Posted on by Dal
Allen Iverson fears nothing - least of all, age.
The Sixers' spectacular guard, arguably the greatest little man in NBA history, turned 30 on June 7. For some players that birthday marked the beginning of their decline.
No one has been able to catch Iverson, but ultimately Father Time will. The questions for The Answer are: When will he lose a step, and can he adjust his penetration-oriented game to continue at a high level?
Test of time
By DAN DUNKIN
phillyBurbs.com
Allen Iverson fears nothing - least of all, age.
The Sixers' spectacular guard, arguably the greatest little man in NBA history, turned 30 on June 7. For some players that birthday marked the beginning of their decline.
No one has been able to catch Iverson, but ultimately Father Time will. The questions for The Answer are: When will he lose a step, and can he adjust his penetration-oriented game to continue at a high level?
"I haven't thought about it, because physically I still feel the same," Iverson said. "I'm not feeling as fast as I used to, but I feel the same, man. I just continue to play the way that made me successful in this league.
"I think once I stop being aggressive, I'll be hurting my team, as far as just settling for a lot of jumpers. ... I'll probably end up getting a little slower, but once that happens, once that I'm not able to do the things I'm capable of doing, then I'll give the game up."
Iverson's breathtaking speed and quickness have made him the most dominant diminutive scorer ever; his career scoring average of 27.5 ranks third all-time behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. This season, he's averaging 30.5 points through six games.
But Iverson's race against time is encountering more caution flags; chronic pain in his right knee has sidelined him for five preseason games.
He has missed 94 regular-season games in his nine-year career (a high of 34 in 2003-04). Iverson's 6-foot, 165-pound frame and hard-driving style invite the punishment and pain that he has long played through. With Iverson signed for more than $76 million through the 2008-09 season, you have to worry that his annual assortment of ailments will take a heavy toll before his contract expires at age 34.
Compounding that concern is that Iverson almost would prefer to conform to the new NBA dress code than allow his minutes to be monitored. Sixers president Billy King, who signed Iverson to the maximum extension in September 2003, laughed about a conversation that he and coach Maurice Cheeks had about reducing Iverson's playing time.
"I said to how many minutes?" King said. "And Mo laughed and said 40."
Several past and current top guards have continued to play brilliantly well into their 30s. An older Michael Jordan reinvented himself as a post-up jump shooter. A physically compromised Allen Iverson might not age so gracefully.
"When he loses his speed, I don't know where he'll be," a longtime NBA scout said. "He's a 41-percent career shooter, so I wouldn't mind letting him take jumpers all night. If he can't go to the basket, teams will play him differently.
"But you're talking about a guy who's a super freak. If he loses a step, he's probably going to be a step quicker than everybody else. He's tough, man. He's an unbelievable athlete. I think he's probably got two or three more years at a high level."
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King, of course, says Iverson will continue to flourish. The GM bases that thought (prayer?) on Iverson's renowned competitiveness as much as his incandescent talent. Knicks GM Isiah Thomas, a legendary small guard with whom Iverson is often compared, has said Iverson's heart is his biggest asset.
Now Iverson's intelligence will come more into play, as it did down the road for Jordan.
"I've seen him get smarter," King said. "How he gets to the free-throw line, and thinks, 'OK, maybe I can't (drive) by guys on the fourth game in five nights, so now I'll take some jumpers, not take the hits as much. But I think he's still just as athletic."
"I always watched Michael Jordan's career, and when he was 31, 32, 33, I think he was at the top of his game," Iverson said. "So I approach it like that: I feel that the older I get, the better I get.''
The big differences between Jordan and Iverson: Jordan was 6-6 and a workout machine. Iverson long avoided weights and burned the candle at both ends, but King says this summer Iverson pumped iron consistently.
Otherwise, King remains amazed that Iverson can take the summer off from playing and get his legs back like a racehorse after two weeks of training camp.
"Allen is such a gifted athlete, he didn't have to do as much," King said.
Last season, there was no perceptible drop-off in Iverson's game. He got to the foul line a career-high 10.5 times per night and won his fourth scoring title. That would seem to indicate that this season, the only thing crimping Iverson's style will be David Stern's attire edict.
Iverson's mid-range game could serve him well late into his career. He has long arms, still enough lift, and the contortionist moves to hit floaters over trees in the lane.
"My knees just hurt thinking about having to chase him around," Houston Rockets guard David Wesley said. "And not only is he the fastest player in the league, he never slows down. His energy level is amazing."
"Allen's game is based on quickness and the ability to get past people," Cheeks said. "When some of your quickness goes, some of your smarts comes in. But I don't see any drop-off in his quickness. I think he'll just start getting a little bit smarter, maybe not play as many minutes."
Good luck with that, Mo.
Dan Dunkin can be reached at (215) 949-4210 or ddunkin@phillyBurbs.com.
November 13, 2005 9:11 AM
