AI doesn't fit

With rumors flying, the resident student (who will find anyway possible to avoid studying for his awful Stats 350 final) felt it necessary to respond quickly.

Now, let's set the record straight. I love Allen Iverson. He's a small guy's dream; he's relentless, fearless, flashy, hilarious-everything I'm not and would love to be. You think I'd be salivating at the chance to watch AI get to the line 15 times and score 30-plus every night in the Bulls black and red.

But in the end, this deal just would not make any sense for the Bulls, despite what the Prospect staffer thinks. For one, our scoring has not been the issue this season. The Bulls are fourth in the East in scoring, fourth in scoring defense, and first in differential. The days of Corey Benjamin and Marcus Fizer are behind us. Second, the Bulls system - not Skiles- would poorly accomodate the Hoya. As Sam Smith points out, the Bulls motion offense revolves around player and ball rotations and their pressure D requires honest, up-tempo ball pressure. While Iverson is great on the defensive end, he is more adept at playing the lanes than sticking dudes one on one. And we know that he needs the ball in his hands constantly. The last thing the Bulls need is to take developing stars (Deng and Noc specifically) out of the offensive rhythm.

Not to mention the contract. Ivo is 30 with two more years and $40 million left on the deal. That means that over half of our salary cap through '09 would be tied up with two players over 30 that have glaring gaps in their game. The Inquirer reported that a deal was possible for Gordon, Brown, Big Sweet and the Knicks pick, which looks essentially like a promising AI for Gordon and the pick trade (both the others are expiring contracts). But AI, despite how good he is, will not make the rest of the rotation better. KG, on the other hand . . .