Quote:Allen Iverson leaves Grizzlies for personal reasons

By Ronald Tillery
Posted November 7, 2009 at 4:33 p.m. , updated November 7, 2009 at 4:34 p.m.

LOS ANGELES –- The Allen Iverson saga has taken another turn as the veteran guard asked for and was granted permission to leave the Grizzlies to deal with a personal matter, according to an NBA source.

Not really surprising. I knew before they even signed him that he wouldn't ever accept playing off the bench.

Just saw Wolken's tweet on this. I wonder if he will be back.

There is a moral to that story in there somewhere.

You know, for a second after reading that article I thought to myself "No big deal, could be anything. Maybe a family member is sick or something. Happens all the time." Then I remembered that we were talking about Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies.

I'd be shocked if this DIDN'T have to do with Iverson's role on the team. Hopefully I'm wrong.

what a princess.

(11-07-2009 06:11 PM)Jenkz Wrote:  You know, for a second after reading that article I thought to myself "No big deal, could be anything. Maybe a family member is sick or something. Happens all the time." Then I remembered that we were talking about Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies.

I'd be shocked if this DIDN'T have to do with Iverson's role on the team. Hopefully I'm wrong.

If it is something serious like family stuff, that is understandable, but somehow i just have this feeling this is not the case.

If it's true that he is leaving because of his role, then he will be messing up badly career wise. It will not look good if he quits on a team like that.

Either way, after just a few days of hearing iverson complain or create some kind of drama, do some of you understand why i was so against getting AI?

(11-07-2009 06:11 PM)Jenkz Wrote:  You know, for a second after reading that article I thought to myself "No big deal, could be anything. Maybe a family member is sick or something. Happens all the time." Then I remembered that we were talking about Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies.

I'd be shocked if this DIDN'T have to do with Iverson's role on the team. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Apparently, Heisley went to LA to talk to Iverson today. See this story http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4631552

Some choice quotes:

Quote:"I think that's probably the worst part of all this," Iverson said Friday. "That while all this is going on, [Coach Lionel Hollins and I] have never talked to each other. That's probably why it's at this point right now. We've just never had a conversation, so it's probably going to always be hard for me and him to see eye-to-eye, because we've never even talked to each other. Obviously that's what you do if you're trying to accomplish the same goal."

Quote:"I'm not trying to figure out how to contribute to no team," Iverson said. "I contribute to a team by just playing. That's it. I don't have to figure it out. Obviously, they signed me for a reason. They've been watching me play this game for 13 years, and they know what I do on the basketball court, so I don't have to figure out how I'm going to play or anything like that. I just go out and play basketball."

You have to wonder just what in the heck is going in if, as Iverson has previously claimed, they never talked to him about coming off the bench, and, as he said last night, he has literally never talked to Lionel Hollins.

Wow grow up AI. You miss the ENTIRE preseason and expect to be starting?

If he had waited another week he would have been the unquestioned starter and leader of the team. Ridiculous. F 'em.

Well that didn't take long.

(11-07-2009 06:29 PM)Briskbas Wrote:  

(11-07-2009 06:11 PM)Jenkz Wrote:  You know, for a second after reading that article I thought to myself "No big deal, could be anything. Maybe a family member is sick or something. Happens all the time." Then I remembered that we were talking about Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies.

I'd be shocked if this DIDN'T have to do with Iverson's role on the team. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Apparently, Heisley went to LA to talk to Iverson today. See this story http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4631552

Some choice quotes:

Quote:"I think that's probably the worst part of all this," Iverson said Friday. "That while all this is going on, we have never talked to each other. That's probably why it's at this point right now. We've just never had a conversation, so it's probably going to always be hard for me and him to see eye-to-eye, because we've never even talked to each other. Obviously that's what you do if you're trying to accomplish the same goal."

Quote:"I'm not trying to figure out how to contribute to no team," Iverson said. "I contribute to a team by just playing. That's it. I don't have to figure it out. Obviously, they signed me for a reason. They've been watching me play this game for 13 years, and they know what I do on the basketball court, so I don't have to figure out how I'm going to play or anything like that. I just go out and play basketball

."

You have to wonder just what in the heck is going in if, as Iverson has previously claimed, they never talked to him about coming off the bench, and, as he said last night, he has literally never talked to Lionel Hollins.

I've been saying it for weeks. Someone lied, and i think it was the grizz. All we heard before AI was signed was that the grizz would make it clear to him that he would possibly have to accept coming off the bench. The day he was signed, you never heard it mentioned again.

(11-07-2009 06:30 PM)GoTigersJoe87 Wrote:  Wow grow up AI. You miss the ENTIRE preseason and expect to be starting?

If he had waited another week he would have been the unquestioned starter and leader of the team. Ridiculous. F 'em.

I knew there would be some uniformed comments here. Most writers, locally and nationally noticed there was a problem with Hollins when it came to AI. The national media had questions after the first practice and Hollins got mad. It got even worse and Gary Parrish even talked about it. This is not about Iverson, this is about Hollins and Conley and the love affair. You do not sit down and not discuss Iversons roll and not tell him in advance. "Now we got him signed, he works for us and do what we say". This is a sport driven by a product and that product is people/the athletes. How can you say F AI and be happy to have Thabeet, Gooden, Troy Bell, D Jones, Warrick, and the countless number of signing that was from the CBA and the DLeague. The fans deserve better and this city deserves better!

(11-07-2009 06:35 PM)tmoneyinmphs Wrote:  I've been saying it for weeks. Someone lied, and i think it was the grizz. All we heard before AI was signed was that the grizz would make it clear to him that he would possibly have to accept coming off the bench. The day he was signed, you never heard it mentioned again.

Even if they literally never broached the subject with them, which I find difficult to believe (but, hey, the whole thing has been bizarre from the start), how in the world could he not know that he'd be coming off the bench given, I dunno, the zillion questions he got about it before the season started.

Iverson was certainly lying to himself, one way or the other.

fire the "D" coach!!! how many great players have come thru memphis and leave and their careers take off?? we are talking about allen iverson. who cares if we like him personally? he can help your team win games!! its crazy to not start him. thats why the memphis grizzlies is and always will be a joke of a team! we finally get a franchise type player and this is how we treat him! he could have helped to fill the stands and maybe generate a lil income for this team! his scoring record proves why he can miss a preseason and still start. how many other guys on this team has put up the numbers he has this long? get real memphis!

This is sad. Not sure A.I. is goint about it the right way, but it was the Grizz that caused this. Pathetic.

(11-07-2009 06:33 PM)UOFMGLENN Wrote:  Well that didn't take long.

Nope. But the Grizz sold some jerseys.

Looks like the Grizzlies hacreated yet another cluster%#€k forthemselves.

(11-07-2009 06:30 PM)GoTigersJoe87 Wrote:  Wow grow up AI. You miss the ENTIRE preseason and expect to be starting?

Preseason is practice. And you know how he feels about practice. We talkin' 'bout practice.

Throw AI's punk arse off the team. If he doesn't like the bench, let's see how much he enjoys not playing at all.


F'n diva. He can bite it.

Didn't AI sign here in the first place with the understanding he would be coming off the bench