Memphis Grizzlies Believed to Have Offered Allen Iverson a Contract

Say it ain’t so, AI!

Could Allen Iverson, one of the greatest basketball players of our time, be headed to the one of the worst franchisees of the decade?

In an NBA world where money talks and stuff walks, even the Memphis Grizzlies have a shot at one of the game’s best.

Allen Iverson isn’t what he used to be. In just 57 games last year, Iverson averaged a mere 17.5 points per game. That’s a long ways away from the 31 points he averaged as recently as 2007. It’s even further away from the 33 he averaged in 2006, or the MVP season he had in the early part of this decade, and the teams bidding for his services are quite aware of that.

After reportedly sending an offer sheet Iverson’s way, the Memphis Grizzlies appear to be the leader in the clubhouse for the acquisition of AI. There has been no mention of exactly how much Memphis offered Iverson, but it is safe to assume that the Grizzlies offered him more than any other NBA team has.

The Miami Heat, who I thought might sign Allen Iverson, are over the cap. And the Charlotte Bobcats, a team Michael Wilbon has repeatedly suggested for Iverson, is in the middle of selling the team to another owner.

So is this what it has come to? Is this how one of the greatest little men in the history of the NBA is going to go down?

I don’t have the quotes, the dates, or even the ability to paraphrase this, but I do recall Allen Iverson saying something about how he would never chase a championship, meaning he would never sign with a team to play a few minutes here and there and steal a championship ring. And I guess if he goes to the Memphis Grizzlies, he will not steal a ring; certainly, not in 2010. However, by signing with one of the league’s perennially bad teams, it would appear as if Iverson has no problem stealing money; even though I think he just might have something left in the tank to offer a real NBA contender.