Philly can't afford an unhappy Iverson
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Philadelphia 76ers want to forget
their latest blowup with Allen Iverson, but it may not be so easy
for the star guard to forgive.
Iverson was angry about comments general manager Billy King made
in a Charlotte newspaper about both of them needing to do some
"soul-searching" to get their relationship to work.
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| Iverson |
He launched into a 10-minute rant following his career
playoff-high 40 point performance in Philadelphia's Game 1 victory
over the Charlotte Hornets and said management treated him more
like a "12th player on the bench" than a star.
King apologized in a meeting late Saturday night, but Iverson is
still harboring hurt feelings as the 76ers head into Game 2 against
Charlotte on Monday night.
"That was something that was on my mind, something I felt like
I had to get off my chest," Iverson said Sunday of his post-game
talk.
Iverson reiterated that he didn't feel like the 76ers franchise
player, but refused to elaborate.
"I just don't feel that way," he said. "It's a lot of things,
but I don't want to talk about that. I want this thing to blow over
as fast as it can."
King said it already has.
"I said if I hurt his feelings, I apologize," King said. "He
accepted my apology and we're here today, 1-0. It's over in our
eyes."
King said his quote wasn't meant as a rebuke or an attempt to
send a message to Iverson, who has been criticized for being late
to practice and was suspended for a game in Miami for missing a
shootaround.
"I think I was just saying that everybody in this organization,
we've got to figure out how to make this thing work," King said.
"We've all got to get together on the same page to make this
work."
Philadelphia coach Larry Brown, who has had his share of clashes
with his star guard, said the blowup occurred because Iverson
didn't know the context of the quote.
"I heard what was told to him, and if they had read the whole
article, I didn't think it was a negative thing," Brown said.
"Billy said it was a work in progress and I think Allen would be
the first one to admit that."
King, meanwhile, just laughed when asked if Iverson is treated
as poorly as he claims. He said he subscribes to a theory of
treating everybody fairly, but not equally.
"I think that works. You can't treat everybody equally because
sometimes circumstances arise, but you can treat everybody
fairly," he said.
Because he follows that theory, King apologized to Iverson, even
though he stands by the initial comment.
"He was hurt, I could hear it in his voice," King said. "And
I apologized for hurting him. Being in an organization is like
being in a family -- you don't let someone in your family feel
hurt."
Iverson had been told about King's comments hours before Game 1,
but dismissed any notion that his anger fueled his 40-point
performance.
"I am going to play the same regardless if there was an article
in the paper that said I was getting traded the next day," he
said. "I would still give the same effort because I owe that to my
teammates." |
