(Sources: NBA.com, USA Today , Yahoo Sports)
It was shorter than a "I Love Ray J" reality show reject's career however the ill-fated marriage between Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies is now officially over. Monday, Grizzlies owner and Iverson mutually agreed to go separate ways putting an end to Iverson's 10 day tenure in Memphis of which he only played 3 games before succumbing to a hamstring injury.
"The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement according to USA Today.
Grizzlies administration and owner Michael Heisley have reiterated the reason AI was taking a break before ultimately being waived by the team was as a result of personal matters however "The Answer's" behavior while playing with Detroit Pistons had many asking "The Question" namely "Why does Iverson still feel he is an All-Star?" Granted the A.I. pre 2006 was one of the best point guards to ever step onto a NBA hardtop and the 6'1 mini powerhouse has some of the most hardcore fans this side of a 'Harry Potter' or 'Twilight' novel yet none of that diminishes the unshakable reputation Allen Iverson has built for himself as a "selfish, ballhog diva that is refuses to adjust to his new role as a role player and teacher" befitting a player his age and diminishing scoring ability. This is the former league MVP that just a year ago, "Pistons teammates listened to Iverson proclaim on the team bus that he was still one of the three best players in the sport – Kobe, LeBron and me, Iverson said – and probably not in that order." Let's not forget the temper tantrum the 10 time NBA All-Star nearly threw at the sheer mention of coming off the bench behind Rip Hamilton.
"I will retire before I do this again. I will leave the game before I do this," he said. "Because I can't be effective like I know I can playing this way. It's just something I've not ever been able or had to do."
Granted the adjustment from a team leader who once stood at the helm of an Eastern Conference winning Philadelphia 76ers during the 2000-01 NBA season to a bench warmer averaging 12.3 pts in 22.3 minutes (stats with the Memphis Grizzlies) is a daunting one, its a necessary one if Iverson truly desires to play the game he still proclaims to love. Iverson seems no closer to acceptance than he is to denial about the eventual direction of his pro career having made this statement shortly after making his debut with the Grizzlies:
"If I'm a reserve, yeah I'll be disappointed..I'm not a reserve basketball player. I've never been a reserve all my life and I'm not going to start looking at myself as a reserve, because that's something for ya'll people in the media to talk about. I don't think it has anything to do with me being selfish or anything like that. It's just the fact that this is who I am. I don't want to change what gave me all the success that I've had since I've been in this league. I'm not a sixth man, and that's that."
There's a fine line between settling for less than your worth and inflating your value more than your worth. While any desperate team including a reportedly interested New York Knicks can still obtain nuggets of "Cash For Gold" with an uninjured Allen Iverson coming off the bench, is the long-term headache for short-term gain really worth it for a player expecting starter status but delivering second string results?
