Everyone knew that Allen Iverson sitting on the bench for arguably one of the worst teams in the Western Conference was not going to last. It is just not something a player of Iverson’s caliber can sit by and take as he knows that he is nearing the twilight of his hall of fame career in the NBA.

The Memphis Grizzlies were going nowhere and going nowhere fast as they have just been awful this season and I really can’t blame Iverson for getting irritated sitting on the bench watching a losing squad like the Grizzlies limp on through the season when he feels he can still play a high level in the NBA. When Iverson got in the game he made things happen, he wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard for 30 or 40 like he had done with the Denver Nuggets or the Philadelphia 76ers in the past, but he proved he can still contribute if he gets the minutes. Now the question is:

When does a great player in any sport call it quits?

The answer is when their body starts to breakdown and they are sitting on the sidelines or the bench the majority of the time due to injury problems. Iverson is not at that point yet, yes, he sat on the bench when he was with the Detroit Pistons last season with back problems, but honestly I believe the reason for him sitting was that he felt he had been lied to by the Pistons management and really didn’t want to play for team that didn’t want him.

Despite Iverson no longer being a player a franchise can build around he is still a very good player in this league and definitely deserves a shot a starting role with another team before he is forced to retire.

The New York Knicks is looking like the obvious choice for Iverson as he would without doubt have a fighting chance at getting starting job with the struggling franchise, but I am sure AI has been thinking that he would much rather take a lesser role on a team that is actually going somewhere like the Miami Heat who actually reached out to Iverson in the offseason.

It will be interesting to see how the Iverson saga pans out, but I think one of two things will happen:

One: Iverson signs with an East contender like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat.

Two: Iverson remains unemployed until playoff time when one of the contenders in either conference look to add a veteran to their roster for insurance.

Regardless of the outcome, Iverson will end up somewhere else this season, but where and when is the real question.