Before There Was Iverson, Lindros, Barkley and T.O., There Was Johnny Mac

Jason Whitlock, the provocative sportswriter for Foxsports.com, recently labeled Allen Iverson as a "fraud" because Whitlock feels AI has never been concerned about winning, with the possible exception of his 2001, Larry Brown-induced, run with the Sixers. Phil Sheridan picked up the subject and noted that pathologic attention-getters like Iverson, Terrell Owens, and Eric Lindros have extremely loyal fan bases no matter how bad their behavior on and/or off the court. This phenomenon is not without historical precedent as illustrated a generation ago in New York when John McEnroe ruled men's tennis.

The Swede Bjorn Borg had dominated the game until McEnroe broke through in the early 80's. Borg was a stoic player who rarely displayed emotion and who was perhaps the most popular and recognizable international athlete of his time. If scientists went into a lab to design Borg's polar opposite, surely they would have come up with McEnroe, a brash native of Queens, New York. More problematic for Borg, the New Yorker's game posed a problem for the Swedish star. Borg was the ultimate baseliner while McEnroe was a net-charger and volleyer. Against most players, the Swede's top spin ground strokes and foot speed eventually prevailed. And in their early matches, the more experienced Borg had the upper hand, but soon the American was intercepting those ground strokes and producing sharply angled volleys for which Borg had no answer. McEnroe prevented Borg from winning the U.S. Open, the one Grand Slam event that was to elude Bjorn. So frustrated was the Swede that he retired while still in his 20's.

McEnroe had already developed a reputation for volatility and tempestuousness, but curiously, when Borg was on the scene, McEnroe kept his temper "somewhat" in check. With the stage to himself, the American seemed to lose all self control. In every match it seemed just a matter of time before he exploded over a line call or some other perceived injustice. He would verbally abuse linesmen, who were usually volunteers, and often delay play for 15 minutes or more.

These episodes reached high theater at the U.S. Open in New York. The National Tennis Center was a short distance from McEnroe's home and at night matches, spectators - not your grandfather's tennis fans - would turn out with the hope of witnessing some fireworks - they were rarely disappointed. When McEnroe acted out, the patrons would roar their approval, and encourage him to go further. It was a bizarre scene, especially since this is the gentlemenly game of tennis we're talking about, not hockey or pro wrestling.

McEnroe was allowed to practice his shtick with impunity, even at international competitions like the Davis Cup - as a superstar he had become untouchable by the Bud Selig-like tennis hierarchy. And all the while, like Iverson and Owens and Lindros and Barkley and others, McEnroe had his ardent defenders. Even today, Johnny Mac continues to cash in on his Peck's bad boy image in commercials and the broadcast booth, while at the same time being treated as an elder statesman of the game. Perhaps in 10 or 15 years, Allen Iverson will be doing American Express commercials.

Thoughts on Barkley, Calhoun, Iverson, Vitale

Barkley for Governor?:

For some time, Charles Barkley has expressed an interest in running for public office, specifically, the governorship of Alabama. However, there may be a better opportunity in another state. Since he will be serving a jail term in a few weeks, that should give him the inside track in the next race for governor of Illinois where incarceration seems to be a right of passage for ambitious politicians. Usually the governor does time after his term in office, but why not reverse the sequence and get it out of the way?

Another Look at Iverson for Billups:

Questions were raised here and elsewhere about the wisdom of trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson at the beginning of the season. Or should we say lack of wisdom? The Pistons, with Iverson, had until recently gone under .500 and were fading fast. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were in first place in their division, a real upside surprise. To add fuel to the fire, with Iverson out with a back injury, the Motor City squad has won two in a row to get back to .500, including a win over the Celtics on Sunday. Defenders of the trade can still cite cap space considerations as the primary rationale for the deal. But is this a case of destroying the team in order to save it?

Jim Calhoun - How to Win Friends and Influence People:

Jim Calhoun of Connecticut has never come across as Mr. Warmth or as a master of tact or diplomacy. So when he was ambushed by a journalist/activist/community organizer over his lucrative pay package, sure enough he proceeded to propel a very awkward situation into a public relations nightmare, saying, among other things, that he was getting old and would "like to be able to retire one day". Calhoun must be another one of those gloom-and-doomers who think Social Security and food stamps won't be there when he needs them.

A million dollars has practically become the minimum salary for big-time college football and basketball coaches, and many coaches like Billy Gillispie, Billy Donovan and Nick Saban make considerably more, not including outside income. Saban was reportedly given the entire state of Alabama. There are probably a dozen things Calhoun could have said to diffuse the situation, like "I don't think this is the appropriate time to discuss your legitimate question but I would be glad to meet with you at a mutually convenient time either publicly or privately". Or, "I am aware that I make a ridiculous amount of money to do something I love but I bring a great deal of revenue into the university and in our society, for better or worse, collegiate athletics is big business". Maybe the University of Connecticut should include anger management classes in Calhoun's compensation package.

Dick Vitale - Spokesman for the Downtrodden:

In commenting on the Calhoun affair, Dick Vitale, never content to put just one foot in his mouth, said that Calhoun is grossly underpaid. It's not the money you understand, but the principle.

Stephon Marbury - Worth the Risk?

There is always a risk when a team with good chemistry acquires a problem child, as the Celtics have done with Stephon Marbury. However, in this instance, Rasheed Wallace could be an appropriate case study. Wallace was a perennial poster boy for underachievement and uneven effort as a Trailblazer while being paid tens of millions - not exactly a testimony to his professionalism. But when traded to a championship caliber team, he took advantage of the opportunity and cleaned up his act enough to become an integral part of Detroit's championship run. Marbury could do the same for Boston. It's also unlikely that Kevin Garnett would put up with any nonsense from his new teammate. The one difference, and it's a major one, is that Marbury hasn't played for 18 months.

Philly Alumni Update: Iverson, Nelson, etc

How Are They Doing? Philly Sports Figures Who Have Moved On

Allen Iverson: In the first blockbuster NBA trade of the season, back in November, Iverson was traded to the Pistons from the Nuggets for Chauncey Billups. Overall the Pistons are in second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division with a record of 23-17. Iverson has played in 36 of those games and Detroit is two games over .500 in that span with AI averaging 18 ppg. Billups is averaging 19 ppg and Denver is in first place in their division with a 27-15 record. There is little dispute that Denver is better off.

Matt Carroll: The Hatboro-Horsham and Notre Dame alumnus played for the Charlotte Bobcats for the last 4 years with a reputation as a proficient three-point shooter. This year he was only averaging 4 ppg and was recently traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Matt's younger brother Pat, a St Joe's star also via Hatboro-Horsham, was unable to latch on to an NBA team and has been playing pro ball in France and Spain the last two seasons.

St. Joe's Jameer Nelson was already having a breakout year in this, his 5th season with the Orlando Magic, but recently he has elevated his game to an even higher level. The Magic beat the Lakers on Friday night with Nelson scoring 28 pts including 15 in the fourth quarter. In the next game, against Denver, Jameer scored 21 pts in the first half, making it three straight games over 20.

Nelson's running mate at St. Joe's, Delonte West, was having his best season, as a shooting guard for the Cavaliers, averaging 12 ppg. However, on January 15, he sustained a fracture of his right wrist and he is expected to be out for about 6 weeks.

The successful Villanova basketball teams of 2004-06 were guard-oriented, led by Randy Foye. Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi. Foye is another former Big 5 guard who is having a breakout season in the NBA. He is averaging 16 pts and 5 assists for the rejuvenated Minnesota Timberwolves. Ray played one season with the Celtics and is currently playing professionally in Italy. Lowry is in his third year with the Memphis Grizzlies although he lost almost his entire first year due to injury. This season he is averaging 8 pts and 4 assists off the bench. Nardi, like Ray, is playing in one of the Italian professional leagues.

Allen Iverson, Always A Lightning Rod

Controversy has always shadowed Allen Iverson. During his tenure with the Sixers, it seemed he was either loved or hated, with no middle ground. For his fans, he employed his considerable offensive skills and maximum intensity every night in pursuit of wins. For his detractors, he shot too much, dribbled too much, and took too many chances on defense. The reality, of course, is more complicated. Iverson is hugely gifted. He is one of the fastest and quickest, with and without the ball, to play the game. He is one of the best finishers, maybe THE best, among little men and his effort is never in question. But he is not easy to coach or play with because he needs the ball so much and because his small stature creates match-up issues on defense in the NBA. Iverson has also been portrayed, justly or unjustly, as a complicated personality which brings a soap opera element wherever he goes. When joined with the equally complicated personna of coach Larry Brown for several years, the Sigmund Freud Society couldn't believe its good fortune.

So the surprising, fascinating trade of Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups last week invites us to revisit some of these issues. Supporters of the trade emphasize the practical, longer term benefits of the deal for the Pistons. Iverson is in the last year of a big money deal. Billups had a few years to run on his contract, also for big money. So after this season, Iverson can test the free agent market, and Detroit has a windfall to splurge on one or more free agents, if it chooses not to make a serious move to resign Iverson. In the meantime, they have rented one of the most exciting players in the game not far past his prime.

But strictly in a basketball sense, the transaction seems rather puzzling for the Pistons. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the East for almost a decade with a solid, if aging, nucleus and a couple of impressive young players. Their offense has been notable for its balance with the high scorer changing from night to night. And until the recent ascendance of the Celtics, Detroit's team defense was probably unsurpassed in the East. It's hard to see how Iverson can upgrade any of these areas. At the age of 33, he certainly doesn't bring youth to the equation. And in a word association exercise, neither "team offense" nor "team defense" spring immediately to mind after "Iverson, Allen".

Yet the one constant about Iverson has been his unpredictability. His stats last year with Denver were pretty much in line with his career numbers but with Wallace, Prince, and Hamilton, Detroit is probably not looking for 27-30 ppg from Iverson. But he has said time and again that he can and will do anything it takes to win so this will be his opportunity to prove it. But the window of opportunity for the Georgetown graduate is closing fast; this may be the last chance to make his case. It will be an interesting experiment.