Coach Moreau, who is the director of basketball for the Pro Training Center at IMG Academies, breaks down the latest chatter surrounding Iverson. Here’s an excerpt from Moreau’s column at HOOPSWORLD:
There is no questioning Iverson’s talent and ability. In fact, I have used him often in video study in teaching players how to play one-on-one off the dribble. His quick changes of speed and direction, his low to the floor body position, his fearless drives into the paint – he can still be mesmerizing with the ball in his hands.
But, that’s exactly what makes him a nightmare to play with; he dominates the ball and keeps his teammates guessing as to what he will do and when he will do it. And it’s clear after his most recent stints in Denver and Detroit that he has to be managed, not coached. On top of that, he is not much of a contributor if the ball isn’t in his hands.
This is why no one was standing outside his door at 12:01 am at the start of free agency.
Statistically, in 13 NBA seasons Iverson has shot more than 42% from the field only four times. He is a career 31% three-point shooter. He shot 41% for Detroit this year, and 28% from three. For a guy who gets to the line as much as he does, he is a mediocre foul shooter at 78% for his career. And he has a career assist to turnover ratio of less than 2-to-1.
That means lots of shots for him, whether they go in or not. That means offensive sets being abandoned, options being unused, and teammates being left as spectators. You guys who say you want him on your NBA team would hate him on your team at the park. He would freeze you out, shoot you out of games, and you would have to sit for an hour to get back in, while he gets to keep playing as the next team picks him up.
I, for one, think we’ve seen the last of Iverson. The Clippers and Grizzlies are the only teams that have expressed legitimate interest in the ‘01 MVP, and four-time scoring leader. Though it should be noted that neither team appears willing to offer him a starting spot. Iverson says he wants to continue playing in the NBA, but after his disastrous stint with the Pistons, few NBA executives believe he’ll agree to come off the bench.
