Andre Iguodala Continues the Philadephia 76ers' "A.I." Woes

The initials “A” and “I” are uttered as one, and immediately Philadelphia 76ers fans are brought joy.

Recollections of the spectacular and always entertaining Allen Iverson still reign within recent memory.

Coincidentally, as the torch from the Iverson era dimmed, Sixers fans welcomed a new A.I. This new A.I. showed promise with dazzling dunks and stellar defense. The flame from that nearly forgotten torch was rekindled last season, but now fans are feeling burned by Andre Iguodala.

Now, it would be completely unfair to compare or expect the new A.I. to be in the same stratosphere as No. 3. But seriously, he can’t do any better than this?

With an $80 MILLION contract you are at the very least supposed to compete for the All-Star team. Matter of fact they should make it a clause in a contract that hefty: “You must score over 15 points a game, and be deserving of a berth on the All-Star ballot.” (General managers, take note.)

So far this year, Iguodala’s contract has made Wally Szczerbiak’s deal look like the contract of the century.

The obvious answer behind his struggles would be the chemistry that has or has not been developed between newcomer Elton Brand and Iguodala. Last season “Iggy” was the go to guy all year for the Sixers. Now things have changed, and “EB” is the one faced with the double teams.

All players on the Sixers, not just Iguodala, tend to stand around once Brand gets the ball in the post. We need more of that slashing attitude from Iguodala, where Brand can hit him going to the hoop. Over time, I believe this issue will be less and less prevalent.

Could the reason for his diminished play simply come from a position change? Last season, Iguodala started all 82 games, plus six in the playoffs, as the Sixers' small forward. With the acquisition of Elton Brand and the emergence of Thad Young as an absolute B-E-A-S-T, Iguodala was moved to the two spot in the offseason.

Sorry, but that is a weak-ass excuse. He is a 6'6" man who is athletic and talented enough to be able to cover multiple positions. His responsibilities have remained the same for the most part. Maybe we should just label him a “guard” because he definitely can’t shoot this season.

A concrete reason for the new A.I.’s struggles has been his shooting. Iguodala has never had a beautiful jumper, but last year he managed to shoot 46 percent while shooting almost 16 times per game. This year, he is managing to shoot just over 41 percent on just 12 shots a game.

Not only has his field-goal percentage dipped, but his three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, and steals per game have dropped as well. He is scoring a measly 13.7 points a game. Could it be that with $80 million, Andre spent more time over the summer living luxuriously than developing a luxurious jump shot? It is unknown. One thing that we do know is that more consistency from Iguodala is needed.

The main concern I have with Andre Iguodala is that he has lost a lot of his aggression. He is settling for those jumpers, even though they have not been too friendly to him. Take the ball to the rim young fellow, and work magic there. This season Iguodala is averaging nearly two less free-throw attempts per game. This is an obvious sign that the fire just is not there.

Is he content with being a third banana on the Sixers? Is he thrilled with his contract, and feels like he doesn’t have to try as hard? Will he develop a consistent jump shot? Will the Sixers as a team develop better chemistry? All are legitimate questions that should soon be answered.

Andre Iguodala will never be the player Allen Iverson was. But hey, at least this A.I. goes to practice!