The Tears Heard ‘Round the World
SportingNews
It’s hard to say what’s a bigger deal: Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia, or the emotional press conference he gave yesterday. Anyone who had thought Philly was a last resort or a gimmick was in for a surprise; same goes for those who believe Iverson’s just cynically out to swindle another team. Unless you think the crying was staged, which I’ve heard from a few grumpy friends, there’s no denying that at least for now, this move makes sense.
For one, you had GM Ed Stefanski stating pretty strongly that Iverson was being brought in to play his game and make an impact. Despite the tricky question of how AI fits into Eddie Jordan’s Princeton scheme, Stefanski said that "No one guaranteed Allen would start here, or that he would play X number of minutes. I didn’t bring him here to add depth, I’m bringing Allen Iverson back here to help us on the court to win basketball games" (via FanHouse).
And then there’s this "new Iverson," or at least the vulnerable, humbled version of what once was the league’s most unapologetic celebrity-athlete. Some may think it’s only for one press conference or bound to fall apart when the actual games get in the way, but at least a few of his former teammates claim that this is the Iverson they’ve known all along.
Eric Snow, the gold-standard for rec ude and honesty in the NBA, told Philly.com that finally, we were all being let in:
"I saw the Allen Iverson that I know. That’s the Allen Iverson I know … "[Outsiders] never really got to know him. He’s not one who’s going to be open to everyone. Most people aren’t. So, you don’t really get to know that side," Snow said. "You’ve got to spend time with Allen Iverson to get to know that side."
"He’s probably more apt to [open up] now," Snow said, "and understands better how to manage that [depth of feeling] than he’s been able to manage it in the past."
So fine, even if Iverson can’t play like he used to, doesn’t really work with the Sixers current coach or cast and is superfluous once rising star Lou Williams returns, there’s this breakthrough, which is as much about us—and for us—as it is Iverson. After a decade of being the athlete least likely to bare his soul, admit mistakes or appear in the least bit sympathetic unless you bought into his rhetoric, Allen Iverson hasn’t just come home. He’s finally made himself accessible. But that’s only part of the equation, because now we might have to try and better understand what Iverson really meant during all those standoff-ish years.
Or not. I guess he owes us this penitence, right? Or maybe, if Allen Iverson’s willing to open up like this and show the world how he really feels about his sport, his past and his adopted hometown, the response might be to give him another look. Iverson can’t make up for all the screw-ups—he said as much—but maybe this is the beginning of the public realizing AI was never a one-dimensional menace.
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