<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>DURHAM, N.C. - It is a mantel of leadership, responsibility and authority. There is one tucked away in every team's wardrobe closet. Not everyone can drape it over his shoulders. For some, it fits perfectly the very first time. For others, it has to be tailored.</p> "Since grade school, I've always been 'the man' on the team, the one to show everybody the way, because I was the best player," Andre Iguodala said during the 76ers' annual pre-training camp media session yesterday at Philadelphia of Osteopathic Medicine before leaving for camp. "Now, to be older, I understand it's not all about being the best player; it's helping your teammates get better, showing the young guys the right way to be a professional."</p> The Sixers, from president/general manager Billy King on down, aren't necessarily interested in this becoming Iguodala's team, the way it was Allen Iverson's team for a decade, the way Charles Barkley and Julius Erving once wore that mantel. If it happens, it can only be good for everyone, but it's not a designation that can be thrust on a player.</p> Iguodala, preparing for the fourth season of his rookie contract, is unquestionably the team's best player. He was a member of the U.S. select team that trained with the national team before the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas last summer. He was one of four players last season to average at least 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining Kobe Bryant, Le-Bron James and Tracy McGrady. Since entering the league in 2004-05, only three players have recorded more steals. Several of his averages last season were career highs: 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 40.3 minutes.</p> The Sixers have until Oct. 31 to finalize a contract extension; if that doesn't get done, then, by league rule, they must wait until July 1. If it comes to that, the Sixers will have a right of first refusal against any offers from other teams. King, Iguodala and agent Rob Pelinka have agreed to keep the negotiations out of the media.</p> "My job this year is to lead the team," Iguodala said. "If [the extension] happens, then great. But if it doesn't, I still have to play ball."</p> He wants more, and not in a selfish way.</p> "To be the leader just helps me become even more focused," Iguodala said. "Every day, I've got to say, 'I can't have any lapses.' I can't say, 'I'm mad at Mo [coach Maurice Cheeks].' I have to show I want to be the leader. That's a challenge.</p> "It's important that I have right people around me. [Pelinka] lets me know. He tells me, 'You're emotional, but you've got to hold it in. When you want to let something out, do it on the defensive end of the court, pick up your man fullcourt.' "</p> This group - primarily Iguodala, Kyle Korver, Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green - was forced to learn to play conventional pro basketball on the fly when Iverson, a four-time scoring champion who dominated the ball, was traded to Denver in December. Andre Miller arrived in that transaction, providing the orchestral skills of a savvy, veteran point guard. And with that, Iguodala began to blossom.</p> "He's definitely the best player on our team, and I believe he's going to be 'the man,' " Korver said. "But I don't think we've got to be so quick to give it to somebody. And, please, that's not saying anything negative about anyone or anything.</p> "I look at a [rising] team like Chicago. Whose team is that? But I really like how they play. We don't have to put all the pressure on Andre to be Mr. Everything. We don't necessarily need that. He'll have the ball at the end of games, he'll make a lot of plays, but he doesn't necessarily have to be 'the man.' Not every team has that. And a couple that do aren't very good.</p> "I feel like there's a lot of pressure, through the media and the city, that he has to be 'the man.' I don't want him to feel he has to be that."</div></p> Source: Philadelphia Daily News</p>
