Tim (Whitley City, Ky.): Do you believe Iverson when he says the Pistons promised him he would be the “team leader” when they obtained him from the Nuggets? Do you believe they “lied to me” as he claims? He claims this almost ruined his career. Do you think all this is true?
Langlois: The fact he waited for more than two months for a solid contract proposal and a role he deemed acceptable speaks more loudly to me than his “business manager” and former amateur football coach saying Iverson was “lied to” based on conversations he wasn’t privy to. Does it sound plausible that anyone told Iverson he was coming to Detroit to be the team leader? Maybe that’s what he heard, but Joe Dumars wasn’t looking for leadership – not from Iverson, at least – when he traded away a guy he knew was a great leader in Chauncey Billups. He wanted Iverson’s explosive scoring ability (almost as much as he wanted Iverson’s expiring contract so he could go out and find a couple of foundation pieces, which he did in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva). And if Iverson came to Detroit intent on being a leader, why – three weeks into his stay – did he blow off a Thanksgiving morning practice called primarily for his benefit? Is that what leaders do? Anyone giving this a shred of credibility needs to consider the principles and rethink things.
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