Chris Wallace: “He went back to Atlanta to attend to some personal business on Saturday and as far as I know he is still there.”
November 11, 2009 – 11:30 am by timgunterIf you thought that Allen Iverson was actually going to play again with the Memphis Grizzlies this season, you are crazy. It is not an injury that has kept Iverson from playing with the team it is a “personal matter” that has caused him to miss all but three games this season. It is not known when he will return to his team or if he ever will and for that reason, he has Grizzlies fans scratching their heads asking where he is. The Grizzlies GM, Chris Wallace, doesn’t even know where he is.
This is a man that seems to be all about him. He hasn’t ever really been a team player and is at the twilight of his career and for some reason the Grizzlies decided to take a shot at him. I guess I don’t really blame Wallace for taking that gamble, after all, the Grizz have been the doormat of the NBA for quite some time and they need things to change. For the sake of the Grizzlies, hopefully Iverson will get things situated at home and return to Memphis. If I were a betting man, chances are he will retire.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joined WHBQ in Memphisto talk about where Allen Iverson is, whether there really is a personal matter that Allen Iverson is taking care of, what Allen’s personal problem is, and whether he thinks Allen can come back and accept his role.
Where is Allen Iverson:
“Allen Iverson, I am going to venture guess here, is probably in the greater Atlanta area. I don’t have a GPS on him at this point in time. He went back to Atlanta to attend to some personal business on Saturday and as far as I know he is still there.”
Whether there really is a personal matter that Allen Iverson is taking care of:
“I am not going to comment on his personal business that is his. Allen was outspoken after his initial game with us last Monday night against Sacramento about his preference of not coming off of the bench. He made that statement. Let me say this, I think Allen in the three games back that he played over a five day period on our road swing out west, was perfect for being in line in how you use a player that is new to a team that is coming off a month of inactivity except for rehabilitation due to a hamstring injury. Unfortunately in the NBA, unlike the sport of baseball, we don’t have a minor league assignment where you can send guys down to get in shape. (Host: You can send him to the D-League Chris.) No you can’t. No you can’t. After two years in the league they are not eligible. So we have to bring our guys who are coming back from injury, that are in sort of a ramp up period, we got to bring them back into the real thing in addition to practice. Allen came back and he played seventeen minutes and then he played twenty-seven minutes and I don’t know the exact number against the Lakers but it all averaged out to about twenty-two minutes so I think this was sort of a normal process considering the circumstances with Allen’s physical situation and the fact that he was new to the team.”
On what Allen’s personal problem is:
“I am not going to go there. That is Allen’s business. If he wants to talk about this personal situation that is up to him but I am not going to go about that.”
Whether Allen Iverson is going to be a Grizzly again:
“I am not going to rule that out. I mean he is a Grizzly right now. He is under contract with the Grizzlies. He is on our 15-man roster so he is currently a Grizzly and let me say this it is not uncommon throughout the NBA in a 82 game schedule that players from time to time leave the team for quote unquote personal business. If you pick the boxscore up after the game you till see ‘NWT’, Not with Team. That happens to every team at some point in time with one or more of their players.”
Whether he know of a personal matter before the season that might keep Allen playing for some time:
“At that point in time that did not arise during those converstations.”
Whether he thinks Allen can come back and accept his role:
“Let me say something about roles. Roles change throughout the course of a season. They can change from game-to-game depending on the situation around the team and the matchups that you are facing. So because you have one role when you come back from an injury. It doesn’t mean you have the same role removed a week or two from that point in time. His role was to come in and be a quality player and a positive influence on our team and to be Allen Iverson. That is a guy that can come out and generate points which puts fear in an opponent’s heart with his ability to do so.”
Tags: Allen Iverson, Allen Iverson is back home in Atlanta, Chris Wallace, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NBA Western Conference, retire Allen Iverson, Where is Allen Iverson?
