Great holiday news for Pistons Fans.
“After Wednesday night’s 110-96 victory over the Knicks, he was one of many players who grumbled when coach Michael Curry decided to hold practice on Thanksgiving morning.
Iverson was the only no-show today. He will be fined an undisclosed amount and won’t start Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Palace.
Rodney Stuckey will start in Iverson’s place against the Bucks.” The Detroit Free Press
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I love need4sheed, but this is just absurd. Your making way to big of a deal out of this. It was Thanksgiving, not an ordinary day and not an ordinary practice. I think that AI has his prorities right by actually having Thanksgiving with his family and not participating in one out of hundreds of practices. I think the players who showed up to this practice seriously don’t care about their families.
Latest rumor–and I admit it is a rumor–but you guys have probably heard that he several people claim he was playing poker at the MGM Grand–Whether that’s true or not, in the NBA , there are games scheduled on Thanksgiving, a lot of stores are open on Thanksgiving–so to all those people saying its family day–out of respect to the others he should have gone–and it’s believable that he would be playing poker instead of with his family–just a rumor, but a believable one
With all of the previous jokes/history, I still can’t believe he did this. I bet he gets booed.
Great decision by Curry.
I know that the holiday is very important, but wheh the team looks like that, they have to understand the situation and do everything to get better.
I think Curry has shown them that he’ll be tough, because if they don’t deserve this day off, they won’t get it.
I have a lot of respect to what theyr’e going through and how important the holiday is, especially for them, but they have to be committed to the team and if the play like they do, they have to do everything in order to change that, and Curry is doing his job as an educator and a coach.
So with all the respect, it is a sensitive situation, but good call by Curry.
And about Iverson? I’m out of words, he’s showed us and his teammates what he thinks about us, on and off the court.
CURRY U ROOKIE. NOBODY WORKS ON THANKSGIVING U JACKASS
i knew that when we got iverson there would be a deluge of bandwagon “pistons” fans obsessed with iverson but some of these posts are ridiculous.
was the practice a bad idea? irrelevant. iverson knew it was happening and everyone showed up except for him. outside of a family emergency, that is inexcusable, and “i didn’t want to leave them for 2 hours” is not a family emergency.
stop trying to justify iverson’s arrogance and disrespect by claiming the practice was unjust or unnecessary. those are excuses. and to those of us who have seen the sacrifices necessary to win a championship they are pathetic excuses. if iverson’s a man he’ll own up like a man and take responsibility like a man.
if he’s a champion he’ll change his behavior, subvert his ego and do whatever he can to make this team better. champions eat, train, practice and play like champions. until allen iverson realizes that, he’ll never be one.
and let’s put an end to this notion that ai was brought here to increase ticket sales rather than to make a serious title run. anyone who thinks that knows nothing about joe d. or pistons basketball.
I´m a Pistonsfan from Sweden where Thanksgiving means fxxk all but I reckon it´s an important holiday in the US. I´m bitterly dissapointed about AIs behavior, thanksgiving or not. Having watched losses against Boston, Phoenix and Minnesota it´s obvious they need som extra paractice to get organized defensively.
Feels like the trade is above all a good move to get some capspace more than adding Allen to the team.
Looking forward to Dice´s return though. A man who truly deserves to wear the Pistonsshirt
i have liked Iverson throughout his career and i love him as a player but i am starting to doubt him as a piston. i mean this shows that you can take the guy out of the hood, but you cant take the hood out of the guy i mean come on A. I what were yout hinking that day, you have gone through this practice thing again,only hear in detroit we dont need you as much as Philly needed you. so get better adn help us out and yourself out
I think it was irresponsible of a fading superstar with no concept of what it means to be a leader or a winner to skip practice. This situation is not surprise, its disappointing. The good thing is with the mental strength of the vets on this team and the head of the organization, it is highly unlikely that A.I. will tear this team apart. Its actually a good thing that this sort of foolishness comes out early so hopefully it won’t be an issue by the second half of the season. This situation also makes me feel like it will be one and done for A.I. in a Pistons jersey.
ayy i would trade ai, dnt care about lebron in 010 becuase theres more players in 010 so we should trade him to the suns because staudamire wants to leave the suns i think
As for the decision to practice for 1 hour on Thanksgiving, it makes since for a team that wants to win a title to get everyone on the same page. For the 1st time in 5 years this team is not in the top 3 in the east. They are not favorites to win their division much less the conference or the title. Curry made the right decision…it was only 1 HOUR.
You know, it is pretty disappointing to see A.I skip practice because he said in his press conference that he would do whatever it takes to win. I mean, the practice was only for one hour, and it was held early, so I don’t think there was many reasons for Iverson to miss practice. But I’m glad that Allen apologized and said that it won’t happen again. That’s the Allen Iverson I want to see.
It was just an hour long conditioning session. So I guess the practice wasnt to get AI acclimated a bit more with his brand new teammates anyway. However Its inexcusable, he was joking about his practice outburst at Philly the day of his team introduction, So Come on AI youre 33 freaking years old!! I know it sucks working on holidays(because I did actually) But man, you should know better than that, you should realize that sometimes we are judge by our past. Curry is one lame boss LOL, just like mine, but my goal is getting a promotion to get a salary raise, so I know good enough to not get on my bosses bad side. AI dude youre goal is a championship(I assume) So do what your boss says, specially since the team is struggling to adapt to you, talk about starting with the left foot.
I just want to say that I Coach high school wrestling, and we had a two hour practice Thanksgiving morning. My HIGH SCHOOL athletes showed up, got a work out in, then went home and spent the rest of the day with their families.
If pros are getting paid millions for to give up less time than what high schoolers are doing for free or even paying to do, there’s a big problem with them not showing up for practice. I’m on Curry’s side here.
hey i just wanted to say there is no reason of putting iverson on the bench because then there would be no reason for him to even be on the team.
Natalie, I am quite disappointed in you. For as optimistic as you always are, I feel like you are giving up on Allen. I miss Chauncey just like the rest of us, but Allen is a Piston now and I am behind him every step of the way. I have confidence in his abilities and his character. I know that I sure wouldn’t show up to a practice on Thanksgiving morning, and I am fine if Iverson doesn’t want to either.
vj, you say you have confidence in his character, and then you say you’d have skipped the same practice. no wonder you have confidence in his character, you have none of your own.
honestly, what degree to punish ai is up for debate, whether or not what he did was wrong isn’t. and we as pistons fans (as opposed to ai fans)have every reason to be upset. he lied at his press conference and then gave us a perfect example of how he’s still the same arrogant, self-centered little jerk he used to be.
if you don’t know what “detroit basketball” refers to then please, find some allen iverson fan site you can post on. excuse every stupid thing he does, and blame the most consistent team in the east as all being idiots except for the infallible ai.
ai is the opposite of detroit basketball and his fans are the opposite of detroit pistons fans. it sickens me. i believe he has the potential to help this team win a championship this year. but he’s not going to do it unless he gets over himself and his cadre of devoted apologists.
why would you even continue to excuse this kind of behavior? i take it you’re an ai fan? you enjoy seeing him act like a child? do you not want him to win a championship? do you enjoy seeing him lose? does seeing him not live up to his potential make you feel better about yourself?
VJ, by no means am I “giving up” on Iverson, but how can you not be disappointed in someone who defied the coach and his team for his own purposes.
People have to work on the Holidays, what makes it different for him?
I don’t make close to 22 million dollars a year and I work when I’m told.
It’s about a championship.
If Ivo can put up 17 points in 28 minutes without attending a “crucial” practice, then I really wouldn’t care if he didn’t show up for another practice for the rest of the season. He gets paid to play basketball, and the heart and dedication I saw from him last night on the Palace floor was enough for me.
And for everyone who is making this issue a bigger deal than it has to be: Drew Sharp hit the nail on the head in his Free Press article on Saturday. If you haven’t read it by now, I suggest you check it out.
ai put up 17 points in 28 minutes against the bucks, who were missing their two best players. how did he do against boston? against the freaking timberwolves?
if “the heart and dedication” you saw against the bucks was enough to satisfy you, then fine. enjoy meaningless wins against crappy teams. but winning a championship demands a level of heart and dedication outside of the games themselves.
you think garnett skips practices? you think kobe bryant skips practices? no, because they’re champions. they realize the dedication required to win that ring is greater than just showing up to games. much greater.
they get it. iverson doesn’t. most iverson fans don’t.
i read the drew sharp article. it basically says iverson needs to be treated like a child and that “Iverson and the concept of rigorous practice are about as compatible as the Lions and winning a game.”
this is the behavior you’re defending? showing up to games should be a given. if that is the extent of your dedication you don’t deserve a pistons uniform.
Good points Kyle. I can definetely understand where you are coming from. All that I’m saying is that the ultimate fate of the 08-09 Detroit Pistons does not bank on which players attended or did not attend an hour long practice on Thanksgiving morning. I get the fact that its about principle and I get the fact that the practice was called with the goal of acclimating Ivo.
However, rest assured there will be many more practices throughout the year, and come May, I expect AI will fit right in. (my comment above about never going to practice again was facetious)
As for the Garnett/Kobe thing, you do have an excellent point there. I must admit, I’ve never thought of it that way before.
Further, the entire team played horrendous against Boston and Minnesota, so I don’t know if its fair to throw all the blame on Iverson.
I also think it is unfair to chastise Allen without even knowing his excuse. Granted, the fact that he did not offer one doesn’t look good, but nobody on the outside can be completely sure.
Finally, give him more of a chance. At times when it looks like he is half-assing it, remember that his life is different than yours, so you can’t expect him to think like you. I trust Joe D and his instincts. He was the one that rebuilt our great team and he is the one that saw fit to shake it up. I am confident that it will all work out in the end, but if it doesn’t, I will be the first to admit that I was wrong
One more final note: I take pride in being a Detroit Pistons fan no matter who it is out there on the floor. From the moment I laid eyes on my first hideous Grant Hill teal jersey at age 5, I’ve wanted nothing but the best for Detroit Basketball. I am a Pistons fan, and that entails all Pistons, past and present (yes, even Ben Wallace, Jon Barry, Jud Bucheler, etc.). From my favorite player (Rasheed) to the captain (Rip) to the guards, big men, and all the way down to Alex Acker, I am behind them every step of the way, because they share the common goal of bringing a ship back. Some players might go about it differently, but I love them all. In response to your above comment, I believe that to be a true Pistons fan, you must be an Iverson fan, but not necessarily vice versa, if that makes sense at all (it probably doesn’t, but its like that whole “a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t a square” thing they fed us in geometry)
Like Nat I tried to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and was starting to thaw towards him after the 1st round of west coast games, it did seem like he was trying to play like a team player which is why I like Detroit as a franchise int he first place. There just aren’t a lot of teams in the NBA that are competitive based on team work instead of being a support system for a superstar player.
However my thaw towards the guy is over with this. He’d have to commit a major act of selflessness now to regain my good favor. This is the same ole AI crap, different jersey. That guy so does NOT deserve to be wearing Chauncy’s #1. Still love the team but I will be happy when he’s not wearing a Pistons jersey any more. He has not demonstrated to me that he’s a Piston’s caliber player. For me that includes talent AND a good work ethic and attitude.
I wear a McDyess jersey to games for a reason.
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