MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Allen Iverson experiment with the Grizzlies is over.
The team announced Monday it has ended a one-year contract with the 10-time all-star and former league MVP in what it called a mutual agreement. Iverson began an indefinite leave of absence Nov. 7 to deal with a personal issue after playing three games with the Grizzlies, all in California.
“Because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on Nov. 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters,” general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement. “As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best.”
The Knicks, who are off to a 1-9 start, could be an option for the 34-year-old guard, according to Newsday.
The Knicks have an open roster spot and could offer Iverson a one-year, $1.3 million veteran’s minimum contract that could be waived if Iverson proved to be more trouble than he is worth. But considering the team’s notable absence of a go-to scorer, adding Iverson, who has averaged 27 points per game in 13 seasons, could be a bargain. It also could be a short-term boom, considering Iverson’s popularity among NBA fans.
Iverson didn’t help himself much during his short stint with the Grizzlies — his fourth NBA team. He missed the preseason with a partially torn left hamstring and didn’t debut with the Grizzlies until Nov. 2 at Sacramento.
Immediately, Iverson began talking about his distaste for coming off the bench and being on a rebuilding team filled with youth from Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo to recent draft picks Hasheem Thabeet and DeMarre Carroll.
The four-time NBA scoring champ became the 16th player in league history to score 24,000 points in his career in his second game against Golden State. He played against the Lakers in Los Angeles before being given permission to take an indefinite leave.
But the Grizzlies got tired of waiting for Iverson to decide what to do next. They signed point guard Jamaal Tinsley on Saturday.
