Expert: Alessandro - 11/19/2011

Question
do u think its good for the celtics to go after iverson?


I actually kind of like it for a few reasons. The first and most obvious one is that if AI is going to legitimately play a full season as a backup in this league and not throw a hissy-fit three games into the year because his playing time is not what he’d hoped for, then he’s going to have to back up somebody he genuinely knows is better than him (or at least on par with him, in his own mind if not real life). Ray Allen might be one of the only starting two guards in the entire league that could command Iverson’s respect to the point where Ivo could say, “No, he’s the starter.” I think Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are probably the only other guys for which that’d be the case. Maybe Manu Ginobili. Beyond that, Iverson would eventually start feeling like he was better than the young pup taking all the minutes, and we’re right back to where we started. Ray Allen ahead of Iverson makes sense to everybody, even him, so that’s a good start.

I also think a team full of vets like KG, Paul Pierce, and Allen, along with a coach he genuinely respects in Doc Rivers, would be enough to keep him in check for a full season. He might not worry so much about playing time if he’s having fun with his contemporaries.

A one-year deal to prove himself and maybe contend for a championship seems fair for Iverson. I think he deserves that much, and since KG and Allen’s deals expire at the end of the year, it’d be a good time to start over. It’s the perfect year for Iverson to land with the C’s, who by the way have only six guys under contract and already are bumping up against the cap. I’m for it. I really am.

Answer
I'm not so sure if adding another older player like Iverson should be in the Celtics' plans right now ... especially if the entire season ends up being cancelled and they have to come back the following season with the Big Three another year older.

It would be interesting to see if Iverson had anything left in the tank ... but you would have to assume that he would be willing to take a backup role, and I'm still not convinced that he's truly comfortable with that idea (even at his age and with being out of the league so long).

It might be a fun experiment for the Celtics to conduct once NBA basketball is actually being played again, but I feel their time and effort would be better spent pursuing other options.

Alessandro