OPINION

By Bethlehem Shoals

updated 4:00 p.m. ET Nov. 9, 2009

No telling yet why Allen Iverson's debating retirement. (If the rumor's true, that is.) We also don't know if it's because of the as yet unidentified "personal matter" or having to come off the bench, or whatever relationship there might be between those two factors.

Over at Newsday, Alan Hahn is taking advantage of the opportunity to beat an altogether novel drum. Can you say Iverson to the Knicks?

As the Knicks make an art form of losing, a shambles of Mike D'Antoni's once-vaunted offense and a mockery of the defensive principles that this franchise was built upon, is it time to look at the remaining 75 games and wonder if you have the stomach to endure or do you buckle at the knees and look toward Memphis for help? Yes, Memphis, where a certain fading megastar guard on a very affordable one-year deal has just been given an indefinite leave of absence from the team for "personal reasons." [...]

Iverson still has some go-to caliber game and star cachet among fans. He could also generate some of that long-lost buzz at the Garden and keep the customers intrigued as they patiently await the LeBronathon ... It could be an ideal situation for both parties. Iverson wants to go to a team that will allow him to dominate the ball, score and, of course, start. D'Antoni's system will put Iverson in several pick-and-roll situations with plenty of shooters to kick to on the perimeter.

Sorry, I chopped out some of the "it's like Marbury" language (um, no), as well as the playoff aspirations (seriously, the best the Knicks can hope for is some semblance of relevance).

And yet Hahn does point out the key here: Memphis seemed like the end of the NBA earth, except that when AI got there and the team took stock of its roster, it wasn't. Iverson was a distraction, though not in any malignant way. The Grizzlies have some semblance of a complete team, albeit a monstrously young one, that needs to find itself. He could've been a mentor, but more importantly, there just aren't minutes for AI amidst the franchise's future nucleus.

So why not the Knicks? It's the ultimate marriage of convenience. I applaud that it won't have nearly the sentimentality that came with (the far crazier) Steph coming to town. The Knicks are now absolute dross. Iverson's still popular if you keep him out of controversial basketball situations. The Knicks are the blank slate that Memphis was supposed to be. It may be a tough pill to swallow for the front office, but pray tell, what else is their 2009-10 going to amount to? At least Iverson at the Garden would be a major story and an inspiring, if manufactured, theme for an otherwise lost season for all parties.

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