iverson is built like a scarecrow, but would sacrifice his body to attack the rim. Imagine a guy like Kevin Martin taking the abuses that Dwyane Wade absorbs. It's indescribable.
Iverson is absolutely one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Unfortunately he'll be defined by "Practice?", helping to bring the hip hop culture to the NBA, and for the way he held on a little too long.
After the Nuggets traded Iverson to Detroit, he became an afterthought. He elected to sit out the end of the season in Detroit. He then let us know that God chose Memphis, but apparently God changed his mind a few games later. Iverson returned to Philly. The return of the exiled should have been a fitting resolution to Iverson's career, but again he has parted ways. This latest departure was with little fanfare.
Despite a lack of production, Iverson was almost voted to this year's All Star Game. Obviously people were voting for the memory of what he once was. I hope people maintain those memories, I hope the younger generation looks past the flaws and can see the incredible talent that Iverson has been. I fear that history won't be kind to Iverson, but with time I hope the smaller trials and tribulations are forgotten, and people can reflect on the accomplishments of one of our generations greatest players.
Above it all, I'll always remember this one thing:
The league was better with Iverson in it.
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People always focused on the fact that AI was a ballhog, which he was, but the fact is few players his size have ever made an impact on the NBA the way he did. The list? Guys like Isiah Thomas and Chris Paul. And, Thomas & Paul simply were far greater passers than Iverson was. They were also competitive, and pushed their teammates (people forget that AI did that) and have simply won a lot of games.
The biggest problem was that where somebody like Isiah (although they both had incredible talent to begin with) played with a lot of talent, he also adjusted his game to fit the greater talent. Iverson just simply couldn't. For whatever reason, the thing that made Iverson so great was also, simultaneously, his greatest weakness. The fact that AI ever won a MVP and played on such a successful team was a testament to how important his will was.
Awhile ago, maybe back in 2002 or so, David Aldridge wrote a piece on ESPN, that basically compared AI to Tupac. And, in alot of ways, I think that analogy fits. AI & Tupac's personal brilliance was so dynamic, that despite those who disagreed, it was impossible to ignore.
If I'm going to remember AI for anything, it might be that he's the most tragic superstar in the history of any sport. No player made more of his talent, and no player is remembered almost entirely for his weaknesses and the drama he created.
AI also created such a huge persona that other than Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Kobe Bryant, that his fans will never forget him. He can do no wrong in their eyes, and their are few players in the history of the NBA (or any sport) who can claim that.
AI: I Hope you can walk when you're 50 bro.