After struggling in Turkey, Allen Iverson has said he wanted to make a comeback to the NBA during when the lockout was going on. With the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly having interest in Gilbert Arenas, it appears they could also have interest in A.I.'s services as well.
Iverson is still unsigned and it doesn't seem much teams want the 36-year-old point guard. Recently, Sportando.net reported that several teams from overseas were having interest in him, but could the Lakers also have interest in Iverson?
Let's face it: the current core of their point guards don't look so good. Derek Fisher is old and basically gets his ankles broken every game. And Steve Blake -- well, that isn't much help either. Both were tortured when they met Jeremy Lin at Madison Square Garden, as he put up 38 points! Iverson is still fast, even for his age, and I can see him being an upgrade for the Lakers already over their original point guards.
Stephen A. Smith reported that the Lakers actually may be sign him:
"...the Lakers had some interest in (Iverson) as long as he was willing to go to the NBA Developmental League for a few weeks first."Obviously, Iverson would take this chance. He probably wouldn't mind now going to the D-League and then head on to play for LA. However, Smith says that Iverson is not the answer for the club and it looks like it could be unlikely.
As I see it, I think the Lakers will try lobbying for Gilbert Arenas first, as he is younger and probably more mobile than Iverson currently is in his state. Kobe Bryant said he even wanted him. Arenas is 30 years old and it looks like he'd fit much better in Mike Brown's system than A.I.
However, don't rule out Iverson. If the Lakers can't get Arenas, or just don't want him, expect them to go after A.I.
Would be interesting if that happened. What do you think? Would you take Gil or A.I., if you were the Lakers?
UPDATE: With Rafer Alston making his comeback to the NBA by joining the D-League D-Fenders, the Lakers could also have interest in him as well. Says Stephen A. Smith: "The Lakers are also said to be interested in Alston, who helped the Orlando Magic reach the NBA Finals in 2009. But who knows if that will materialize into anything?"
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