MJ nixed Iverson

[ohara831]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...a-playoff.html

Very interesting. I know many of us wanted Iverson on the cheap if we could land him. But it appears in retrospect that MJ made the right decision. Iverson has issues to deal with and would not be close to being able to contribute for us right now. I hope the best for Iverson as I have always liked him, but at this time, I am glad he's not a Bobcat.

[spectre]

I agree that it's good to know MJ isn't just being a "yes man" to LB (remember he's the guy who pushed for the Ariza - Francis trade)...but there's so much more in that article that I'm not sure Iverson should get top billing.

So what defines a Larry Brown player?

“One, he has to have basketball savvy,’’ Jordan said. “His IQ as a basketball player has to be high, maybe even more so than talent.

“Two, they need to be athletic – we have a very, very athletic team.

“Three, they have to have a defensive skill set.’’

Center Nazr Mohammed, who played for Brown here and in Philadelphia, adds a fourth quality: Versatility. Mohammed notes he and center Gana Diop are the only players on a 15-man roster who can fill just one position.

Considering how much change has occurred, it’s perhaps a surprise that two of the players who pre-date Brown, Wallace and Felton, remain core pieces.

But not that surprising, since their values mirror Brown’s. He constantly praises Felton for being such a pleaser and says Wallace asks the smartest questions he’s heard a player pose in practice.

[BRNC]

It is sad to see the stuff AI is having to deal with but for those of us that were opposed I have to say it was a good BB decision to not bring him in...I wish him well but I'm glad we did not sign him...

[ohara831]

You are right Spectre, there is a lot there. Primarily tho, I was very happy to see a good personnel decision made by MJ. His track record has been spotty to say the least. This was a good one and I wanted to give him credit.

The stuff about a LB player is so true. You can just tell it. And about Ray, man, I dont think there is any way to read the tea leaves on that issue. You hear talk about how he loves it in Charlotte, but then he turns down at least $7 mil/yr. He has improved so much under LB's teaching and he is a real trooper. Then talk comes about the Cats preparing for life without Ray as they will likely not be able to afford to pay what other teams can offer. Just a big bunch of confusion. I dont think there is any way to know what happens there until the season is over. I doubt even the FO knows what they plan to do right now. They may want to see if he can elevate his game even higher in the Playoffs since this will be his first experience at it. It will be interesting to see.

[spectre]

That wasn't a knock against you at all Ohara...I don't want you to think that. The AI thing is what Bonnell led off with and it seems that he thought it was the biggest nugget.

If I were Bonnell I'd have broken that into two stories; it's not like they're flooding us with stuff like I think they should be doing anyway.

We've beat Felton around to death, so I won't go into it here other than to remind everyone that MJ didn't want to give Mek that fat deal...but LB told him we had to have him in order not to step back. I don't think LB really liked Mek, but I think he loves Felton. I think worst case is we sign him and then look to trade him in the near future (when CP3 has that opt out in a year or so. )

I just wish everyone (and not necessarily on this board) would realize what type of player LB demands. If a potential signee doesn't have those qualities he won't be a Bobcat.

[teej]

I still think that AI would've been a decent signing if only to do what Memphis did.

As far as the rest of it, LB saying that Mike shouldn't always listen to him was fairly interesting, since all these rumors have him wanting total control.