Iverson and the Grizzlies should have tried a little honesty

 

Iverson and the Grizzlies should have tried a little honesty

So, Allen Iverson is gone from the Memphis Grizzlies, after just three games in uniform. Officially, he has left the team to deal with a personal matter at his home in Atlanta. While nobody is denying that, Iverson's return date — or just return, period — is in question because of his resentment about his role with the team.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley told Yahoo! Sports that he granted Iverson's request to leave the team, declining to delve into specifics. The same report said Iverson might never return because of his lack of communication with coach Lionel Hollins about his reserve role on the team.

It is likely Memphis will try to find a trading partner for Iverson. If they fail, the Grizzlies might waive Iverson, meaning they will have paid him more than US$3-million for about 66 minutes of work.

There is an obvious question here: what exactly did the Grizzlies think was going to happen?

Since his trade from Denver to Detroit last year, Iverson has been clear on his position toward coming off the bench. Namely, he will not do it.

"I'd rather retire before I do this again," Iverson said as his season was wrapping up last year. "I can't be effective playing this way. I'm not used to it."
And those were Iverson's words after being forced to be a reserve for Detroit, a team with a history of winning. If he could not accept coming off the bench for the previously relevant Pistons, there was no way he would do the same for the irrelevant Grizzlies, backing up unproven guard Mike Conley.

This situation could have been avoided with just a little bit of honesty, from both sides. If they only had this conversation:

Iverson  "I will not come off the bench. I hated it last year. Can you guarantee I will start every game I play in?"
Hollins  "No. Can you guarantee that you will not be a distraction if you do come off the bench?"
Iverson  "No."
Hollins  "Perhaps this is a terrible idea."

Instead, both sides are left looking foolish. The Grizzlies, a laughingstock for a while now, needlessly brought a circus to town without getting the only benefit Heisley likely cared about — a bump at the box office. And Iverson has shown that he cannot fit in anywhere at this stage of his career.

The majority of the blame should fall on the Grizzlies. Not only did they risk poisoning their young players for a cash grab that never came, but they were also apparently uncommunicative with Iverson, giving the scenario zero chance to work.

Iverson should look in the mirror, too. Part of the reason he was able to be a superstar in the NBA despite being maybe 6-feet was his defiance, his ample self-confidence. But swagger is a young man's game. Iverson is now 34, and his last two teams have essentially given up on him.

If Iverson really wants to be defiant now, he should learn how to accept a lesser role. At this stage, nobody thinks he can do it. The ultimate shame of Iverson's career would not be a demotion to the bench. It would be his inability adapt to less-than-ideal circumstances, which ultimately is the defining trait of adulthood.