Just asking.............

[SQMonte]

Every relevant player Lionel Hollins has ever coached (i.e., Mike Bibby, Shareef Abdul-Rahim, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, etc.) says the same thing: Hollins is a straight shooter who doesn't pull punches. So now Hollins is afraid to and hasn't talked to Allen Iverson? And why is it that no other player, including would-be bad boy Randolph, has a problem with Hollins?

Just asking ...

Iverson mostly practiced with the second unit whenever he was available and no one told him he wouldn't eventually start. So Iverson was blindsided with coming off the bench?

Just asking ...

During a game last week, Hollins called a play for Iverson at the end of one quarter. It was simple: a big man had to come set a pick for Iverson at the top of the key. An agitated Iverson yelled to the bench something like "I don't need no (expletive) pick to get my shot off!" So what does Hollins do when O.J. Mayo feels like he can fire off one of those precious one-liners? Does Hollins have an obligation to oversee the culture of the team?

Just asking ...

An Iverson associate says that he likely would have juggled his "personal matter" with basketball if he was starting, playing well and the team won. So did Iverson use this personal issue to bail on the team like he did the Detroit Pistons?

Just asking ...

The truth is Hollins told the media that he won't respond to Iverson's comments but he'll talk about A.I. with regard to his play on the Memphis Grizzlies. That's an important distinction left out of several accounts. When no reporter asks Hollins about Iverson's play, is that Hollins refusing to talk Iverson? Or is the media frustrated that Hollins isn't saying what they want to hear?

Just asking ...

Griz owner Michael Heisley went to Los Angeles to calm things down. He told Iverson that Hollins is in charge and to be patient. Heisley told Hollins to keep doing what he's doing. Heisley is the same guy who told former Griz coach Marc Iavaroni to stop playing Casey Jacobson and put Hakim Warrick on the floor. Couldn't Heisley have instructed Hollins to start Iverson? Or is it possible Heisley - unlike most A.I. fans -- thinks Iverson is wrong? And is it possible that Heisley is on board with the Iverson-as-a-Sixth-Man philosophy?

Just asking ...

Iverson said he wants to win. He said he'll come off the bench if it's best for the team and the team won. Since when does a player no other team in the NBA wanted gets to decide what's best for a team?

Just asking ...

It's sketchy whether the Griz looked Iverson in the face and said you're here to come off the bench. But when asked about the situation at the Iverson press conference, Heisley said the decision is up to Hollins. Iverson sat there and heard it. Truth is there were no promises made. Iverson wasn't guaranteed to start. Iverson hadn't been relegated to a permanent backup role. Knowing that league-wide opinion is that he should be a reserve, why didn't Iverson put the Griz on the spot and say "I'm coming here to start, right?"

Just asking ...

The Griz knew what they were getting and this was bound to happen. They are getting what they deserve. But if it's OK for A.I. to be A.I. isn't it OK for a coach to be a coach the way he sees fit?

Just asking ...

It's difficult not to like Allen Iverson. He's an engaging guy. He's fun to be around. But why has all of his comments been about Allen Iverson and he's said virtually nothing about the team? Could that be why no one - players included - appears particularly upset by his absence?

Just asking ...

Iverson is telling close associates that he might retire instead of returning to the Grizzlies. Not shocking since he said he'd rather retire than come off the bench while in Detroit. If that happens, it would indeed be a sad ending to an incredible career. Would there really be anyone to blame? Wouldn't that just be Iverson being Iverson?

I'm just asking.

Allen Iverson has been my favorite player since I first seen him play at Georgetown his freshman year. I have always stood up for him whenever having discussions related to him, but the way he has handled himself these last few years has me scratching my head. He gave the folks in Philly plenty of reasons to get rid of him over the years so when they finally did it was no surprise, but ever since then he has done nothing to disprove the leaguewide belief that he's a cancer. He disappointed in Denver, and while he didn't kill the team, he surely didn't make them better. Then he gets shipped off to Detroit and Denver gets better while Detroit gets worse. I do think that Detroit wasn't a good fit for him since he insisted on being the A.I. he was in Philly instead of evolving into the playmaker he could be if he chose to apply himself. But he's so stuck on being the scoring machine he used to be that his pride won't let him be anything different. Iverson is no point guard, we all know that, so Detroit asking him to be one was a problem from the get go, he just added fuel to the fire by being so damn stubborn.

Now here we are in Memphis and after playing in only 3 games, as a reserve, A.I. is bitching about his role on the team and burning another bridge. Word on the streets is that he's mulling retirement as we speak. I don't know how true that is but i've definitely lost respect for him. I still think he's a first ballot Hall of Famer but he is doing himself no favors by not adapting his game to his team, he expects them to adapt to him. Those days are over, but the sad thing about it is that everyone knows that but him..........