Red Auerbach and Allen Iverson

In life – be it relationships, jobs, anything – knowing when to walk away is one of the most important, yet underrated skills a person can have. I’ll take it a step further and say that it’s always better to leave one year too soon than to stay too long. Which brings me to Allen “I’m thinking about officially working disgruntled into my legal name” Iverson. Granted his contract makes it such that he cannot simply walk away from the Philadelphia 76ers if he wants to continue playing in the Association. In fact this is more about the Sixers’ management finally coming to the opinion that it is time to move on. Of course the fact that they waited so long means the divorce will be ugly.

But back to Iverson. Over the weekend I read John Feinstein and Red Auerbach’s collaboration – Let Me Tell You a Story – A Lifetime in the Game. It was an excellent source for everything Red and also had great info about current NBA players.

“Are you kidding? I’d love to have coached that kid. First of all, he’s quick as anyone who ever played. But beyond that, he’s a warrior. I’d have gotten along great with him. The (missing) practice thing would never have been a problem. I would just very quietly tell him, ‘Look, you need to do this because it means something to me and to the other players.’ What you have to do is let a guy know what’s important to you and let him know that if he does right by you, you’re going to do right by him. That’s the thing: my guys always knew I’d take care of them if they played hard for me – while they were playing and after they were done playing.” - Red Auerbach on whether or not Allen Iverson could play for him.

This quote in particular and the book as a whole bring Red’s philosophy to light. He believed that you could fine guys but it was generally a bad idea to bench them because everyone else suffered. Secondly it was always better to confront them quietly on the side. That takes a lot of the ego out of it and makes the player feel like a man. Based upon Larry Platt’s Iverson biography, Only the Strong Survive, that may be the best approach to take with the former Georgetown star. Platt* argues Iverson’s “We talkin’ bout practice rant” may have been as much about Larry Brown communicating through the media as it was about Allen’s disdain for practice. As far as I can tell there are only three problems with Red’s hypothetical approach to Iverson:

3. The money is so large now that fines don’t matter like they used to.
2. I’m not sure Iverson plays defense like he did a few years ago.
1. Iverson really does not like practice.

More on Iverson

- He can be critical of the contracts of Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver, and everyone else. It makes sense to be upset with the Chris Webber trade. But I have a tough time when he criticizes Maurice Cheeks. Obviously things did not work out and maybe Cheeks is not a good NBA coach unless there is a girl struggling with the national anthem. I can’t say for sure. But I remember wanting him to kiss Cheeks on the mouth.

- I caught Steven A. Smith in the midst of an Allen Iverson rant in which he used terms like “irreconcilable differences” and “as this team is currently constructed” where he ultimately sided with Iverson by saying that the Sixers have not surrounded Iverson with the right players to win. It’s hard to argue given their record – 5-14. At the same time it’s not easy to match players up with Iverson. Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes and Glenn Robinson come to mind. I’ve always liked Iverson but wonder if he sees himself as a part of why things did not work out in Philly.

- If Iverson does not get traded I’ll end up feeling like Bill Simmons when he read this.

- If he does get traded a rejuvenated Iverson could be an absolute terror, even though he is already playing great ball.

One final point:

- As I watch the Iverson situation unfold I can’t help but wonder if Paul Pierce did not know when to walk away from the Celtics.

* Only the Strong Survive is a great source of Iverson info even if Platt’s man crush on the Sixers’ star is hard to ignore.