By most accounts, they're not interested, but isn't the obvious destination for Allen Iverson on the merits the Chicago Bulls? Here's a team that could put an attractive package together and that's genuinely suited to what makes Iverson valuable -- if you surround him with a bunch of offensively limited players with other skills, he can carry a huge portion of the scoring load single-handedly.
« The Plan | Main | Holocaust Denial »
What Scott Skiles Doesn't Want to Hear
12 Dec 2006 11:05 pm
Comments (17)
Matt,
You're really off the mark on this one. First, Iverson would not fit into the Bulls culture. (Practice? Practice? Skiles wouldn't take kindly to that attitude) Secondly, the conventional wisdom that the Bulls desperately need a top notch scorer is misguided.
Yes, the Bulls lack a top notch scorer. But do they lack scoring? I'm inclined to say that they do not need much help in the scoring department. Right now they have the best point differential in the Eastern Conference. Deng has grown into a very good scorer. Nocioni is also a very good offensive player. Gordon can at times be as dominant as Iverson. Not as consitently, but often enough. Hinrich is a competent offensive player.
The Bulls are scoring plenty of points this year. They're 4th in scoring in the East and 4th in points against. There's no need to break the current strategy of signing quality players who are willing to buy into a team concept.
Not if they want a crack at KG, who is going to be available...so long as AI doesn't go to Minnesota. Offensively, AI is a much better fit for Chicago than KG -- KG's deferential nature wouldn't fit as well as AI's ball dominance. But the culture/attitude clash between Skiles and AI would make it a messy marriage, and KG is clearly the better overall prize. So, unless the Bulls truly believe that AI is heading to Minnesota, they wait with their youth/draft package and pounce mid-year when KG finally becomes available.
Yeah, I don't understand why this isn't happening unless Skiles is really more interested in winning a few games with his everyone-plays-28-minutes system than winning more games while giving Iverson 40 minutes. This makes so much sense for the Bulls that it's practically criminal for them not to do it. Of course, Skiles' general reputation is as something of an asshole, so it's not altogether unlikely.
But it definitely makes more sense than the Garnett trade that they're no doubt considering. The only high quality players they can offer are perimeter players. And, a, they do lack scoring: they were the best defensive team in the NBA last year but were only a middle playoff seed because they couldn't score.
And different matt: Iverson did play QB in high school, so maybe.
I haven't seen the Bulls play since they went on their current streak, but my understanding was that they had plenty of perimeter shooting, and perimeter players who can take the ball to the basket. What they lack is consistent inside scoring threats, which forces them to rely on that perimeter-based shoot-or-drive attack. I don't see how Iverson helps with that.
Iverson is old, injury-prone and a major potential headache for any coach and team. The price for getting him is to set back whatever team development plan a team might have in place for a couple of years. I don't know why any developing team would want to take him. The likeliest candidate for someone like Iverson would be an older team that is in a "last chance to win before the inevitable rebuilding" situation.
What they lack is consistent inside scoring threats, which forces them to rely on that perimeter-based shoot-or-drive attack. I don't see how Iverson helps with that.
I guess what I say to this is that the list of teams who lack "consistent inside scoring threats" these days is so long that it's hardly even worth enumerating as a team weak point. Obviously, good low-post offense is an excellent thing to have, but realistically it's a rare skill in this Association and lots of teams need to try and make due without it. Detroit even won a championship without a true inside scoring threat.
And, yes, to Kervick obviously for Chicago to trade for Iverson would be to prioritize winning now over building for the future. But having shelled all that money out for Ben Wallace, they're semi-committed to "win now" anyway.
Obviously the only person who wants anything to do with AI's contract is Isaiah Thomas
Enough with the AI bashing. I know Scott Skiles would probably not relish coaching AI, but that team would be pretty awesome. The Chicago Bulls right now have a scrappy young team with 'no big stars' that is very well suited to some small market underdog city like Utah or Minneapolis. Give them a superstar again, already. With Ben Wallace and AI on the same team I might switch and become a Bulls fan. Great city, good coach, a high level of talent at both ends of the court; really it would be a good idea.
"Iverson is old, injury-prone and a major potential headache for any coach and team"
Yeah, he's "old" as in 30 ppg old. And he's "injury prone", but in his ten years in the league he's played over 70 games in all but three of those seasons, including the last two. As for the headache, I'd say give him a chance. He was one of the only non-headaches on Larry Brown's failed Olympic squad. For the last few years the whole Sixers team has been something of a headache, so I'm reluctant to single out AI.
Lay off Iverson. Any coach not willing to find a way to get the most out of one of the greatest scorers of the last decade isn't trying hard enough. Chicago will get hammered unless they find a go to scorer in the playoffs and there aren't many better go to guys than AI.
Perhaps the Eagles would be a better fit. They are very, very weak in the secondary and their kick returner is, to be chariatable, ok. This is a bit of his football history I found online:
With Allen leading the way, Bethel reached Virginia’s Group AAA Division 5 playoffs. In a semi final game Allen helped the Bruins rally from a 16-0 deficit to defeat Huguenot High 22-16 and advance to the championship game. Allen capped the comeback (Allen missed the preseason) by scoring the winning touchdown on a 2-yard sneak in overtime. In the finals, the Bruins got the E.C Class High School, while Allen passed for two touchdowns, intercepted two passes and scored two touchdowns as the Bruins won 27-0. “State football,” Allen Iverson said in April 2001 after the Sixers had finaly beaten the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. “That’s the last time I felt this happy. State football, not basketball. How many years ago was that? It was ’92. It’s been from that whole time for me.” Finally, Allen was named the Virginia Group AAA Football Player of the Year. He was first-team All-State as a defensive back and kick returner and received consideration as the All-State quarterback.
Maybe it's not so strange, but nobody seems to be offering anything for AI. You'd think Chicago could swoop in and get him for a song and a dance if they really wanted him. I mean, apparently Indiana is thenew hot team in the mix and they're offering Jamaal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels plus spare change. For Chicago, it's a matter of not really wanting AI, which I really don't understand; their offensive efficiency is not all that great.
Check out my contribution to our Bulls blog. AI, while great, is a poor fit in the Windy. And not because of Skiles. . .
Simmons has an excellent take on Bubbachuck-mania.
One pullquote:
In the meantime, we should be celebrating this moment: A truly great player getting ready to plug himself into the Juvenation Machine. Maybe it doesn't matter where Allen Iverson ends up, just that he's going somewhere at all.
Or, as I've said before, Free Allen Iverson!
Matt said: "Detroit even won a championship without a true inside scoring threat."
Um, nope. Getting Rasheed Wallace--one of the best low-post players in the NBA, when he feels like it--won Detroit the championship. Sheed often drifts out to the 3-point line, but when he does post up, his turnaround is unstoppable.
Getting Rasheed Wallace--one of the best low-post players in the NBA, when he feels like it--won Detroit the championship. Sheed often drifts out to the 3-point line, but when he does post up, his turnaround is unstoppable.
This may just come down to definitions, but I don't think of 'Sheed as a true low-post player since he spends an awful lot of time on the perimeter. Obviously, he's very good and acquiring him was key to Detroit's success.
scghevdwf fcrtadxe gzicaqlo buldvowmn cizbd ayjqdgu cueijmb
Comments closed December 26, 2006.
| 
Heads in the Sand
You know it's football season, right?
Maybe Iverson should pick up some pads and play corner for the eagles. That's win-win-win, baby! Or maybe qb? You think AI can throw the deep out?
Posted by A different matt | December 12, 2006 11:17 PM