I-verson

When the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade went down, I was silly enough to think it was a push, with Billups adding organization to chaos to Denver and Iverson adding scoring punch to a team that had trouble scoring on a consistent basis.

Boy, was I wrong... well, half wrong at least.

While Billups has moved the Nuggs into the upper half of a tough Western Conference, Ivo has been instrumental in the Pistons demise to the bottom of a top-heavy but otherwise weak Eastern Conference. Any doubt about that was completely erased today, when the story came out that Iverson would rather retire than come off the bench.

There's no doubt in my mind that Iverson is a first ballot hall of famer. Few put their body on the line day in and day out more than the ex-Hoya does. However, he's refusing to do something that in the long run would better his team. Selfish doesn't even begin to describe his comments.

In his defense, I don't think there's a basketball player alive that wouldn't rather be starting. Hell, I came off the bench in high school and absolutely hated it. But, I understood that it was better for the team (incidently, so did Coach Jim Albert). Iverson is a guy who can score in bunches, a guy who can score at absolute will. At this stage in his career he's the perfect player to have coming off the bench, not a guy like Rip Hamilton, someone who needs plays run for him to be effective.

It's one thing to think something. It's another thing to say it out loud. And by doing so, Iverson has tarnished his legacy to a degree.