Allen Iverson Is Talking About Practice

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We all know how Allen Iverson feels about practice, but as you can see below, he's willing to do whatever it takes to help the Pistons win. It's makes for a funny soundbite and it's definitely cool to see he's willing to laugh at himself, but how he reacts to Michael Curry's practices will be extremely interesting.



Curry made a point of holding everybody accountable throughout training camp, putting the veterans through the same paces as the youngsters and going so far as to keep score during routine drills to develop a competitive edge. I talked to Amir Johnson about Curry's practices a week ago and he used the words "cutthroat" and "intense" repeatedly.

Perhaps realizing he's looking at the best shot he's ever had (or at the very least, the best shot he'll ever see again) at winning an NBA title will be enough for AI to go along, but considering the most common gripe Detroit's veterans had last year was a lack of accountability, the last thing I can imagine Curry will do is have a separate set of rules for the new guy.

Also, in case you're interested, Iverson won't be wearing his trademark No. 3 jersey. That's Rodney Stuckey's number, and even though Stuck was willing to give it up, the NBA nixed the idea, saying any number switch has to occur in the summer. If Iverson stays in Detroit beyond this year and wants No. 3, Stuckey indicated he'd switch to No. 9.

So what number will AI wear? No. 1. As in, the same number Chauncey Billups wore the last six years. It's just a number, right? Perhaps, but there are a lot of fans in Detroit who figured they might someday see No. 1 hanging from the rafters, and while Iverson's borrowing the number doesn't necessarily change those plans, it still seems a little cold.