What do you get after just one game, one loss, and only 18 minutes of playing time off the bench for Allen Iverson? That would be an upset and angry Allen Iverson. Do you think the Memphis Grizzlies regret their decision to sign him after just one game? After an overtime loss to the winless Sacramento Kings, Iverson is already not happy with his role and it looks like it could only get worse.
“I had no problems (with the hamstring),” Iverson said. “I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That’s the only thing I got a problem with.” Doesn’t it sound like we are back in Detroit listening to him say the same thing over and over again? And he wasn’t done there. “I’m not a reserve basketball player,” Iverson said. “I’ve never been a reserve all my life and I’m not going to start looking at myself as a reserve. That’s something for the media to talk about. It’s only a big issue when the media talks about it. The subject never came up in my career until everything happened in Detroit. No one talked about me being a sub or anything like that until last year.”
I’m sorry Allen, are you blaming this one on the media? Is it not you that brings the whole reserve issue up every time you talk after a game? I can’t remember one game where Iverson has came off the bench and been happy with it. And I don’t think that is ever going to happen. Every other team besides the Grizzlies that were looking to sign Iverson this offseason have to be sitting back and relieving a huge sigh of relief after seeing what he said after his first game. And if you think Iverson was done talking about it, think again. “In all the other years of my career, it’s never come up. I’ve been a starter on All-Star teams, Olympic teams and NBA Finals teams. It’s just a big deal now. I think it’s something people should let go. I’m not a bench player or the sixth man. Go look at my resume, it will show that I’m not a sixth man.”
Well Allen, you need to let it go. All of those accolades about playing in the Finals and being on All-Star teams were a long time ago and your skills have greatly diminished since then and do not look to be coming back any time soon. You shoot a lousy field goal percentage, you don’t even try to get your teammates involved and your defense is barely good enough for the NBA D-League. So maybe it is time to just except the fact that you now are a bench player for the rest of your career and be thankful that a team even decided to sign you this season. And if you want any chance of playing beyond this season you might want to do the most important thing of all for your career and that is keep your mouth shut and just play basketball.
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