A series of misfortunate trades or why A.I. is on his back

This isn`t right.

Allen Iverson was the man in Philly, giving the NBA, fans and basically the whole world something to enjoy. Whether it was scoring, picking pockets or making fancy passes, Iverson pretty much deserved his own top 10 each night he played. No wonder he inspired a whole generation of kids wanting nothing else but growing up to be `like Iverson`. When you think about it, he was the whole deal. He had game, tremendous upsides, was fun to watch, had the cool shoe deal, was equally defying rules (those of the NBA or of the public opinion in general) as much as he was setting his own. His image was something you can relate to, something for you to hate, something for you to love. The choice was yours – he was the answer to whatever question you may have.

Things changed. There never was that sublime, coveted combination of Melo & A.I. There were times when things seemed to be working out just fine, were one would really think that both of them are just about the turn the corner and make the best duo of all time – not only scoring-wise, but being able to make up for each other’s weaknesses and make each other’s strengths ultimate. Neat, but that never did actually happen. To me, putting the blame and trying to figure out what was not ticking is pointless. The next chapter was inevitable, the revival of the Nuggets just never happened.

So things changed again. Stunned, shocked, deeply surprised, awed but also wondering, pondering, questioning – I was all that on the day Iverson went to Detroit. After giving it some thought (and a couple of afterthoughts), Iverson was giving a real contender a real shot at a title at – probably – the last opportunity for this group to get one more. He is a real scorer, a real threat, a real go-to guy, really invaluable down the line. There’s thing about reality, you know, it’s a wonderful bundle of surprises. Iverson never adjusted to the Pistons. Or the Pistons never adjusted to Iverson. Anyway you put it, the facts are that the only way Iverson can help Detroit is leaving via free agency this summer. Right now, looking at their record, A.I. is on his back, and it’s a bad back at that, whereas the Pistons have been bouncing around in a permanent mind storm, trying to adjust/change/adopt/accommodate/assimilate/figure out a new way to play with Allen in the starting line-up (or coming of the bench).

It just makes no sense.

It’s futile. Moreover, it’s pointless.

Things done changed. Let’s move on. I used to think Iverson was a cat, never landing on his back. Right now, I hope he can jump up like one and move on. Because right now, it’s not Detroit where he belongs to. It’s nobody’s fault. It`s just a series of misfortunate trades. And Iverson is the star. Just not the type of star we are all used to.

One sight I definitely miss.