Hollins reiterates Iverson's role

[La Bomba]

Allen Iverson met the starters at the scorer's table, gave each of them a hug and began clapping his hands as he headed to the bench.

 

That was the scene before the Grizzlies' tip-off with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in Oracle Arena.

 

The veteran guard came off the bench for the second time following his return Monday from a hamstring injury.

 

Iverson, despite his opposition, will play a reserve role for the foreseeable future.

 

Griz coach Lionel Hollins made that clear before the game. Earlier in the day, Hollins received the backing of team owner Michael Heisley, who was thousands of miles away doing business in the Middle East.

 

"Lionel will handle it," Heisley said via telephone. "This is a situation that'll be handled between Lionel and Allen. What Allen said was inappropriate, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. Allen expressed his frustration about not playing and I understand that."

 

It's no secret that Heisley made the Iverson acquisition happen. But Heisley reiterated Wednesday that he won't tell Hollins how to coach.

 

"It's up to the coach to handle these issues," Heisley said.

 

Hollins said Iverson would play more than the 18 minutes he logged Monday at Sacramento.

 

Iverson entered the game against the Warriors with 6:33 left in the opening period. He replaced starting point guard Mike Conley and was immediately matched up against rookie Stephen Curry.

 

Iverson again appeared spry in a game that started as a track meet. Iverson delivered his first assist on a fast break when he found a streaking Marc Gasol for a dunk.

 

Iverson missed two free throws, then scored three straight field goals off a pair of jump shots and a running floater in the lane. Iverson's third basket gave him 24,000 points for his career.

 

He became the 16th player in NBA history to reach that plateau.

 

Hollins said that while Iverson's minutes will increase from game to game, fitting in the 14-year veteran will be a work in progress.

 

Iverson missed the entire preseason and the first three regular-season games.

 

Hollins has promised to use a three-guard rotation, and divide backcourt minutes among Conley, Iverson and O.J. Mayo. That means Marcus Williams is out of the mix and rookie Sam Young will be hard pressed to find playing time.

 

Conley was the first guard to take a seat, but he returned three minutes later as the substitute for Mayo. Playing Conley and Iverson together isn't something Hollins said the Griz can live with too often because of their slight frames.

 

The combination worked against the Warriors’ small backcourt, featuring Curry and Monta Ellis.

 

Hollins didn’t say whether Iverson would start in the future.

 

“There’s no way we’re making a change right now,” Hollins said.

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/nov/05/hollins-reiterates-iversons-role/