Posted by orangeblobman:

You guys gotta give it up on this guy, it's the stupidest move in the world, signing AI. There is a reason no one wants him. If you want to wreck your team, then you would sign him. Isiah would sign him. AI is washed up and he's always been overrated like CRAZY because he was so marketable and sold jerseys. This guy was never a good basketball player, period. Basketball is a team sport, this guy is a selfish head-case.

Let it go. It's absurd to consider signing AI to the Knicks.

Where is the proof that AI is washed up? He averaged 27ppg with Denver. He tried salvaging the hack job Dumars did on the Pistons but seeing it made no sense, he shut himself down last year.

Posted by Paladin55:

Posted by JayNYC:

At this point, where is the jeopardy in signing Allen Iverson?

...I like Sessions long term, but remain fearful that Milwaukee matches the offer... Overall, I cosign the Allen Iverson to NYK rumor mill-- I wouldn't be mad @ seeing him play in the Garden next year, at all!

So you are saying that for you, Iverson is a fallback option if we don't get Sessions- or would you take him over Sessions outright?

Paladin55... Personally, YES... my preference would be sign Ramon Sessions; but that has very little to do with Allen Iverson's inability to lead a team, nor does it have anything to do with a comparison on which player I believed would help us achieve success the fastest.

I would opt for Sessions because he is younger, and I'm one of the few that would commit to a long term plan and hope to develop a young core of Hill, Chandler, Gallinari, Douglas and potentially Sessions over time. Of course, you and I both can clearly state that hasn't always been an objective for NYK.. Its never been rebuild, its always been patch-work, re-tooling as an effort towards success.

Posted by Paladin55:

Why didn't Portland go after Iverson? A younger team which craves veteran leadership at the PG position would seemingly jump at the chance to take Iverson, yet they turned to Miller, a guy only 9 months younger than Iverson, to be their veteran PG who they hope will lead them deeper into the playoffs even as their younger players evolve.

The Billups from Detroit to Denver/Iverson from Denver to Detroit story did not go unwatched by BB executives, and you know it has been a consideration as to why Iverson has not been signed.

Your post, does point out the obvious.. Allen Iverson's reputation has taken a hit from the Denver trade to Detroit leading to his banishment; but was it warrented? It stands to reason that Miller fits the mold for Portland, YES in addition to veteran leadership.. the prerequisite to have a pass first mentality at the PG position was priority.. they didn't need a combo guard! Thats why they opted for Miller instead of A.I. in my opinion. Miller fit a primary need! So what A.I. played 2nd fiddle.. wasn't Andre Miller a fallback option to Hedo Turkoglu?

A few questions come to mind:
Was the eventual trade of Allen Iverson merely a matter of focus on DENVER/ George Karl's desire to have a quintessential pg run his team? or was it based on their belief that A.I.'s game was declining? Couldn't you view this deal as being, more a matter of fitting the system vs. talent level? Also it ain't like Chauncey Billups is a bum? He is a top top 5 pg in this league.

From DETROIT's perspective.. Joe Dumars, touted as one of the better GM's around the league.. seemingly pulled the trigger on this move for a variety of reasons:
1) He was on record for stating that they needed another BONAFIDE SCORER, thats what A.I. does BEST.. and won scoring titles to justify it.. Rip was hurt, and they needed help for Tayshaun Prince
2) He had Rodney Stuckey at the 1 primed to takeover
3) Cap consiciousness.. he wanted to have impact on the free agent market, the evidence was the money bandied about this off season.

Would Dumars really agree to a deal that he truly believed would make them worst as a team? Do you think he approved of Michael Curry's handling of the Allen Iverson situation? Is Curry there anymore?

Posted by Paladin55:


Iverson plays hard, but he plays the wrong kind of hard for this Knicks team. He is not only a volume scorer, you can also say the same thing about the number of assists he gets. Add to that the fact that he has been a turnover machine in terms of assist to turnovers 6.2/3.6.

Getting Iverson will do nothing to take us out of the laughing stock team category. Picking up Iverson is the kind of thing that even Memphis has resisted so far. I wouldn't feel too good taking a player that even Memphis, a team in need of a marketing spark, passed by.

That statement "Plays hard, but the wrong kinda hard" is throwing me? The fact is by your admission, SUN PLAYS HARD!I could argue that Allen Iverson is the EXACT TYPE of player that NYK has been lacking, one that has a TRUE ABILITY to take over in defining moments of the game. With absolute regularity... Its been proven! He is a scoring threat, whether you consider it VOLUME shooting/scoring what have you?, he is a threat and opposing defenses WILL change the way they'd play D vs. NYK team with him at the helm. I agree he is not a pass first PG, not a prototypical 1, Thats been the knock on him since he was drafted.. we know this.. BUT does that make him anyless of a playmaker?
Why couldn't he still achieve success with NYK, ala the early 76er teams that he bought to the playoffs? We know those teams were more defensive minded, but ultimately His penetration was their offensive attack. In NYK, he would undoubtedly open up the floor offensively, couple that with our other VOLUME shooter Al Harrington and we WILL be talking a different scheme for the opposition.

Winning changes perception in sports. If The answer can deliver a change in that department, he will also be the change in "the laughing stock team category" as well. In this case, signing Iverson would be a low risk- HIGH REWARD acquisition IMO.

Trust me, 2010... is likely to be a overhaul anyway, so signing an attractive piece like Allen Iverson makes sense to a degree.

Its not a bad idea. Moreover, if it is a failed experiment what did we risk.. cap space? Without A.I. are we considered to make the playoffs, that's even w/ a Ramon Sessions at the PG? Probably not, so again what is the jeopardy in taking a flyer on A.I.?

Honestly if Iverson came on the right deal, I would take him. He is a player and though he has ha some short comings in recent seasons, he still is like a 25 plus scorer/ 8 assists guy. We don't have a shooting guard that comes close to what AI could bring.


And if you Guarantee that contracts like Eddy & JJ2 are off the books(I know you can't), a 2 year plus deal isn't out of the question.

We need an SG. Would Iverson be worse than Hughes? I think the Knicks need to gamble on Sessions for sure, but if they want a strong scoring SG for only a year, Iverson is really an intriguing alternative.

If MDA can influence Iverson do develop more of a team approach to the game(i think MDA fits the bill better than any of AI's previous coaches) getting him would be HUGE for us. Regardless, he does fit the high tempo/ volume scoring type of offense.

signing iverson will sell a few jerseys and tickets...

Word.

AI would be fun to watch, but it makes no sense as a 1-year rental to take so much "action" out of the kiddies hands. We don't need to be his audition stop on the NBA tour to max his last deal. We need a PG to make our young core better players, a PG who doesn't dominate with shot attempts made but with a balanced offensive approach. Seems Sessions may fit that bill, and certainly much more so than AI.