But there was always something bubbling under the surface. There was always someone, or something, he didn't like. That even stretched to Larry Brown, the Hall of Fame coach he professes to adore. I was there when Iverson said if Brown remained the coach, he wanted to be traded. And there was Brown saying if Iverson stayed, he would quit.
As always, things would eventually calm down. Until the next episode. Iverson welcomed Randy Ayers as Brown's successor, then berated him. He seemed puzzled when Chris Ford insisted he adhere to the same rules as the rest of the players. He reveled in the arrival of Maurice Cheeks, then walked out on him. More than once, it was Billy King's fault. Had to be. King was the general manager, learning as he went along, putting out fires, one after the other, until he finally had enough.
Iverson eventually landed with Denver, but the Nuggets didn't flourish until they traded him for Chauncey Billups. Then came Detroit, where the blame landed squarely on Michael Curry in his one unfortunate season as the Pistons' coach. And then along came the Grizzlies. A contract worth $3.5 million didn't come with a guarantee that he would be a starter.
"I'm not trying to figure out how to contribute to no team," Iverson told the Associated Press before a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. "I contribute to a team by just playing. That's it . . . I don't have to figure it out. Obviously, they signed me for a reason. They've been watching me play this game for 13 years, and they know what I do on the basketball court, so I don't have to figure out how I'm going to play or anything like that. I just go out and play basketball."
