Moohead Radio

January 27, 2007 9:40 am

Allen Iverson played in Philly for many years. He scored, he passed, he won, he lost, and he caused ownership so many headaches they finally parted with him. Shipped to Denver for Andre Miller and some loose change. Iverson average more than 30 points per game. But he only shot 42% from the field, and took more than 30 shots in many games. That left precious little for the other players on the floor. They took to watching Allen and losing. Allen was happy as long as he got his shots.

The same story line has been played out in many cities, whether it’s Paul Pierce in Boston, Ricky Davis (wherever he is), or Vince Carter in New Jersey. Selfishness in today’s NBA is as common as an Applebees next to a mall. But occasionally, there is another side to this story. Like in Philadelphia.

While Iverson was hoisting off balance jumpers, Andre Iguodala waited in the wings. Relegated to winning the NBA slam dunk contest, Iguodala was known more for his vertical leap than his scoring average. It turns out that a few fewer shots by Iverson, and a few more looks for Iguodala might have made a huge difference for the losing Sixers. Now that Iverson is gone, Iguodala has upped his scoring average 6 points per game, and has become a “go to” guy. The point is a simple one. Addition by subtraction.

Jason Johnson’s departure from the Indians allowed Jeremy Sowers to get a chance to start every 5 days. A lost season allowed Ryan Garko a chance to drive in 50 runs in 45 games. In Boston, Gerald Green develops while Paul Pierce is hurt. Injuries and trades can create opportunities for hungry young players.

Last night, LeBron James could not play. His maligned team mates took the floor without him, and fell behind by 17 points at halftime. Two players got a chance that would not normally have gotten one. the veteran David Wesley, and the rookie Daniel Gibson. Wesley did what vets do. He played defense down the stretch. But Gibson did what hungry players do. He passed, scored and played defense. He ran the offense. He penetrated off the dribble, and gave the team legs. He scored a LeBron-esque 11 fourth quarter points, and led the team to an 8 point win. It had been weeks since he’d seen significant minutes on the floor.

Coach Mike Brown needs to take a long look at the films from last night. Necessity IS the mother of invention. LeBron’s injury forced the Cavs to play as a team, as opposed to 7 guys and a superstar. No one pounding the ball aimlessly for 12 seconds out front. No crazy off balance threes. Lots of perimeter passing and ball sharing. Hard nosed defense and clutch free throws.

Guys like Iverson take the shots. Guys like LeBron get the endorsements. But guys like Wesley and Gibson make teams. There is a reason why basketball has 5 men on the floor for each team. Because one man cannot beat 5. And 5 men playing together can’t lose.

And every time a Shaq, a Kobe or a Yao goes down, there is a player waiting for his chance to be one of the 5. The chosen 5 on the floor at the end of an unlikely win.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 27th, 2007 at 9:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.