Iverson Not The Answer for Detroit

Allen Iverson despises practice.

Anyone who follows sports even casually remembers Iverson’s classic rant to the media bemoaning his disdain for pre-game preparation.

“I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re in here talkin’ about practice,” the then Philadelphia 76er said. “Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin’ about practice.”

This came after Iverson, the team’s leader and one of the faces of the league skipped out on, you guessed it, a mandatory team practice and was disciplined by coach Larry Brown.

“How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing?”

That was 2002, and this is 2008, but we are still talking about the same Allen Iverson.

The Detroit Pistons acquired “The Answer” in a trade with the Denver Nuggets, parting ways with long time point-man and consistent clutch player Chuancey Billups. Detroit also gave up big man Antonio McDyess in the deal.

Iverson’s numbers put him among the most prolific scorers in the history of the game. He is undeniably one of the most talented players in the league. But that does not mean that The Answer is the right answer for a Pistons team hoping to get over the top and take the step from contender to champion.

Even if his attitude has improved from the days of wondering why practice is so important, Iverson has always been more concerned with the name on the back of the jersey than the one on the front. More importantly, he lacks the one thing that truly defines greatness: a championship.

His team-second attitude does not mesh with the ideals that have defined the Pistons franchise for the last decade. The Pistons have been a collection of talented players who come together and play well as a team. There are fiery personalities and big egos yes, but they are always able to keep the team’s goals first. It is a mindset that has propelled the team to six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

It also helped them earn a Confernce title in 2005, and a Championship in 2004. But the rings have run dry since then, and the Pistons hope Iverson’s knack to find the net can return them to the winners circle.

In his career, Iverson averages 27.7 points per game with 6.3 assists. Put that next to Billups’ 14.8 points and 5.5 assists and it seems like a no-brainer.

But there is more to winning than flashy numbers. Just ask Alex Rodriguez, or Dan Marino. They will go down in history in their sports among the greatest individual athletes to play their positions. Marino will never get a ring. And A-Rod, much like Iverson, is still trying to mesh individual success with team results. Until they can find a way to do this, they will never be remembered as winning players.

Perhaps the change of scenery and the sunset on the horizon of his career becoming visible will motivate Iverson to put his new teammates first and help him grab that elusive ring.

But playing in the same conference as the three-headed monster that is the Boston Celtics is a serious road-block to achieving a conference title, and Iverson will have to do more than practice to knock off the defending champs.

In fact, Detroit fell to Boston Sunday night. This after they lost to the lowly New Jersey Nets in Iverson’s debut last week. The Pistons are 0-2 since nabbing Iverson, and while they certainly won’t go winless for the rest of the year, it could be a bad omen of things to come.

Only time will tell whether or not Iverson fits in with the Pistons’ system. But it doesn’t take time to realize that you can’t teach winning. Chauncey Billups knows how to win. Allen Iverson doesn’t.

The answer seems obvious. Detroit made the wrong decision.

--Phil DiMartino