The Ultimate Question Is A Joke, Guys

When it comes to fresh grist for the rumor mill, this one's a doozy. Allen "The Answer" Iverson has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the Memphis Grizzles. He's returned to his home in Atlanta to attend to a family situation (details unspecified).

Obviously I hope any family issues are resolved quickly and I hope he and his kinfolk are all okay. The vicious streak comes out whilst speculating on Iverson's future as a player in the NBA. He's signed a one-year deal for considerably less than what a former MVP should be worth, he's played 13 years, last season he was a ruinous nonfactor -- whoever on the Pistons' end signed off on the Billups-for-Iverson deal should be drug out into the street and shot -- and the general consensus is there's been, well, a failure to communicate between Iverson and Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. Iverson still thinks of himself as a starter, Coach disagreed, Iverson got pouty, Coach got testy. Fail on both ends, gentlemen. (There's something to be said for Coach Carlisle's poker face; unrest stays behind closed doors where it belongs.)

He's given the Grizzlies no reason to miss him while he's gone and no reason to welcome him back if and when he returns. Congratulations, Mr. Iverson, you've just FUBAR'ed your NBA career. After this season, nobody's going to want to touch you. There are no suitors waiting for your agent's call, nobody's going to take you on as a mentor to an up-and-coming young team, there are no veteran squads that view you as a missing piece, there is no market so starved for attention and revenue that they'll take you for the ticket sales. You've systematically screwed up each of those scenarios over the past few years. You, sir, are just not worth it.
-BJ