Can no NBA team use an Answer?

I have been an Allen Iverson fan for over a decade. If you were born any time between 1975-1995 and you like basketball, there is a good chance that at some point in your life, you fell in love with Allen Iverson. If you're short, quick, and like to dribble the ball a bit too much, Allen Iverson is probably your guru.

But in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to support the former MVP/former Rookie of the Year/former 11-time All Star/former 4-time scoring champions/former two time All Star MVP, and this is because there are a hell of a lot of 'former' great things that he has done and not much in the present. Still, it is a shocker to see someone go from 26.1 ppg and 7.1 apg guy in his last full season in Denver (2008) to being tossed around to Detroit and Memphis and back to Philadelphia and now being jobless.

Yes, 2008. Iverson was averaging over 26 points a game in a Nuggets team two years ago. He played all 82 regular season games that season, but in 2009, managed only 57. That number dwindled to 28 in 2010. It was a mixture of minor injuries, foolish pride, and personal circumstances that pushed him so far away so soon.

And now, with less than two months remaining before the beginning of the upcoming NBA season (YEAHH!), Iverson isn't being courted by a single NBA team. Not one. So what does he plan to do? Well, if certain "sources" are to be believed, he's going to pull a Stephon Marbury. No, I don't mean eat a jar of vaseline and broadcast his life live on the internet.

I mean China:

Unwanted by the NBA, Allen Iverson is considering playing in China.
Gary Moore, Iverson’s personal manager, said Iverson has not been contacted by any NBA team with training camps set to open in less than two weeks. Moore said there is “legitimate interest” between Iverson and a team in China to work out a deal. Moore did not know the team’s name and was vague on details.
“We’re very astonished, to say the least, that not one team has contacted us with any interest,” Moore said. “I just don’t understand it.”

Moore says a Chinese team first approached the 35-year-old Iverson last month.

Furthermore, The Hoops Market reports that "the 35-year-old guard is in talks with Foshan (the new name of Shaanxi) for the next season, according to sources from the Chinese team."

Wow. So it seems AI is ready to follow Starbury on his Chinese adventure. Sure, he'll be popular as hell there. Chinese ball players have long been Iverson fans - maybe its the (lack of) height, or the quickness, or the flashy game, or the flashy off-court persona, or maybe they think that 40 bars is the greatest song ever. Either way, if he does show up there he'll undoubtedly be a success.

But I hope I'm not jumping ahead of myself here. This is Allen Iverson we're talking about. Allen friggin Iverson. Come on, someone in the NBA needs to pick him up already. Knicks? Raptors? Suns? SOMEONE needs an Answer, right. Right?

To Mock a Draft

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In less than 48 hours, the NBA is going to be officially injected with a boost of fresh blood - the NBA draft will be held at the Theatre in Madison Square Garden, New York, where NBA teams will pick amateur players from US college basketball and other eligible players, including international players. The Washington Wizards won the lottery, and thus the rights to make the draft's first pick.

With the help of many different sources, including Draftexpress, SLAMOnline, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, and other sources, I've been able to draw my own picture and predict how the players will be picked on the evening of June 24th / the morning of June 25th, if you happen to be watching from IST.

So, without further ado, here is Hoopistani's Mock Draft 2010 of the top 14 (lottery) picks:

1. Washington Wizards - John Wall: Wall was the favourite months before the lottery, during the lottery, after the lottery, today, and tomorrow. By far the most explosive player in this draft, Wall will immediately become one of the best young point guards in the league, adding competition to the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, etc. Move over Gilbert Arenas, it's gonna get Wall-E over in Washington!

2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner: There has been some talk of the 76ers potentially ignoring Turner and picking a big man like Derrick Favors, but they should play it safe and pick the former national player of the year. He's bound to become the best answer to their woes since The Answer himself.

3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors: This is a draft class heavy on talented big men, and I feel Favors is the best one of them all. He will make a dangerous tandem in New Jersey with Brook Lopez.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson: Johnson's stock has increased a lot recently, and some even expecting him to go third. I feel the Timberwolves will be calling the services of this talented wingman.

5. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins: Cousins' attitude may have caused a drop in stock for him, but I feel any team will be dumb to let him fall outside the top 5.

6. Golden State Warriors - Greg Monroe

7. Detroit Pistons - Ed Davis

8. Los Angeles Clippers - Al-Farouq Aminu

9. Utah Jazz - Ekpe Udoh

10. Indiana Pacers - Xavier Henry

11. New Orleans Hornets - Luke Babbit

12. Memphis Grizzlies - Cole Aldrich

13. Toronto Raptors - Paul George

14. Houston Rockets - Gordon Hayward

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Video: Magic Johnson - The greatest invidual performance ever

This game goes down in basketball and NBA myth, spoken in reverence amongst hoops fans over the past 30 years. There has never been a single invidual performance in a basketball game like the one Earvin "Magic" Johnson produced on May 16, 1980. It was only Magic's rookie year, and he played his greatest game ever. The Lakers had league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had led them into the finals along with the help of Magic. In the finals, the Lakers faced off against the 76ers, led by 'Dr J.' Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins.

Lakers took a 3-2 lead in the first five games of the NBA finals, but Kareem hurt his ankle in Game 5, and the series was returning to Philadelphia without him. It was at this point that the rookie Magic, a natural point guard, stepped up to start at Centre and play ALL FIVE POSITIONS in the game, finishing with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. The Lakers won the game 123-107 and became the 1979-80 NBA champions. Magic won the finals MVP, and proceeded to win four more NBA championships.



He's the first (and only) rookie to have won Finals MVP - Magic at 6'9" was a freak of nature, capable of doing things few others could. I was inspired to look up this video and write this article when I read the SLAM article "Which MJ was the Greatest?" by Vincent Thomas. Now, Thomas wasn't able to convince me that Magic was better than Michael, but he does put up a compelling argument. Magic to me was the second best basketball player of all time, and on that May night nearly 30 years ago, he put up a show that no one else could ever match.

I rate this game greater than Wilt's 100, Kobe's 81, Jordan's 63 against the Celtics, or any other performance ever. Not only was this the championship clinching game, Magic was also only a rookie, and did I say that he played FIVE positions?

What do you think this was the greatest individual performance ever?

He's BACK!!

One of my all time favourites returned to the NBA Hardwood two nights ago... Welcome Back, AI.
He has unretired (nobody honestly believed the psuedo-retirement anyways) and is back in his good ol' philly jerseys - the answer is 3 again. Let's welcome back 30 unneccesarily jacked shots a game, a whole lotta free throws, lightning quick crossovers, game winners, and just cold, brutal scoring. Nobody changed the game the way AI did...