NBA memphis Grizzlies

DENVER -- Allen Iverson back in Denver?

Don't completely rule it out. At least that's the word from Nuggets coach George Karl, who said Tuesday the team would consider bringing back the guard if there were to be an injury on his team.

"A.I. for us is an injury discussion,'' Karl said. "I don't think it's a discussion right now for us... But just say somehow (guard) Ty Lawson is out for the season, I think speed and quickness is what Ty gives us. A.I. would be on the list of speed and quickness.'

For now, though, Karl said the Nuggets aren't eyeing Iverson, who played for them from 2006-08, when he had his last two impressive NBA seasons.

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Yahoo!'s Marc Spears caught up with the personal manager of one Allen Iverson, the surefire Hall-of-Fame guard who earlier Monday agreed to part ways with the Grizzlies after three dramatic regular season appearances. The implication of Monday's event implies that Iverson is done in the NBA -- he didn't exactly have many suitors in the offseason, after all, which required a bit role on the bad Grizzlies in the first place.

You should be unsurprised to learn, however, that Iverson doesn't see it that way. A.I.'s manager told Spears that the guard intends to play again in the NBA ... hopefully this season. How's that gonna happen? Take it away, New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh!

The sideshow has been shut down. And they never even put the big top up.

Everybody knew Allen Iverson was signed by Memphis in September in order to sell tickets and bring some buzz to a moribund franchise. Everybody knew Iverson wasn't going to crack the starting lineup.

Check that. Everybody knew except Iverson, who, at 34, has declined significantly as a player. He was in a disbelieving state that he was going to show up in Memphis, become a starter and average his usual 25 points per game.

Earlier Monday morning, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley gave Allen Iverson until the end of the week to decide whether he wanted to return to the team or not. As it happens, Heisley got his answer by the end of the day.

From a statement released Monday afternoon by Grizzlies GM and vice president Chris Wallace: "The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters. As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best."

Update: Grizzlies, Iverson will part ways

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that the previously patience management of the Grizzlies has become less forgiving of Allen Iverson's mysterious exile. Tillery writes that Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has told A.I.'s agent the guard has until the end of the week to choose between rejoining Memphis or retiring.

Further, Tillery has an Iverson source passing on word it's unlikely The Answer will be back in Memphis. Heisley may be willing to trade Iverson, but that can't happen for another month, and boy would that be one awkward month. If Iverson retires, he'd be restricted from signing an NBA contract for a year, unless he can convince all 30 teams (including the Grizz) to reinstate him early. (This is unlikely. Even Jason Williams, non-controversial as he is, could not get reinstated early.) I have a feeling we have seen the last of A.I. this season.

After building a rising core of young players featuring Marc Gasol (arguably their best all-around player at this point), O.J. Mayo (arguably their best scoring player at this point) and Rudy Gay (arguably ... Rudy Gay), the Memphis Grizzlies followed that up by trading for the untradeable Zach Randolph, drafting the undraftable Hasheem Thabeet, and signing the unsignable Allen Iverson. It's pretty much been advanced anti-fan warfare against the seventeen fans they have left.

And the hits just keep on comin'.

Rookies. What do they know?

Not much except that, with the per diem paid over the table in NBA instead of under it in college, they need to get the donuts before practice, carry their teammates' bags and stay out of the way of the veterans.

Oh, about that last part? The Nets' Terrence Williams, rookie out of Louisville, may need to work on it a bit.

Video after the jump.

If ever there were an NBA team that the fates deemed the Murphy's Law exhibition squad, it's the Memphis Grizzlies. Just days after their prized free agent acquisition publicly balked at coming off the bench before leaving for personal reasons, the franchise suffered two devastating losses in one night, not only falling to 1-7 in a blowout loss at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers but also losing their young franchise center to a broken jaw.

I wrote in September that perhaps there would be no worthy center to start for the West in the All-Star Game.

But this isn't the way I want to see that solved. Do it on the court, not with the ballot.

When the All-Star ballot came out Tuesday, Phoenix power forward Amar'e Stoudemire strangely was listed as a center. Yes, Stoudemire has played center before, but he's started all eight games for Suns this season at power forward, with Channing Frye being the starting center.

It is true the ballot, which was selected by six media members from around the country, had to be decided upon before the season began in order to provide time for printing. But it has been apparent since at least September that Frye would Phoenix's starting center, with Stoudemire at power forward.

After Allen Iverson received permission from the Grizzlies to take a personal leave of absence on Saturday, it was only natural to wonder if that was the last we would see of him in Memphis. Iverson was clearly unhappy coming off the bench, and his coach, Lionel Hollins, was clearly unhappy with the distraction the situation was creating for his team.

Most thought that if Iverson didn't return to the Grizzlies, then he would surely end up somewhere else. But according to a report in The Commercial Appeal, retirement is something that instead may be on the iconic superstar's mind.