"In college [at Arizona], I got to do it a little bit, too. We ran a little bit so off the rebound, I was bringing it up. That's what enabled me to get other guys involved and get a lot of assists and rebounds, and score some points, too."
The 6-foot-6 Iguodala, known and appreciated more for his defense and his ability to fly to the hoop for spectacular dunks, now has the responsibility of playing the point for the foreseeable future as the Sixers try to dig their way out of a 2-11 swoon.
Iguodala played the point for the Sixers' two weekend games against New Jersey and Minnesota, averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.0 turnovers, as compared to marks of 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.7 turnovers in his first 14 games.
Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said his reason for the change simply was to put the ball in Iguodala's hands to make plays and enable him to have an impact on the game.
"This is not going to be an overnight thing," Cheeks said. "He's not going to transform into John Stockton. But he's a big point guard, he can see over defenses, he can run screen-and-roll, he can do all those things.
"You still have Allen [Iverson] on the floor, so it's not like the ball has to be in [Iguodala's] hands 90 to 95 percent of the time. It can be in Allen's hands, it can be in [Iguodala's] hands, it can be in different guys' hands. But I think he has great vision and sees the floor well, and I like to have the ball in his hands a little bit more."
Iguodala said he likes the new role because it gives the opponent a different look and involves him in the offense more.
"I just feel like I have a purpose out there," he said.
In addition, he feels that handling the ball will allow him to be more aggressive at the offensive end, a frequent demand of him the last couple of seasons.
