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Iverson Gone from Memphis
At least for now. Allen Iverson has left the team after receiving permission from Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley to do so. The Grizzlies management is referring to this as a leave of absence due to “a personal matter”. When asked about the situation, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins stated that he only knew it was indefinite, and granted by the owner, but did not know what the exact reason is. Hard to believe a coach does not know why his player leaves the team barely 2 weeks into the season.
Iverson has been vocal in the media about his unhappiness with coming off the bench, and has once again become a distraction to the team. Players, coaches, and management have obviously been growing more and more frustrated with the situation. Before and after games, the questions are always the same, and never about the actual games. How is Allen Iverson fitting in? Is he becoming a distraction? What do you think of Iverson’s role on the team? Is Iverson going to remain in his current role as a bench player, or is he eventually going to start?
But don’t expect the questions to stop just because Iverson isn’t there as of right now. It should only get worse. We really do not know much about the situation, and it is only natural to wonder what exactly is going on with the Grizzlies. The fans certainly have the right to know what it happening with their team.
While I expected Iverson and the Grizzlies to part ways sometime during the season, I still thought it would take a little longer than 6 games into the season. The organization is calling this a temporary thing, but experts believe that this could very well be it for Iverson in a Grizzlies uniform.
There are no takers for Iverson, so a trade is out of question right now. The only possibilities are a buy-out of Iverson’s 1 year $3 million contract, or if the Grizzlies simply asked him to stay away from the team until they are able to move him.
