Some people stood. Others didnt bother. Almost everyone clapped. Call it half a standing ovation.
When Andre Iguodalas name was announced to the Wells Fargo Center crowd late last week, it was the first opportunity for Sixers fans to greet him as the organizations only All-Star since Allen Iverson took his still-traveling basketball sideshow on the road. The fans reacted to the honor, but they also delivered a sort of referendum on the playermostly positive, but not entirely.
It has not been easy here for Iguodala. During his career, he has been criticized for failing at the free throw line, for not being a superstar, for underperforming with the ball in his hands and the clock ticking down in pressure situations. Most of all, he has been attacked for his oversized contract.
When he signed that deal, he should have rolled up the paper it was printed on and let everyone in the area whack him over the head with it. It would have been less painful than the endless beatings he takes about his healthy financial situation. It hardly matters to his detractors that the contract isnt Iguodalas fault and that no onenot Iguodala, and not his haterswould turn down more money.
No, it has not been easy for Iguodala. And so the All-Star selection had to be extremely gratifying for him. He said the honor was a relief and a blessing and added that now he doesnt have to prove anything anymore.
Except that he does. Thats how it goes for him here. He is constantly forced to prove himself, even after being named an All-Star. On Tuesday morning, after the Sixers beat up on the Bobcats to secure their 20th win of the season, I overheard two guys at Wawa talking about the game. They droned on about how Iguodala scored only three points against Charlotte. The performance was billed as horrible by one and a disgrace by the other.
The way they made it sound, Iguodala committed some sort of unforgivable capital crime against the community. In a convenient oversight, the amateur analysts overlooked the rest of Iguodalas stat line, which included a ridiculous nine assists, three steals, three rebounds, one block and a plus-5 - ratio (second among starters; only Jodie Meeks was better). So, no, Iguodala didnt score much, but he also took only six shotsperhaps because he was busy doing so many other things.
NBA
There was a time when Iguodala was constantly knocked for trying to do too much offensively. We wanted him to be more judicious with his shots. But even when he's selective, he takes heat anyway. No matter what he does, there are those who wont give Iguodala the credit he deserveswho would rather sit on their hands while everyone else stands and claps.
In the week before he was named an All-Star, I heard two very interesting conversations on the radio. One involved a host who said he would trade Igoudala straight up for Paul Pierce. The salaries match up closely enough to make the deal possible. And Pierce scores more points. But Pierce also showed up overweight following the lockout and only recently worked his way into shape. Meanwhile, Iguodala gets more rebounds and steals per game, and hes also six years younger. The age issue is significant, particularly for a team thats still building for the future. Whatever you think of Iguodala, the hypothetical trade wasnt the obvious, do-it-now scenario the host made it out to be.
The other conversation unfolded barely an hour after the Sixers throttled the mighty Bulls. Iguodala led the team with 19 points that evening, and he added nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. There was nothing to complain aboutand yet someone complained. One fan with horrible timing called our CSNPhilly.com compatriot Reuben Frank on WIP and lambasted Iguodala for reasons surpassing understanding. Then the fan said Iguodala should be traded. Roobs reaction was perfect. I wont do it justice here in the retelling. Just know that it involved a lengthy monologue about why the caller had no idea what he was talking about and should smother himself with a pillow. (Im paraphrasing.)
The last holdouts of the trade-Iggy-now chorusof which I was once, but am no longer, a memberare too busy shouting about what Iguodala used to be to notice what hes become. Parts of Iguodalas game still need workhis free-throw shooting, for examplebut denying how much better he is this season amounts to little more than self-deception.
Iguodala is having an excellent year, even if his statistics arent as flashy as some of the other All-Stars. Among small forwards, Iguodala is 10th in scoring per game, but hes fourth in rebounds, third in assists and first in steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. He does a little bit of everything for the Sixers, which is why his player efficiency rating, which takes into account overall production while on the floor, puts him 20th in the league among all forwards, both small and big. If he was a disappointment a year ago, Iguodala has been a pleasant surprise this season. Perhaps hes not an NBA alfa-dog, but hes certainly part of an elite basketball pack.
Dre has been through a lot here in Philadelphia, Doug Collins said. To get this kind of recognition, I think is wonderful for our organization. I hope the fans will recognize thatand as I told him, forever, wherever you go now, youre an NBA all-star. They can never take that away from you.
Maybe they cant, but that wont stop some people from trying.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com