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Clarifying the Answer Iverson's shot selection is poor, but he's still a great playerPosted: Friday November 15, 2002 2:04 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question. A follow-up question to your statements about Allen Iverson: Do you think he is overrated? Does being gutsy make him a great player, or just a popular one? Is he more popular than good?
I hate to cop-out, but I refuse to be pinned down to a one-word answer about the Answer, so I'm not going to say "yes, he's overrated" or "no, he's not overrated." Those declarations don't mean anything. What I said was that his shot selection sucks. And somewhere along the line he's going to have to take better shots. As for being more popular than good: No, I don't buy that. He is good. Very, very good. Jack, I enjoy your articles and appreciate your candor, but I think you are being a little tough on the Answer. I agree that he puts up too many shots, but I think the quality of those shots is directly related to his supporting cast. Iverson is expected to carry the Sixers' shooting load. Because of this, he garners the most attention from opposing defenses and his percentage invariably suffers in comparison to other superstars. It's also hard enough for him to get his shots off being that he is just 6-foot. Do you not agree?
Yes, I do agree that getting your shot off at 6-foot is harder than getting it off when you're 7-foot. So what? Do you want a mathematical allowance in shooting percentage for height? The idea of trading for Keith Van Horn and, to a lesser extent, Todd MacCulloch, was to add extra offense. So, no, Iverson shouldn't be carrying the shooting load that much. But, look, now I'm worried that what I said in my column will be blown all out of proportion. Iverson is a great player, a gutsy player and a great draw. But he takes bad shots, and too many of them, particularly that step-back, as the New Yorker below points out. Jordan took a lot of bad shots in his early years, too (though not as many as Iverson) and became truly immortal when his jump shot and his fallaway became the best in the league. Mastering those shots will be harder for Iverson because of his height. But somewhere down the road his game will need some kind of adjustment. I love your work. Finally somebody pointed out the obvious about Iverson. He shoots too much and misses way too much. His shot selection is horrible. I realize he's only 6-foot and has trouble getting his shot off, but that step-back shot he takes is just terrible. And he does it from 20 feet away. You mentioned Ralph Sampson in your column. What is your view on his career? Was he a bust or was he done in by injuries. Statistically, his first couple years were good.
I liked Ralph a lot as a person and appreciated his talents. But I really think he was one of the first big men who got truly caught up in trying to prove his all-around versatility. He wanted to shoot from the corner, he wanted to handle the ball, he wanted to score in transition and, while he was great at those things for a 7-foot-4 player, I think he would've been better off developing three or four surefire moves in the pivot, a la Shaq. What is up with Kwame Brown? Last year it looked as if the Wizards wasted a No. 1 pick on the unproven high schooler. Now, he's blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and scoring a couple of points to boot. Do you see this young prospect becoming an elite NBA player?
I'm not smart enough to know if Kwame will someday be "elite." But, boy, the Wizard brass is breathing a collective sigh of relief because last season the guy looked like a stiff, a LaRue Martin in the making. (He was a high draft pick from the '70s who couldn't play a lick.) Someone (maybe it was Chuck Daly) once told me that for some players there is a true ah-ha! moment. One day they can't play, the next day they can. For some people, it's comparable to speaking a foreign language. You go through months and months of helpless frustration, then one day it comes. Brown is now doing things automatically, letting his talent come to the fore, and it's working out. In most sports, especially basketball, the more famous players always have nicknames. Air Jordan, the Answer, T-Mac, Shaq/Big Diesel/Big Aristotle. Considering that, isn't it kind of strange that Kobe Bryant, one of the most talented and famous players in the NBA, has no nick? What gives? Can't the media (or Kobe himself) come up with a suitable name?
An obvious question for somebody named Adeel. My only answer, A-Man, is that "Kobe" sounds like a damn nickname. But I'm open for suggestions. I hereby announce the Nickname Kobe Bryant Sweepstakes. Send your entries and Adeel will pick the winner. Eddie Jones seems like a lost soul in Miami. He's a threat at the two- or three-spot, so he'd probably be a great fit in the Zen Master's triangle offense in L.A. Is there any chance that Jones could be traded? His contract is a huge barrier, but I'm sure the Heat would love to move him.
Sure, there's a chance Eddie could be traded. Anybody could be moved on the Heat, though Pat Riley hates the word "rebuilding." I'm assuming you remember, however, that E.J. was a Laker, having spent his first five (almost) seasons in L.A. He is a terrific offensive player, but I don't see him as being particularly complementary to the Big Aristotle O'Neal or (Fill In Nickname) Bryant. In fact, he's kind of a poor man's Kobe, isn't he? And that's not meant as a rebuke. Why are the Chicago Bulls still running that ridiculous triangle offense? They have athletes on that team who can wreak havoc on the court, yet they still think the triangle will work when: 1) they have no Shaq; 2) they have no Jordan; 3) they have no Kobe and 4) they haven't produced with the triangle for the last four years.
The triangle, as it was envisioned, was precisely designed to be used by a team that didn't have a Shaq, a Kobe, or a Michael. I know this because, like Tex Winter, who invented the triangle offense, I am 133 years old. Anyway, your fourth point is the best-taken. I think the Bulls will move to another geometric configuration when Jay Williams figures it all out.
I like your idea for the six geographically-based divisions, but wouldn't it make more sense to switch Atlanta with Memphis, which is just up the river from New Orleans? It probably would. I was trying to avoid having so many new teams in the one division. A few years ago I did a story for a travel magazine on how music traveled up the Mississippi from New Orleans to Memphis to St. Louis and how influential those cities were (still are) in hatching musicians. So I guess I should've done it that way. What kind of impact do you think Caron Butler will have in the NBA? Do you believe he is the next Paul Pierce? If not, who from the 2002 rookie class will have the biggest impact?
How about Chidie Kisoo as a nickname for Kobe Bryant? Tying this to the letter above, it might be tough for Caron to be the next Pierce when a Pierce-like guy, Eddie Jones, is already on the team. I found out something, though, when I saw Miami play New Orleans in the first week: The Heat are just as high on the other Butler, Rasual, a 6-foot-7 second-rounder out of LaSalle. Most people in the Miami organization believe, in fact, that he'll be better than Caron. I don't know. I haven't seem enough of either of them yet. Jack, can the Sonics keep up this hot play? All we hear about are the Kings, Lakers and Mavs. Can Seattle pull a surprise in the West? Has Rashard Lewis already established himself as the front-runner for Most Improved Player of the Year?
Ah, Pullman, the place described by former Washington State coach George Raveling as: "Not quite the end of the earth, but I can see it from here." I'm sure you've heard your share of Pullman jokes, Martin. The Sonics are a great story and Rashard is indeed the early choice. But the emphasis, Martin, is on EARLY. It's not even December. I'm not sure their inside game will hold up. Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question.
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