Iverson out for rest of the season

[Elise10]

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (AP) -- All-Star guard Allen Iverson will miss the rest of the NBA season -- and the playoffs if the Detroit Pistons make it-- because of a sore back.

"After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement on Friday. "While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point."

Here is the rest:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/04/03/Iverson.Pistons.ap/index.html

 

[Warhawk]

Given his displeasure recently with his role, is this really a medical thing?

 

[Padrino]

Given his displeasure recently with his role, is this really a medical thing?

absolutely not...

a sore back certainly needs medical attention, but given that the playoffs are still a few weeks off, its not the kind of injury that would prevent a player from participating in the playoffs in a limited bench role...

the pistons likely shut him down to shut him up. they don't need the distraction as they fight for the 6th/7th/8th seed...

 

[Bricklayer]

This should have said Iverson will miss the rest of the season with a sore ego.

 

[TheWileyVet]

This should have said Iverson will miss the rest of the season with a sore ego.

QFT. He'll be back next year.

 

[SacKings7]

This is a good move for the Pistons. They've been much better without Iverson

 

[AriesMar27]

so where will iverson go next season? everyone knows hes not really hurt...

 

[BMiller52]

Kings will have cap room+Maloofs want to put a big name on the team so fans will be in seats=AI on Kings?

Maloofs hire Whisenant, and to get AI to agree to play for him, they give him cart blanche on offense

This next year is really shaping up to be a nightmare

 

[6th]

Kings will have cap room+Maloofs want to put a big name on the team so fans will be in seats=AI on Kings?

Maloofs hire Whisenant, and to get AI to agree to play for him, they give him cart blanche on offense

This next year is really shaping up to be a nightmare

Who says hiring Whisnant is the plan? I think we shouldn't get all stressed out until there is something from the team and not just a single reporter. And, we don't want Iverson.

 

[jalfa]

It's quite fascinating really. IIRC, the timeline went sort of like this:
- Curry decides that Iverson needs to come off the bench (a move, which should have been made a lot earlier)
- Iverson decides to have starts to have back problems
- Iverson goes to to doctor of his choice (the Pistons' training staff never gets to take a look at it)
- said doctor diagnoses a "sore back" and prescribes rest
- Iverson takes a bit more rest than was prescribed
- Iverson grudgingly, very, very grudgingly, accepts bench role
- Iverson bitches (I'm sorry, I can't phrase that differently, complain is not strong enough a word) about his minutes, says he'd rather retire
- Iverson is out for the season

This is incredible! I mean, sure, I knew that players, especially former superstars, sometimes have a massive ego, but for Iverson not to see what benefits he would have coming off the bench (no one else to take his shots, being able to carve up second unit guys, etc.) and being this whiny defies good sense in ways...just...incredible.

 

[uolj]

QFT. He'll be back next year.

I don't think we do blue for sarcasm here. Just leave it black and hope everybody can figure it out.

 

[VF21]

An article in this morning's Bee - I don't have a link handy - makes it sound as though Iverson is totally finished in Detroit, that they won't be attempting to sign him as a free agent.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Not surprising, they're better off with Stuckey/Rip as their main backcourt, and seemed to be pleased with Will Bynum off the bench, leaving only backup SG min for Iverson.

The question is--where does AI end up? He still needs a team filled with defenders that can completely defer to him on offense. I could see a reunion with Larry Brown in Charlotte...

 

[TheWileyVet]

I don't think we do blue for sarcasm here. Just leave it black and hope everybody can figure it out.

Thanks for the heads up. Confusing ppl can be more fun anyways

 

[Padrino]

Not surprising, they're better off with Stuckey/Rip as their main backcourt, and seemed to be pleased with Will Bynum off the bench, leaving only backup SG min for Iverson.

The question is--where does AI end up? He still needs a team filled with defenders that can completely defer to him on offense. I could see a reunion with Larry Brown in Charlotte...

wherever iverson ends up, he'll undoubtedly take a rather significant paycut, and he might have to accept the bench role that he loathes so much...

there just isn't a market for his ego in the nba right now, and he really hasn't won anywhere he's been his whole career, so early retirement might be an option he considers. the primary reason a team would take him at this point is in a shallow attempt to put asses in the seats...

 

[jalfa]

there just isn't a market for his ego in the nba right now, and he really hasn't won anywhere he's been his whole career, so early retirement might be an option he considers. the primary reason a team would take him at this point is in a shallow attempt to put asses in the seats...

I wonder if he were willing to go to Europe, it would be the perfect situation for him and marketing-wise it would be insane (Iverson's name still carries a lot of weight around here). I'm just afraid he'd take that as a sign of utter failure, which, in a way, it would be.