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Allen Iverson may have had the biggest drop-off of any player in recent years. Just a season and a half ago, Iverson was having a superstar season by statistical standards, averaging 26.4 ppg, 7.2 apg, while shooting nearly 46% from the field and nabbing 2.0 spg. The following year, he looked more than human. The season after that nobody wanted him at all. The question on many fans’ minds is what happened to Allen Iverson?
There are a couple of theories that might give indication to Iverson’s recent struggles.
The Ball Hog Theory
Consider that Iverson is a volume shooter. This means that in order to be effective, AI needs to have the offense flow through him and he needs to be able to take a lot of shots. Some players are able to be effective even if they don’t get a lot of touches by moving without the ball, setting up teammates, setting off screen picks, going for offensive rebounds. Allen Iverson is not one of these players. On the Denver Nuggets, he was paired with another player like this in Carmelo Anthony. While the two were able to boost their personal stats, this didn’t really help the team win, as few other players got involved in the offense. When Iverson was traded to the Detroit Pistons, a team that was accustomed to playing “team” basketball, Iverson naturally didn’t fit in with his style of dominating the ball. Therefore, he lost about five minutes of playing time per game and he was never able to adjust to a team that didn’t want to rely solely on his quickness to get baskets. Consider that in Philadelphia, where Iverson had several years of success, the system was basically tailored to him. While the team was built to be a defensive team, the objective was to let him control the offense. That meant, surrounding Iverson with big men who could collect offensive rebounds and sharpshooting wing men who could hit the open shot when the defense collapsed on a penetrating AI. It may not be coincidence that the Denver Nuggets suddenly surged after trading Iverson for Chauncey Billups.
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AL Manager of the Year - Not Ron Gardenhire
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Front Office, MLB,
An unexpected travesty has occurred. Mike Scioscia has been chosen as the American League Manager of the Year for leading the Los Angeles Angels to another successful season. His accomplishment overshadows now five-time bridesmaid Ron Gardenhire, whose success in Minnesota goes unrewarded yet again. Gardenhire, who has helmed the Minnesota Twins for almost a decade, is a record five-time runner-up for the award. In that time span, he’s accomplished much more than most managers ever hope to. But it wasn’t always so easy for the 52-year old manager from West Germany. Gardenhire will remain the Twins’ skipper at least through the 2011 season.
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Florida Panthers announce pair of new owners
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Editorial, Front Office, NHL,
Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment were announced as co-owners of the Florida Panthers this past Monday. Prior to the announcement, the pair were simply minority owners who wanted to purchase the team from previous owner Alan Cohen, and have said they are committed to setting a vision and direction that will result in accountability, communication, and a winning culture throughout the organization. While they are not intending to make personal changes or interfering in the day-to-day actions of the current front office staff, they have said that they will step in if necessary in order to turn around the Panthers franchise.
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After 21 seasons in the National Hockey League, Brendan Shanahan has finally announced his retirement. In a planned move on Tuesday, the 40-year-old winger called it quits on what can only be described as a gloriously successful career. With the 2009 NHL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies out of the headlines, Shanahan’s retirement announcement comes at a perfect time. All focus will be on the eight-time All-Star, and there will certainly be some ceremonies in his honor in Detroit in the coming days, the city where Shanahan brought back three Stanley Cups and where he undoubtedly enjoyed the majority of his success.
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NL Rookie of the Year - Chris Coghlan
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
Chris Coghlan has achieved something rather unexceptional. He plays for the Florida Marlins and has been chosen as the National League’s 2009 Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old outfielder is also the third Marlin to win the award in seven years, joining shortstop Hanley Ramirez and lefty starter Dontrelle Willis on the list of top rookies to rise to the top with the Fish, although none of them were originally drafted by Florida. Coghlan was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18thd round of the 2003 Draft, but did not sign, instead opting to raise his stock. He was ultimately drafted in the first round of the 2006 Draft and signed by Florida.
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AL Rookie of the Year - Andrew Bailey
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
Andrew Bailey has just highlighted a personal accomplishment on a team marred by lowlights in 2009. He is the newly honored 2009 American League Rookie of the Year. Representing the Oakland Athletics, Bailey is the third Oakland player to win the award in the last six seasons. With 13 first place votes, six second place and five third place for a total of 88 points, Bailey was hardly challenged by any other American League rookie. The only others close to challenging Bailey for the award was shortstop Elvis Andrus from the Texas Rangers (65 points), and Detroit Tigers right-handed starter Rick Porcello (64 points).
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AL Cy Young Award winner - Zack Greinke
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
The American League Cy Young Award winner was announced recently, and while an untraditional, yet unsurprising decision, Zack Greinke took home the hardware to cap off what has been an incredible season, taking home 25 out of 28 first-place votes. Greinke just completed his sixth big-league season – all with the Kansas City Royals – but made a name for himself in 2009. To go along with his Cy Young, he also made the AL All-Star Squad as more than just a pity-pick, led the league in ERA, and was also the players’ choice for Pitcher of the Year. Greinke topped the list, followed by the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander, and New York Yankees’ CC Sabathia.
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Michael Strahan is many things - Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, sack master extraordinaire, future NFL Hall of Famer, and smooth skin aficionado. Yes, you read correctly. One of the hardest working defensive linemen to ever play the game in the trenches, Strahan has found a softer side after his retirement from football and it has a lot to do with his skin. Strahan took time out to talk to us about the current NFL season and his latest promotion with Vaseline. Add another title to Strahan - comedic actor - as he is one of the main characters in Brothers, which appears on FOX on Sunday nights at 7PM ET. Watch the video and you’ll see that comedy comes naturally to Strahan.
A big thank you to our friend Nick Koof from The Filler Show for helping us with the interview.
AL Silver Sluggers announced with few surprises
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Kudos, MLB,
The American League Silver Slugger Award winners were announced recently, and six of the nine selections came out of the East, which further goes to show just how powerful – literally – this division is. The New York Yankees had repeat winners in Mark Teixeira at first-base and Derek Jeter at short. The Boston Red Sox’s Jason Bay was honored with his first, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria at third, and the Toronto Blue Jays each had first-timers with Aaron Hill at second and Adam Lind as the designated hitter. The rest of the league squeaked in Joe Mauer, catcher for the Minnesota Twins with his third, and Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners and Torii Hunter from the Los Angeles Angels in outfield, with their third and first, respectively.
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GMs to discuss head shots, but that’s probably it
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Editorial, Front Office, NHL,
The general managers in the NHL are discussing head shots and honestly, it’s about time. Why there is even discussion about whether or not it’s necessary to implement changes to increase the safety of the players is absurd, but sadly, there are people who exist like Hockey Night in Canada analyst Mike Milbury, who is against changing the game. “Someone is going to die every day. If you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t play the game,” Milbury said.
Click to continue reading GMs to discuss head shots, but that’s probably it
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