What Is Your Final Answer

It has been nine years since Allen Iverson played on the NBA's biggest stage. There was a time when Iverson controlled the league and was greeted like a god when he arrived in NBA cities. Iverson was the second most dominate player in the NBA, the first being the Big Homie, from 1999 - 2006 and now he is a 6 foot guard looking for redemption in what seems to be the wrong places.

Today it seems more people loathe A.I. then love the small enigma. Teams have decided to pass on the man who once told Michael Jordan he "could get it" like everyone else. Forgotten are the four straight games of 40 or more points and the back to back 50 point playoff games against Toronto. Remembered is the whole practice fiasco. Forgotten is the heart that he played with and the fearlessness he displayed night in and night out.  

As the speculation mounts about where Iverson will end up, the truth is it has already ended for the Answer. The same shoulders that were so capable of carrying a franchise seem to slight to carry anything but his patented throwbacks. Cleveland looked promising for a while but they seem to believe Mo Williams will bounce back and play big in the playoffs, he won't. The Lakers with Farmer and Brown are set to transition from Fisher and do not need or want him, makes sense. The Clippers have enough guards and to the Grizzlies he probably has said "child please." The Heat are coming up short on everything from playing time (Chalmers will start), championship goals (again child please), and pure happiness. Barring any last minute moves by Cleveland Iverson will end up in Charlotte with LB and play out his final days getting the Bobcats to the playoffs.

Iverson stated he just wants to be happy at this point in his career. He also reiterated his desire for a ring but it is second to his desire to just be happy. Once the Bobcats get their ownership situation resolved look for Iverson to sign on. Will he ever dominate again, probably not. However, it appears he is not concerned with being A.I. or the Answer anymore rather just giving what he has left to a game that has given him so much. 

These are the last days for the little cat who rejuvenated a basketball city and made them relevant again. A.I. will look odd and at of place in a Bobcats uniform, just as he did in a Pistons uniform and a Nuggets uniform. Iverson will give the Bobcats some credibility and notoriety, and shortly thereafter call it a career. He will leave behind a legacy filled with individual achievements that will never be duplicated. The sun is setting on the Answer and the only question left is how much longer before nightfall.