Karl: A.I. Needs To Put Ego Aside
Nuggets coach George Karl wants to see Allen Iverson succeed in Memphis.
Karl knows Iverson better than most, having coached the future Hall of Famer in parts of three seasons in Denver.
"I'm an A.I. guy, I hope this transformation he will give the
opportunity to be a bench player a chance because I think he can become
a great," Karl told WSCR in Chicago. "He knows the game, he's one of
the all-time great scorers, little guy being successful; when he came
in to this game no one could have predicted the career that he has had."
Karl hopes that Iverson is able to check his ego at the door while in Memphis, something he wasn't able to do in Detroit.
"...And, now that he's getting in whatever you want to call it, the
twilight of his career, I hope he gives the sixth man, come off the
bench, be a scorer off the bench, be a mentor to young players in
Memphis, give it an opportunity. And, sometimes ego gets in the way of
all of us - we all have at times trouble to realize, you know, we gotta
do it this way. I think if AI realizes that he can me a mentor, he can
be a great sixth man, Memphis has an interesting basketball team with
Randolph, and A.I., and some of the changes they made this season. I
think they have an opportunity to kinda be a surprise in the Western
Conference."