Clippers want direct meeting - 籃球

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4326602

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Clippers want direct meeting with Iverson

Updated: July 14, 2009, 11:44 AM ET / By Chris Sheridan

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Before they commit to Allen Iverson for one year, the Los Angeles Clippers
want to look him in the eye and ask him about coming off the bench.

Iverson's answer, if the meeting comes off, will go a long way toward
determining whether "The Answer" will land in Los Angeles for a one-year
contract for the mid-level exception of $5.8 million.

Sources told ESPN.com Tuesday that Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, was traveling
to Las Vegas to arrange a meeting with the Clippers as the next step in the
process of finding a new home for Iverson, the former MVP and four-time
scoring champion who is an unrestricted free agent.

The Memphis Grizzlies remained the most viable fallback option for Iverson,
with the Grizzlies holding the trump card -- should they choose to play it --
of being able to offer Iverson more money than the Clippers.

Also in the Iverson picture are the Miami Heat, who like many NBA teams are
waiting this week to see how the fallout from the Paul Millsap offer sheet
signing will impact the free agent and trade markets going forward. Utah has
until Friday to match Portland's four-year, $34 million offer sheet, and the
Blazers could re-enter the market as major cap-space players -- a development
that would send ripple effects throughout the league, impacting Lamar Odom,
Carlos Boozer and others -- if Utah decides to match.

Memphis is eager to add Iverson for his box-office appeal in a city where the
franchise has struggled to tap into the community fan base, though Grizzlies
owner Michael Heisley has said he believes Miami is the favorite to end up
with Iverson.

As for the Clippers, two sources said one major potential obstacle to be
resolved is the question of whether Iverson would accept a role coming off
the bench, and whether the Clippers are convinced he could be effective in a
three-guard alignment with starters Baron Davis and Eric Gordon. But the
Clippers' relative lack of depth in the backcourt would offer Iverson
additional minutes, and the allure of playing in a large market is a factor
that favors both Los Angeles and Miami over Memphis

One source indicated the Clippers' ongoing efforts to trade Chris Kaman was
tangentially impacting their plans, and a second source said Los Angeles --
which tried to acquire Indiana's Jarrett Jack before he signed an offer sheet
Monday with Toronto -- also continues to have a strong interest in Milwaukee
restricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions.

If the Clippers were to exit the Iverson derby, Memphis would be able to
outspend Iverson's other main suitor, the Charlotte Bobcats, whose financial
flexibility in going after Iverson is restricted by luxury tax concerns.

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