Another star goes broke vol. Allen Iverson

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by Stay Lurkin

Posting to read that article later

 

[seasoned vet]

Originally Posted by 4U2C

Originally Posted by 0cks

Here's another article about getting black balled in the NBA... 

Don't cross David Stern 

---

This story appears in the March 8 issue of ESPN The Magazine. 

Since the trade deadline just passed, some of you are probably wondering why your team shipped a guy out of town. Money is one reason guys get traded. So is talent. But there's a quicker way to be kicked to the curb in the NBA: getting blackballed. 

I see it a lot. Take T.J. Ford, for example. He might be on his way, through no fault of his own. The guy had a career year last year, yet he was on the bench for a month -- and he wasn't injured. Players have been buzzing about him lately, wondering why one of the best guys on the Pacers isn't playing much. It could be anything. I know of a situation in which a starter got benched because the owner's son is friends with the guy who replaced him.  

Stuff like that happens all the time, and it's not always the coaches making the decision. Sometimes it comes from above. I'm pretty sure, for example, that Javaris Crittenton will be blackballed after his gun incident with Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert is a former All-Star with a big contract. He'll play again. But most players think Javaris is done, that GMs won't touch him. That's just wrong. 

On the plane just the other day we were talking about how guys disappear: How Antoine Walker, Stephon Marbury, Bonzi Wells and Steve Francis were franchise players one day, out of the league the next. You never know where it comes from. It could be owners getting together to decide no one is going to offer a guy a contract (yes, it happens). Or it could come down from the commissioner. David Stern is not a man you want to cross.  

Stern is not a man you want to cross.  

The main thing that gets you blackballed in the NBA is being a bad influence on young players -- bad-mouthing the coach or refusing to listen to him, living the high life. If you're a veteran pulling young guys into that world, your days are numbered. GMs are wary of guys like that. They do all kinds of research before signing you, like talking to your high school coach and grade school teachers. The model organization is San Antonio. They hardly ever sign a guy who gets in trouble. And if they do, the guy shapes right up. If a GM thinks you're taking young guys out, getting them drunk and hooking them up with women, he'll drop you. And he'll tell other league GMs why.  

Some guys who've been run out of the NBA, like Bonzi, are doing whatever they can for another shot. Bonzi is better than a lot of guys in the league but won't get a second chance because of his rep as a bad locker room guy. The NBA doesn't have a team like the Bengals that gives bad-rep guys another chance.  

Sad thing is, you see some of these guys who are out of the league -- like Francis, Antoine or Steph -- and they still act as if they're stars. They're still like, "I'm the man. It's never gonna go away." They dress the same and spend money like they're still making it. I hear a lot of guys are working out in Chicago, waiting for the phone to ring. But the NBA doesn't really give you a second shot once you've been blackballed. Stern has the power to say a guy is not welcome anymore. You also have GMs with jobs on the line who don't want to take a risk. Look at what happened when Isiah Thomas signed bad locker room guys like Zach Randolph. The Knicks imploded, and Thomas got fired.  

I think this Arenas incident scared a lot of players. But I'm not sure if it will change much. The phone number the NBA gives us to call if we're struggling with alcohol and other things isn't going to start ringing off the hook. Thing is, this wasn't the first time Gilbert messed up. The NBA told him to chill a couple years ago, but I don't think he took it seriously. Word around the league is that he's at home freaking out, calling the NBA every five minutes to fix things, afraid it all might disappear.  

Funny enough, I haven't heard much about guys acting up this season. The Hawks used to be notorious for partying before they got Joe Johnson and got good. They had guys like Antoine, who would go out to clubs and go wild. It wasn't until they got rid of the bad influences that they started playing well. And you can usually tell who the bad influences are just by looking at how often a guy gets traded. If he's been moved five times, it probably doesn't have anything to do with creating cap room or getting good value. He's got an attitude problem, and his bosses sent him packin'.  

Player X is an NBA star. This is his second column in a series of unfiltered looks into the lives of professional athletes. 

I believe this unless your a Kobe or Lebron. Dwanye wade or somebody




......how soon we forget Stevie Francis WAS D Wade at one point, and then POOF!
 
 

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

4U2C wrote:

---

0cks wrote:

---

Here's another article about getting black balled in the NBA... 

I believe this unless your a Kobe or Lebron. Dwanye wade or somebody




......how soon we forget Stevie Francis WAS D Wade at one point, and then POOF!
 
 


blasphemy   btw nichols could get it facial style

 

[seasoned vet]

Originally Posted by LDJ

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

4U2C wrote:

---

I believe this unless your a Kobe or Lebron. Dwanye wade or somebody

......how soon we forget Stevie Francis WAS D Wade at one point, and then POOF!
 
 

blasphemy   btw nichols could get it facial style


....im wrong?
 
 

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

Originally Posted by LDJ

Originally Posted by seasoned vet




......how soon we forget Stevie Francis WAS D Wade at one point, and then POOF!
 
 

blasphemy   btw nichols could get it facial style

....im wrong?
 
 
in a way i mean i feel where you comming from and similair play but dwade a lil more talented/skilled

 

[seasoned vet]

Originally Posted by LDJ

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

Originally Posted by LDJ


blasphemy   btw nichols could get it facial style

....im wrong?
 
 

in a way i mean i feel where you comming from and similair play but dwade a lil more talented/skilled

 
....well damb. just for a little difference you call blasphemy like i was completely out of bounds?

 
...seriously though, i wasnt even comparing skill set. their styles of play were very similar and they both have/had their own teams, plus Stevie Francis was just as popular as D Wade is now....then POOF!
 
 

 

[sillyputty]

Originally Posted by 4U2C

Originally Posted by 0cks

Here's another article about getting black balled in the NBA... 

Don't cross David Stern 

---

This story appears in the March 8 issue of ESPN The Magazine. 

Since the trade deadline just passed, some of you are probably wondering why your team shipped a guy out of town. Money is one reason guys get traded. So is talent. But there's a quicker way to be kicked to the curb in the NBA: getting blackballed. 

I see it a lot. Take T.J. Ford, for example. He might be on his way, through no fault of his own. The guy had a career year last year, yet he was on the bench for a month -- and he wasn't injured. Players have been buzzing about him lately, wondering why one of the best guys on the Pacers isn't playing much. It could be anything. I know of a situation in which a starter got benched because the owner's son is friends with the guy who replaced him.  

Stuff like that happens all the time, and it's not always the coaches making the decision. Sometimes it comes from above. I'm pretty sure, for example, that Javaris Crittenton will be blackballed after his gun incident with Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert is a former All-Star with a big contract. He'll play again. But most players think Javaris is done, that GMs won't touch him. That's just wrong. 

On the plane just the other day we were talking about how guys disappear: How Antoine Walker, Stephon Marbury, Bonzi Wells and Steve Francis were franchise players one day, out of the league the next. You never know where it comes from. It could be owners getting together to decide no one is going to offer a guy a contract (yes, it happens). Or it could come down from the commissioner. David Stern is not a man you want to cross.  

Stern is not a man you want to cross.  

The main thing that gets you blackballed in the NBA is being a bad influence on young players -- bad-mouthing the coach or refusing to listen to him, living the high life. If you're a veteran pulling young guys into that world, your days are numbered. GMs are wary of guys like that. They do all kinds of research before signing you, like talking to your high school coach and grade school teachers. The model organization is San Antonio. They hardly ever sign a guy who gets in trouble. And if they do, the guy shapes right up. If a GM thinks you're taking young guys out, getting them drunk and hooking them up with women, he'll drop you. And he'll tell other league GMs why.  

Some guys who've been run out of the NBA, like Bonzi, are doing whatever they can for another shot. Bonzi is better than a lot of guys in the league but won't get a second chance because of his rep as a bad locker room guy. The NBA doesn't have a team like the Bengals that gives bad-rep guys another chance.  

Sad thing is, you see some of these guys who are out of the league -- like Francis, Antoine or Steph -- and they still act as if they're stars. They're still like, "I'm the man. It's never gonna go away." They dress the same and spend money like they're still making it. I hear a lot of guys are working out in Chicago, waiting for the phone to ring. But the NBA doesn't really give you a second shot once you've been blackballed. Stern has the power to say a guy is not welcome anymore. You also have GMs with jobs on the line who don't want to take a risk. Look at what happened when Isiah Thomas signed bad locker room guys like Zach Randolph. The Knicks imploded, and Thomas got fired.  

I think this Arenas incident scared a lot of players. But I'm not sure if it will change much. The phone number the NBA gives us to call if we're struggling with alcohol and other things isn't going to start ringing off the hook. Thing is, this wasn't the first time Gilbert messed up. The NBA told him to chill a couple years ago, but I don't think he took it seriously. Word around the league is that he's at home freaking out, calling the NBA every five minutes to fix things, afraid it all might disappear.  

Funny enough, I haven't heard much about guys acting up this season. The Hawks used to be notorious for partying before they got Joe Johnson and got good. They had guys like Antoine, who would go out to clubs and go wild. It wasn't until they got rid of the bad influences that they started playing well. And you can usually tell who the bad influences are just by looking at how often a guy gets traded. If he's been moved five times, it probably doesn't have anything to do with creating cap room or getting good value. He's got an attitude problem, and his bosses sent him packin'.  

Player X is an NBA star. This is his second column in a series of unfiltered looks into the lives of professional athletes. 

I believe this unless your a Kobe or Lebron. Dwanye wade or somebody


I know some people will say that David Stern is just the white slave master etc, but this sort of authority is a good damn thing and I'm proud to see it, no matter where it comes from.
The NBA is a business. It is a privilege to be apart of, not a right.

Respect it and it will respect you back. The sorts of behaviors that some of the more radical players try to bring in aren't to be tolerated.

Guns? 

I can deal with certain dress codes and possible criticisms about salary...but Guns? This isn't the wild-west. Each NBA game is a PG to PG-13 affair and should remain so.

If they want that other stuff, UFC is hiring. 

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

Originally Posted by LDJ

Originally Posted by seasoned vet



....im wrong?
 
 

in a way i mean i feel where you comming from and similair play but dwade a lil more talented/skilled

 
....well damb. just for a little difference you call blasphemy like i was completely out of bounds?

 
...seriously though, i wasnt even comparing skill set. their styles of play were very similar and they both have/had their own teams, plus Stevie Francis was just as popular as D Wade is now....then POOF!
 
 

lol had to get one in but if ppl could meet know him and see who he is as a person they "some ppl" will understand why/how he is in the position he is in

 

[potus2028]

Originally Posted by gllahone84

Dude was down here in Charlotte partying it up during CIAA while using his daughter as an excuse to miss a few games.

Straight scumbag move.

I am an AI supporter (full disclosure) and don't deny anything else in this thread, dude is pretty wild as a person and deserves a lot of what he gets, but his daughter is legitimately very sick. Has the same disease as a family member (very rare, the list is in the hundreds in the world which is why I know) and it's a mofo to deal with on a personal and financial level. Just leaving that note here.

 

[stillin729]

Originally Posted by potus2028

Originally Posted by gllahone84

Dude was down here in Charlotte partying it up during CIAA while using his daughter as an excuse to miss a few games.

Straight scumbag move.

I am an AI supporter (full disclosure) and don't deny anything else in this thread, dude is pretty wild as a person and deserves a lot of what he gets, but his daughter is legitimately very sick. Has the same disease as a family member (very rare, the list is in the hundreds in the world which is why I know) and it's a mofo to deal with on a personal and financial level. Just leaving that note here.

his daughter is sick but it's well known that he did use that as an excuse and the Sixers took the high road when finding out about it by simply telling him you are done but not making it public knowledge as to why

 

[potus2028]

Originally Posted by StillIn729

Originally Posted by potus2028

Originally Posted by gllahone84

Dude was down here in Charlotte partying it up during CIAA while using his daughter as an excuse to miss a few games.

Straight scumbag move.

I am an AI supporter (full disclosure) and don't deny anything else in this thread, dude is pretty wild as a person and deserves a lot of what he gets, but his daughter is legitimately very sick. Has the same disease as a family member (very rare, the list is in the hundreds in the world which is why I know) and it's a mofo to deal with on a personal and financial level. Just leaving that note here.

his daughter is sick but it's well known that he did use that as an excuse and the Sixers took the high road when finding out about it by simply telling him you are done but not making it public knowledge as to why

Is the specific disorder widely known? For lack of a more descriptive phrase, it usually makes the victim go $*%@%!+ crazy... as I said, the other nonsense is on him, I just know very personally what it's like to deal with that situation with a nuclear family member. I will say ge could have handled things better publicly, but...when can't you say that about AI?

 

[fedexciter]

what people fail to realize is that its not easy to go from damn near poverty to a millionaire virtually overnight

AI didnt blow the whole 150m on chains and whips, he took care of his whole family and a lot of newport news Virginia
Its sad, but when everybody around you is starving and then you come into money like AI did, you are now their meal ticket

its hard to tell your close family no, and some people actually want to take care of their people, its a real %%*@*+ up situation that you wouldn't understand unless you're in it

i know because i have a close friend, Jamaal Branch who played 2 season in the nfl from 2006-2007 and to this day his family isnt the same because they all thought he was a multi millionaire and thought they had a meal ticket when in actuality he made about 200k in his short lived nfl career

 

[az5950]

Originally Posted by mrkane

Originally Posted by Antidope

Originally Posted by blakep267

I dont understand why people say they cant feel bad. he is human. I personally dont care about the money aspect, but the fact that he's turned to alchoholism and has lost his family is what is sad to me.

Exactly. Its not even about the money, the guy blew almost 200 million dollars nothing can be said there, its the way he went out that really gets me. He should be:
A. Allowed to retire as an NBA player
B. Allowed to retire as a Sixer
C. Given a chance to contribute to the NBA in some way shape or form.

The NFL always does this. They find room for first ballot HoF players doing stuff other than playing all the time, and it means next to nothing how much they wyled out while they were playing, the NBA has done next to nothing to try and accommodate AI. Its to the point where one of the greatest basketball players of all time is an afterthought and in some circles a joke and it just isnt right to me. He brought a lot of it on himself no doubt, but hes AI, now that hes humbled he'd prob take it all like a man.

Every NBA team has 1 player who they could release to make room for AI, pretty sure every NBA team has one player who AIs flat out better than. I also didnt limit it to just playing, you mean to tell me an NBA team (philly in particular) doesnt have room for AI on staff? He cant be an assistant coach? He cant commentate? He cant get a shot at being an analyst? He cant do something?
I think he's humbled and would accept any role hes given. I know they owe him nothing but they should just do it, its AI.

IF AND ONLY IF HE CAN OVERCOME HIS FEAR OF WEARING A SUIT

  

Def not Happening...lol

 

[yungmatt]

Originally Posted by az5950

Originally Posted by mrkane

Originally Posted by Antidope

Exactly. Its not even about the money, the guy blew almost 200 million dollars nothing can be said there, its the way he went out that really gets me. He should be:
A. Allowed to retire as an NBA player
B. Allowed to retire as a Sixer
C. Given a chance to contribute to the NBA in some way shape or form.

The NFL always does this. They find room for first ballot HoF players doing stuff other than playing all the time, and it means next to nothing how much they wyled out while they were playing, the NBA has done next to nothing to try and accommodate AI. Its to the point where one of the greatest basketball players of all time is an afterthought and in some circles a joke and it just isnt right to me. He brought a lot of it on himself no doubt, but hes AI, now that hes humbled he'd prob take it all like a man.

Every NBA team has 1 player who they could release to make room for AI, pretty sure every NBA team has one player who AIs flat out better than. I also didnt limit it to just playing, you mean to tell me an NBA team (philly in particular) doesnt have room for AI on staff? He cant be an assistant coach? He cant commentate? He cant get a shot at being an analyst? He cant do something?
I think he's humbled and would accept any role hes given. I know they owe him nothing but they should just do it, its AI.

IF AND ONLY IF HE CAN OVERCOME HIS FEAR OF WEARING A SUIT

  

Def not Happening...lol

 

[josednk1068]

Floyd Mayfeather headed down the same path

 

[shogun]

Originally Posted by az5950

Originally Posted by mrkane

IF AND ONLY IF HE CAN OVERCOME HIS FEAR OF WEARING A SUIT

  

Def not Happening...lol

 that suit.  A.I. should be excluded from the suit rule.  The casual clothes he wears are better than the dress clothes he buys from the big & tall section.

 

[sillyputty]

Originally Posted by shogun

Originally Posted by az5950

Originally Posted by mrkane

IF AND ONLY IF HE CAN OVERCOME HIS FEAR OF WEARING A SUIT

  

Def not Happening...lol

 that suit.  A.I. should be excluded from the suit rule.  The casual clothes he wears are better than the dress clothes he buys from the big & tall section.

Knowing these athletes, he probably paid a grip for that thing too.

 
Dudes think labels are where the styling ends... 

 

 

[monstar1]

Originally Posted by sillyputty

Originally Posted by shogun

Originally Posted by az5950


Def not Happening...lol

 that suit.  A.I. should be excluded from the suit rule.  The casual clothes he wears are better than the dress clothes he buys from the big & tall section.

Knowing these athletes, he probably paid a grip for that thing too.

 
Dudes think labels are where the styling ends... 

 

Another wild assumption and condescending post.  Thanks

 

[xbiker47]

 at that suit

 

[spacerace]

Originally Posted by Josednk1068

Floyd Mayfeather headed down the same path

Spoiler

Spoiler

[+]

Spoiler

 

[stillin729]

despite what I have said AI is still my fav. Sixer of all time but I do not like him one bit as a person, that being said...

I find it hard to believe he can't be better than the majority of players coming off benches in the NBA right now

 

[seasoned vet]

Originally Posted by LDJ

Originally Posted by seasoned vet

Originally Posted by LDJ

in a way i mean i feel where you comming from and similair play but dwade a lil more talented/skilled

 
....well damb. just for a little difference you call blasphemy like i was completely out of bounds?

 
...seriously though, i wasnt even comparing skill set. their styles of play were very similar and they both have/had their own teams, plus Stevie Francis was just as popular as D Wade is now....then POOF!
 
 

lol had to get one in but if ppl could meet know him and see who he is as a person they "some ppl" will understand why/how he is in the position he is in

 
.....i seriously dont understand how we have a quote feature, yet people continue to read too much into what others post. let me be clear, my comment was directed towards and only towards the idea that getting blackballed in the NBA is somehow only reserved for non franchise players. THATS WHY I QUOTED IT. jesus christ

 
....Steve Francis fits that category, therefore debunking that myth. thats it and thats all to that comment.
 
 

 

[sillyputty]

Originally Posted by MonStar1

Originally Posted by sillyputty

Originally Posted by shogun

 that suit.  A.I. should be excluded from the suit rule.  The casual clothes he wears are better than the dress clothes he buys from the big & tall section.

Knowing these athletes, he probably paid a grip for that thing too.

 
Dudes think labels are where the styling ends... 

 

Another wild assumption and condescending post.  Thanks

I didn't say my opinion was fact. I said it was what I thought. I used words of uncertainty including: "knowing"; "probably"
I assumed this because most of these dudes drop HELLA dough even to dress in "urban" gear. There is no hiding the fact that AI was known to drop tons of money on that type of clothing. 

I assume that if he spent all that money on urban labels that he probably sent a bunch of money on a suit...as poorly fitting as it is. I really don't think AI would have shopped at Mens Warehouse as opposed to Armani, simply because it was "Armani" or whatever. 

 

[cicero avenue dopeman]

lol at AI dressin formal put buddy in a polo and some khakis n call it a day

 

[stillin729]

Originally Posted by sillyputty

Originally Posted by shogun

Originally Posted by az5950


Def not Happening...lol

 that suit.  A.I. should be excluded from the suit rule.  The casual clothes he wears are better than the dress clothes he buys from the big & tall section.

Knowing these athletes, he probably paid a grip for that thing too.

 
Dudes think labels are where the styling ends... 

 

he didn't pay anything for that suit; he borrowed it from MJ