Following his team’s overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, Allen Iverson complained about not being a starter for the Grizzlies. He feels that he has proven enough over the length of his career that he should not have to come off of the bench. However, Grizzlies’ Coach, Lionel Hollins, believes that Iverson has not yet been around the team long enough to warrant a starting role. Iverson was dealing with an injury, and he had not been with the team until a couple of days ago. 
If I was Lionel Hollins, I would explain to Iverson that he is not going to start until he has had enough time to get some practices with the team (Yes, practice!). He needs to get into a flow with his teammates, and he needs to get ready to play the amount of minutes that a starter would.
If Hollins just throws Iverson in there as a starter, and Iverson really is not ready to do that, it could do more damage over the long haul, and nobody wants that. Iverson needs to realize that it is still very early in the season, and there is an entire slate of games still left for this team. If it was 20 games into the season, I could understand Iverson being frustrated, but it is way too early for him to begin with his antics.
I feel like Iverson could play a big role in this team’s success this season if he acts like a true leader and mentor for a very young team. However, if he starts to whine and act like he is bigger than the team, he will only stunt this team’s growth and bring negative energy into their locker room.
Iverson has a very important lesson to learn if he ever wants to win an NBA title in his career. He needs to learn that he has a role amongst a team, and that he needs to accept the role that he is given for the team to produce at its highest level. When he starts questioning his coaches, even if he feels it is warranted, the rest of the team is going to suffer. Once Iverson shows that he has no respect for the coach, the other players will begin to lose respect as well, and their sense of direction will be totally lost. Without a sense of direction, a team stands no chance of being successful in any sport.
