SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
The AI wanting to go to Minny was an imposter!!! HAHAHA!
Jim Grey spoke to an imposter. That is classic.
Jim Grey spoke to an imposter. That is classic.
Allen Iverson - MERGED
- Thread starter SLAB
- Start date
nbrans
All-Star
Haha... that is so funny. Even worse that he had to admit it.
jon e
Bench
well lets think about this. where else could he go that makes any sense to the 6ers and another team. i think a bibby cwebb reuinion would be nice for philly and iverson would be nice for us. although the situations with salmons and thomas playing with ai. but i cant think of any other situation that would be more realistic at the moment...
ezekielbear
Bench
*sounds of a drain*
This is about the third time Jim has done something like this.
This is about the third time Jim has done something like this.
ezekielbear
Bench
What did Jim say about the imposter...
I missed it. I love seeing him stumble around. lol
I missed it. I love seeing him stumble around. lol
nbrans
All-Star
I think the most likely are Clippers (Maggette/Livingston/filler), Boston (West/Allen/Ratliff), Minnesota (Foye/crap/pick) and I think the Kings are probably a darkhorse (my offer would be Bibby/Thomas/Garcia or possibly Bibby/SAR/Corliss/Garcia for AI + Hunter)
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chelle
Starter
As far as AI coming here, I say NO,NO, NO!!! I love watching him play and think that he is amazing player. However, if we are going to trade Bibby, I want us to go younger. AI is beat up and only has a few years left. I would rather us blow it all up and rebuild for real. No more of this "on the fly" stuff. I can handle a couple seasons of not being good if we are preparing for the future.
If we get AI, we will have to start over again very soon.
If we get AI, we will have to start over again very soon.
nebs
Starter
I saw that and just started laughing. He said he spoke to Allen many times on the phone over the years and he thought he was talking to Allen. He said there wasn't anything else he could add other than he was duped.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Yeah Jim Grey is the guy that blew the whistle on Artest coming to Sac. He was right, but he obviously spilled the beans too soon. Of course after seeing the film of the goings on with the Maloofs that day anybody could have stooged that one off.
I for one will say this. I wouldn't be all that surprised if the Kings were involved in a deal for AI or if they trade for AI. I seem to share the opinion of many others. I would HATE for AI to be in a Kings uni.
I am not even sure AI + KG = champion.
I for one will say this. I wouldn't be all that surprised if the Kings were involved in a deal for AI or if they trade for AI. I seem to share the opinion of many others. I would HATE for AI to be in a Kings uni.
I am not even sure AI + KG = champion.
nbrans
All-Star
A lot of people said the same thing about Artest. This whole thing just sounds/seems eerily familiar.
xyrin
Bench
How does Bibby, Salmons and filler for the two AI's work out?
That way we don't have to worry about Salmons and AI playing together, and what the heck, if we're going for one AI, why not both?
Thats definately not enough for boths AIs. We'd probably have to throw in KMart for that, which we wouldnt want to do. Why get another SG when we can fill our need for a young, defensive big in Sam Dalembert?
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
My concerns about A.I. go a little deeper -- basially he is 31, and has had the absolute run of the town in Philly for a decade now. Played his game, and everyone and everything that came through town has had to adapt to him, not the other way around. I have to wonder at this late stage, cvan he adapt? will he? If he does, will he still be a HOF impact player? Or a much reduced mere star struggling with a system he is uncomfrotable with?
I mean, if you.re Minny, I see this. Maybe your last best chance to save KG for your franchise so you've got ulterior motives and a fallback plan. But for us, or anyone else...just not sure how a guy like A.I. fits, not sure what it looks like. Would not shock me, but whereas with Ron I at least knew we were absolutely going to get better in one aspect of the game (defense) regardless of other shennanigans, with A.I. ... in a totally new environment and system...no idea what would happen.
P.S. As an aside -- the ending linjeup simply cannot be A.I., Kevin, Ron, Reef and Miller. For the 100th time and to the nth degree this time -- that does not work. There are simply nowhere near enoguh shots to go around and so you have multiple offensive minded players standing around with their thumbs up their butts while A.I. dribbles around. A.I. is the single most ball/possession intensive player in the entire NBA, if you're going to insert him in a lienup in place fo Bibby you have to find a way to REDUCE the number of other players in the lineup requiring offensive touches, not increase them. I was only half kidding when I suggested a Ben Wallace/Kenny Thomas frontline. Best A.I. ever did it was Ratliff/Tyrone Hill and Deke/Hill. Make Muss happy too since he'd have nobody on the team taller than 6'7".
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ezekielbear
Bench
I don't think this only becomes a player situation...it becomes business.
Artest and Iverson?
Very much could get the new arena situation improved...
Much more $ coming in for the Maloofs with merchandise, tv, etc etc...
And really, I mean, you're risking losing Bibby this offseason if he opts out...and next season if he doesn't...
Iverson is signed for two more years...like Bibbs...
If it fails, it fails. But, unless the plans are to trade Bibby anyway for some young talent...I don't really see how it's a miss.
And, like I said, I think the Maloofs are thinking a lot about business right now as well.
Artest and Iverson?
Very much could get the new arena situation improved...
Much more $ coming in for the Maloofs with merchandise, tv, etc etc...
And really, I mean, you're risking losing Bibby this offseason if he opts out...and next season if he doesn't...
Iverson is signed for two more years...like Bibbs...
If it fails, it fails. But, unless the plans are to trade Bibby anyway for some young talent...I don't really see how it's a miss.
And, like I said, I think the Maloofs are thinking a lot about business right now as well.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Exactly my feelings on the matter. If this team gets AI I would hope they cut/trade/release every talented player other than Ron for role players because guys like Brad, Reef, Kevin, Francisco, Douby, etc. most likely won't be used to their strengths as is somewhat the case now.
nbrans
All-Star
I agree with your concerns. Who knows how he would fit in, and there has to be a willingness on AI's part to assimilate. I think the real concern is with Ron. Ron doesn't want to take a backseat to anyone and that could be a disaster -- he'd really have to be on board. (And I agree that Reef doesn't work as a starter in that lineup.)
But otherwise, just about everyone else on the lineup really functions well as a complimentary player. I think Brad is especially ideal -- opens up the lane for AI to drive and kick out and play the two man game. With a better defenseive/dirty work 4 (and the Kings still have the MLE in the offseason), I really think AI/Martin/Artest/X/Miller is a contending roster.
At this point, I just don't see what the Kings have to lose. What they have now isn't working. Bibby's not creating shots for other people, why not get a 30 point scorer on offense?
If it doesn't work the Kings are only on the hook for two years and it's not like AI will ever be untradeable.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
There is always that.
Sigh. I am of course a major proponent of the "superstars win titles" theory. And that is what Iverson is. Nor is Iverson stylistically as inconceivable as he was in the Rick/Princeton years when he would have been the complete opposite of everything that that system stood for. But Iverson is a superstar who basically carries his own style on his back and dictates it to the team ratehr than the other way around. Nor is he a guy he fills a need for us, other than the need for a superstar. So...well, just wait and see I guess. Its a hail mary, and a short term one at that, but at least it would make things interesting. Or frightening depending on how you look at it.
nbrans
All-Star
There is always that.
Sigh. I am of course a major proponent of the "superstars win titles" theory. And that is what Iverson is. Nor is Iverson stylistically as inconceivable as he was in the Rick/Princeton years when he would have been the complete opposite of everything that that system stood for. But Iverson is a superstar who basically carries his own style on his back and dictates it to the team ratehr than the other way around. Nor is he a guy he fills a need for us, other than the need for a superstar. So...well, just wait and see I guess. Its a hail mary, and a short term one at that, but at least it would make things interesting. Or frightening depending on how you look at it.
No doubt. It kind of seems like it would either be spectacular or a disaster with nothing in between.
Burrito06
Bench
The thing with Ron Ron is that he helps with younger players. I have no doubt that he has helped Kevin in some ways over the summer and the later part of the year last season. AI will slow Kevin's growth. Look what happened to Salmons over in Philly. I could see the same happening here in Sac. Seeing Ron and AI play together will be horrible. I can only imagine how many confrontations the two will have trying to get their touches. I can really see one of them trying to block eachothers shot during a game.
Packt
Starter
DaMan
Starter
Iverson, Pierce, Artest, KG.... Potapenko. Do it Geoff.
LoL, i could only wish.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Iverson, Pierce, Artest, KG.... Potapenko. Do it Geoff.
Looks great on paper but = fights in the locker room. I am not sure AI and KG could share a ball, let alone with Pierce and Ron wanting theirs too!
nbrans
All-Star
Allen Iverson on his way out of Philly
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Archive
You know what they say about early December.
'Tis the season for sensational trade demands.
At least that's how it's starting to feel after Friday's wild developments, when Allen Iverson did what he always insisted he'd never do and publicly confirmed his desire to play elsewhere.
It was this time last year, almost to the day, that Ron Artest was quoted in the local paper urging the Indiana Pacers to move him. Some 363 days later, No. 3 accelerated a wild chain of events by issuing a similar statement, announcing through his agent: "As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone."
The difference?
Artest's timing was flat-out stunning. His comeback from a record suspension, replete with a Sports Illustrated cover shot he shared with Larry Bird, was not yet three months old when he turned his back on an organization that did so much to welcome him back.
Iverson?
Jarring as it was to hear Sixers chairman Ed Snider grant an interview during the Philly-Washington game and declare that Iverson has "probably" played his last game as a Sixer, this outcome can't really surprise you.
The Sixers had to know that this would bubble over in the most toxic fashion after seriously discussing an Iverson trade with Boston during the June draft, offering up Iverson around the league in July, pulling him off the market when the team was up for sale over the summer and reporting for training camp in October with virtually no changes to a group that, by the end of last season, couldn't guard anyone or stand each other.
I never bought the theory that Iverson would unleash his fury on the rest of the league, like he did during his 2000-01 MVP season after nearly getting traded to Detroit in 2000. He was shopped too publicly this time to bury his bitterness quickly, especially since these Sixers -- who won two games in a span of 31 days entering the weekend -- don't exactly remind you of the '00-01 Sixers who flanked Iverson with Larry Brown and a bunch of willing scrappers and made it to the NBA Finals.
This time, Iverson's frustration kept boiling to the point we're at now, with Iverson regularly clashing and doubting coach Mo Cheeks, fuming about the Sixers' refusal to let him play in Friday night's ESPN game against the Wiz ... but also praying that they send him somewhere good.
I can't lie. I'm praying for Minnesota.
If the Wolves are set on keeping KG under any circumstances and KG is determined to finish his career in 'Sota, as both parties have long maintained, it makes too much sense. Garnett and Iverson need each other.
But it goes even deeper than mere desperation.
Garnett is the game's most unselfish superstar and actually wants to play with a ball-dominating guard.
Iverson has never been easy for guys to play with, is forever resistant to authority and punctuality and, as you might have heard once or twice, not the biggest fan of practice. Yet you suspect that KG might be the one potential teammate out there with the juice to hold him accountable.
However ...
This will not be an easy trade for the Wolves to complete, because they have a startlingly limited cache of assets. Which is exactly why I recently urged them to deal Garnett. They just don't have the coveted goods to get him help.
The best they can conceivably offer Philly is a package built around Villanova's own Randy Foye. There would be other players involved, starting with Ricky Davis, but Foye is by far Minnesota's most attractive commodity after KG.
Is that enough for the Sixers?
How 'bout when I tell you that they can't get Minnesota's first-round pick in the June draft, also known as the Greg Oden draft? Foye would have to be sufficiently marquee to appease the Sixers, because they can't get Minnesota's 2007 first-round pick in this deal. The Wolves' pick in the June draft also known as the Greg Oden draft has already been committed to the Los Angeles Clippers.
If the pick falls from No. 1 through No. 10 in June, Minnesota keeps it. If it's No. 11 or lower, it goes to the Clippers to complete the Sam Cassell trade from the summer of 2005.
So ...
It could well take the involvement of another team or two to enhance Minnesota's chances. That's also assuming they're prepared to part with Foye; one source close to the situation insists that's not the slam dunk you think.
The only certainty, at this early juncture, is that Philly is going to call everybody.
They will rekindle talks with the equally desperate Celtics, preferring to send Iverson to the West but knowing that hated Boston has more youngsters to offer.
They will check in with noted Iverson admirers in Dallas (Mark Cuban) and Los Angeles (Donald Sterling) and see, unlikely as it seems, if either of those West powers would consider breaking up their deep rosters.
Denver coach George Karl said Friday night that the Nuggets won't be re-entering the Iverson sweepstakes, after chasing him hard during the summer, but you can also expect the Sixers to ring the Kings in case those gambling Maloof brothers want to pair Iverson with Artest by sending Mike Bibby to Philly.
The Sixers, maybe more than any other team, have to explore every possibility.
Or have you forgotten that 1992 summer blockbuster: Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang?
We're about to find out if a winter mega-trade works out any better for them.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2691712
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Archive
You know what they say about early December.
'Tis the season for sensational trade demands.
At least that's how it's starting to feel after Friday's wild developments, when Allen Iverson did what he always insisted he'd never do and publicly confirmed his desire to play elsewhere.
It was this time last year, almost to the day, that Ron Artest was quoted in the local paper urging the Indiana Pacers to move him. Some 363 days later, No. 3 accelerated a wild chain of events by issuing a similar statement, announcing through his agent: "As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone."
The difference?
Artest's timing was flat-out stunning. His comeback from a record suspension, replete with a Sports Illustrated cover shot he shared with Larry Bird, was not yet three months old when he turned his back on an organization that did so much to welcome him back.
Iverson?
Jarring as it was to hear Sixers chairman Ed Snider grant an interview during the Philly-Washington game and declare that Iverson has "probably" played his last game as a Sixer, this outcome can't really surprise you.
The Sixers had to know that this would bubble over in the most toxic fashion after seriously discussing an Iverson trade with Boston during the June draft, offering up Iverson around the league in July, pulling him off the market when the team was up for sale over the summer and reporting for training camp in October with virtually no changes to a group that, by the end of last season, couldn't guard anyone or stand each other.
I never bought the theory that Iverson would unleash his fury on the rest of the league, like he did during his 2000-01 MVP season after nearly getting traded to Detroit in 2000. He was shopped too publicly this time to bury his bitterness quickly, especially since these Sixers -- who won two games in a span of 31 days entering the weekend -- don't exactly remind you of the '00-01 Sixers who flanked Iverson with Larry Brown and a bunch of willing scrappers and made it to the NBA Finals.
This time, Iverson's frustration kept boiling to the point we're at now, with Iverson regularly clashing and doubting coach Mo Cheeks, fuming about the Sixers' refusal to let him play in Friday night's ESPN game against the Wiz ... but also praying that they send him somewhere good.
I can't lie. I'm praying for Minnesota.
If the Wolves are set on keeping KG under any circumstances and KG is determined to finish his career in 'Sota, as both parties have long maintained, it makes too much sense. Garnett and Iverson need each other.
But it goes even deeper than mere desperation.
Garnett is the game's most unselfish superstar and actually wants to play with a ball-dominating guard.
Iverson has never been easy for guys to play with, is forever resistant to authority and punctuality and, as you might have heard once or twice, not the biggest fan of practice. Yet you suspect that KG might be the one potential teammate out there with the juice to hold him accountable.
However ...
This will not be an easy trade for the Wolves to complete, because they have a startlingly limited cache of assets. Which is exactly why I recently urged them to deal Garnett. They just don't have the coveted goods to get him help.
The best they can conceivably offer Philly is a package built around Villanova's own Randy Foye. There would be other players involved, starting with Ricky Davis, but Foye is by far Minnesota's most attractive commodity after KG.
Is that enough for the Sixers?
How 'bout when I tell you that they can't get Minnesota's first-round pick in the June draft, also known as the Greg Oden draft? Foye would have to be sufficiently marquee to appease the Sixers, because they can't get Minnesota's 2007 first-round pick in this deal. The Wolves' pick in the June draft also known as the Greg Oden draft has already been committed to the Los Angeles Clippers.
If the pick falls from No. 1 through No. 10 in June, Minnesota keeps it. If it's No. 11 or lower, it goes to the Clippers to complete the Sam Cassell trade from the summer of 2005.
So ...
It could well take the involvement of another team or two to enhance Minnesota's chances. That's also assuming they're prepared to part with Foye; one source close to the situation insists that's not the slam dunk you think.
The only certainty, at this early juncture, is that Philly is going to call everybody.
They will rekindle talks with the equally desperate Celtics, preferring to send Iverson to the West but knowing that hated Boston has more youngsters to offer.
They will check in with noted Iverson admirers in Dallas (Mark Cuban) and Los Angeles (Donald Sterling) and see, unlikely as it seems, if either of those West powers would consider breaking up their deep rosters.
Denver coach George Karl said Friday night that the Nuggets won't be re-entering the Iverson sweepstakes, after chasing him hard during the summer, but you can also expect the Sixers to ring the Kings in case those gambling Maloof brothers want to pair Iverson with Artest by sending Mike Bibby to Philly.
The Sixers, maybe more than any other team, have to explore every possibility.
Or have you forgotten that 1992 summer blockbuster: Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang?
We're about to find out if a winter mega-trade works out any better for them.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2691712
Circa_1985_Fan
All-Star
Agreed...I'd like to use Bibby to possibly trade up in the draft to get Oden.
Circa_1985_Fan
All-Star
Allen Iverson on his way out of Philly
but you can also expect the Sixers to ring the Kings in case those gambling Maloof brothers want to pair Iverson with Artest by sending Mike Bibby to Philly.
Well, if that DOES happen...we might as well declare gambling legal in the Sacramento city limits. First Artest...then(Lord help us), Iverson...wow, talk about 'rolling the dice'.
but you can also expect the Sixers to ring the Kings in case those gambling Maloof brothers want to pair Iverson with Artest by sending Mike Bibby to Philly.
Well, if that DOES happen...we might as well declare gambling legal in the Sacramento city limits. First Artest...then(Lord help us), Iverson...wow, talk about 'rolling the dice'.
DaMan
Starter
If all this hype on oden is true there is no combination or anybody on this team u could trade to get him.
nbrans
All-Star
So where will Allen Iverson go
By David Aldridge
The Philadelphia Inquirer
(MCT)
PHILADELPHIA - Well, we knew it would happen sooner or later, so now is as good a time as any.
We told you on draft night in June that Allen Iverson wouldn't make it through the season with the 76ers. And now, the fuse has been lit. It's just a matter of when it goes off, and we can all get on with our basketball lives.
Does it really matter if it's Iverson who's stoking the fire, as the New York Post reported on Friday, or if it's Billy King serving as the catalyst? Iverson's asked to be traded before, and King's tried to accommodate him before. Last time, it was King instigating trade talks and Iverson reacting.
Bottom line: We're back to where we've been a half dozen or so times in the last few years.
At least there's a potential market for Iverson, small as it may be. There is no interest anywhere in taking on the last 19 months and $43 million of Chris Webber's deal.
"No one's taking Webber," an Eastern Conference coach said Friday.
So, Iverson. We're way, way past the point of equal value; this is a salvage operation from here on out. Where can King turn? Here's where he's likely placing calls:
1. Denver: This nearly happened in February, when the Sixers almost pulled the trigger on a deal that would have sent Iverson to the Nuggets for a package including Kenyon Martin. King denied that any talks with Denver got serious, blaming loose lips on the Nuggets.
Believe whomever you want.
But the Nuggets still have interest. With Martin shelved for the rest of the season, Carmelo Anthony is seeking a true second scoring option. Yes, J.R. Smith has been better than advertised, but George Karl, who's coached the likes of Gary Payton and Anthony Mason over the years, won't be intimidated by Iverson, and he is intrigued by playing his high-octane style with Iverson and Anthony flying up and down the court.
The Denver package would almost certainly include guard Andre Miller - whom the Sixers don't especially like, but desperation makes for strange conversions - and either of two veteran forwards, Eduardo Najera or Joe Smith. To make the deal work cap-wise, Philly would have to take a body or two from the pile of Julius Hodge, DerMarr Johnson or Jamal Sampson.
They're talking.
2. Boston: You all know how close things got around the draft, when the Sixers, Celtics and Jazz nearly pulled off a three-way deal that would have sent Iverson to Beantown, Carlos Boozer (and Boston's first-round pick) to Philly, and Wally Szczerbiak to the Jazz. Discussions have cooled considerably since then, with the Sixers still reluctant to move Iverson within the division and Utah certainly no longer taking calls about Boozer.
Without a third team, however, a deal with Boston is far less likely. Boston's not trading Paul Pierce, and the Sixers aren't much interested in Szczerbiak. The Celtics aren't wedded to all of their young players (Gerald Green and Delonte West are the current untouchables, with rookie Rajon Rondo an almost), but they no longer have contracts with enough loot to make a one-on-one deal possible.
That could change if Philly could coerce a team like, say, Minnesota to get involved along with Boston. (No, not for Kevin Garnett; think Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.)
They've talked. They'll probably talk again.
3. Indiana: The disappointing Pacers are looking to shake things up, and Larry Bird has always been an Iverson fan. The question, though, is whether Indiana, reeling from numerous public relations disasters involving its players, can bring A.I. to town. If they answer yes, they'd want to keep Jermaine O'Neal (otherwise, what's the point of the deal?), so the trade would have to involve point guard Jamaal Tinsley. The Sixers would certainly also ask for rebounding machine Jeff Foster. But would the Pacers also part with second-year forward Danny Granger or Marquis Daniels, the former Maverick?
Hear they're talking, but don't know how seriously.
4. Memphis: Any trade talks involving the Grizzlies have been on hold - at least that's what Jerry West has been saying - while the majority interest in the team was being pursued by former Duke player Brian Davis' group.
But it looks as if the Davis purchase may come a cropper, with the league taking the unusual step of publicly rebuking Davis last week for not providing all of the financial information the league needs to consider his bid.
If the faucet is eventually turned back on, the Grizzlies - 28th in the league in attendance through Thursday, at just more than 15,400 per game - desperately need someone who can fill FedEx Forum on a more regular basis.
5. Sacramento: A long shot, but if the Kings really are shopping Mike Bibby (not for Iverson, just shopping him), you have to give them a call.
6-30. Atlanta, Golden State, Indiana, blah, blah, blah: We don't see another player out there now, but it takes only one phone call to change that.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/16199939.htm
By David Aldridge
The Philadelphia Inquirer
(MCT)
PHILADELPHIA - Well, we knew it would happen sooner or later, so now is as good a time as any.
We told you on draft night in June that Allen Iverson wouldn't make it through the season with the 76ers. And now, the fuse has been lit. It's just a matter of when it goes off, and we can all get on with our basketball lives.
Does it really matter if it's Iverson who's stoking the fire, as the New York Post reported on Friday, or if it's Billy King serving as the catalyst? Iverson's asked to be traded before, and King's tried to accommodate him before. Last time, it was King instigating trade talks and Iverson reacting.
Bottom line: We're back to where we've been a half dozen or so times in the last few years.
At least there's a potential market for Iverson, small as it may be. There is no interest anywhere in taking on the last 19 months and $43 million of Chris Webber's deal.
"No one's taking Webber," an Eastern Conference coach said Friday.
So, Iverson. We're way, way past the point of equal value; this is a salvage operation from here on out. Where can King turn? Here's where he's likely placing calls:
1. Denver: This nearly happened in February, when the Sixers almost pulled the trigger on a deal that would have sent Iverson to the Nuggets for a package including Kenyon Martin. King denied that any talks with Denver got serious, blaming loose lips on the Nuggets.
Believe whomever you want.
But the Nuggets still have interest. With Martin shelved for the rest of the season, Carmelo Anthony is seeking a true second scoring option. Yes, J.R. Smith has been better than advertised, but George Karl, who's coached the likes of Gary Payton and Anthony Mason over the years, won't be intimidated by Iverson, and he is intrigued by playing his high-octane style with Iverson and Anthony flying up and down the court.
The Denver package would almost certainly include guard Andre Miller - whom the Sixers don't especially like, but desperation makes for strange conversions - and either of two veteran forwards, Eduardo Najera or Joe Smith. To make the deal work cap-wise, Philly would have to take a body or two from the pile of Julius Hodge, DerMarr Johnson or Jamal Sampson.
They're talking.
2. Boston: You all know how close things got around the draft, when the Sixers, Celtics and Jazz nearly pulled off a three-way deal that would have sent Iverson to Beantown, Carlos Boozer (and Boston's first-round pick) to Philly, and Wally Szczerbiak to the Jazz. Discussions have cooled considerably since then, with the Sixers still reluctant to move Iverson within the division and Utah certainly no longer taking calls about Boozer.
Without a third team, however, a deal with Boston is far less likely. Boston's not trading Paul Pierce, and the Sixers aren't much interested in Szczerbiak. The Celtics aren't wedded to all of their young players (Gerald Green and Delonte West are the current untouchables, with rookie Rajon Rondo an almost), but they no longer have contracts with enough loot to make a one-on-one deal possible.
That could change if Philly could coerce a team like, say, Minnesota to get involved along with Boston. (No, not for Kevin Garnett; think Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.)
They've talked. They'll probably talk again.
3. Indiana: The disappointing Pacers are looking to shake things up, and Larry Bird has always been an Iverson fan. The question, though, is whether Indiana, reeling from numerous public relations disasters involving its players, can bring A.I. to town. If they answer yes, they'd want to keep Jermaine O'Neal (otherwise, what's the point of the deal?), so the trade would have to involve point guard Jamaal Tinsley. The Sixers would certainly also ask for rebounding machine Jeff Foster. But would the Pacers also part with second-year forward Danny Granger or Marquis Daniels, the former Maverick?
Hear they're talking, but don't know how seriously.
4. Memphis: Any trade talks involving the Grizzlies have been on hold - at least that's what Jerry West has been saying - while the majority interest in the team was being pursued by former Duke player Brian Davis' group.
But it looks as if the Davis purchase may come a cropper, with the league taking the unusual step of publicly rebuking Davis last week for not providing all of the financial information the league needs to consider his bid.
If the faucet is eventually turned back on, the Grizzlies - 28th in the league in attendance through Thursday, at just more than 15,400 per game - desperately need someone who can fill FedEx Forum on a more regular basis.
5. Sacramento: A long shot, but if the Kings really are shopping Mike Bibby (not for Iverson, just shopping him), you have to give them a call.
6-30. Atlanta, Golden State, Indiana, blah, blah, blah: We don't see another player out there now, but it takes only one phone call to change that.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/16199939.htm
