From ESPN.com:
The makeover of the Los Angeles Clippers may include a former scoring champion.
The team is in “very serious” talks with Allen Iverson on a contract, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the Memphis Grizzlies have been pursuing Iverson, but owner Michael Heisley thought the Miami Heat had the inside track. The Charlotte Bobcats were also reported to have interest.
Iverson is a 10-time All-Star who has led the league in scoring four times. He has averaged 23.5 points and 5.4 assists per game over his 13 seasons but posted a career low 17.4 ppg average last season.
A bad back limited Iverson to 57 games last season between the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons. He was also embroiled in controversy when he bristled at coming off the bench for Detroit.
The Clippers may be prepared to offer their full mid-level exception of $5.8 million on a one-year contract. The Grizzlies are reportedly willing to offer something in the same neighborhood, but the Heat are thought to be interested in paying him less than half of that figure.
Assistant General Manager Neil Olshey has denied these reports to Clipperblog.
35 Responses
I don’t think AI would come here. He’s probably just doing this to get more money from Miami. Maybe AI made this up.
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Q.D. Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I think Miami is only offering 2 mil to AI
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Which is why he might be making up the offer from the Clippers.
AI probably only has 2-3 years left. I don’t think he’d want to go to the Clippers for those years. He’s probably better off going to Europe if Miami and 2mil is all he can get.
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Yep Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Are you really a Clippers fan? Do you EVER have anything positive to say, or if not positive…at least constructive?
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
What are you talking about? Neil Olshey someone made up the rumor.
And Iverson could probalby get 15mil in europe and play on a great team.
Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
AI would be great under Dunleavy. Not.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
This is a terrible, terrible, terrible idea. No good can come from this.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I disagree, like like this move.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Great on paper…but yes, terrible. B Diddy, Iverson, Ricky Davis…this sounds like an AND 1 mix tape.
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RL Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
LOL.. so which one of them is going to do the 720 dunk?
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Baron, AI and Gordon around a Griffin and Camby interior would no doubt be fun to watch. Bring Novak, Thornton, Taylor and Kaman off the bench.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Iverson would take shots away from Griffin and Gordon. He is also terrible in the locker room. Bigger locker room cancer then Randolph. Took the Pistons from 2nd to 8th in the east. Please don’t make this move.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Whaat? Ai sat out with a back problem and didn’t play after that because he didn’t want to come off the bench for the now fired Curry. The Pistons slipped to 8th when they traded Billups and everyone knows it. BTW the first summer league game review the guy for ESPN just said hand down the 27 and 12 Griffin put it in was the by far the most impressive performance so far. He said Griffin was like a man among boys out there.
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Clipper Speakeasy Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Trading Billups had something to do with the Pistons’ decline, but AI’s attitude and play made it worse. AI refused to come off the bench and the rookie coach Curry was too weak to stand up to AI or tell R. Hamilton, the captain once Billups left, that he would be coming off the bench instead. So, Curry told everyone, with no forewarning to Hamilton, at a practice that AI would start and Rip would come off the bench. AI had done nothing to earn the starting spot over Hamilton and AI did nothing before or afterward to bond with his new team. The Pistons were well into their downward spiral when AI went out with his back issue. Now, Curry is fired and Dumars is staring at bigger project than I think he anticipated when he traded Billups for AI. The decline in Detroit wasn’t just the absence of Billups, it was also the presence of AI.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Bill Simmons: “Dear Column Gods: please make this Iverson thing happen. I don’t ask for much. I really don’t.”
Build the team around young players. Iverson is not a long term solution. Would only stunt the team’s growth.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Bad idea. Clips just unloaded a black hole/volume shooter. Now they want to bring in a 34 year-old ball-dominant point/undersized two-guard? For what? To feud with Dunleavy, teach Gordon how not to practice, and not pass to BG?
This is what they call “not seeing the forest for the trees.” AI, God bless him, is a needless tree with name recognition whose reputation has caught up with him. Clips youth movement is the forest.
There’s a reason the only teams that want him won a combined 96 games last year. Whatever. Who am I kidding. I’m posting on the Clipper Blog. I’m watching regardless.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Seems highly likely to me that Iverson wants to go into “restore my rep” mode and try to score 20+ a game again… whether or not he makes the Clippers better doesn’t matter, he certainly wont make them ‘good enough’, and he’ll take time and shots away from the guys who can in the future.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
When he is on the court, AI doesn’t mail it in. He doesn’t go on the IL when he chips a finger nail. He actually plays defense. He got a crappy Philly team to the finals. Barron?
Has anyone ever been better at this game for a man his size? Nash, maybe. CP3, not quite there yet.
Don’t put to much on this locker room love crap. The Yankees, Raiders, and even the Lakers (Shaq vs Kobe) won championships without love, devotion, and boys scouts.
Are you saying we should go with Mike Taylor, Jason Hart, Brevin Knight, and company over AI? You’re all kidding, right?
Let Baron and AI fight with each other for minutes. That would be cool with me…..
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JM Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 7:46 am
“[Iverson] doesn’t go on the IL when he chips a finger nail.”
No, he goes on the IL with phantom back injuries.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
THIS WOULD BE AN AWESOME TRADE FIRST OF ALL IT TAKES SOME MEDIA ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE LAKERS SECOND OF ALL SINCE YOU CANT COUNT ON EITHER IVERSON OR B. DIDDY TO STAY HEALTHY AND MOTIVATED YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BOTH AND HOPEFULLY BETWEEN THE TWO THEY COULD GET 82 GOOD QUALITY GAMES. AND FINALLY ALL YOU PEOPLE ACTING LIKE THIS IS A YOUNG TEAM AND IT WILL AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR YOUNG PLAYERS TELL ME PLEASE TELL ME WHEN HAS A YOUNG TEAM DEVELOPED ON ITS OWN AND WON A CHAMPIONSHIP???? YOU KNOW WHEN???? NEVER THATS A FAKE THOUGHT IN THE NBA YOU NEED A MIXTURE OF VETERANS YOUNG GUYS THE GUYS WHO DONT MIND WARMING THE BENCH YOU NEED A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING NOT JUST A 15 MAN ROSTER WITH 22 YEAR OLDS. AND REMEMBER THE IVERSON DEAL WOULD ONLY BE FOR 1 YEAR IF IT DONT WORK JUST LET HIM WALK AT THE END OF THE YEAR LET RICKY DAVIS WALK AND GUESS WHAT YOU COULD HAVE ABOUT 15 MILLION DOLLARS TO SPEND NEXT YEAR.
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mandru Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
FIRST WHY WOULD TAKING MEDIA ATTENTION OFF THE LAKERS BE A GOAL OF THE CLIPPERS SECOND TWO EGO-TRIPPING DIVA GUARDS ON THE SAME TEAM IS NOT WHAT ANY TEAM SHOULD STRIVE FOR FINALLY DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS IT’S OBNOXIOUS
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Wow, if AI wouldn’t mind coming of the bench…wow.
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
This is why we can’t have nice things.
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epaminandis Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
nice!
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
no. thanks.
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 12:07 am
I dont know if it would be worth the risk, if AI pouts about being benched then does something controversial like he’s done his entire career, all of the good publicity we’ve been getting will be forgotten and the media the clips have been winning over are gonna go back to the “its the clippers” bit. Although, if we signed him and it worked out, we wouldn’t have to resign jones, and we would have a very good backup guard to work with…
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pel Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 12:31 am
also remember, the clippers were in serious talks with dahntay jones and we know how that worked out
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Im on board as long as it is a one year deal. Its a high risk high reward gamble but I don’t think the clips are a playoff caliber team yet. I think next year is the year, plus I think AI would be a good option as a backup 1 and 2 for about 25 minutes a game. Plus the guy is a warrior and I like his passion
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Cappy Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I agree. As a one-year experiment, it could be okay. Anything more than that would be worrisome
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I would love the signing. Great player we need a go to guy that can score. Just picture Boom D A.I. Gordon Griffin and Camby. Pretty decent right there. And off the bench you got taylor ricky davis thorton Novak and Kaman not bad and don’t forget the ex Clipper now back on the team Quetin Richardson. I would love this they need another veteran to make the playoffs if they don’t aquire him no playoffs for Clips unless my boy Bdavis comes out and plays like he did in Gstate then maybe but will see. 45 to 50 wins with A.I on this team you will see..
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 7:57 am
If EJ could chuck 40 shots a game like AI wants to do, we wouldnt even be considering this. Eric would be scoring 60 points a game with that stroke of his. AI doesnt fit in here, as much as I love the guy, I hope he signs with Charlotte and reunites with Coach Brown instead.
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Then again, I’d much rather have the wrong answer for a year than take up more space for next year with years of ramon sessions…
Why can’t we just give David Kahn, Kaman and a back-rub *I’ll do it* for Rubio?
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 9:57 am
More fuel to the fire:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4326602
http://twitter.com/ramonashelburne
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Posted on July 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am
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