I never thought I’d come to quote the white bearded wonder Kenny Rogers, but the words are pretty fitting in regards to Allen Iverson.

“You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”

Is it time for Iverson to “fold ‘em”?

The question didn’t really strike me until after I finished a piece for HOOPSWORLD (“Is Iverson Still Miami Bound?”) about Iverson and the lack of offers he’s fielded since free agency hit on July 1. Teams have shown interest – but certainly not as Iverson thought.

Remember listening to an interview he did from the All-Star Game where he said he was looking forward to this time in his career because it would be the first time he could decide where to go play.

"I love the fact that I have the opportunity to be wherever I want to be," Iverson said back in Phoenix. "At this point, all I want to be is happy. I want to be somewhere where I am happy and somewhere where a team is going to utilize me and get everything out of Allen Iverson."

Here we are seven months later and it’s hard not to think about Iverson hanging them up. You wonder if he’s already gone there himself.

Every great goes through this period.

Muhammad Ali stayed in the ring for one too many fights.  Three of his last four fights ended in losses and his final two bouts – against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick – were sad to watch. And I wasn’t even there. ESPN Classic is proof enough.

Barry Sanders – like Jim Brown before him – went out far too early some would argue, robbing themselves and their fans of greatness on the NFL gridiron.

So what will Iverson’s legacy be? Obviously he’s waiting for the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami HEAT to decide his fate.  But what if they don’t? What if the offer doesn’t come? What if that damn Kenny Rogers was right?

I know Allen wanted to pick his team, but instead he may be choosing retirement before too long.

pic via: espn assets

Comments (1)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment