I listened to Stephen A. Smith this morning on ESPN and he was very clear about Allen Iverson’s intentions at the present moment.
Iverson wants to play for a contender. Smith said Iverson wouldn’t be interested in playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and anybody else who has as much as a sniff at the NBA title.
In his retirement letter which is StephenA.com, Iverson lets everybody know that he still wants to play basketball.
The former league MVP begins his comments by writing, “I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn‚Äôt help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case”.
“I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level”, Iverson writes.
This doesn’t sound like a man who wants to retire and stay retired. No this sounds like a man who is waiting for the right offer.
Allen is going to have to prove to teams that he will a plus and not a minus if he comes to play for their team. It doesn’t help him that guys like Rasheed Wallace say Iverson destroyed the Pistons by influencing players to stay out all night with him partying.
Teams around the National Basketball Association want to be assured that Iverson won’t come to town and help them on the field but destroy them off of it.
