NEW YORK - Allen Iverson wants you to know he understands.
He understands why Larry Brown resigned in May after six years with the 76ers and accepted a job as head coach with the Detroit Pistons, the team that eliminated the Sixers in the second round of the playoffs, one week later.
Iverson understands that Brown didn't have to sit down and talk to him about Brown's reasons for leaving after a successful six-year partnership that resulted in a trip to the 2000-01 NBA Finals and a 256-205 regular-season record. He wasn't waiting for Brown to, either.
"That's not one of my concerns," Iverson said after yesterday's first practice for the Aug. 20-31 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. "The only thing I was concerned about is, was he happy with where he's at? Obviously, he wouldn't have left Philadelphia if it wasn't a better situation. That was cool, honestly.
"He taught me so many things about basketball and life. I've got to trust that what he's doing is right for him. That's the only thing I care about. It would be selfish to ask him to stay here anyway if he found a better situation. I'm glad he did something that was right for him and his family and I wish him well."
"We're going to spend the next two summers together," Brown said.
"He knows. I don't feel like he's uncomfortable at all. I know I'm not uncomfortable. I just want to make sure that he enjoys this."
So far, so good. Iverson's conditioning admittedly isn't in mid-season form, but he enjoyed playing on a group with Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Elton Brand and Jermaine O'Neal during yesterday's workout.
He also enjoyed playing for Brown again.
"It was no problem," Iverson said. "Everybody was making such a big deal over it, thinking it was going to be a big deal, but it wasn't. I played under him for six years. I know who he is, he knows who I am. It was like d‚j… vu with him coaching me. The feeling wasn't any different."
Wearing a blue USA Basketball jersey with No. 4 on the back and a hospital bracelet on his left wrist as a reminder from Friday's birth of son Isaiah Rahsaan, Iverson said it felt just like a Sixers practice.
There was Brown, regularly stopping the full-court scrimmage to remind the players to swing the ball to the other side and suggest not shooting until they make a minimum of four passes.
The primary difference was that instead of Greg Buckner, Aaron McKie and Monty Williams running with a probable second team, Brown had Mike Bibby, Ray Allen and Vince Carter.
"It was no different to me," Iverson said. "He got on guys when they did wrong and he patted them on their butt and complimented them when they did right. It was the same old Larry Brown."
The two spoke for the first time since May 17 - the day after the regular season ended - on the bus to yesterday afternoon's workout at John Jay College.
Brown had an immediate request for Iverson.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Let me see those muscles,' " Iverson said with a laugh. "I told him I've been lifting a lot since the season ended upstairs in my house. I'm not getting bigger, but I'm getting stronger. That's the most important thing. I might not come out looking like the Incredible Hulk, but I think I'll be stronger at the end of the season. Last season, I felt like I was wearing down a little bit."
"I asked him to take his shirt off," a smiling Brown said.
"That was pretty neat."
While Iverson respects Brown and vice versa, he isn't counting on the Sixers disappearing from the Eastern Conference playoff picture now that Randy Ayers is the new coach.
Just think that and see what happens, cautioned Iverson as his eyes twinkled.
"The guy that's coaching us now was waiting for six years with the team we have," Iverson said. "It's always been Larry Brown and Allen Iverson, when we didn't do what we're supposed to do. Now, it's all on Allen Iverson - and I take that challenge. I live for challenges like this.
"I want to let my teammates and the fans of Philadelphia know that because Larry Brown is gone, we still can get it done, no matter what, as long as I'm there. We trust what Randy Ayers knows.
"I'm just looking forward to putting everything on my back and overcoming like I've been overcoming all my life."
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/100-08112003-139698.html
He understands why Larry Brown resigned in May after six years with the 76ers and accepted a job as head coach with the Detroit Pistons, the team that eliminated the Sixers in the second round of the playoffs, one week later.
Iverson understands that Brown didn't have to sit down and talk to him about Brown's reasons for leaving after a successful six-year partnership that resulted in a trip to the 2000-01 NBA Finals and a 256-205 regular-season record. He wasn't waiting for Brown to, either.
"That's not one of my concerns," Iverson said after yesterday's first practice for the Aug. 20-31 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. "The only thing I was concerned about is, was he happy with where he's at? Obviously, he wouldn't have left Philadelphia if it wasn't a better situation. That was cool, honestly.
"He taught me so many things about basketball and life. I've got to trust that what he's doing is right for him. That's the only thing I care about. It would be selfish to ask him to stay here anyway if he found a better situation. I'm glad he did something that was right for him and his family and I wish him well."
"We're going to spend the next two summers together," Brown said.
"He knows. I don't feel like he's uncomfortable at all. I know I'm not uncomfortable. I just want to make sure that he enjoys this."
So far, so good. Iverson's conditioning admittedly isn't in mid-season form, but he enjoyed playing on a group with Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Elton Brand and Jermaine O'Neal during yesterday's workout.
He also enjoyed playing for Brown again.
"It was no problem," Iverson said. "Everybody was making such a big deal over it, thinking it was going to be a big deal, but it wasn't. I played under him for six years. I know who he is, he knows who I am. It was like d‚j… vu with him coaching me. The feeling wasn't any different."
Wearing a blue USA Basketball jersey with No. 4 on the back and a hospital bracelet on his left wrist as a reminder from Friday's birth of son Isaiah Rahsaan, Iverson said it felt just like a Sixers practice.
There was Brown, regularly stopping the full-court scrimmage to remind the players to swing the ball to the other side and suggest not shooting until they make a minimum of four passes.
The primary difference was that instead of Greg Buckner, Aaron McKie and Monty Williams running with a probable second team, Brown had Mike Bibby, Ray Allen and Vince Carter.
"It was no different to me," Iverson said. "He got on guys when they did wrong and he patted them on their butt and complimented them when they did right. It was the same old Larry Brown."
The two spoke for the first time since May 17 - the day after the regular season ended - on the bus to yesterday afternoon's workout at John Jay College.
Brown had an immediate request for Iverson.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Let me see those muscles,' " Iverson said with a laugh. "I told him I've been lifting a lot since the season ended upstairs in my house. I'm not getting bigger, but I'm getting stronger. That's the most important thing. I might not come out looking like the Incredible Hulk, but I think I'll be stronger at the end of the season. Last season, I felt like I was wearing down a little bit."
"I asked him to take his shirt off," a smiling Brown said.
"That was pretty neat."
While Iverson respects Brown and vice versa, he isn't counting on the Sixers disappearing from the Eastern Conference playoff picture now that Randy Ayers is the new coach.
Just think that and see what happens, cautioned Iverson as his eyes twinkled.
"The guy that's coaching us now was waiting for six years with the team we have," Iverson said. "It's always been Larry Brown and Allen Iverson, when we didn't do what we're supposed to do. Now, it's all on Allen Iverson - and I take that challenge. I live for challenges like this.
"I want to let my teammates and the fans of Philadelphia know that because Larry Brown is gone, we still can get it done, no matter what, as long as I'm there. We trust what Randy Ayers knows.
"I'm just looking forward to putting everything on my back and overcoming like I've been overcoming all my life."
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/100-08112003-139698.html
