Allen Iverson. One Of The Greatest To Never Win a Ring, On Purpose.

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

When it's all said and done. Allen Iverson will go down in NBA History, as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he might go down on the list of greatest players to never win a championship. But unlike Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Elgin Baylor, Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, John Stockton, and Karl Malone.

He has a choice. What I mean is that he has a choice to go to a lottery team and be the main guy or go to a contender (or at least almost there) and probably come off the bench. Although Allen has said "he rather retire than come off the bench."
I hear there are two teams who want his services; Memphis and Miami.

Note that these two teams have something in common... They're not championship contenders! Miami is a horrible idea, because there's a 90 percent chance he will come off the bench in a sense of realism. If he were to play along side Dwayne Wade at the same time, it would be like Denver all over again, because both these players need touches. Although Dwayne Wade can be a better facilitator than Iverson if we're talking stat-wise.

Another problem we'd be facing is the development of Mario Chalmers. If things go Iverson's way, Chalmers would come off the bench and who knows how he'll develop like that. But it's very likely Iverson would come off the bench eventually or maybe from the start because I think if they want to win they can't have A.I. and D-Wade on the floor at the same time because one scorer is enough at a time. Because they would prefer Chalmers to develop than Iverson just getting what he wants because Iverson has officially passed his prime at 34 and isn't the same player he was when he won his MVP.

Memphis is just as bad or worse, whichever way you look at it. Memphis doesn't really need Iverson, because that front court is full. Here's the projected starting lineup.

C- Hasheem Thabeet

PF- Zach Randolph

SF- Rudy Gay

SG- O.J. Mayo

PG- Michael Conley

Now on paper, this is a very good starting lineup and having Marc Gasol, Hakim Warrick, and Darrell Arthur coming off the bench. That looks like a very talented team but they can't win because they're young and inexperienced. Iverson can help them by giving them talent and experience but if Memphis is serious about Iverson and Iverson is serious about not coming off the bench, one of two players has to come off the bench.

So pick, Mike Conley or O.J. Mayo. Mike Conley would obviously be the one to come off the bench, but like I said with Miami you can't have Iverson play with O.J. Mayo, Zach Randolph, and Rudy Gay at the same time because they need touches.

For Memphis, the most logical thing to do is make Iverson come off the bench. But you know this is not a real problem because Memphis has nothing to lose in this deal, it's Iverson who should make Memphis happy. The Grizzlies have been losing and losing badly and adding two guys with "interesting" personality's in Iverson and Randolph wouldn't hurt them, besides how can they get worse. But Iverson is not going to get a ring with that team or that attitude.

Out of the teams that are contending, there are different reasons they can't sign him. Because they can't offer him the mid-level, they don't need him, or because they can only make him come off the bench, or all of the above.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?