I could only get through about half the article because I realized the writer just had absolutely no objectivity regarding Allen Iverson.
I'm with you Nick, but then I started reading everybody's comments about how they agreed with it, I thought maybe I'm missing something so forced my way through. Nope not missing anything just a terrible article.
Throughout the league all the executives are good friends with each other and with Stern, it is not hard for Stern to send out a memo to these guys telling them to stay away from Iverson. These are the same guys that vote players onto All-NBA teams by the way and the same guys that get to vote for the awards at the end of the season.
The executives don't vote for any awards. It's the media. So this point is ridiculous and means nothing.
Then when selection time for the 2008 USA Mens Basketball team that would play in the Olympics in Beijing came, every all-star was invited except Allen Iverson.
The team was picked in 2006, and All-Stars from 06-08 not invited include Rasheed Wallace, Caron Butler, David West, and Brandon Roy. (A little harder to be sure about this, since it's hard to know who got invites and who didnt't, but basing a large part on this
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2349009).
"Shaquille O'Neal is signed. McGrady is signed. Jermaine O'Neal is signed. Just when you thought it couldn't get more awkward for Iverson."
That should read, "Shaquille O'Neal accepted a reduced role and signed. McGrady accepted a reduced role and signed. Jermaine O'Neal accepted a reduced role and signed. Just when you thought it couldn't get more awkward for Iverson, he still hasn't accepted a reduced role."
But in addition to those points, the article is just, well crap. It's terrible.
I LOVE Iverson, dude is done though, has nothing to do with Stern blackballing him.
Charles Oakley talked crap in 2001 "60%-70% of NBA players smoke weed." Still played 3 more years for 3 different teams, the league didn't blackball him. Look at all the comments Rasheed has made throughout his career, and look how in demand he was in the summer of '09. If Stern was blackballing guys wouldn't Ron Artest be on the top of that list? Stern didn't blackball Iverson, Iverson blackballed himself.