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I think this is the first article I've read about the Iverson situation that actually makes sense.
The Iverson rumors
Posted by Mark Montieth
Oh, geez. Not this again.
Some of our favorite media outlets are throwing rumors against the wall like mad these days, hoping one of their Allen Iverson trade rumors sticks so they can say they told us so.
Trust me, nobody knows much of anything right now outside of the swiveling chairs in the executive offices of certain franchises. Some people might think they know, under the delusion their “sources” are real and actually telling them the truth. Some simply aren’t grown up enough to admit they don’t know. Some just want to pretend to know to justify their existence.
I know this much. The media members you hear crowing loudest don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time, and this time isn’t one of the exceptions. They just happen to get paid to crow, accuracy not being a prerequisite.
ESPN, predictably, is doing its best to pretend it’s on top of the story at the expense of confusing everyone. One of its reporters claimed on Sunday the deal probably would be done by Monday evening. Another had it done by Tuesday evening. Wednesday, we heard Ric Bucher stating that Indiana is “by far the most intriguing destination” for Iverson, adding that the deal won’t go down until Friday because Marquis Daniels is not eligible to be moved until then.
It’s not true on either count. The Pacers are not remotely close to signing Iverson and Daniels -- who was traded over the summer, not signed -- was eligible to be dealt in September. But the Pacers aren’t looking to trade him, and the 76ers have expressed no interest in him.
Surely fans have figured out by now that GMs don’t tip their hand in trade talks, although sometimes they intentionally put out false information to give the appearance of an active marketplace.
Still, the same scenario plays out time after time. A great player is up for a trade. Some national reporter throws the Pacers into the conversation without knowing what it's talking about and suddenly it’s being reported and debated locally.
Some might consider the rumors harmless and entertaining. Keep in mind, however, that it was a bogus rumor in the Sacramento Bee last year about this time that pushed a believing Ron Artest over the edge and led to his request for a trade from the Pacers.
Here, once again, is the deal. (And trust that Mike Wells and I have talked with the relevant people within the Pacers franchise about all this.) They aren’t involved. Not at the moment, anyway.
No, they wouldn’t trade Jermaine O’Neal straight up for Iverson. Why would they? They’re already short a proven big man and they already have more point guards than they can play. They also know better than to trade a 28-year-old All-Star frontline player for a 31-year-point guard with only a few productive years left, even one as great as Iverson. Philly, meanwhile, already is stuck with a $20 million power forward, Chris Webber. Does it want an $18 million power forward as well?
The Pacers also don’t want to gut their roster to come up with $17 million worth of contracts to get Iverson, only to have more holes after the trade than before.
Does all this mean there’s absolutely no way they would ever make a deal for Iverson? No, it doesn’t. They’d be willing to put together a package that would protect their primary assets if Philly’s front office becomes desperate. But they also know the 76ers are likely to get better offers than they’re willing to make. A deal like that would need a lot more time
The Pacers are perfectly willing to make a trade before the February deadline, and there are some struggling teams out there with intriguing young players -- most prominently Boston and Golden State. They’ll try to upgrade the roster, but Iverson is not their Answer.
http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/archives/2006/12/the_iverson_rum.html
The Iverson rumors
Posted by Mark Montieth
Oh, geez. Not this again.
Some of our favorite media outlets are throwing rumors against the wall like mad these days, hoping one of their Allen Iverson trade rumors sticks so they can say they told us so.
Trust me, nobody knows much of anything right now outside of the swiveling chairs in the executive offices of certain franchises. Some people might think they know, under the delusion their “sources” are real and actually telling them the truth. Some simply aren’t grown up enough to admit they don’t know. Some just want to pretend to know to justify their existence.
I know this much. The media members you hear crowing loudest don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time, and this time isn’t one of the exceptions. They just happen to get paid to crow, accuracy not being a prerequisite.
ESPN, predictably, is doing its best to pretend it’s on top of the story at the expense of confusing everyone. One of its reporters claimed on Sunday the deal probably would be done by Monday evening. Another had it done by Tuesday evening. Wednesday, we heard Ric Bucher stating that Indiana is “by far the most intriguing destination” for Iverson, adding that the deal won’t go down until Friday because Marquis Daniels is not eligible to be moved until then.
It’s not true on either count. The Pacers are not remotely close to signing Iverson and Daniels -- who was traded over the summer, not signed -- was eligible to be dealt in September. But the Pacers aren’t looking to trade him, and the 76ers have expressed no interest in him.
Surely fans have figured out by now that GMs don’t tip their hand in trade talks, although sometimes they intentionally put out false information to give the appearance of an active marketplace.
Still, the same scenario plays out time after time. A great player is up for a trade. Some national reporter throws the Pacers into the conversation without knowing what it's talking about and suddenly it’s being reported and debated locally.
Some might consider the rumors harmless and entertaining. Keep in mind, however, that it was a bogus rumor in the Sacramento Bee last year about this time that pushed a believing Ron Artest over the edge and led to his request for a trade from the Pacers.
Here, once again, is the deal. (And trust that Mike Wells and I have talked with the relevant people within the Pacers franchise about all this.) They aren’t involved. Not at the moment, anyway.
No, they wouldn’t trade Jermaine O’Neal straight up for Iverson. Why would they? They’re already short a proven big man and they already have more point guards than they can play. They also know better than to trade a 28-year-old All-Star frontline player for a 31-year-point guard with only a few productive years left, even one as great as Iverson. Philly, meanwhile, already is stuck with a $20 million power forward, Chris Webber. Does it want an $18 million power forward as well?
The Pacers also don’t want to gut their roster to come up with $17 million worth of contracts to get Iverson, only to have more holes after the trade than before.
Does all this mean there’s absolutely no way they would ever make a deal for Iverson? No, it doesn’t. They’d be willing to put together a package that would protect their primary assets if Philly’s front office becomes desperate. But they also know the 76ers are likely to get better offers than they’re willing to make. A deal like that would need a lot more time
The Pacers are perfectly willing to make a trade before the February deadline, and there are some struggling teams out there with intriguing young players -- most prominently Boston and Golden State. They’ll try to upgrade the roster, but Iverson is not their Answer.
http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/archives/2006/12/the_iverson_rum.html
