UPDATE 8.19.2009 :
ESPN has reviewed the Allen Iverson situation, tracking him on Twitter and interviewing sources from Miami, NY, and Charlotte. Chris Sheridan received these comments from Coach Larry Brown –
“There are financial factors, and there’s also the problem of the availability of minutes in our rotation with Ray [Felton, a restricted free agent], Raja [Bell] and D.J. [Augustin] — and those are a couple of major obstacles we’re trying to overcome,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown told ESPN.com Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, I want to help him, and it might be as his coach again. We’ll have to wait and see. . . I’ve spoken to a lot of people on his behalf, because last year was a difficult situation for him being put in where he was, replacing Chauncey Billups. That would have been a difficult situation for anybody. But I know he’s comfortable with me, and we’ve had a lot of discussions. When he played for me was probably when he played his best. Would I like to coach him again? Absolutely.”
Where is Allen Iverson going to play this coming season? That’s the big question about The Answer.
Earlier today, Iverson dropped this on Twitter –
If you think that I am just going away-Think again! I am getting ready for the NBA season. Waiting for the call. Charlotte, Miami, NY.
The topic of Allen Iverson joining the Charlotte Bobcats is truly grating. Some love the idea of AI leading the offense of the new-look Cats. Some see it as a disaster in the making. Could Iverson redeem himself, and lead this faceless franchise? Do the Bobcats trust him enough to take that gamble?
When you follow a struggling small-market sports franchise like the Charlotte Bobcats, it gets somewhat embarrassing watching your home arena fill up only when superstars from opposing teams come to town. Sometimes you try to convince yourself that your team has it’s own superstar, but Gerald Wallace will be lucky to make one or two All-Star games in his entire career. Die-hard fans (like us) will always follow the squad intently, but making the team accessible to the “casual fan” has proven nearly impossible. After NFL football went away, the organization and the team got a brief, sweet taste of fan support last spring as the team’s roster began to resemble a real NBA lineup, playing a better “ball movement” style that hadn’t existed before. Can they really just settle on having a taste, or do they want to hear some noise this coming season?
If the Bobcats make the move to acquire Allen Iverson, their marketing crew will be in overload for the 2009-2010 NBA Season. New uniforms, Tyson Chandler, Allen Iverson. . . sounds like a pretty good show to watch – however it turns out.