tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post4829987306058239754..comments2023-11-03T04:39:50.760-05:00Comments on Galley Slaves: In Defense of AnswerJonathan V. Lasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17426165197358366129noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post-72223571749096383182009-01-13T09:13:00.000-05:002009-01-13T09:13:00.000-05:00I don't agree with everything PG has to say--I wou...I don't agree with everything PG has to say--I wouldn't make too much of Doug Wilder's pardon--but PG is definitely right about this: Iverson is pure determination, and you have to see it to believe it.<BR/><BR/>I rowed at Georgetown while Iverson was playing hoops. Largely by coincidence, our squad's schedule in the varsity weight room sometimes overlapped with the basketball team a bit. <BR/><BR/>You know what Iverson benched? Go on, guess. A guy who was a serious NCAA threat. Average player on his squad was probably putting up 225 in sets of 8.<BR/><BR/>Iverson racked up 185. This is a guy that, as far as I can see, should have been muscled off the court. And yet he was clearly dominant. Why? Speed, tenacity, and guts. <BR/><BR/>When you see that in person, you get a sense of just how much Iverson accomplishes with the talents he has. It's pretty incredible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post-35892181074346678092009-01-10T16:17:00.000-05:002009-01-10T16:17:00.000-05:00I'm sorry, but Iverson makes bad decisions (shot s...I'm sorry, but Iverson makes bad decisions (shot selection, lack of passing), is a poor teammate (Practice? We're talkin' 'bout Practice?), and a nightmare for team management. Iverson is the reason we gave up our Sixers tickets and the reason I no longer follow the NBA. I know he's gutsy, puts out effort during a game, etc...but the other factors to my thinking are overwhelming. I could not have been more pleased than when he left Philly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post-6495710864413596642009-01-09T20:05:00.000-05:002009-01-09T20:05:00.000-05:00UGH....I hate to wade into these waters, I find my...UGH....<BR/>I hate to wade into these waters, I find myself defending AI to idiot friends far too often, it mostly gets annoying. But anyways, here we go:<BR/>If you have never seen him play, IN-PERSON, you are not qualified to make any judgment re: The Answer. None. TV doesn't count. To understand what kind of genetic freak of nature, fluke, mistake, AI is, you must really see him in-person on the court with all the other players towering over him. He is not, as JVL generously mentions, 6'. He's 5'11" at best, and probably closer to 5'10". He doesn't weigh 180 in wet clothes, more like 165. <BR/>He is the #3 player ALL-TIME in ppg. #3. #1- MJ, #2- Wilt, #3- AI. <BR/>Ignore the poor shooting percentage, the man plays in the land of giants and is the third best scorer in the history of the game. <BR/>Thing is, the sport of basketball is almost TOO SLOW for Iverson. He has freakish speed, faster than NFL Cornerback speed, almost Olympic speed. Nobody in the history of the game is as fast baseline-to-baseline with a ball in their hands as Iverson. Nobody.<BR/>If AI has a fault it is his inability to slow down. He plays at 1 speed and it rarely fits within the team concept. He would have been far better suited playing soccer, or even football, than Bball. Let me clear: AI would have been the greatest defensive force in the history of the NFL as a cornerback. His speed, insane vertical, and terrific hands, would have made it impossible to throw anywhere near him.<BR/>But I digress....<BR/>As to the comments regarding his reputation as a thug:<BR/>He's a married man with 4 kids and another on the way. His conviction at age 17 was a sham and later overturned for lack of evidence (after he was granted clemency by Gov Wilder). The incident with a cousin also turned out to be nothing. Like Sean Taylor, the thug reputation has more to do with people misunderstanding AI than it has to do with his behavior.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post-22647504556417478272009-01-09T19:20:00.000-05:002009-01-09T19:20:00.000-05:00I'm of two minds on AI. On the one hand, he's clea...I'm of two minds on AI. On the one hand, he's clearly a tough dude who gives it his all on the court. He takes it to the hoop and racks up punishment. He's probably a little underrated as a defender.<BR/><BR/>But I think he's among the more overrated offensive players in the game. He's a volume shooter in the worst meaning of the phrase; he jacks up a ton of shots at low percentage, and that's the only reason he led the league in scoring for a couple of years. <BR/><BR/>And that's not even getting into the off the field stuff...the arrests, the bowling alley brawl, etc. If he's not a 'thug,' he's certainly thuggish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871003.post-1844507369790224592009-01-09T16:40:00.000-05:002009-01-09T16:40:00.000-05:00I'm a conservative, middle-aged white guy, so Alla...I'm a conservative, middle-aged white guy, so Allan Iverson is not the kind of guy I'd ever want to hang out with (or vice versa, I'm sure). <BR/><BR/>Still, I fully agree that he's tended to get a bum rap in man quarters. I recall how much griefm he took when the U.S. Olympic team lost several games in 2004, and how much gleee some commentators and fans took in laying the blame at Iverson's feet.<BR/><BR/>It never seemed to register with such folks that:<BR/><BR/>1) Unlike numerous NBA stars, Iverson agreed to play for the U.S. team.<BR/><BR/>2) Unlike several players who'd committed to playing for the U.S. team, Iverson actually showed up!<BR/><BR/>3) Once there, Iverson played with a broken thumb, and never complained.<BR/><BR/>You'd THINK that kind of toughness and dedication would earn him some credit from the Old Schoolers, but somehow it never has.<BR/><BR/>Iverson's name has become shorthand, to many crotchety white fans, for everything they dislike about Hip Hop culture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com