[The Effin One]

what skill level do you put Iverson at? If you would really analyze Iverson as a player, do you consider him to be a one of a kind, marvel of a player?

I ask this question because I believe the media generally downplays how excellent Iverson is. I'm sure since some of you are from Philly you've seen him around and know that he really can not be more than 5'10. Every shot he takes seems to be off balance or tough in some way. His ability to read the lane is great and considering his size he's a pretty good defender. His height is always his biggest disadvantage on size.

I see Iverson affecting a game in ways that Shaq and Duncan do. His presence alone will buy his teammates open look because he's such a dominant player that the defense chemistry is all out of whack because everyone's keeping an extra eye on Iverson.

I come off as quite of a 'homer' because Iverson's my favorite player who ever picked up a basketball. So, Sixers fans, I ask...do you consider Iverson a marvel?

 

[BEEZ]

Still today at this point its still unbelievable what this man does on the basketball court. Night in and night out. Hes still very much an amazing player. Theres not many players in this league that you can put on the floor and you know that guy is going to get you a W

 

[sixersonline]

What I've been most pleased by is the strides he's made cerebrally on the court the past season, plus these 12 games under Mo. His shot selection so far this year has improved significantly (and as a result his shooting percentage is up 2% points). The consistency on his midrange jumper is improved.

His assists are up, while his turnovers are down, which was something that he struggled with a lot last year returning full-time to the PG position, being 8 years removed from it. Nearly a 3-1 A/TO ratio, solid for a point guard.

You really can't ask him to do much more for this team than what he's doing.

He's carrying the scoring load (but without the hogging the ball as in the past)
He's sharing the ball, and letting Webber get all the shine in the offense his gimpy legs can manage.
He'll play an entire game if that's what the team needs from him to get the win ... and he'll play entire games on back to back nights in a pinch, if need be.

If there's one area where I could nitpick, I'd like to see him move his feet better in man-to-man defensive situations and keep opposing point guards out of the lane so much, especially with our interior defense being as shaky as it is ... I'd like to see him gamble for steals less also, particularly in halfcourt defensive situations where we have a lead, and getting a stop is just as important as going for a steal. Without fail, opponents seem to ALWAYS score off of one of his missed gambles. Having a shotblocker back there (Hunter and hopefully Dalembert one of these days) should be an added bonus to our defense, not a necessity...

But overall, you can't help but be amazed as the player he has become ... After his injury plagued year in 03-04, I actually thought that we would begin to see a gradual decline in his game ... but it's been the opposite ... he's become more dominant.

And as much as Iverson has been making the young guys around him better ... the fact that he has some talented players around him offensively for the first has made him much better also. With Korver and now Iguodala and Salmons stretching the floor, that's opened up a world of driving opportunities for him ... long gone are the days where teams could sag off of Snow and company ... to double and triple him.