The Detroit Pistons’ inconsistent season began after acquiring Allen Iverson. Their half-court mindset never set well with the greatest two-guard since Michael Jordan retired.

The team endured some winning streaks and long, losing streaks. One of those losing streaks occurred after Iverson suffered a debilitating, back injury. For 16 games, he stayed on the sideline.

However, the Pistons brought him back off the bench. They made him back up second-year guard, Rodney Stuckey. Iverson was ineffective and protested this seemingly, ill treatment of him. His organization responded by shutting him down for the season and the playoffs.

Iverson remained third all-time in points scored per game with 27.9. Only Jordan and Jerry West remained ahead. The 6 ft. guard always came up big in the playoffs with almost 30 points a game. During the 2001 NBA semifinals against Toronto, he scored 50-plus points twice during Philadelphia’s (Sixers) 4-3 victory. Only Jordan did that previously as well.

Iverson’s lack of off-season weight-training and conditioning finally caught up with him. His wiry frame took more pounding than dominant centers, like Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. For his career, he shot close to 10 free-throw attempts a game. He incurred injuries by the dozens. He played through aliments, like a separated shoulder, fractured ankle, hip-pointers, wrist injuries and broken fingers on his non-shooting hand.

Fans have said that Joe Dumars, Pistons’ Director of Operations, treated Iverson with no respect. Some have also said that he treated the future, hall of famer as a “write-off”. Dumars took Iverson’s $20 million a year salary as a swap for Billups. He had no risk. He would’ve been a genius if Detroit maintained its 50-plus win consistently. Since trade failed, he put his organization $20 million under the salary cap.

Who’d ever thought Iverson’s hall of fame career would’ve been used as a business transaction? What our economy has become!!!