As it is now, most of Philadelphia is tired of Andre Iguodala’s nonsense on the court. He’s paid more than $13 million per year, is a poor jump shooter and makes terrible decisions on a nightly basis. Yes, he’s a phenomenal on-the-ball defender, but after that he’s just a guy with great athleticism and poor basketball instincts.
So, the last thing Sixers fans want to hear now (as their season spirals out of control), is internal bickering or guys calling one another out.
And that’s what Iggie is doing. In a Sports Illustrated piece scheduled for April 9th, Iguodala starts to talk about how he doesn’t understand how great scorers aren’t always great defenders. And then he goes one step too far, and calls out his teammate Lou Williams.
“I learned from being a go-to guy what I didn’t like,” Iguodala says. “Coaches tell you, ‘Get to the hole. Don’t settle for jump shots.’ So when I guard somebody, I want them to settle for jumpers—outside the paint but inside the three-point line—and then use my length to contest late.” Iguodala memorizes where opponents hold the ball before they raise it up. Bryant is the toughest to strip because he cradles the ball by his hip; Lakers forward Metta World Peace might appear to be the easiest, because he puts it in front of his body, but he is trying to draw cheap fouls. “It makes no sense to me why so many good scorers can’t defend,” Iguodala says. “Like Lou Williams. He’s one of the toughest guys to guard in the league, but he can’t guard anybody. I don’t get that.”
Thanks, Iggie! That’s exactly what this team needs right now. Call out your teammate. Brilliant. I don’t know if those guys are best buds and it’s not a big deal, but on the surface it looks like extremely poor decision making.
It’s like his on-court game translated to a media interview.