Hoping “The Answer” Answers His Critics!

What’s up Yard?! I know I’ve been gone for way too long but training camp is upon us and I’ve been real busy! Camp is actually coming to an end and I’ve got my first preseason game tomorrow as my Wizards face the Memphis Grizzlies (who recently signed Allen Iverson aka the Answer)! Since we’re playing against the Answer tomorrow, one issue that my team has brought up is the blatant disrespect that’s been given to him since the end of last season.

I’ve read article after article trashing the Answer. There was one article in which ex-GM Billy King states that the Answer has lost a step and has a questionable jump-shot at best! Upon reading this I was like – “what is he talking about?” Anyone who plays in the NBA knows that the Answer has still got it. If he lost a step, somewhere along the way he found it! I don’t even understand how someone with good basketball intelligence can say that. By the end of the 07-08 season, he averaged over 26 points per game. His season came to an end in May of that year with Denver. What his critics want you to believe is that from then until the end of the 08-09 season, he lost a step? I don’t even think that’s physically possible! What I’m trying to tell you Yard is that in a few months, the Answer did not lose a step, he simply got traded into a less than desirable situation in Detroit. And even then, he didn’t have a great year by his own standards but I don’t think that the 19 points and 7 assists he averaged is something to turn your nose up at!

Here’s the real situation – the Answer has always been a player to go against the establishment and when he finally slipped off his pedestal, everyone that had a problem with him decided to bombard him all at once. Saying things from “he’s a bad teammate” to “he’s not a leader” and things like that. I read one article that said that the Answer was the only thing holding the 76ers back from being a championship level team! From what I saw, he was the only thing holding them back from being a lottery team! He won every award possible from All-Star MVP and scoring champ to league MVP. Somewhere between all of these articles this seems to have been forgotten and left out. I’m hoping that the Answer returns to form and shuts up all of his critics so he can get the proper respect that a future Hall of Famer deserves!

Before I go, I’d like you to know that my blog if officially sponsored by EA Sports now! If you didn’t know, NBA Live 10 comes out tomorrow and I can’t wait to play it! I’m an avid gamer and play Madden more than anything but love NBA Live as well! If you ever go online and want to play me in Madden or NBA Live, my game tag is brhay33!

Aight Yard, I’m out!

B

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• DaBirds717 said October 05, 2009

  You made a philly boy very happy with this post. Iverson carried a mediocre sixers team to the NBA finals and single handedly won game 1 before the combo of Shaq and Kobe kept him from getting the championship he certainly deserves. He has always been fun to watch and given more effort on the court than anyone could ask for. A player needs to be on a team that can utilize his talent best to excel and Detroit wasn't that for him. I hope he returns to the incredible player he has always been.

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• jjisthetruth said October 05, 2009

  wow nice blog, love AI...just hope hes not another great one that never sees a ring.

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  • BrendanHaywood replied October 06, 2009

    jjisthetruth, don't worry about a ring for AI. If he balls out this year and stays out of trouble some championship level team will want him, and then he will get his shot
  • jjisthetruth replied October 06, 2009

    Right team, Right coach and its on
• 1way2play said October 05, 2009

  Gotta say I totally agree with you on this...How soon people forget the impact he had on the league on the court and the style of it, he got crucified for tattoos when he first came to the league and now nobody even notices players ink anymore. He is a major player in the dress code policy too. Every inner city kid and lots of suburban kids wanted to be like A.I. He might be the most influential guy since Jordan

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  • BrendanHaywood replied October 06, 2009

    1way2play, i totally agree!!!! Half of the nba looks up to AI
• speedwell said October 05, 2009

  love AI, but he is this generations dominique wilkins. an amazing player in his prime. bouncing between teams at the end of his career. unlikely to ever win a ring. i hope some contender does him a favor like the heat did for gary payton and the lakes did for mitch richmond.

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  • BrendanHaywood replied October 06, 2009

    speedwell, AI got way more in his tank right now than payton and richmond did at the end of there careers. Dude can still put up 25 a night
  • speedwell replied October 06, 2009

    oh it's not a matter of how much he can score. it's more a matter of how much he dominates the ball, how many steps he's lost on defense, and how much he will add or detract from a team's chemistry. mitch was always a team guy, and gary learned how to bite his tongue to get a ring. AI, well, he is who he is, and he makes no bones about it. still have much love for that guy though.
• Wheelman said October 05, 2009

  Don`t know basketball, but do know human nature. A man makes many friends on his way up the ladder, (and not a few `critics`). Let a man who has dared to voice his own opinions (and I know that Iverson has on many occasions), have a less than stellar season, and those critics will pile on. Its akin to sharks smelling blood in the water, or vultures seeing a wounded critter. He should be grateful that he has a friend and defender in Brendan Haywood. I know I would be. Nice article.

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  • BrendanHaywood replied October 06, 2009

    Thanks wheelman
• Pac10HO said October 06, 2009

  Yeah, Iverson carried the 76ers to the championship round against the Lakers. But the Refs let Fisher beat Iverson to a pulp. Iverson had no team-mates at all. It was one player against a Whole Team. And yes, he won one game by himself. Memba Dat. But now he is older and he needs to come off of the bench. The game has changed. No longer can one player win a game by himself. No longer can a guard dribble the ball all day and then shoot. Now teams have three good scorers and a decent bench. The foreign players brought their Hockey style basketball to the NBA and they shoot the three well. And they are real tall and can shoot the three. So you can see, the game has changed. Iverson is the last of the old Stars. He abused Jordan,Bird,Wilkens,Ewing,Barkley and that era of players. He played well against the best players the NBA ever had. But he messed up too. Nobody could play with him. Every decent player that went to Philly had to play Iverson ball or go to another team. Most players left. So he was good in some respects and terrible in others. It's time to go Iverson, we remember you. He won every award the NBA has except a championship. He will be going into the Hall Of Fame.

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• BrendanHaywood said October 06, 2009

  Pac10HO, you made some good points but what all star level talented players did philly let go of to make room for AI???? Management never found him that complimentary piece to get him over the hump. Even Mj couldn't do it by himself, he needed pippen.

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  • DaBirds717 replied October 06, 2009

    Stackhouse was pretty damn good at that point but they couldn't play together and didn't have long to try. Besides that he had a whole lot of nothing and Mutombo. The Sixers made some terrible trades and draft picks during that time.
• foneal said October 06, 2009

  Hey B,
  
  I've been keep up with you all during training camp and am too excited about the upcoming season. You guys are looking good! Thanks for having AI's back. I too could not understand all of the acrimony being thrown his way. I felt like he was in the wrong place in Detroit and Philly never put the right people around him so that the Sixers could succeed. Hell, he wasted a lot of years there waiting on managment for help, he couldn't very well carry the whole team although he did try. I have always admired Allen's game and I hope he has a break out season with Memphis but I want the Wiz to blow them out :-) Hope you guys have a great season and I will be at the phone booth to as many games as I can afford.
  
  Peace!

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• aznzero said October 06, 2009

  hey bwood!
  do u play nba2K? i like that more than nba live. my gamertag is aznzer0

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• originalbullet said October 08, 2009

  Thanks for defending AI B. I feel like if Gilbert comes back this year and doesn't average 30 points a game the media will try to crucify him like they have AI. point is that any gm or team that says AI has lost a step is still hustling to make up a gameplay just to try and stop HIM if he is going against their team. AI hasn't lost a step, Denver and Detroit just weren't good fits for him. This season or next season im not sure if there is a team that can fit AI needs perfectly, but he is still useful like you said. too bad he didn't sign with larry brown and the bobcats. i mean it couldn't have been because they are a bad team, he signed with the freaking grizzlies.
  
  
  peace out. Brendan can't wait for all the dunks and defense this season.

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• foneal said October 09, 2009

  Hey Brendan, could you please tell Gil to find a way to be serious and be himself! Tell him to no try and quiet the naysayers, they are going to say what they want regardless of his demeanor. Part of his charm and the thing that people like most is his quirkiness. All he has to do is just do him and to heck with the rest. The "REAL" Wiz fans love that about him and the team. This serious stuff is fine and well but don't take it to the point to where it kills his personality. Gil is who he is, love it or leave it. Go Wiz!

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