Unhappy about the latter? Hell no.
I spent years watching AI represent the city of brotherly love from a bedroom my grandpa, myself and a drunk guy named Levi constructed in my mother's garage in a southern California desert town with less people than a booked Marriott hotel. Good times were hard to come by there so in ESPN I trusted. I kept up with his stats on NBA.com and watched the Jadakiss commercials over and over again when the A5 and A6 shoes were issued by Reebok. One of my best friends of years gone bye was as infatuated with him as I was and that was one of our common bonds amongst each other. My stepdad and I could drink Coronas during some good ol' TNT basketball and mutually share jaw drops when AI would run he floor, dish it along the baseline or sink one of his classic 3-pointers.
You can make the argument that Allen Iverson is my favorite basketball player of all time. Between him, KG and Lebron basketball doesn't get any better professionally. Lebron will win his ring(s) before it is all said and done. KG is a bonafide hall of famer and a modern day Boston legend. And then there's Iverson. With all he has accomplished in his 33 years on this Earth, the one piece of hardware every man wants in their toolbox isn't there. Yet.
I was all over ESPN and ESPN2 when this most recent trade was announced. I even got to hear some "experts" say this trade doesn't make Detroit better. What they don't say is that it doesn't make them worse either. Experts are stupid. Chauncey to Denver is good for the Nuggets, yes, but the Nuggets play in the West and we can all be in a mutual agreement that the Nuggets are not even in the top 5 strongest teams in the West. Too bad Mr. Billups, enjoy the regular season. However, the Pisons, they play in the East. Other than the Celtics there isn't a truly dominant team in the East to give the Pistons a run for their money. I am not waving the Cavs offs I'm just being honest.
There is a lot of basketball to be played this season and I will be doing some praying for Allen Iverson. He is basically a one year rental to the Pistons and can't really think he'll be there any longer if they don't make it to the Finals this year. Joe Dumars is a lot of things, but a bad business man he is not. AI not putting all the pieces to the puzzle together this year assures he won't have the chance to put them together ever again. He is 33, and he is not Robert Horry. His body has taken more damage than anyone I've seen (except Greg Oden, ooh, too soon?) and he will not be the NBA's Wolverine forever.
The best chance he's ever had in his entire career to win it all is now. Detroit is STACKED with talent. Veterans. Winners. Not Nuggets. Not Sixers. He's on a team with true desire to reclaim their reign as kings and Ben Wallace isn't around to hinder an offensive position in exchange for top 10 highlight blocks. The majority of the East can't breathe the same air as Detroit (nor would they want to if given the choice) and Allen Iverson knows a gigantic opportunity to not be the Shannon Sharpe of the NBA has fallen into his lap.
The time is now.
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