<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Allen Iverson fully expected yesterday to come. Even with all of the off-season trade rumors that had him going everywhere from Boston to Golden State to Atlanta, Iverson insisted he believed he'd be back for an 11th season with the 76ers. ?I'm not surprised because I've basically been hearing that for years,? said Iverson during yesterday's media day ? which he referred to as ?the same old song and dance? ? at the Wachovia Center. ?Every summer I hear the trade talks. It was nothing different this summer. There might have been a lot more talks, a lot more focus on that, but I've been there before. I'd be lying if I said I'm used to it. ?Everybody has an opinion. The only opinion that matters is Billy King's and the organization's. That's not something I think about when I hear about it on TV and everything. I just wait on the call from those guys. If the call comes, it comes. If not, I report when I'm supposed to report and give everything I got like I do every year.? Still, Iverson, a seven-time all-star and former MVP, admitted he moved his family to Atlanta for the summer in large part due to what he heard in Philadelphia after the Sixers didn't make the playoffs last season. But when he got there, fans stopped asking if he was going to stay a Sixer and started asking if he was going to become a Hawk. ?I needed to get an away house anyway, but I wasn't able to escape all the rumors and all the talk of me coming or going,? Iverson said. So Iverson returns with nearly the same group of teammates and the same head coach that ended the previous season for the first time in four years. Chris Webber said he's glad to be paired with Iverson again. ?I'm happy Allen's back,? said Webber, who combined with Iverson to form the highest-scoring duo in the league last season (averaging 53.2 points). ?Make no mistake about it, this is what he's built. We definitely could not win without him. He's the best player I ever played with.? </div> Source
That's good to hear how he expected all this trade rumours to come. I thought he'd be a bit peaved but he was cool with everything. Good find Brian.
Anyone want to notice a stinging pattern: Chris Webber's on and off critics of Allen Iverson. There have been articles, where you've seen Webber secretly take it out to AI, and at the same time, articles where he pubically praises him (Such as this one) It makes me believe,that Allen Iverson has to carry the burden of 2 critical roles ( ALA, MCNabb/T.O) 1: He has to keep the young athletic core together and keep them on task. (Not nessarily an easy thing to do, especially when your name is Allen Iverson, and all the bad-talks about you begin). 2:He has to keep his grudge (If he has any) With Chris Webber private, because he's the star player. But Because Webber's no longer viewed as a high-echelon player, he can dish these things out. This is really unfair to Allen Iverson and the sooner you move Chris Webber, the better things will become.
