ducks
09-27-2003, 12:05 PM
At first glance, Allen Iverson's new four-year, $76 million contract extension might seem like an easy call for the Sixers. Iverson is a top 10 NBA player and a fan favorite. Why not sign him now and prevent him from leaving as a free agent in two years?
But the Sixers are taking something of a gamble here. Iverson will be 30 years old when the four-year extension kicks in for the 2005-06 season, an age when many small, high-scoring guards begin to slow down (see chart at right). Unlike John Stockton or Mark Jackson, Iverson relies mainly on his quickness and explosiveness.
How much longer can Iverson keep hurtling his 6-foot frame into all those NBA sequoias in the paint? How much longer will those knees provide him the jet blast needed to get around defenders? When will all those minor injuries he's accumulated over the years start to take a toll?
Starting with the '05-06 season, Iverson will receive $16.4 million, $18.3 million, $20.1 million and $21.9 million over the remaining four years. At that point, he will be almost 34 years old. The Sixers can only pray he'll still be breaking Father Time's ankles when he's collecting those paychecks.
Rockets center Yao Ming, currently playing for his national team in China, caused a bit of a stir overseas recently when he said he was feeling worn out. One report quoted a team doctor as saying the 7-foot-5 phenom was showing symptoms of high blood pressure. A Chinese Basketball Association official quickly shot down the reports (wink, wink), but new Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has to be wondering.
Yao has been playing with the national team since Houston's season ended in April. (He's currently leading China in the Asian Olympic qualifier, and is expected to miss the start of Rockets training camp). Given how tired he appeared down the stretch in Houston last season, it seems fair to wonder if the 23-year-old star will be fresh for this year's NBA campaign.
Then again, who knows how much credence one can put in news from China? Earlier this summer it was widely reported there that Yao had suffered a broken cheekbone during a scrimmage with the national team. When nervous Rockets officials inquired, they learned he had merely suffered a cut eyebrow that required eight stitches.
Former Pacers coach Isiah Thomas still hasn't recovered from the disappointment of his abrupt firing last month. "I still don't know exactly why Larry Bird did not at least give me a chance to work together," Thomas recently told the Chicago Sun-Times. "If [Pacers CEO] Donnie Walsh didn't want me to be coach, he could have promoted me to general manager and let me hire Rick Carlisle," he said. "But now that they've done things this way, I hope they hold Rick Carlisle up to the same high standards they had for me."
Thomas also said he was surprised not to receive a call from Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson. The Bobcats are seeking a GM to help put together their expansion franchise, a role Thomas performed with the Raptors. "Everything they're having to do in getting a franchise off the ground, I've already done," he said.
Thomas saved his most pointed statements, however, for friend and former Indiana coach Bob Knight, whom he said has yet to call him since his firing. "I've heard from everybody but him," Thomas said. "That surprises us, and it hurts a little, too. When he was in trouble, I was always there for them. I called him to encourage him. I gave interviews defending him and supporting him. I'm very disappointed in him. Maybe I ought to call him and cuss him out. I thought for sure he'd be there for me like I've always been there for him."
Why the fuss over Cavs coach Paul Silas' recent comments that LeBron James would not start the season at point guard? Though Silas might have hinted at it after summer league, he had previously said he wouldn't put that pressure on the kid right away. It's foolish to expect any 18-year-old, even one as gifted as James, to learn an entire NBA offense in a month, let alone develop the timing and court sense needed to get his teammates into the proper sets.
James eventually will play some point guard this season, but not until he gets comfortable with the NBA game. In the meantime, Silas will use James to initiate the offense from the forward position, the way he used Jamal Mashburn in New Orleans. With such a young team, Silas is likely to turn to veteran Kevin Ollie (signed to a five-year, $15 million contract) to handle the point duties -- at least at the start.
James, by the way, is already the subject of a new book. King James: Believe the Hype -- the LeBron James Story will hit bookstores Oct. 10, three days after James makes his pro debut in an exhibition game at Detroit. Written by Ryan Jones, a senior editor at SLAM magazine, it's a look back at James' final high school season and his rise to becoming the No. 1 pick in last June's NBA Draft.
But the Sixers are taking something of a gamble here. Iverson will be 30 years old when the four-year extension kicks in for the 2005-06 season, an age when many small, high-scoring guards begin to slow down (see chart at right). Unlike John Stockton or Mark Jackson, Iverson relies mainly on his quickness and explosiveness.
How much longer can Iverson keep hurtling his 6-foot frame into all those NBA sequoias in the paint? How much longer will those knees provide him the jet blast needed to get around defenders? When will all those minor injuries he's accumulated over the years start to take a toll?
Starting with the '05-06 season, Iverson will receive $16.4 million, $18.3 million, $20.1 million and $21.9 million over the remaining four years. At that point, he will be almost 34 years old. The Sixers can only pray he'll still be breaking Father Time's ankles when he's collecting those paychecks.
Rockets center Yao Ming, currently playing for his national team in China, caused a bit of a stir overseas recently when he said he was feeling worn out. One report quoted a team doctor as saying the 7-foot-5 phenom was showing symptoms of high blood pressure. A Chinese Basketball Association official quickly shot down the reports (wink, wink), but new Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has to be wondering.
Yao has been playing with the national team since Houston's season ended in April. (He's currently leading China in the Asian Olympic qualifier, and is expected to miss the start of Rockets training camp). Given how tired he appeared down the stretch in Houston last season, it seems fair to wonder if the 23-year-old star will be fresh for this year's NBA campaign.
Then again, who knows how much credence one can put in news from China? Earlier this summer it was widely reported there that Yao had suffered a broken cheekbone during a scrimmage with the national team. When nervous Rockets officials inquired, they learned he had merely suffered a cut eyebrow that required eight stitches.
Former Pacers coach Isiah Thomas still hasn't recovered from the disappointment of his abrupt firing last month. "I still don't know exactly why Larry Bird did not at least give me a chance to work together," Thomas recently told the Chicago Sun-Times. "If [Pacers CEO] Donnie Walsh didn't want me to be coach, he could have promoted me to general manager and let me hire Rick Carlisle," he said. "But now that they've done things this way, I hope they hold Rick Carlisle up to the same high standards they had for me."
Thomas also said he was surprised not to receive a call from Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson. The Bobcats are seeking a GM to help put together their expansion franchise, a role Thomas performed with the Raptors. "Everything they're having to do in getting a franchise off the ground, I've already done," he said.
Thomas saved his most pointed statements, however, for friend and former Indiana coach Bob Knight, whom he said has yet to call him since his firing. "I've heard from everybody but him," Thomas said. "That surprises us, and it hurts a little, too. When he was in trouble, I was always there for them. I called him to encourage him. I gave interviews defending him and supporting him. I'm very disappointed in him. Maybe I ought to call him and cuss him out. I thought for sure he'd be there for me like I've always been there for him."
Why the fuss over Cavs coach Paul Silas' recent comments that LeBron James would not start the season at point guard? Though Silas might have hinted at it after summer league, he had previously said he wouldn't put that pressure on the kid right away. It's foolish to expect any 18-year-old, even one as gifted as James, to learn an entire NBA offense in a month, let alone develop the timing and court sense needed to get his teammates into the proper sets.
James eventually will play some point guard this season, but not until he gets comfortable with the NBA game. In the meantime, Silas will use James to initiate the offense from the forward position, the way he used Jamal Mashburn in New Orleans. With such a young team, Silas is likely to turn to veteran Kevin Ollie (signed to a five-year, $15 million contract) to handle the point duties -- at least at the start.
James, by the way, is already the subject of a new book. King James: Believe the Hype -- the LeBron James Story will hit bookstores Oct. 10, three days after James makes his pro debut in an exhibition game at Detroit. Written by Ryan Jones, a senior editor at SLAM magazine, it's a look back at James' final high school season and his rise to becoming the No. 1 pick in last June's NBA Draft.