[外電] Grizzlies begin play in Allen Iverso …
原文網址:http://tinyurl.com/yatj9gs
Grizzlies begin play in Allen Iverson glare
Hollins continues to focus on team building
By Scott Cacciola (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Allen Iverson had been wearing a Grizzlies practice jersey for all of two
hours when coach Lionel Hollins, surrounded by television cameras and
notebook-toting reporters, asked the media a question of his own:
"Are you going to ask me about him after every practice?"
That was eight days ago at Birmingham Southern College, where the Grizzlies
held training camp and came to the slow realization that things were
different now, that their anonymous existence as a struggling, small-market
franchise was over. Iverson, a future Hall of Famer, has changed
all that.
It is a coincidence that Iverson's official public unveiling as a member of
the Grizzlies will play out tonight in Richmond, Va., a short drive down
Interstate 64 to the Atlantic shore, where he grew up. The Grizzlies'
preseason opener against the Washington Wizards promises to be a homecoming
of sorts for Iverson, still beloved by many in the state who watched him star
in football and basketball at Bethel High in Hampton, Va.
But the game also underscores an indisputable fact, one to which the rest of
the team must grow accustomed: Iverson, at this stage of his career, is a
bigger brand and greater draw than the Grizzlies. And it could create an
interesting dynamic as Hollins continues to emphasize the need for team
building.
Asked about his early impressions of Iverson at camp last week, Hollins said:
"There are a lot of good players in this league, they all come to practice
and training camp, they all go through the workouts and do the same thing,
they all have friends on the team. He's no different than any other player."
Just one of the fellas? Allen Iverson? If nothing else, Hollins has been
exceedingly careful not to elevate Iverson, lest he offend any of the team's
young standouts, including O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. So if Hollins already has
grown wary of all the early attention being paid to Iverson, it seems
understandable. Perhaps no coach in the NBA will need to massage more egos
this season.
Iverson made his presence felt at training camp, and he was vocal. After the
team had a sloppy mid-week workout, Hollins got the group together at center
court and yelled at them. Then Iverson did the same, his mini-tirade laced
with expletives.
"C'mon, man!" Iverson yelled. "This ain't punishment! This is how we're
trying to play."
Was Hollins encouraged to see Iverson take such a vocal role so early? He
almost bristled at the question.
這裡的bristled該是什麼意思咧o.o?
"You know, I don't care," Hollins said. "The team has to take the onus, and
it's not just one person. It's the team. They have to encourage each other,
they have to chastise each other. ... They have to say the right things and
mean it the right way."
But this is a league built around stars, and now the Grizzlies have one. Not
only is Iverson one of the sport's icons, he comes packaged with his own set
of subplots: How will he bounce back from his disastrous season with the
Detroit Pistons? Will he be coachable? How much does he have left in the tank?
So every move he makes will be analyzed and dissected, starting tonight when
he takes the court at Verizon Wireless Arena.
"I'm going to be at home, and I'll see a lot of people I grew up with, a lot
of family members, a lot of people that have followed my career from when I
was there," said Iverson, a 10-time NBA All-Star now in his 14th season.
"It's going to be fun."
殺爆他吧戰神!!!!
It almost seems too perfect, Iverson starting his tenure with the Grizzlies
back home in Virginia, as if there needs to be any additional hype. But the
scheduling gods have been hard at work: The Grizzlies will open the regular
season at home on Oct. 28 against the Pistons, whose brief relationship with
Iverson ended with an ugly divorce that is still unfolding in the national
media.
Make no mistake, there will be questions about Iverson after each practice
and every game, that constant spotlight shining down on him, his new
teammates toiling in his shadow for now.
-- Scott Cacciola: 529-2773
--
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※ 編輯: momofishj 來自: 59.112.220.229 (10/06 21:41)
※ 編輯: momofishj 來自: 59.112.220.229 (10/06 21:42)
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