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.