After a disappointing 2009-10 season, Allen Iverson tweeted he was back on track and ready to rejoin the NBA this year, claiming he owed it to his fans after a couple of frustrating seasons. Iverson is alluding to last season in particular, when he left the Memphis Grizzlies after three games, hating coming off the bench.
After his short stint with Memphis, Iverson was picked up by his former team in Philadelphia, hoping to regain some of his past success with the 76ers. The stretch did not go as planned, as Iverson spent just 25 games in Philly before leaving the NBA to focus on his 4-year-old daughter's health issues.
However, Iverson is now saying his family life is healthy and sturdy, and he's ready to come back to the NBA with guns blazing. Unfortunately for him, no one in the NBA is quite as eager to take back the aging point guard. Now that he's hit 35, teams are more apprehensive to picking him up, especially since he refused to adapt to a bench role with the Grizzlies.
With just two weeks to go until training camp starts, Iverson is exploring opportunities abroad. Following in the footsteps of fellow point guard Stephon Marbury, Iverson is reportedly in talks with Foshan — formerly Shanxi — of the Chinese Basketball League. According to Yahoo Sports, Iverson has a "strong desire" to play overseas, especially since the NBA hasn't been calling.
The CBA has been very good to Marbury, who averaged 22.9 points and 9.5 assists in 15 games for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons. After signing a three-year contract extension with the Dragons, Marbury is planning to create a company to produce and sell his shoe line, Starbury.
A change of scenery will be a positive change for Iverson, giving him an opportunity to reinvent himself in a new league after two rough seasons in the NBA. He may still have a few NBA years left in him, but a flight overseas looks like the best option for The Answer in 2011.
