Who knew that the marriage between Allen Iverson and Memphis Grizzlies wouldn't work out? Oh, yeah -- everyone. Hard to believe that little song and dance that the two sides did when he signed during the offseason would end badly.

Iverson has played a total of three games ... all off the bench ... before taking a leave of absence from the team. Now the word is that he's contemplating retirement. The Answer is correct. Quit.

Iverson should hang them up. It's obvious that (a) the only role for him in today's NBA is as a bench contributor and (b) he doesn't want to do that. It's obvious that winning isn't the most important thing to him or else he wouldn't have signed with the lowly Grizzlies in the first place (would taking a lot less money and a bench gig with the Cavaliers or Heat be a bad thing?). Before Iverson decides to leave the NBA for whatever else he may want to do, he should consider one thing:

Did the NBA kick him out first and make the decision for him?

Despite how you may feel about Iverson, he is a Hall of Fame player. No one with his smallish build has ever done the things he did. And though he never won a championship, he almost single handily took the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals. He was a great player and hopefully will be remembered as such.

The key word is "was". He still is a good player who still can score in bunches. The problem is that teams don't need a guy with his skills of today starting and disrupting the team's flow. Look what happened in Denver once he left. He could cut a nice extended career out of being an offensive spark-plug coming off the bench but that's not his style. Again, the NBA has made the decision for you.

It's a shame that it had to end like this. Iverson in a Memphis uniform will be a sad chapter to a great career ... one that could have been better. To most fans, his "practice" rant will be the thing most people remember him for. That, and for being a gunner. And for unofficially ushering in the hip hop culture into the NBA. He also was a great scorer or something.

So say good-bye to the "bad guy". We probably won't see Iverson's mug much longer since he really doesn't seem like the guy to stick around the league in any other capacity. As you know, he's either the star or nothing at all.

Unreal.

I like Nike. I like adidas. I wear both (among others). I also liked the fact that Marcus Jordan ... so of NBA legend and Nike spokes-god Michael ... decided to wear his dad's Nike kicks instead of the school's contractually obligated adidas.

Again, it's nothing against adidas. But I love the way that he thumbed his nose at the shoe company. No one does that anymore.

Anyone who is a basketball fan is well aware that shoe contracts are a big-time thing. These companies pay a lot of money to get their name plastered all over campuses and uniforms. Penn State football refuses to put players' names on their jerseys, but they sure as hell have a Nike logo front and center. They aren't the only ones.

Marcus Jordan is right. Blood is thicker than dorm water. You cannot expect a kid whose dad is Mr. Nike to start wearing adidas under any circumstances. Central Florida promised Marcus that he could wear Air Jordans ... but adidas smacked that idea when they found out. Once Marcus wore the Nikes in a game, adidas killed the deal with UCF. Way to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

If adidas didn't make a big stink about this, no one would care. Do you really think anyone gives a crap that the University of Central Florida is rocking adidas??? This isn't like North Carolina and Nike being bosom buddies. This is a school that most people have never even seen play a minute of basketball. This is a school that loved the fact that Michael Jordan's son was playing for them. They wanted Michael Jordan's brand ... but needed him to wear adidas clothing.

I'm not saying adidas didn't have the right to back out of the contract. A deal is a deal and UCF broke it. But if you think that adidas left with their dignity, you are mistaken. They look petty. Marcus Jordan would still be wearing an adidas jersey, but Nike kicks. No one would notice; no one would care.

The NBA Draft in the 1990s was a time of change. In the 80s, we saw people leaving college after their junior years. In the 1990s, players were starting to leave after their sophomore years. Then, in 1995, Kevin Garnett pushed the envelope into the first high school player in two decades to declare for the draft. Since that moment, the draft hasn't been the same.

But, we will always remember the #1 overall picks in the draft. We can run them off like we run off the list of champions. And what an odd mix it is.

#10-Michael Olowokandi [1998-Clippers]. He was a project when he was drafted...but it just didn’t pan out. As a Clipper, he was routinely outshined in LA by some other center that shares the same arena. He did develop into a 12 ppg scorer...but then left ClipperLand for Minnesota where he posted the worst numbers of his career. And that is saying something. Stats: 8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg

#9-Joe Smith [1995-Warriors]. Not your average Joe has made his way around the NBA. Playing only three years in Golden State, he's been to Philly, Minnesota, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver, Philadelphia (again), Chicago, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Cleveland (again) and now Atlanta. Staying in the league this long says something about what he is worth. What makes this pick look worse is the fact that McDyess, Stackhouse, Sheed and Garnett were picked directly after him. He will probably be best known for having a "wink wink" agreement with Minnesota that he'd sign low short term and the team would hook him up long term. That action cost the Wolves 4 first round draft picks. He has the EXACT same birthday as me. Stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg

#8-Elton Brand [1999-Bulls]. It's tough to peg Brand. He's been an All-Star twice and an Olympian. He also had a controversial exit from the Clippers and hasn't been the stud the Sixers wanted him to be. Injuries have stalled his career in the past two seasons and his lone playoff appearance was in 2006. Stats: 19.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg

#7-Larry Johnson [1991-Hornets]. LJ brought excitement and attention to Charlotte. Once Grandmama put on the teal...the franchise went from expansion to legit. A back injury and a big contract forced him up to New York where he played on the 1999 Eastern Conference Championship team. His 4-pt play is legendary in playoff lore [mainly because he wasn’t touched]. Stats: 16.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg

#6-Glen Robinson [1994-Bucks]. He is the 2nd leading scorer in Milwaukee Bucks history. He went to the 2000 and 2001 All Star Games. One of the better scorers in the league...he averaged at least 20 pts in 8 of his first 9 seasons. Stats: 20.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 82% FT

#5-Derrick Coleman [1990-Nets] Drafted by the Nets, but starred for the Sixers and Hornets, Coleman is the classic example of potential never fully realized. Many people foresaw him as the forward that would change the game. We saw glimpses of it in Jersey and at times in his other stops...but he spent most of his career injured. He started only one All Star Game [1994]. Stats: 16.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg

#4-Chris Webber [1993-Magic/Warriors]. Originally drafted by Golden State, Webber was dealt to the Warriors for Penny Hardaway moments later. C-Webb’s career on the Bay was short, but he helped get the Washington Bullets to the playoffs and was the centerpiece in getting the Kings into the playoffs as well. He has a nice bounce back season with the Sixers in 05-06 but that was short lived. He led the NBA in rebounding in 1999. Stats: 20.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg

#3-Allen Iverson [1996-Sixers]. Like him or hate him...he’s has been one of the NBA’s best players. A 6-foot tall wrecking ball...Iverson gave max effort every single game. He’s won the scoring title four times ...something only Wilt, Jordan and the Ice Man ever did. His scoring average is 5th all time. He has an MVP award... and single handidly took the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals. The second half of his career has been marred with questionable behavior. "Practice", crying his way out of Philly, stunting the growth in Denver, blowing up the Pistons and now sulking with the Grizzlies. Stats: 27.1 ppg, 6.2 apg, 2.2 spg

#2-Tim Duncan [1997-Spurs]. Three NBA titles and two MVP awards sit in his trophy case. The Admiral’s injury brought Duncan to San Antonio, but his leadership is what lifted the former ABA franchise to rings. He's been named to the first team All NBA team in each of his seasons. You could argue that he's the best power forward ever. Stats: 21.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 2.4 blks

#1-Shaquille O’Neal [1992-Magic]. The Most Dominant Ever has 4 NBA championships....3 NBA Finals MVP awards and 1 regular season MVP award. He lifted the Orlando Magic to elite status and brought back the Lakers franchise to the elite. Only player on this list named to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players squad. More than by any player on this list (by far), he has trancended the game. Stats: 24.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 58% FG, 53% FT

The big buzz around tennis right now is the revelation that Andre Agassi spent nearly a year doing meth back in 1997. Pretty shocking since Agassi was one of the most finely tuned athletes in a grueling sport.

Fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova isn't cool with any of this. She even compared Agassi to Roger Clemens, someone who allegedly lied about using performance enhancing drugs. Apples and oranges.

I'm not a doctor or a physical trainer, but I've never heard that "ice" was a performance enhancer. No one has attributed their gawdy stats to smoking crank. In fact, Agassi's worst professional season came during the year he says he was using.

I mean, musicians and artists can claim that the hippie lettuce and acid help them be more creative. But not one of them has ever said that the "jib" has boosted their creativity. Well, maybe a porn star ...

Yes, it is illegal ... but so is pot. If you heard that an athlete lied about smoking the weed and got caught, it would elicit jokes but no one would say that the player should be kicked out of the league. Baseball historians love to forget that half the players back in the day were either drunk or hungover during games. Should we strike them down?

Meth is a lot harsher and it did shock me to learn this information. Meth has destroyed lives, families ... even towns ... and is spreading like wildfire. But to completely condemn Agassi for his actions 12 years ago is ludicrous. Of course he's going to lie if he got caught. HE WAS A METH ADDICT AT THE TIME! What did you think he'd say?