Bleacher Report - Charlotte Bobcats

Larry Brown: Allen Iverson Needs You

Dwyane Montell — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:05:15 -0500

Allen Iverson is officially out of options.

The New York Knicks even turned him down. It is amazing how delusional the GM's and executives are in the NBA. They don't want to sign a player who can still average 25-30 points per game and carry a team to the playoffs if he is in the right situation. They say Iverson is a distraction and that they think he stunts the younger players growth.

What they really think is that he is a thug who is selfish and a brat. What they don't know is that he is one of the nicest players in the league and has matured a lot since he was 23. They don't know he does the most charity in the league and that he is a family man.

They see the cornrows, tattoos and the baggy clothes and get scared or think that he is a thug. They think Iverson is a brat and a distraction because he says things that they don't like.

They don't understand that Iverson isn't a push over and he won't take a back seat to anyone if he knows and the whole world knows he is better than the player ahead of him. He is the realest player in the league and he speaks his mind everytime and people think he is selfish because of that.

Yeah he has done some bad things in his life that have lead people to think he is a bad person, but all these league executives see are the negative articles. Everyone wants to read about how the scary guy with cornrows and tattoos is getting into trouble or is destroying a team. These people know that only negative Allen Iverson articles sell.

It definitely isn't his basketball ability that is preventing him from getting on a team; he is arguably one of the top 25 players of all-time. He is one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game and currently only Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan have accomplished more things in this league than him.

He is a 10 time all-star and two time all-star game MVP as well as the 2001 League MVP. Iverson was the 1996 Rookie of the year and has four scoring titles. He averages 27 ppg for his career and 6.2 apg and 30 ppg in the playoffs for his career which is second all-time.

Iverson has 24,020 points and over 5,500 assists. In 2001, he single handedly took the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. His best assets were Eric Snow and Aaron McKie. There has not been a less talented team in the Finals.

My point is Iverson's resume speak for itself, and if anyone is saying he is not getting signed because of his basketball abilities they are crazy.

A career like that deserves to end in a good way. When Iverson was with Denver his goal was to win a ring and complete his resume. He was shipped to Detroit and people said he needed to shoot less shots and not dominate the ball as much. Iverson did just that.

He took a career low 14 shots and played a career low 27 mpg while touching the ball only four times a quarter—major sacrifice if you ask me. He still managed to average 17.5 ppg and make the all-star team but people said he washed up and said he should come off the bench. In the summer, teams showed no interest in Iverson and he had to sign with Memphis. Everybody knows how that went.

Now Larry Brown, the one coach who knew how to coach Iverson the right way, is calling teams telling them to sign Iverson. Iverson and Brown had major problems when they were together in Philly. Brown figured out how to make the Sixers a winner and constructed a team around Iverson; they went to the Finals in 2001.

Larry Brown, currently coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, is calling teams and telling them Iverson would be a good fit for them —but nobody is listening.

One thing I don't get is if Brown thinks Iverson is still a good fit, why doesn't he just sign Iverson to his team? Everybody wanted Iverson to sign with the Bobcats in the offseason and thought it would be a good situation for both sides. The Bobcats would get a scorer and Iverson would be on a team where he can prove to everybody that he was still a great player.

But Larry Brown said there would not be enough play time for Iverson because he already has four guards. Those guards are: DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Raymond Felton and Flip Murray. All four guys are not better than Iverson and have not accomplished much in the league. If Larry Brown cares so much about Iverson, why can't he just trade one of those players and sign Iverson?

Iverson may be forced to retire; Larry Brown can save this from happening. Brown is the only coach in the NBA who understands how to coach Iverson and he may be the only one who thinks he still can play at a high level.

Brown should trade one of those four guards and have a three guard rotation with Iverson, with Iverson playing at least 35 mpg. With him, the Bobcats could make the playoffs.

Iverson, Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson, Tyson Chandler and Gerald Wallace would make a great starting line up and Iverson could be the go to guy while Jackson could be the second option. If Iverson likes his role, which he probably will if he gets the minutes, then the Bobcats would not have any problems.

Allen Iverson's career may just be ending and when we look back on it five to 10 years from now there is always going to be that dark ending to it. Larry Brown saved Iverson's career in 2001 when nobody wanted to trade for him, and now he has the chance to save it in 2009 when nobody wants him.

Allen Iverson is the "answer" for the Bobcats and Larry Brown is the "answer" for Iverson.

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Why the Charlotte Bobcats Should Sign Allen Iverson

Edward Kendralla — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:39:21 -0500

I know what most people are saying about Allen Iverson. Stick a fork in him. He's done. He has a bad attitude. He is unwilling to accept his skills have diminished.

I can't argue with most of that. He is at the end of his NBA career. No doubt. His small frame played too hard and took too much of a beating the first 10 years in the league for him to continue to play at the level that he expects of himself. But I still think he can play at least this year and probably next, but for who?. Right now there is only one team that makes sense: the Charlotte Bobcats.

Give me a second to put my Hubie Brown hat on...okay ready.

So you're the Bobcats. You are a 3-7 team filled with overpaid role players. You have no shot at winning the title this year or in the foreseeable future. You play decent defense but have more trouble scoring than the Cleveland Browns (okay that might be a little harsh).

You struggle to fill the seats because you are not a good team or have anybody worth watching. You just acquired Steven Jackson which makes you a little better at scoring and a little interesting, but still pretty boring. Enter Allen Iverson.

So where does Iverson fit in? Well he could come in and start, not only to make him happy but also allow Steven Jackson to move to his natural three position. Their lineup is now Felton, Iverson, Jackson, Wallace, and Chandler. They can bring Diaw, Murray, Augustine, and Mohammed off the bench. Suddenly you have a competitive team with a little bit of depth.

It can work. Iverson will be comfortable with his former coach Larry Brown and can serve to a mentor to Charlotte's one young asset in D.J. Augustine. The last three spots in the East will be wide open. I'm not going to make any predictions, but I do know with Iverson they would be better and at least have a chance at the playoffs. Something no one could say at the beginning of the season.

So again, Iverson is not going to make Charlotte an NBA title contender. But really how many teams are? I would say seven at most. But what Iverson does do it give the Charlotte fans a reason to go to the games and makes them competitive. They won't be great, but they will definitely be interesting.

And in the NBA, if you can't be great, well then you might as well be interesting.

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Pivot Points: Stephen Jackson Offers More of the Same for Bobcats

Hadarii Jones — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:27:55 -0500

Forgive me if I'm not impressed, but as a Charlotte native I've seen this played out before; in fact it involved the very same teams.

Much ado about nothing has been made over the trade that took place between the Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors that sent Stephen Jackson to the Queen City in exchange for Raja Bell.

Acie Law and Vladamir Radmonivich were also included in the deal, but what it boils down to are the principle players, Jackson and Bell; and I must say at the end of the day it won't help either team.

In fact, for Charlotte residents, it must feel like déjà vu considering Jackson is only the latest player from the Warriors who was supposed to be the piece the Bobcats needed to propel them to their first-ever playoffs.

A few years ago Charlotte made a trade for Jason Richardson and Bobcat fans rejoiced. Richardson was the offensive threat Charlotte lacked; a player able to get his own shot who was also the deep threat they sorely needed.

Sound familiar? It should, because that's exactly how Jackson is being received now; and to be honest this may be a worse deal than the Richardson misadventure.

At least Richardson was a team player who didn't mind being part of a scheme, while Jackson has ultimately been a headache for almost every team that has been unfortunate enough to employ his services.

For a young Bobcats team, Jackson has the potential to be a greater cancer than he ended up being in Golden State. He's not exactly the nurturing type; and while the Warriors were inundated with talent, that's not the case in Charlotte.

The Warriors are a pitiful bunch, but at least they're entertaining to watch. Even though they'll probably lose, they'll keep it interesting—and are able to score points in bunches.

No such luxury exists in Charlotte where the Bobcats lose often and ugly. They're so bad on the offensive end they're in danger of becoming one of the worst offensive teams in NBA history.

I can't even remember the last time the Bobcats were able to crack the century mark—and it's not like they sacrifice offense in order to concentrate on defense; they happen to be inept on both ends of the floor.

The only area they excel in is quotes from coach Larry Brown, who must be running out of phrases to explain the many different ways his team finds to lose games.

Think I'm exaggerating? Charlotte is dead last in points scored per game, last in field goal percentage, and reside near the bottom in every other offensive category of note.

The defensive side is a little better, but I tend to drift to the theory Charlotte's offensive ineptitude is contagious and other teams find themselves playing as bad as the 'Cats when they have the ball.

Which brings me full circle to this point: Jackson's irritation in Golden State was evident and he played in an offense where he was able to score points in bushels. He also had one of the most laid back coaches outside of Los Angeles in Don Nelson. Why then would he be happy in Charlotte?

With the Bobcats he must deal with Larry Brown, who has a reputation of being a stern coach. He would also be playing in an offense that is currently challenging for the worst field goal percentage in NBA history. Is it likely he wants to be part of that?

Team owner Bob Johnson and President Michael Jordan may be one of the worst managing duos in the league, but this deal has the potential to be their Waterloo.

In the short time the Bobcats have been in Charlotte they've managed to alienate the entire state of North Carolina and everyone except the most avid fans of basketball.

I'm a resident of Charlotte, and Bleacher Report would have a hard time paying me to cover the Bobcats as a Featured Columnist. Yet, I digress, and I guess if I'm honest the news isn't all bad.

In Golden State, the Warriors will be getting a good defensive player in Raja Bell who is more than willing to stick to the status quo. In Radmonovich, they get a power forward who believes that he's a shooting guard.

I guess I should be honest about the Bobcats end of the deal as well, because the Jason Richardson deal wasn't all bad for the 'Cats.

Charlotte, after realizing Richardson wasn't going to work out, was able to deal him to Phoenix for Boris Diaw, who has become arguably the second-best player on the Bobcats' team.

My only hope is that after this trade blows up in Michael Jordan's face he is able to make a similar deal for the soon-to-be disgruntled again Stephen Jackson.

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Stephen Jackson to Charlotte Bobcats: 'Cats Now Set to Compete For Eighth

Alex Roberts — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:33:22 -0500

After ten million trades involving 126 different players, 17 ball boys, 12 gallons of Gatorade, and the the draft rights to both of Michael Jordan's sons...the Charlotte Bobcats have the roster that Larry Brown wants.

Introducing the 40,000th starting reiteration of the Charlotte Bobcats:

PG- Raymond Felton

SG- Stephen Jackson

SF- Gerald Wallace

PF- Boris Diaw

C- Tyson Chandler

Stephen Jackson provides the Bobcats with exactly what they needed to compete, an aggressive scorer. He averaged over twenty points a game last year, and is averaging close to 17 points per game this year.

Charlotte gives up the disappointing Raja Bell and the equally disappointing Vladamir Radmonivic.

Jackson provides Charlotte more size as well, as his 6'8" frame will fit in nicely. However, Charlotte doesn't run the wide open style of offense that Jackson is used to, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in.

Taking on Jackson's three-year, $38 million contract means that you get a productive player for a little over $12.5 million a year. However, Charlotte has effectively pulled itself from the 2010 races for LeBron and Co., a race it really had no chance in, anyway.

This should make the Bobcats a more well-rounded team, and should have them competing for the eighth spot in the playoffs.

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Breaking News: Warriors Trade Stephen Jackson to Bobcats

Taylor Smith — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:26:38 -0500

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Golden State Warriors have traded forward Stephen Jackson and guard Acie Law IV to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for guard Raja Bell and forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

Prior to the season, Jackson voiced his displeasure with his situation in Golden State publicly, saying he'd like to be traded to Cleveland or one of the three teams in Texas, his home state.

Jackson has been feuding with Warriors coach Don Nelson for quite some time now, and it comes as no surprise that they were seeking to oblige to his trade request.

The Bobcats are hoping Jackson can cure their offensive woes.

Charlotte averages an NBA-worst 82 points per game, and its record stands at 3-6.

It can be presumed that Jackson will step in and be the number one option for the Bobcats, alongside Gerald Wallace on the wing.

So far, the guy formerly known as "Captain Jack" is averaging about 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds per game.

For Golden State, this trade eliminates a major headache, while also bringing in a defensive specialist in Bell and a three-point shooting big man in Radmanovic.

Will Jackson be happy having been traded to a team just hoping to be able to sneak into the playoffs?

We'll see.

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