AI not “The Answer” in New York, or anywhere else at the moment

Both Iverson and the Knicks deserve better

It’s painfully clear to everyone but the management of the New York Knicks that there’s only one question to which Allen Iverson remains “The Answer.”

That is: “What could be worse than spending 40 years in the NBA wilderness with Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury?”

So let’s be clear: Iverson and the Knicks deserve better than what they’re going to get by tying their fates together.

No matter what you think about Iverson, few guys are actually more worthy of a championship. There’s no way to appreciate the depth of his effort unless you’ve seen him play in person. For a dozen seasons, every night was David vs. Goliath for him, and it was nothing short of miraculous that for most of those, Iverson could make you believe a good little man was every bit the equal of a bigger one. But that was then.

Iverson’s behavior on and off the court has always been a riddle, hence his nickname, “The Answer.” If you read between the lines of what every coach he’s played for said about him — no one cared more about the games, or less about practice — you’d understand why each of them waited so long before throwing up his hands and letting somebody else try to solve the problem.

Small wonder, then, that Iverson remains unwilling or unable to see what everyone else does: At age 34, his ego hasn’t crested the hill, but his talents almost certainly have.

The Knicks don’t have that excuse. Their fans have show admirable patience, especially since the team’s latest plan to rebuild involves throwing big money at next summer’s free-agent class — led by LeBron James. In today’s NBA market, that’s a risky bet at best.

But acquiring Iverson would be like doubling down. He won’t be building a bridge to the future so much as burning it. The Nuggets, Pistons and Grizzlies all tried that route. No one in New York wants to see a return of the three-ring circus that played out at Madison Square Garden when Thomas, Brown and Marbury tried their hands at calling the shots. But those could seem like harmonious days once Iverson shows up.

He’s not about to lessen his demands for playing time, shots and most of the oxygen in the locker room the moment he shows up, no matter what he says beforehand. When George Karl gave up trying to fit Iverson into an up-tempo Nuggets team in Denver, he showed up in Detroit promising “to sacrifice what I have to sacrifice to get it done. I got to look in the mirror at myself and think of things that I can do to help us win a championship.”

But nothing changed and after a while, the Pistons were so grateful for any excuse to keep him off the bench — the official reason was a back injury — they effectively paid him to stay away. Then the experiment in Memphis — Iverson actually said God had chosen the place for him to play — lasted all of three games.

He asked out by requesting an indefinite leave of absence to handle some personal matters. No sooner was he gone than the Grizzlies decided to make it permanent.

The real shame in all this is that Iverson’s skills wore down before his pride did. Look at what he’s accomplished during his career — sixth-best scoring average in NBA history; fourth-most minutes played; 10 All-Star games; four scoring titles; and an MVP award — and the only thing missing is a ring.

Iverson might have one of those, too, if only he had been willing to contribute something instead of always demanding more than his share. There’s a reason all those contending clubs and every bottom-dweller but Memphis passed on him last summer. What makes New York an even worse choice is that there’s already too few minutes, shots and wins to go around.

The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game since 2001 and made only one appearance in the postseason since. But anybody who thinks irrelevant is as low as the franchise can sink either has a short memory or isn’t asking the right question.

That’s why when Charles Barkley was asked Thursday on ESPN what he thought about Iverson going to the Knicks, he didn’t hesitate to answer:

“I hate to see things end like this.”

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org