Allen Iverson
"We in here talkin' about....arthritis"
It was thought that the honeymoon period for Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia would last a few months before the wheels fell off again. As it turns out, the bump generated as a result of Iverson’s second coming lasted even shorter than that. A.I has missed the upset victory in Boston and could be out for another week. This is significant for two reasons:
1) Iverson will have missed almost as many games as he’s played which will raise questions about whether his body is finally breaking down. Particularly as the injury is knee arthritis, which can only be controlled and is not likely to fully heal.
2) If Lou Williams gets his way, the Sixers point-guard will be back before Iverson. PR stunt aside, it was Williams’ broken jaw injury that prompted Ed Stefanski to sign Iverson in the first place
Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson's stunt against the Nets could prove costly
The colourful Knicks guard looks like he’s on his way out of New York. A rumoured feud between Robinson and coach Mike D’Antoni his been simmering for some time now, with the player’s maturity central to it. The incident that sparked it off happened last month in a home game against the Nets, when Robinson took an inbounds pass at his own end with 0.5 seconds left in the first quarter. Instead of just running out the clock, Robinson shot a 3-pointer at his own net, a fraction after the buzzer. Had the shot beaten the buzzer, the Nets would have indeed been awarded 3 points. Since then Robinson has had reduced playing time and has had 8 consecutive “Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision” (DNP-CD). Mike D’Antoni is playing it down to tighter management of the rotation, but Robinson wants out and the team have now agreed to help facilitate a trade but won’t “shop him”.
Dwyane Wade
The second biggest name in the up coming free agency frenzy is once again carrying an injury. The 2005 Finals MVP is suffering from back spasms to go with his banged up wrist. There’s no question that if teams can’t get LeBron this summer, they’ll throw the farm at D-Wade to come join them. But to me the drop-off is considerable in terms of value for money, and it all comes down to health. Look at the regular season games played stats from that 2003 draft class:
Pat Riley will be hoping Wade doesn't over-indulge on the Turkey this week
LeBron James: 499 (games)
Carmelo Anthony: 472
Chris Bosh: 468
Dwyane Wade: 418
Darko Milicic: 345
The Croatian punch line aside, the disparity there is plain to see. Wade has three sub-65 game seasons in his six-year career already. To put that in context, Kobe Bryant has only one sub-65 game season in his thirteen-year career. Could this be down to Pat Riley’s suggestion this week that Wade could spend more time on his conditioning? Ouch.
