Now Ric Bucher reports that if the Knicks do sign AI, it will be Sunday night at the earliest.

Can't get any consistent news as to whether or not they're going to make this happen or not.

Dropped Rush for him, so whether or not he plays, him being on my team is better than that trash, Rush.

PLEASE STOP!!!! For the love of God as a longtime Pistons fan in the Detroit area please stop. I still tear up when I think of my team with a starting lineup of Melo, Rip, Billups, Ben, and Sheed. We've all seen how wonderfully Billups and Melo can play together now. Or Billups, Rip, Bosh, Prince, and Ben...or Billups, Wade, Prince, Sheed, and Ben....

Joe D, as many great moves as you've made, even bringing us a championship, I will NEVER forgive you for drafting that piece of crap!!!!!!

Ehem.....sorry. It still hurts so bad

Please no AI to Miami, I don't want him taking away from Wade...Knicks Knicks Knicks!

Same here with being from the D. I can't even believe what could have been for the Pistons, makes me sick. But what's done is done and everything happens for a reason I suppose.

Back to AI, Why is there all of a sudden all this interest in AI? NY and Miami could've had him in the off-season. AI did not want to sign with Memphis.....if they want him now....why not then?

If anything, I think AI's stint in Memphis only further proves that AI is not a team player. Makes me wonder if it is AI's agent circulating these rumors. If not can someone explain why NY and Miami want him now but didn't want him a couple months ago?

NY because there season is already lost and their fans are disgruntle. The Knicks need a change, they are not even exciting to watch any more, Miami on the other hand I have no clue, I doubt they would ever bring AI in any way.

AI does not need to be a total team player to be fantasy relevant if he becomes the number 1 or 2 offensive option on a bad-mediocre team.

Knicks don't even have their 1st round pick either (probably discussed earlier) so there is no incentive for them to tank it

Exactly...

No reason to tank the season for a draft pick. No future starting PG's even on the roster. It's the perfect fit for A.I. And if anything, he can go on a run with NY...and some other team gains interest and actually trades for him and the Knicks gain something out of the situation.

In anyway....there's no risk for NY. Things couldn't get "worse" for their organization by adding Iverson.

i think the grizz should grab him.

He's officially a free agent. Let the waiting begin.

Apparently he's def signing with Knicks.

Worth dropping Lamar from my team for him you think? Maybe even Ray Ray.

TNT's David Aldridge reported Thursday that a source of his close to the Knicks' negotiations with Allen Iverson said that him signing was a "near certainty."
Aldridge offers an alternative viewpoint from other sources saying that the Knicks are still weighing the pros and cons, and that a decision is not close. While there are conflicting reports, there is enough smoke here to make this the likely destination for A.I. One source has said that a signing will not occur before Saturday's game, but it's entirely possible owners will be looking at prospect of using him in the Knicks' four-game week. Nov. 19 - 9:38 pm et
Source: NBA.com

A lot of opinions going both ways...still nothing concrete yet...

Yea nobody should be dropping anybody who's good for him yet. If you have a free spot on your team....he shouldn't be unowned. But this keeps looking more and more like he'll sign with the Knicks. It'll be determined this weekend.

NY will be the perfect place for AI, in real life and fantasy. The fans need someone to watch and cheer for. He should put up very good fantasy numbers. I really need points and steals so he could work out perfect, or not.

PG's + D'Antoni = GREAT things. The fact that he even made Duhon as good as he was last year for fantasy was a amazing...lol

It sort of seems like the Knicks are waiting till after Saturday's game to further evaluate what they have. Although I own Toney Douglas in one of my leagues, I'm hoping he has another poor outing + Chris Duhon continues to do what he does best.

I don't get that whole "it depends on this one game" crap as to whether they pick up A.I. or not. Are you serious? So if the Knicks beat the awful Nets....and Duhon has his ONLY good shooting game of the year....all of a sudden everythings fine and dandy and there's no need for A.I. based off of what they see in that game? LOL That's ridiculous....

But honestly a loss to the winless nets would be the nail in the coffin. GO NETS on Saturday!

My advice is to pickup AI if he's available in any of your leagues. Once he's a Knicks he will put up very very good numbers.

I know there's been talks of his declining skillls or whatever, but it really doesn't matter on the Knicks. If they sign him they will play him 35+ minutes a game. At the very least AI will be a top 50 player immediately, with considerable upside.

sorry for this...

but i was one of the bums that dropped AI the other day.....right before he was waived.


what time would he clear waivers tonight? im on Detroit....so 3am?

3am yahoo yea.. or around then

unless someone has a waiver in for him

thanks...and yes its Yahoo, and im sure someone has a waiver on him. But i still gotta try....i had to make a drop and it was between Gooden and AI....at the time Gooden was playing well and AI was waived. Picked up Rudy Fernando, gonna throw up for weeks if AI actually signs with NY.

If your sure someone has their waiver on him why bother trying? It would be a lot safer to use your waiver on him.

Can't use waiver on your own dropped player.

I heard the Walsh and MikeD wants to have a talk with AI in person to make sure everyone is on the same page. Everything I have heard so far makes it sound like it's a done deal though. He'll sign this weekend and will be good to go this coming week.

what about all that talk about how A.I. hasn't been good in 2 years, etc.
everyone and their mom was talkin' about how Iverson is a has-been.
only 10% of people in here believed Iverson still has game. 90% were non-believers.

now the tables are turned completely. 90% of you are jumping on the Iverson bandwagon.

that's a bunch of bullshiz.

prob b/c hes going to the knicks to play for D'toni. That in itself can revive anyones career, look what its doing for hughes and harrington....... plus hes the man on the team now, no more billups and carmelo, or rip, tay, sheed, and stuckey.

maybe you're right, to an extent.
i felt like i was the only one so high on the guy, coming into the season.
but when things didn't work out in Memphis, i gave up on him. i dropped him and didn't expect him to come to a team where he'd be able to produce the type of numbers he used to.
someone else in my league picked him up. maybe i feel like it's unfair, to me. I feel like i should deserve to have him on my team, since i was the only one that believed in him from day 1.
and now that i don't have him on my team, i hope he doesn't put up the numbers that should've been mine.
it's horsecrap, man.

Massive difference between Iverson on Memphis with Conley/Mayo/Gay/Zbo and Iverson in a fast paced Knicks offense with no one who particularly wants the ball in their hands the whole time.

I think I was one of those "non-believers". But this is a situational thing. In NY, if he is on the same page with D'Antoni, then you have really a perfect platform for him. No rook to step over, no hope, not even a draft pick to consider. That said, I don't think it's a done deal. The whole thing smells much more of an Isiah move than a D'Antoni move. D'Antoni hates iso ball, so this must be about Donnie Walsh and losing and filling seats. Unless D'Antoni thinks he can modify AI's game, which I think is unlikely but possible. Hell, he's working with Duhon right now, so probably doesn't have any answers. Hence the need for a face-to-face meeting with AI to talk it out.

Again, I think I would need to hear that D'Antoni is on board with all this, but if true, then AI would be an immediate 50+ ranked player in 8-cats.

From the Knicks Blog



Knicks Blog

Wow, Toney Douglas was just inserted into the starting lineup the other day. I think they probably want to see a bit more as to what he can provide + Nate coming back from injury before they more forward. If they wanted to sign Iverson, we wouldn't be waiting till Sunday at the earliest.

You're over there acting like bringing AI in would help NY become more relevant. They have no need for AI, period. This is just to appease fans.

There is real life and then there is fantasy as Skoodog was saying.

In real life, I'm not a believer at all. I don't think any team can win on a regular basis with Iverson as their primary ballhandler and scorer anymore. I think his skills have eroded that much in my opinion. But, for the Knicks, that could be the difference between winning 20 or 25 and they are so bad that he obviously helps them. If Iverson is okay with being the show on a bad team, then that is his choice.

However, he still has skills and can put up numbers if a team is going to give him free reign. There are lots of guys in the NBA that I think could put up sick numbers if you are going to give them 15+ shots and play them 40 minutes. I call it "Ricky Davis Syndrome." Davis put up some sick numbers for a few years, but I really didn't think much of him as a basketball player and his teams weren't going to be winners. There was a time when AI could win that way. He was that good. He just isn't anymore. He is a sideshow now. For fantasy, he is gold now though. The Knicks are a train wreck. If they want to put AI out there as the sideshow freak, then more power to them. It makes a lot more sense now knowing that they don't have a lottery pick next season, so they are really just playing trying to prevent Utah from getting a top pick. Sad really.

I know he will put up numbers. I certainly don't dispute that. I just no longer see him as the elite player that he once was. If he is on my waiver, I'd grab him, no question. I have him in one league. If you have him in fantasy, then kudos. I'm sure all the guys that were the "believers" will come out every time he scores 30 and drops 10 dimes, but if the Knicks still lose the game 110-90 and Iverson jacks up 25 shots and shoots 40%, then who is really right in this debate?

I actually hope that he proves me wrong. I loved watching Iverson in his prime. He was pound-for-pound, the best player in the NBA for a stretch and was fun to watch. I'll still enjoy watching him now. He is/was a unique talent. I just don't think he is the game changer that he once was.

So just to summarize:

- The Knicks have no young talent (expect *maybe* Danilo) so AI stunts no one's growth.

- The Knicks have no draft pick this year thanks to a trade with Utah 5 years ago.

- The team can not get any worse with Iverson as they are 2-9 right now.

- Fans mostly would appreciate this gesture it seems.

- AI can signed for one year at the league minimum.


There's no risk here and they would be fools not do this.

Tony Douglas started at SG last game. They can still start him at SG and run Iverson at the point.

Let's check out the NY guard situation

Tony Douglas - not that great of a distributor, he will be a SG in the future or a 6th man type.

Duhon - awful, no upside

Nate Robinson - should NEVER start for any team in the future

Hughes - gone at the end of the season

Who is A.I. "holding back"? Ok....yea Tony D might not get as many shot attempts as he might if A.I. wasn't there....but that is all...NOBODY on this team is the Knicks future PG...they have NO 1st round draft pick...and there's ZERO prospects to be the Knicks future PG.

Agreed. Wilson Chandler is also a young talent in addition to Danilo. I'm not sold on Toney Douglas, I feel he'll probably be one of those 3-year guys who gets weeded out the league after a few years.

2 questions:

- is Iverson gonna hurt Nate Robinson's production?

- what kind of statline are we expecting to see from Iverson?

Iverson can setup positions for young guys better than any sg/pg in Knicks roster. He won't hurt Gallinari and Wilson's growth. If there anyone who hurts these guys, it's Duhon.

I believe he will hurt Nate's production. I owned Nate last year and watched a lot of his games. The nights where he went crazy and scored 25+ points is usually when he's the main handler of the ball... and he takes someone one on one. If Iverson's on the team that role will be Iverson's.

I'm going to say 22pts, 7assts, 1.8stls, 1 3s... #s will be good. I remember a few years back, when Hughes was going at it against Iverson for the league's lead in steals, I read about how it was a friendly competition between them two to see who can get more steals when they played each other. With that in mind, it's possible AI could be motivated enough to go above 2stls per game once again.

You gave up on him, nobody held a gun to your head to drop him, so it's 100% your fault. You have no one to blame but yourself.

I hope these stats are "per 48 minutes"

LMAO! Truly bitter & pathetic. Sorry pal but as the previous poster said, you've got no one but yourself to blame for dropping Iverson. So I suggest, for your own well-being, that you quit your moaning & bickering over this great injustice served upon you & simply get on with it.

BTW, you're not the only one here (or anywhere else for that matter) who was high on AI coming into the season. The world doesn't revolve around you, bud, nor does the universe have to act in accord with your self-perceived divine right to the player.

There are hundreds & thousands of leagues worldwide whereby people drafted AI expecting some decent return. In most leagues, AI was probably cut from rosters when he left the team for "personal reasons" - & in some, he wasn't. Props to the managers who didn't give up on AI as well as to those who capitalized on the ones that did.

lol... no, believe me, the #s will be that good. Although it will be pretty close to per 48 minutes since he'll be on the court all the time. Let's say it's per 38 minutes

I'm going to pickup McGrady instead.

I have McGrady and Iverson now. I'm either gonna be really good (2% chance) or really bad (98% chance).

Absolutely not. His scoring could be much higher than that actually (not per 48) you don't seem to comprehend that he would be playing for The Knicks under Mike D'antoni. He's never played in a system like this. Even if he is 75% of his usual self, he could put up monster numbers in this system. Look at the numbers Nate and Duhon put up last year. They are jokes compared to what AI could do. Put the haterade away and evaluate the situation properly.

LoL all this arguing for nothing - (and you can partly blame Indiana for it. I bet Reggie Miller's on the phone to Spike Lee right this very moment).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/sports/b.../21iverson.html

Anddddd, the Knicks pass. Much ado about nothing.

That's why it's never a good idea to hype a player's move to a team before it actually happens

Could this just be posturing in an attempt to get the Heat to back off and then on Sat or Sun sign Iverson for the league min? I don't think it's really dead dead.

But if you wait till it actually happens there a good chance he would be scooped up before you can get there.