Dec/090
Humble Answers from THE Answer
The Punk Kid is Now a Grown-Ass Man
I have to admit, I've always been an AI apologist. I was willing to look past the 'tude, the locker room disruptiveness, the thugged out image and of course "Practice?", because he was a six footer who went balls-out 82 nights a year, sacrificed his body, played hurt and stopped at nothing to help his team win. Having said that, I have to say that Iverson did disappoint me from time to time and I had just about given up on his seemingly uninsurable ass when even the New York Knicks wouldn't take him. But I was jazzed to hear he was returning to Philly and I was pleasantly surprised by his comments today (above).
In a week when we all learned that the god of the golf world was actually human, it was nice to see AI's human side as well. One thing that you could never say about Allen Iverson is that he's disingenuous (the same could never be said for Tiger and his squeaky-clean image) and it's clear that his feelings about basketball (and family) are very real. And that right there is the difference between Iverson and Woods. AI lives his life out there in the open. He's honest, shows his flaws for everyone to see and allows us to learn from him.
We saw a new side of The Answer today. An older side, a more mature side, a humble side. His humility and his honesty should leave the rabid Philly fans feeling hopeful for the future of their once great ball team. Glad to have you back, Answer. Just wanted to say that.
-Wild