Andre Iguodala: Dala Signs
After two seasons as Allen Iverson’s sidekick in Philadelphia, it’s Andre Iguodala’s turn to step up.
Last night the Phoenix Suns perfect run at road venues in the East came to an end, thanks in large part to Andre Iguodala. With Andre as one of the features in SLAM 107 (on newsstands!), this is the perfect time to put it online, immediately following the behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. Thanks to our photo editor Monique Perreault and the writer himself for the video.
WORDS Aggrey Sam
PORTRAITS Ryan Donnell
Yo, is that Iggy? Yeah, that’s my man Iggy!”
The exuberant squeegee man comes over to the current face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, introduces himself, shakes his hand and wishes him and the team well on the rest of the season before returning to his post across the street.
At the corner of 9th and Passyunk in South Philadelphia, celebrity sightings are not an uncommon occurrence—after all, the famous cheesesteak spots, Geno’s and Pat’s, are located at this intersection. But on this frigid January day, the coldest day of the winter so far in the City of Brotherly Love, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, let alone an NBA player, playing on the block like it’s July.
Yet Andre Iguodala is, as Sixers’ play-by-play man Marc Zumoff often says during TV broadcasts, playing in traffic—literally. The third-year pro is dribbling a ball—borrowed from five youngsters at a nearby playground—in the middle of the street. Despite the excitement caused by the presence of the hometown team’s brightest star, it isn’t the mob scene one might expect. With their game of 21 interrupted by the photo shoot, the young ballers wait patiently, hoping to maybe get an autograph from Andre for their troubles. (He later hoops with them, takes some pictures, signs their rock and drops a C-note on them for their efforts.) Some neighborhood passers-by take a glimpse and keep it moving, other curious bystanders ask questions or offer up commentary, such as “What’s he doing out here?” or “That’s Andre Iguodala? He seems real regular.”
Understand, too much “regular” is what many Sixers fans perceive to be the problem with Iguodala’s game: From barbershops to press row at Sixers games, there’s an ongoing debate about whether he has what it takes to elevate his game from promising young talent to budding superstar. While no one denies he has ability, Philly fans are well known for holding their stars to a higher standard of excellence.
“Philly is the kind of city that either makes you or breaks you,” acknowledges the 6-6 swingman. “People in the street, they’ll cuss you out in public.”
Playing in a city that wants its stars to be superstars and for a franchise spoiled by the likes of Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and the recently departed Allen Iverson, the remaining AI won’t have to falter much to incur the wrath of Sixers’ fans. In this championship-starved city, where an up-and-down player’s last great performance might earn them two dollars for a ride on the subway to their next home game and an off night can draw the ire of seemingly every fan in the Wachovia Center, Iguodala finds himself in a tough spot. Playing with a teammate as dominant as Iverson made it both easy and difficult for the laid-back swingman to be a complementary player on the Sixers; with the original AI rocking a Nuggets uniform,
Iguodala no longer has the option of playing that part.
That said, it’s ironic that upon entering the League, DreDala was billed as a “Pippen-type” player. A native of Springfield, IL—about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis—Dre patterned much of his game after the former Bulls great while honing his game at Lanphier High. “Growing up, I watched almost every Bulls game,” says Iguodala. “Pippen did everything well. I definitely watched a lot of him.”
Iguodala developed a reputation as an all-around player in high school and AAU competitions, one who was capable of rebounding the ball on the defensive end, starting a fast break with his tremendous speed (he was also a track star) and either finishing the play himself with a skyscraping dunk or using his court vision to find an open teammate. The state’s top player as a senior, Iguodala landed at the University of Arizona, where he was a solid freshman contributor on a squad that advanced to the Elite Eight. His game blossomed as a soph, averaging 12.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 4.9 apg, leading Lute Olson’s Wildcats in boards, dimes and steals in a season where he also posted three triple-doubles, joining Jason Kidd as the only player in Pac-10 history to achieve the feat more than once in a season.
Dre subsequently declared for the ’04 NBA Draft, where he was chosen ninth overall by the Sixers. Through his first two seasons in Philly, Iguodala’s play both tantalized and frustrated fans. A starter for all 82 games as a rookie, Iguodala showed potential as a defensive stopper and his athleticism often brought excitement to the
Wachovia Center.
On the other hand, his J was shaky and he didn’t assert himself enough for many locals’ tastes. Still, his first-year stat line of 9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg and 1.7 spg was enough to net him first team All-Rookie honors. With his feet wet in the pro game and fans desperate for the team to improve (the Sixers lost to the Finals-bound Pistons in the first round of the ’05 Playoffs), the prevailing thought around town was that in his second season, Iguodala’s production would increase and he would establish himself as a certified rising star in the League. That didn’t quite happen, as his potential once again exceeded his production. Despite an eye-opening, 30-point, MVP performance at the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge during All-Star Weekend (as well as getting robbed in the Dunk Contest), and besides upping his scoring to 12.3 ppg, his numbers stayed virtually the same across the board and the Sixers failed to make the playoffs.
Early this season, it seemed like more of the same. His points were up slightly, but overall he was still inconsistent, dropping a triple-double against Milwaukee one night—18 points, a career-high 16 boards and 10 dishes in a loss—and an unimpressive 11-point stinker in Jersey a week or so later. If he was Eric Snow, George Lynch or any of the other blue collar Sixers of the ’01 Finals run, that would be straight. But from Iggy, the current team’s supreme talent? In a city like Philly, when you don’t perform up to your potential, people immediately question your heart. “Being in Philly, it’s tough if you’re laid back,” says Iguodala. “People in the city start accusing you of not wanting it.”
Which brings us to the present. You know the situation. The guy with the same initials works in Denver now, and whether you call it a rebuilding year or whatever, this is supposed to be the season where “the other AI” proves his worth. Yeah, he has his teammates, while Andre Miller’s the one taking Iverson’s actual position on the court, but Iggy’s the player everyone expects to pick up most of the slack.
“He’s the guy now and he has all the ingredients, but the one thing he has to do is improve his outside shooting this summer. Then he can be a truly great player,” says longtime Philadelphia Tribune sports writer Donald Hunt. “I think he also has to be a little bit more selfish and take on a bigger responsibility when he gets the ball. He doesn’t have to hog it, but he just needs to be more assertive. His teammates know he’s capable and have confidence in him. He’s at the point where he can start to provide some of that veteran leadership.”
“It was kind of shocking to me,” Iguodala says of the infamous trade. “At first, I was just playing like he [Iverson] was hurt, then 10, 15 games go by…it’s just part of the business of the NBA. I just knew I had to be consistent every single night now. Seeing how he did it really set that example for me. He showed by example on the court, like ‘Follow my lead,’ more or less.
For more on Andre Iguodala, pick up SLAM 107.
69 Responses to “Andre Iguodala: Dala Signs”
Mar.1 at 4:00 pm
dez says:
Has Iggy been showing as much improvement from year to year, as say…Lebron or DWade? I think not. But then again, his team is hot garbage, so it might not show as much
Mar.1 at 4:22 pm
Chris says:
Iggy’s got skills, but that sixer team just doesn’t have enough talent right now, they better not win to many more games and jeapardize their draft status. With a high pick, and iggy working on his j this summer, the 6ers should be alright.
Mar.1 at 4:23 pm
Mush says:
iggy has improved but what the sixers need is a star possibly go for billups, kidd, vc or other
Mar.1 at 4:24 pm
Mush says:
and hey slam i still have not received ish 106 all da way in England
Mar.1 at 4:54 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Just so everyone knows, Iggy was drafted after Hoffa Araujo.
Mar.1 at 4:59 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Boing - I hate Bob for cock too…
Mar.1 at 5:19 pm
Marvin says:
DreDalla I like that nickname. I still miss the Answer.
Mar.1 at 5:38 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Nice work Monique, and MUCH love to Dre Dala for braving what looks like a cold-a** winter day in Philly to get some great shots. For the record, Dre had confirmed his SLAM love when I interviewed him for that Iverson/SLAM 32 story back in Ish 100. Good people. I hope he’s an All-Star soon.
Mar.1 at 5:40 pm
Logan Light says:
Iggy is nice… but his game is like the Matrix. He needs to feed off of other payers to really blowup big. The sixers need to pick up Oden in the draft… then we’ll see ‘DreDalla’ achieve allstar status. Remember it.
Mar.1 at 5:44 pm
Young C says:
Like Chris said, the sixers are definetly going to be fine. They have a good nucleus of young and veteran players. They have a top 4 pick in the draft, and two more first round picks. They dont have any power forwards or a starting small forward.Hopefully they can address all of those in the draft. Iggy is really a shooting gaurd, and Kyle Korver is much more dangerous coming off the bench, so they really do need a small forward. Their only PFs are Joe Smith and Shavlik Randolph so that should be their first pick.
Mar.1 at 5:47 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Nice call, Logan, and not only for the reasons you mentioned — he’s also got really average-sized hands for a guy his size, which definitely limits him. If he and Marion (especially) had Jordan-sized hands, they’d be scary.
Mar.1 at 6:24 pm
Matt says:
I know numbers don’t mean much on crappy teams, but it is worth noting that Dre has posted about 20, 6 and 6 since the trade. Not many guys in the league can do that. Also, can we stop with the Iggy? Good nickname for a spelling bee champion, but for a guy who bounced the ball off the BACK of glass and dunked it? Nah. (And according to Daily News reporter Phil Jasner, Dre agrees.) The best nickname I’ve heard for him came during the Sixers’ playoff loss to Detroit his rookie year. He had a dunk on the break where he reversed it at a dead run from about two feet inside the free throw line. As happens in such situations, one of my friends jumped up and just blurted out: ANDRE ILLADUNKA! It’s stuck with us ever since. Anyway, anything is better than Iggy.
Mar.1 at 6:38 pm
Bobbbby says:
Yo Mush, I live in England too and I got my 106,that’s strange. Just waiting for 107 now…
Mar.1 at 7:02 pm
iverose says:
dre dala’s nice too. better than iggy
Mar.1 at 7:23 pm
DP says:
been waiting on this dude to blow up as much as I waited on Monta. Dre Dala is doing his thing and he has been amazing since the trade.play wit it.
Mar.1 at 8:44 pm
howard says:
Iggy will always be a #2 or #3. Sure he can score 20pts while playing on a garbage team but hey, let him get his shine on before someone else steps in.
Mar.1 at 9:06 pm
iverose says:
what’s the guy in the background sayin to him?
Mar.1 at 10:10 pm
Justin Adler says:
Wow. Incredible read…I can’t wait to finish it out when my magazine is delivered.
Mar.2 at 12:46 am
biz says:
The hometown kid, born and raised here in the Field, IL, he’ll be aight! Give him some time and he’ll be a superstar. He wasn’t even that great of a high school player until the summer of his Junior year, when he played AAU and won the title and MVP, then he blew up and has just continued to get better every year! If Phily aint feelin you dawg, Illinois would love to have you in the Chi!!
Mar.2 at 3:17 am
Simmy Sosa says:
I think we should call him Andre A. Dala (like Creflo A. Dollar) or just A-Dala.
Mar.2 at 6:41 am
Harlem_World says:
I’m lookin…I’m lookin…but I just don’t see it. He is a broke man’s Matrix. I like Matrix, but he really does like himself more. He actually believes he’ll go down as one of the best SF’s of all time? Wow…Cocaine is a hell of a drug…But with Iguadala? I’d take Loul Deng before him. Caron Butler too. Both those guys are a behind VC’s level and VC is obviously behind LeBron’s level. So what does that say about Iguadala? A-V-E-R-A-G-E (with a broke jumper).
Mar.2 at 6:57 am
Boyd says:
Indeed Mr. Harlem World. Marion has way too high an opinion of his self, Amare avg’s like 30 and 13 since the break, and the matrix must be stewing, big time. That said, he’s in a totaly different fucking league to Iguodala. Iggy avg’s 17, 5, 5, 2 and .05, Marion 18, 10, 2, 2.2 and 1.5, quite comparable, but he is basically a far more accomplished player all round. Iggy would ride pine in PHX, DAL and probably a couple other teams, too. I don’t see this guy ever making an ASG, he’s nice, but that’s about it.
Mar.2 at 7:28 am
rav says:
i live in england and never got the melo ish
Mar.2 at 7:50 am
DEVILb0y says:
Andre and C-bills would be nice…The most underated backcourt in the NBA
Mar.2 at 11:13 am
Ron says:
If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs, the Sixers will have 2 lottery picks this year. Hopefully they can get Oden, I don’t see Durant or anyone else helping this team much.
Mar.2 at 11:40 am
Noyd says:
Dre is NICE. To those of you comparing him to Marion, let me make 2 points. First, Marion plays with the best PG in the league. Nash gets him about 2 or 3 dunks a game. 2nd, Marion has been in the league for about 3 or 4 more seasons. Dre is really stepping it up after the trade. I think he’ll be a great #2 option, once we(the Sixers) get a blue chip prospect. Yall act like yall forgot about ‘Dre…
Mar.2 at 1:52 pm
Young C says:
Dre and the Matrix are nothing like each other. Dre is a true shooting gaurd and Marion is a bigger forward, almost a power forward. The main difference between Andre and Shawn Marion is Dre can create for himself and others. Iguodala has been averaging about 6 assists since the trade. Shawn Marion never has and never will average that many assists. Also, Marion averages 10 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Andre will never average that many rebounds or blocks. Two totally different players. Not even comparable. One guy said he would take Caron and Luol Deng over Iguodala, but none of those guys are shooting gaurds! And Dre is a much better passer than either of them. Again, no comparison.
Mar.2 at 2:53 pm
William says:
I like the picture ..
That picture is really good
I think Andre is more like a do it all small forward who happened to play shooting guard.
A good comparison would be Gerald Wallace, shorter Josh Smith, Luol Deng.. Dala is not a shooter and I don’t know if he’s gonna be a premier shooter one day. Marion is a small forward (about 6-7) with once in a decade rebounding skill. An anomaly of some sort. It’s hard to find anyone with his skillset in his bodytype in the HISTORY of the game. Which is why it will be hard to trade him, both for Phoenix and the receiving team.
Mar.2 at 3:09 pm
Harlem_World says:
Young C, Iguadala a shooting guard? puhleeeze…he can’t shoot? His skills are FAR more suited to the SF position. SF’s are the most versatile players on the floor - and the fact that matrix is a dominant rebounder shows that part of his game is superior from a SF standpoint. He isn’t (and doesn’t play like) a PF. Iguadala is a SF. He shouldn’t try to force 2 guard, he doesn’t have it like that. I compare him to Deng and Butler because that’s what his game is more comparable to, and as I said, they are both better than him. No question, he is more athletic, but they are better ball players.
Mar.2 at 3:42 pm
Noyd says:
I think he’s a more complete player than either Deng or Butler. And only Deng has the greater, fabled “upside” than Dala. Butler’s good, but he is what he is now. I don’t see him improving too much from his current level of play.
Mar.2 at 3:59 pm
Harlem_World says:
Noyd, I can see that in Butler. No doubt. He does have room for improvement, but I don’t see anything as dramatic as could happen to either Iguadala or Deng. I think Butler is better than Iduadala as of today. Deng is still only 21 and from what I’ve seen has the potential to have more efficient and complete than Iguadala.
Mar.2 at 4:27 pm
Noyd says:
I think Deng has the possibility to be better than Dre in every area except passing. You guys should see some of the passes Andre drops on his teammates. He’s got the instinct to make the right pass. It’s been mentioned that he needs to work on his shooting, but I think he needs to work on his footwork too. It’s not fluid, and you never see him slicing through traffic and throwing down on someone. That comes down to footwork.
Mar.2 at 5:02 pm
bigmike407 says:
Igoudala’s a nice player, but I doubut he’ll reach Dr.J/Barkley/A.I. status in Philly. He’s a good player on a bad team, but these guys were great players, regardless of how good or bad their teams were. His J still needs work and he should be more of a leader on that team.
Mar.2 at 5:15 pm
galo says:
y’all talking about he cant shoot, but he averages .478 FG on his carrer. Without the answer’s help he’s been doing fine with .446. Thats a hell of good average. Better than most SGs out there. The three may be off, but it doesnt mean he cant fix it and come out shooting .350 or smth. And he doesnt take that many threes, so if he gets confident about his outside range, he could average a lot more.
–
His averages without AI (the original one) is about 20-6-6-2. Shit, who’s better than that? Like 5 other players, all of them All-Star and MVP candidates. No other 3rd year player is playing like him. He can do better, much better, but even if he doesnt, he’s still sick.
–
Confidence is all it takes. If he start shooting more and taking more resposability as the star of the team i think he’ll be just fine. And he’s healthy as a mo’fo’, so he’s got plenty of games ahead to improve it. –
Andre Iguodala may never blow up (and be like 17-5-5 forever, with isnt a total failure), but if he does, its gonna be scary. The sixers got future. And we’re still gonna snatch Oden off the Celts hand, you’ll see
Mar.2 at 5:45 pm
Dan says:
Let’s just look at the facts: although Igoudala has had his up’s and down’s, he is showing that he has more than just potential. The last time he logged a single-digit point game was January 17, when he played only 23 minutes. I know that no matter what you do as a professional athlete there will always be haters, but come on! ! ! Iggy has been dynamite, particularly since the Iverson deal, and everyone needs to show him some love for his play. He is more than on his way to being a top-tier player in the NBA, and soon enough everyone will recognize that. . .
Mar.3 at 1:30 am
Young C says:
Yes, Harlem, Dre is more a shooting gaurd. Hes only 6′6′’. Hes not big enough to play SF full time. The main thing that separates him from Deng, Butler, and Marion is his passing. Anybody who doesnt watch the sixers on a daily basis doesnt know how much improved his passing and shooting is. Is he a superstar, no. Is he a franchise player, no. But can he be an all-star, hell yes. Can he be a great number 2 player on a team, hell yes.
Mar.3 at 1:48 am
Young C says:
Oh yeah, and the sixers just won again tonight. Iguodalas stat line: 27 pts (10-17), 9 rebs, 6 assists, 4 stls. Holla at me.
Mar.3 at 3:00 am
Hersey says:
Iguodala has improved a ton but agree with most of the comments that he’ll need another star to truly grow into what he’ll be as a player. His numbers are better but he plays a ton of minutes on a bad team. Hope Philly has a good draft.
Mar.3 at 9:21 am
Harlem_World says:
I’m not saying he can’t play. I’m saying RELATIVE to the other players we’re talking about, he isn’t the best. His stat lines should look good playing in Philly right now. Compare him to the 2 players I was saying are in front of him. Deng: 18.8ppg/7.1rpg/.524FG%/2.2apg Iguadala: 17.9ppg/5.7rpg/.449FG%/5.6apg PLUS Deng is playing for a contender and a top 4 team in the East. Philly are going nowhere fast. Given that situation, there is no way Iguadala shouldn’t have a dominant line on Deng, but he doesn’t. I do like his passing ability and athleticism (and he seems cool too), but he isn’t a better player than Deng. Butler is averaging 20ppg/7rpg and 3.6apg. Washington are 3rd in the east. He is better than Iguadala too. Just stating facts.
Mar.3 at 11:49 am
Noyd says:
Keep this in mind. He’s the main threat on this Sixers team, so when opposing teams strategize against the Sixers, they look to stop him. Can’t say that about Butler or Deng or even Matrix.
Mar.3 at 6:04 pm
Young C says:
The only reason Iguodala’s points and fg% arent as good as Deng’s is because he had to play the first 30 some odd games with Iverson and/or Webber dominating the ball. Like we said before, if you compare his stats after the trade, his points(20ppg), assists(6), and probably steals are actually better than Deng’s. The point I’M trying to make is that you cant compare these two players anyway because they do not even play the same position, let alone play the same style. Deng is 6′9′’. Dre is 6′6′’. Deng, Marion and Butler are Small Forwards. Dre is a Shooting Gaurd. Deng, Marion, and Butler are better rebounders. Dre is a better passer, ballhandler, and has better court vision. If you want to compare Dre to versatile shooting gaurds, compare him to Joe Johnson, Larry Hughes,Rip,J-Rich, Micheal Redd, Ginobili,etc. Dre isnt on the level of Kobe, Wade, T-Mac, or maybe even Vince. But I’d take him over Hughes, Rip, J-Rich, or Ginobili. The only thing Redd has on him is shooting. Johnson might be the only one who is better all around right now.
Mar.3 at 10:42 pm
Jon at MVN says:
Good piece. Andre Iguodala equals Joe Johnson 3 years ago, but with a better all-around game. I wrote about it on January 25. Philly fans are tough, but if you earn their respect then you’re a Philadelphian for life. We have faith in our DreDala.
Mar.4 at 3:45 am
Dan says:
Come on Jonesy! Although I don’t know the exact measurements, you can’t tell me that Jordan had catcher’s mits for hands. . . Igoudala is an astonishing player, who is goig to get some love from the league soon. Whether he has his own hands or Shaq’s, he is still the man in Philly, or anywhere else, for the time being. . .
Mar.4 at 5:12 am
Alex chuc says:
i know this is completely off the topic, but has anyone seen darko milicics’ myspace. dude seems like a bitter person, just read his about me. but then he seems funny, read his who id like to meet. how many rings does lebron james have?
Mar.4 at 6:47 am
Harlem_World says:
Noyd, the Sixers record is horrible, so that straegizing must be working.
Mar.4 at 6:52 am
Harlem_World says:
Young C, that’s not true. With or without Iverson Iduadala is not a 50+fg% shooter. No way. He can’t shoot (yet). Deng is a better shooter. No question. Also, with Deng and Butler, you telling me Ben Gordon doesn’t dominate the ball in Chicago? Even worse, who dominates the ball more than Gil in Washington? C’mon… I KNOW you didn’t say Iduadala is better than Rip? Hughes, I agree. Ginobli I think is still better. J-Rich is too inconsistent. But Rip? C’mon…Rip is a better ball player than Iguadala, and it seems strange trying to compare them. He compares better to Tayshun if you look at both their skill sets. Thats why I maintain, despite the constant reminder that he is 6′6, he is better suited to the SF position. Always has, always will be.
Mar.4 at 2:19 pm
Noyd says:
Harlem_World, actually, since the AI trade the Sixers are 14-17, which is much better than most people expected. They were 9-20, I think before they benched AI. Yea, they’re not a very good team, but they aren’t terrible either.
Mar.4 at 9:00 pm
Young C says:
Rip is a better shooter than Andre, but Andre rebonds,passes and dribbles much better. Rip plays alot like Reggie Miller. All he really does is come off screens and shoot jumpers. Hes not better than Igoudala.Same thing with Ben Gordon in Chicago. They’re both better shooters(for now) than Dre but none of their other stats compare. He doesnt dominate the ball like Iverson. Iverson takes 30 shots a game to get his points. Gordon is more efficient. Deng has passers like Hinrich and Duhon to get him the ball, so even if Gordon does take alot of shots, he still will get his.Gil does dominate the ball, but they still run plays for Caron so he gets his also.
Mar.5 at 2:19 am
Harlem_World says:
You can’t have it both ways. If you’re saying Dre is a better passer, rebounder and ball handler than Rip, those are all skills you’d normally put a higher value on for a Small Forward. Mr Versatility. As I’ve been saying, Dre is a Small Forward. Is he a better Small Forward than Rip? Of course, because Rip is a 2 guard. A shooting guard. If you want to judge Dre as a 2, the number 1 criteria is shooting and as you know - Rip is better than Dre. If (as I’ve been saying) we are judging Dre as a Small Forward (his natural position), Butler and Deng are better right now. This might all change in a season or 2, because Dre has the opportunity and potential to become a superstar, but his poor shooting and average rebounding for a SF don’t have him there yet. That point you made about Deng benefitting from playing with good passers, I don’t buy because if you watch him play - he is probably the hardest worker off the ball on the offensive end in the league. He is in constant movement, cutting and moving off of picks, using space and playing an efficient game - a college level point guard could get him shots, because he is creating them himself from his movement. Overall, though I think Butler is better right now, I’d take Deng first, Dre then Butler long-term as Deng is only 21, Dre 23 and Butler should be in his prime at 27.
Mar.5 at 3:58 pm
Caputo says:
Hey, you guys mailed Fitzjacob Appleman’s Iverson issue to my house.
Mar.5 at 4:29 pm
Young C says:
So,according to you, you can only be a small forward if you are versatile. If a guy is a shooting gaurd, your only job is to be a good shooter, right? So youre basically saying Andre is too versatile to be a shooting gaurd because as far as rebounding and passing “those are all skills you’d normally put a higher value on for a Small Forward”. Since when? Why cant a gaurd be a good passer and rebounder? Thats like saying lets judge Jason Kidd as a small forward because he gets triple doubles and is “Mr. Versatility”, as you put it. If your argument is correct than youre right. Rip is better than Dre just because he as a better shooting %.Deng and Butler are better small forwards than Dre because they’re more versatile…so is Jason Kidd. (cue sarcasm)Your argument makes a whole lot of sense!
Mar.5 at 6:12 pm
Matt says:
I appreciate the arguments on both sides. It’s hard to really compare Dre to any of these guys. Right now, what you can say about him is that he does everything pretty well, but he’s not at the top of the league in any one area. He’s more well rounded than most guys, and he puts up impressive numbers for a bad team. What’s interesting is that you’re both right in some ways. If you look at who Dre’s game is patterned after (Scottie, Grant Hill), they’re small forwards. But if you look at the most tangible thing that separates him from them, it’s that those guys had good/great outside shots. It’s way too early to say whether Dre can ever get to that level, but to do so, he will have to improve from 20 feet out.
Mar.6 at 7:51 am
Harlem_World says:
Young, I never said your only job is to be a good shooter. And I damn sure didn’t say Iguadala is too versatile to play the 2!! I said his skill set is better suited to the 3!Obviously any additional skills a player can bring to the table at his position adds value to the team. HOWEVER, if you’re not getting shooting from your 2 guard you better be getting it from somewhere. In Philly’s case, they can get that stroke from Korver (though he couldn’t guard a parked car), which would mean Iguadala plays the 3 (his natural position). If you know anything about basketball, you’d know that each position on the floor traditionally has different roles. To use your sarcasm, you wouldn’t expect your point guard to post up Shaq, or Yao Ming to lead the fast break. In this sense, the skills Dre has are more suited to the SF position. I’d be the first to admit that these roles are getting more blurred now with ‘hybrid’ players, ushered in through the Scottie Pippen era - BUT we still have traditional values in basketball and traditional positions. Dala’s skill set is Small Forward. Stop fighting it.
Mar.6 at 2:37 pm
me says:
if the sixers get a solid post player, watch out
Mar.6 at 6:04 pm
Young C says:
All im sayin is, just because a guy is or isnt a good shooter doesnt determine whether he is a small forward. Glen Rice was a great shooter, but a SF. Rick Fox was a good shooter, but a SF. Jamal Mashburn was a good mid-range shooter, but a SF. Korver is their best shooter, but hes still a SF. Just because it has the word SHOOTING in it doesnt necessarily mean that the shooting gaurd is the best shooter. I just think that Andre’s skill set doesnt necessarily make him more suited to play SF. Either way, I think he is still going to improve and be a very good player.
Mar.8 at 4:12 pm
Don Lookis says:
Andre is a rising star. He went to my school, Lanphier. I’m 10 years is senior, but I still go to alot of the games still and I went all the time when he was still in school. What a lot of people don’t know is his junior year he only averaged 13.5 points a game. Richard McBride (current Illinois player) was the one that everyone talked about. I beleive that got Andre going to show people he can play too. Kevin Gamble (Ex Celtic and Lanphier High player) worked with Andre between junior and senior year. So after his senior year to now it’s only been less than 5 years. He’s come along way quickly and continues to improve. Mark it down, he will be a All Star next year! I think it’s amazing a guy goes from 13.5 a game in high school as a junior to the 9th pick in the draft in 3 years.
Mar.11 at 12:27 pm
J-Con says:
Dre is da man. 7 wins in a row 4 da sixers right now bcuz of him. He hasn’t improved a lot cuz when allen was round he did all the scorin…there wasn’t a lot of shots 4 Dre. Look 4 Dre 2 be averagin 25pts a game nxt year and 2 b a allstar…his average stands right now at 18.3 pts a game and its goin up every game…not 2 mention 5.8 boards and 5.6 dimes…at the rate the atlantic division is…look 4 da sixers to have a division crown next year!
Mar.12 at 4:11 pm
» Links: Yao Ming, Phil Jax, More Diet Pills - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] • Just as our Andre Iguodala feature story drops, the Philly papers bring us…an Andre Iguodala feature story. I like how Dre calls out Dick Vitale. […]
Mar.17 at 10:50 pm
iggys#1fan;chrissy says:
! gooo sixers
iguodala is amazing.. just met him again last night.. i was the hometown hero @ sixers game & i gave him 250 books for his book drive..& he gave me signed sneaks of his [new] on them it said to my #1 fan chrissy..then the ohter was his signature
Mar.26 at 6:09 pm
PAUL says:
Andre iguodala’s nickname should be dunkadala or dre dunkadala
Mar.27 at 12:51 pm
golds says:
Iggy is the man!! This is coming straight from the kid’s hometown in Springfield, IL!! Everytime he’s back intown he’ll stop by GOLD’s and is AWESOME! He really has his head on straight and gives back…his celebrity game is one of the best!! He’ll be an ALL-Star next year no doubt!!…much love to IGGY!!!
Mar.29 at 2:44 pm
kunle says:
He is a great guy! He is the reason i watch philly. A great future he has before him.
Mar.29 at 3:33 pm
Don Lookis says:
I agree 100% golds! I’ve ever met him, but I would like to. I going to his celebrity game this year! I got the NBA league pass for the last 3 years on Direct TV just to watch him play. His game has improved some much in 3 years! Andre’s the man. Congrats to him and his girlfriend on the birth of their child.
Apr.18 at 1:53 pm
pj paloskey says:
iguodalas the freaking man
May.16 at 6:47 pm
tj says:
played in aau wit him
May.20 at 12:45 pm
blake from da MN says:
man, dre is the man. wanna call im iggy but i heard he don’t even like that nickname. he got robbed at the asg last year. sombody gotta give im another chance
May.23 at 2:41 pm
MASTER A.K.A "Lil' Iggy" says:
I think “Iggy” is the best thing that happened to the sixers since A.I. I think he has a chance to be in the All-Star game next year if he plays like he did since A.I. left all season. He’s a straigh up beast and he was cheated when he went to the Slam-Dunk competition.
May.30 at 6:17 pm
charles says:
iggy is one of the best
Jun.23 at 9:26 am
Dunkadelic Dre says:
Andre Iguodala is one of the 5 best dunkers in the NBA. Dre was selected to the 1st and 2nd Annual All-Dunkadelic Teams in 2005 and 2006. AI should be an All-Dunkadelic First Team selection in 2007.