Memphis Grizzlies Make Offer To Free Agent Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is one of the most high profile NBA free agents left on the market, and several teams have expressed interest in the dynamic guard. On Wednesday, Iverson sent a Twitter update indicating that the Memphis Grizzlies had made him an offer. Later that night, that information was confirmed by Memphis GM Chris Wallace.
Iverson had received the most interest from the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat. Both teams have a lot of upside for ‘The Answer’-the Bobcats are coached by his Larry Brown, whom Iverson played for in Philadelphia. Miami would likely use Iverson in a reserve role-while he bristled at that assignment in Detroit, he’s suggested that he’d be more receptive to it on a contending team.
From a financial standpoint, however, there are problems with both Miami and Charlotte. The Heat is already over the salary cap, and simply doesn’t have the personnel budget to pay Iverson what he could demand elsewhere. Charlotte, meanwhile, is up for sale and for that reason under severe financial constraints. They’d likely be able to offer Iverson a short term deal with the prospect for renegotiation later, but that may not be something he’s interested in.
Memphis, meanwhile, has $3.5 million dollars of free space under the salary cap. They could easily outbid either Miami or Charlotte, and would also make Iverson the focal point of the team. GM Wallace confirmed that they’d made a formal offer to “AI”:
“We’re heading into the home stretch before the season, and we have had interest in Allen all summer. We’ve been in touch on a fairly consistent basis and had dialogue with his agent, Leon Rose, since the beginning of free agency. We’ll probably add another guard at some point, but we don’t need to rush to do it.”
The enigmatic Iverson appeared in only 57 games for the Nuggets and Pistons due to injury and averaged a career-low 17.5 points per game. Iverson remains one of the most potent scoring threats in the sport and his willingness to play through injuries that would land most NBA players on the disabled list has made him a fan favorite. And that might be the crux of his appeal in Memphis-on a team going nowhere Iverson will put butts in the seats and get the local community excited about the Grizzles which is something that they’ve been unable to do with any regularity.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Indiana Pacers Danny Granger Breaks Out
The 2008-2009 basketball season brought us the breakout of a little known player to those not adamant about the NBA.
The Indiana Pacers’ Danny Granger had a breakout season, and put himself on the map as one of the best players in the NBA. Few people realize this, as the Indiana Pacers are a below average team that gets little coverage.
Granger’s scoring averages have increased every year since he has been in the league since 04′. 08′-09′ Granger was fifth in scoring at 25.1 points per game – look for another year similar this season as well.
The Pacers have a young team with a good upside. The defense was their death blow last season giving up more points then they could score. More emphasis needs to be put on defense; we know the team can score.
His three point shooting was exceptional, as Granger averaged 2.7 three pointers made per game, and shot at a percentage that exceeded 40 percent. The Indiana Pacers were thrilled with this production and made it clear throughout the course of the season.
The Pacers did draft former college player of the year Tyler Hansbrough – what impact he will have in his rookie year in unknown. What Hansbrough lacks in skill he makes up for it in hustle.
Unfortunately for Pacer fans, he can’t do it all on his own. He’s a great player to build the team around, but they need some serious help defensively. This team can score points, but there’s no way to go deep with a weak defense.
The Pacers should win more then 36 games this upcoming season. The Pacers have a chance at the 8th or 7th seed even if everyone plays up to their potential and the defense improves. Granger should have an all-star season and be among the leaders in scoring once again.
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The Atlanta Hawks Look to Make Strides in ’09-’10 Season
The Atlanta Hawks were a good team in the 08′-09′ season. The Hawks were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers – this would suggest the Hawks are yet to take the leap into one of the better Eastern Conference teams.
The Hawks finished with a 47-35 record season and defeated the Miami Heat in the first round in 7 games.
The 08′ playoffs against the Boston Celtics proved that the Atlanta Hawks were on the rise and should compete for the Eastern Conference Championship in the near future.
The Hawks did improve on their previous season – many feel the Hawks took a step backwards in 09′. Not being able to win 50 games in the Eastern Conference isn’t very impressive by many accounts. If a team is a serious playoff threat -winning 50 games should be accomplished.
Joe Johnson is – while a very good player – must be put in the same sentence as Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwight Howard as one of the best players in the game if the Hawks expect to do anything this season. Joe Johnson averaged 22 points per game – Johnson must be more aggressive and average 24-25 points per game because the Hawks go in scoring droughts.
Rounding out the team are other valuable pieces, which include the ever so talented Josh Smith, point guard Mike Bibby, newly acquired Jamal Crawford, rookie Jeff Teague, and others.
The Eastern Conference has many championship quality teams such as the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers should be improved.
Coming out of the East won’t be easy and the Hawks will have to fight and claw their way through the upcoming season.
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