God apparently wants Iverson to be a Grizzlie
Hey, when God speaks, you simply must listen. Allen Iverson did and has tweeted that he will be heading to Memphis. The 34-year-old free agent tweeted Wednesday that “God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career.”
Iverson would become the highest profile player ever to put on a Grizzlies’ uniform. He was the first overall draft pick in 1996 and the league MVP in 2001.
Frankly, this move means A.I. is probably all about the money, because the Grizzlies aren’t going to be very good this year. And they probably only want Iverson as a gate attraction – if he even still is one.
Iverson had career lows in scoring average (17.5) and minutes (26.7) last season, mostly with Detroit. He started last season with Denver, but was traded to Detroit on Nov. 3 after just three games and played 54 games with the Pistons. His season was curtailed by a back problem and the fact he didn’t want to come off the bench. He will sign a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Memphis.
The Grizzlies’ braintrust, including owner Michael Heisley, general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Lionel Hollins, flew to Atlanta on Labor Day to make its offer to Iverson, who has a home there and has been training there this summer with NBA TV analyst and former teammate Eric Snow. The meeting went well and after looking over the remaining options, Iverson took the deal.
“He told us he was very interested in playing with the young team we’ve assembled,” Heisley said. “He thought he could help us win and he was looking forward to helping the young players, and helping them to develop. Frankly, I’m ecstatic to have him.”
Memphis, Miami and Charlotte were most aggressive in their pursuits, but the combination of a cut in next season’s cap, down to $57.7 million, along with the prospect of even lower cap and luxury tax numbers for the 2010-11 season, dried up most of the potential marketplace for veterans.
The Grizzlies finished 29th out of 30 teams in scoring, averaging 93.8 points per game. They may not have enough basketballs to go around next season with shoot-first guys O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Iverson on the team. Scoring won’t be a problem, but defense sure will.
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