Another wrong answer

So apparently the president of basketball operations for the Knicks — the man who looks like, and will forever be known as, Donnie Walsh's corpse — is deeply involved in some 48-hour fact-finding mission about whether or not Allen Iver-lost can help his team. If you thought the Knicks couldn't sink any lower, they have. Iver-lost has become a viable option.

Let's put this into perspective. Imagine you had the opportunity to execute a business deal that would make the company a few bucks (think: ticket sales), but you also had overwhelming evidence to suggest the deal would: A) completely monopolize the company (no more cultivating young players); B) show short-lived improvements, followed by a pants-stripping downturn (the inevitable embarrassment of his departure); and C) be detrimental to your employees in both the short and long-term (impact on teammates). Would you need to think twice?

But thinking is reportedly what Walsh's corpse is up to. Only here's the problem with that: What facts aren't already front and center? Has Iver-lost been dealt to three teams since his days with the Sixers and systematically destroyed or tried to destroy them? Yes. Have his stats dipped lower than a Kardashian neck line? Yes. Has he essentially quit on two straight teams (Pistons, Grizz)? Umm, yes.

Some will argue AI is worthy of a starting spot on the Knicks, maybe even worthy of the tag as their top scorer. Fine. No argument from me, considering the team can't score or defend right now and is off to the worst 10-game start in franchise history.

But there simply comes a point when talent at a price is no longer worth it. No team in basketball should realize this like the Knicks, who've endured enough Vinnie Bakers, Steph Marburys and Stevie Franchises to torture a generation of fans twice over. So why Iver-lost? Why now? Why tarnish the franchise's reputation further, and do it only a few months before the chase begins for LeBron?

People will argue the commitment won't hurt the Knicks because it will end before LeBron, Dwayne Wade and co. spend the Summer of 2010 searching for the greenest pastures. That's absurd. The Knicks ruined their reputation already, but a union with perhaps the league's most unrealistic player could actually destroy it further. I mean, isn't this the same man who quit on the Grizzlies after three games? In what bizarro world should he play over Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley on a team desperate to rebuild? The Answer: None.

Of one thing I am absolutely certain: Walsh's corpse looks like the wrong man at what is hyped to be a crucial moment in Knick history. He drafted a stiff over Brandon Jennings. He built a team without a young point guard in spite of a 2009 draft littered with them. He has helped bury Eddy Curry a year after early reliance on Zach Randolph allowed the club to rid itself of his contract. And now Iver-lost?

Sorry to say it, Knick fans. Walsh may be the wrong answer, too.

Wrong answer

After the Grizzlies lost to the Kings earlier this week, Allen Iverson voiced his displeasure with coming off the bench and playing just 18 minutes in the game.

Iverson told reporters, among other things, to "go look at my resume, it will show you that I’m not a sixth man.”

Since our aim at The Sports Rippers is to make people happy, I am going to do just that.

First, let's look at Iverson's stats. No one could argue that at his best he was an all-time great scorer. He's averaged 27 ppg for his career, good for 5th in NBA history.

Unfortunately, Iverson isn't exactly what I'd call an efficient scorer. He's never shot better than 46% in any season and has dipped below 40% twice. His career shooting percentage is a putrid 42.5. Four times Iverson led the NBA in field goal attempts.

The Answer led the league in turnovers twice, has shot just 31% on three-pointers for his career and was never a particularly good defender.

The most important fact to know about Iverson is that the 76ers got better after they traded Iverson for Andre Miller, and Denver improved after trading Iverson for Chauncey Billups.

Is that the resume you meant, Allen?

It seems Iverson has never been able to grasp that everything isn't about him. The Grizzlies won 24 games last year. They have a young and promising backcourt of O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley. Memphis is doing the smart thing, getting those guys experience and trying to gauge if they're the kind of players to build around.

It's possible - though certainly not a sure thing - that Memphis could win two or three more games over the course of the season with Iverson starting instead of Conley or Mayo. But that's not important. The Grizz don't want to be slightly less bad this year, they want to be good in the future.

If the Grizzlies are better in the future, you can bet it's a future that won't include Iverson.