Blunt Instruments and the 'Worst, Most Jaw-Dropping Move in Recent History'

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix checks in to echo the refrain in demonstrative fashion:

If you are a Grizzlies fan, well, you are looking for the nearest blunt instrument to cave your own head in.

Iverson's signing with Memphis is one of the most jaw-dropping moves in recent NBA history. Not because Iverson isn't still a viable player; even in last season's debacle in Detroit, Iverson still managed to score 17.5 points per game. But because Iverson is the last -- repeat, the last -- thing the rebuilding Grizzlies need right now. [...]

I've been told by multiple sources that the interest in Iverson came from the owners box. That makes sense. Because this is not a basketball move, it's a financial one. As basketball moves go, this one is the worst.

Building on that analysis, Iverson also won't play defense this year. He'll just stay on the offensive side of the court for the entirety of the game. And, you didn't hear it from me, but he doesn't necessarily feel comfortable sharing a locker room with Rudy Gay.

Jokes aside, though, the incredulous reactions around the league are fair; the Grizzlies are taking a chance, here, in hoping that Iverson can help fill the stands while also furthering the development of their burgeoning young core. Inevitably, there would be backlash. But the Grizzlies don't stand to lose that much if this experiment fails. Their franchise is already in dire straits, and rumors abound that Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley would be open to moving them elsewhere down the line. Can it get that much worse?

More to the point: to suggest that this move is somehow as jaw-dropping as some of the other moves Memphis has made over the past five years... Now that's just being sensational.