Allen Iverson entering Hall of Fame much too soon

DO NOT misinterpret this, because I completely believe that Allen Iverson deserved to be a first-ballot Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

The player known as "The Answer" is a four-time NBA scoring champion and was one of the toughest on-the-court competitor I've ever seen.

With Iverson having 11 All-Star selections on his résumé, being a 26.7 points career scorer and establishing himself as one of the most iconic athletes of recent times, it was only appropriate on Monday that he joined Shaquille O'Neal, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, former USA Olympian and WNBA pioneer Sheryl Swoopes, former NBA and Chinese star Yao Ming and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, among others, as Hall of Fame selections.

Still, this ultimate acknowledgment of basketball greatness should not have happened this soon for Iverson.

Iverson is a first-ballot Hall of Fame choice, but he should not be a member of the 2016 class.

To be considered for induction by the Hall of Fame selection committee, a player must be retired for at least four years - changed from five years in December.

Officially, Iverson announced his retirement from the NBA on Oct. 30, 2013, but the last professional game he played was with Besiktas in Turkey in 2011. And that's when the clock for his Hall of Fame eligibility started.

His NBA career should have, and would have, lasted longer had he not been so stubborn about remaining a starting player in the latter portions of his career.

For that, I blame Iverson and his inability to make the transition from superstar to valuable veteran contributor.

Although Iverson's last NBA game was with the Sixers on Feb. 20, 2010, when he was 34 years old, his last effective NBA season was 2007-08, when he played 82 games and averaged 26.4 points for Denver at age 32.

In his final two seasons, Iverson played 85 out of a possible 164 NBA games, with his scoring average dropping more than 10 points.

It is ironic, but this Hall of Fame recognition is the final reminder of how Iverson cheated us.

As great as he was and as much effort as he gave, there was still more untapped potential in that wiry barely 6-foot body.

Iverson gave maximum effort when he played, but he did not max out his potential as a player.

He created his own ceiling by not being fully committed to taking care of his body or improving his ability to thrive within a team structure.

Iverson's dedication to being a nonconformist cost him several additional seasons at the end of his career.

His defiance was accepted when Iverson was in his mid-20s and was one of the top five players in the game.

When his skill sets began to decline but his attitude remained defiant, it became easier for teams to say he was not worth the accompanying headaches.

If you want to pass the blame, you could say Iverson was blackballed after the 2008-09 season.

His reputation as a disruptive force was reinforced after the Detroit Pistons essentially fired him after 54 games when he complained he would rather retire than come off the bench.

Iverson started the 2009-10 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, but left after only three games for personal reasons. That action came after he had complained again about not being a starter.

Then, after the Sixers gave him a nostalgic lifeline, he played 25 games, starting 24, before taking a leave of absence in February 2010. He never returned to the team.

Iverson averaged 31.9 minutes, 13.9 points and 4.1 assists in those 25 games with the Sixers.

There was still gas left, but Iverson's value was as a contributing veteran off the bench, not as a starter he believed himself to be.

Iverson could not persuade any team to even give him a try out.

There is no way to determine how many more seasons Iverson could have played, but his contemporaries who will someday make the Hall of Fame - Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce - all played at least 18 seasons.

If Iverson had acted a little less Iverson after the 2007-08 campaign and accepted that his skills were no longer those of an alpha dog, he could have had at least five to six more productive NBA seasons.

Who knows what that would have meant? But, Iverson is ranked 23rd on the NBA scoring list with 24,368 points. He would be a top-10 scorer had he averaged 14 points while averaging 65 games played for three more seasons.

So, congratulations to Allen Iverson for being a first-ballot inductee.

It is an honor Iverson deserves, but it has still come too soon, because his playing career should have been longer.

@SmallTerp