Hendrickson On Iverson

Maxey Featured On

Get more sports at Dish Network Portland

Hendrickson On Iverson

Written by wendell maxey

Saturday, 12 September 2009 00:35

iverson2

He may be gone, but the man still remains rooted in the NBA.

Just weeks ago Brian Hendrickson – the former Blazers beat writer for the Columbian – relocated back to North Carolina with his family, yet has managed to find a new home of sorts writing for SI.com after emailing me about his new gig.

In his first story for SI.com – “Can Iverson Reinvent Himself?” - Hendrickson takes a closer look at the Allen Iverson experiment in Memphis, complete with insight from two league sources who believe Iverson’s “value” could be in “reinventing” himself with the Grizzlies.

"He needs to go there and reinvent himself," an NBA scout said. "We know the guy can play. He can still put up a number every night. I think he's in a good spot. But again, he's got to know his role. It could be perfect for him."

For me, Iverson’s legacy could forever be tied to what happens during his tenure in Memphis. This takes nothing away from his days in Philadelphia, but knowing his time in Denver was mediocre and Detroit was a straight bust, Iverson now has the chance for a major do-over.

But even this – as Hendrickson perfectly put it – only happens if Iverson realizes he is “no longer the Man.”

pic via: media photobucket

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this

Comments (2) Add Comment

Ivy and Zach
written by ucatchtrout, September 12, 2009

Good find. I'm not sure Iverson has the same type of supporting cast in Memphis that he had in Philly. Surely Zach Randolph won't see himself as someone who is there just to complement Iversons game. He is there for his 20 and 10. Coach Hollins will have his hands full trying to avoid a train wreck with these two. And while it seems likely that these two will be competing for the ball and who has the most influence over the youngsters on the team, I believe Alan Iversons real role in Memphis is to sell tickets. He is already doing that.

young and old
written by wmaxeyjr, September 14, 2009

it's gonna be a tough sell either way in memphis.

for the past few seasons, youth has prevailed on that roster so adding some vets makes complete sense, i just don't know if you want to go about it in the way of adding iverson and randolph. maybe you pick one or the other, but it's going to be nothing short of insane if this whole ordeal explodes in chris wallace's face after the gamble he's taking.

Write comment

< Prev		Next >

Featured Writer: Travis Margoni

Coming Soon: Featured writer Travis Margoni brings seven years worth of journalism experience as a writer and editor to Beyond The Beat and will provide at-large coverage on sports across Oregon and at Oregon State University.

Featured Writer: Ben Bradea

timbers_middle

Coming Soon: Featured writer, Ben Bradea - a former sports columnist for the Daily Barometer - goes beyond the beat on the Portland Timbers and Major League Soccer