nbaculture

Allen Iverson is the greatest solo player in NBA history.  He is a remarkable talent, is six foot nothing and has the 3rd highest scoring average in league history.  I don’t even think this is debatable.  Allen Iverson is the greatest solo player ever, and here’s why I say that.

1. Name any other great solo act.  Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, anybody else?

2. Name a player you think is better than Iverson.  Are they a team player or solo player?  All other great players work best in part of a team.  Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the list goes on.

What do I mean by solo player?  Iverson is a player who is built to play alone.  He is far better on a team with nobodys than a team with at least one other star.  Iverson single handedly took the 2000-2001 76ers to the finals, and took a game from the undefeated (in the playoffs) Lakers.  Who was on that team?  Mutomobo,  Aarom McKie, Eric Snow.

Now, I make this point to say this, it is a damn shame.  I think Iverson is a remarkable talent, unprecedented until this point in basketball history.  He can dish out 10 assists a game, but his teams win when he scores 30 points a game.  He is the go to guy, which unfortunately doesn’t work in the NBA.  Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen, Kobe has yet to win without Shaq, and Paul Peirce couldn’t win without Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  I’m an Iverson fan, always have been, and I am sorry to say that He cannot win in this league because he is a very special player.  He took a team to the finals with virtually no help (but good defense), I can’t recall anyone of his size doing that.

He was traded to Detroit for this reason.  Detroit is getting old, and they don’t have anybody who can create their own shot without 20 screens, but they play good defense.  Detroit is hoping to emulate that 76er team but with better defense and a better supporting cast.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS