NBA: Mutumbo says Iverson is selfish

By Jason Thomas Sportsuperstarz.com Columnist

When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for veteran center Dikembe Mutumbo right before the NBA’s deadline, it seemingly made them the favorite to win the Eastern Conference title. With the trade, not only did they have possibly the NBA’s single greatest offensive weapon, but they also had added the NBA’s greatest defensive weapon. The match seemed like an unbeatable combination.

However, according to a source close to Mutumbo, the relationship between the two may destroy the 76ers. As we all know, no trade works unless the player coming in can gel into his new team’s established chemistry. According to both organization sources and a source close to Mutumbo whom we spoke with, the gelling between Mutumbo and Allen Iverson may not happen. Mutumbo has told more than one source that spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com that Iverson is not the type of player that can win an NBA Championship.

“Dikembe feels the guy is selfish,” said the source, which spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com on condition of anonymity. “He feels that the guy does not have what it takes to make any team a title contender. He is not a leader and not the type of player that wins. The guy is just to into himself.”

According to sources, Mutumbo is upset with Iverson’s apparent need to be the leading scorer and shot taker for the 76ers. Mutumbo commented to one source that we spoke with that while the Hawks may have been a struggling team, they still shared the ball and played with one another as a unit. Sources state that Mutumbo feels Iverson may be too much of a one man team type.

“D said he thinks that they run every play here for the guy,” said the source. “Iverson is kind of in this mode where if he is not the show, there is no show. He won’t be a truly great player until he sheds that. Dikembe told me that he feels Allen needs to become more of a team player for them to get things done. He is really getting frustrated.”

Despite this latest revelation, the 76ers are 7-2 since the trade for the center. As of the time of this article, they have won five straight and they are the owners of the current best record in the NBA at 47-16. Iverson is the NBA’ current leader in scoring at 31.6 points per game. He averages only 4.7 assists per game and according to the source that we spoke with, that may be the team’s eventual downfall.

“D told me that he is not one of the best players in the game,” he said. “The guy doesn’t make people around him better. We both feel that this is something that is really going to hurt the team down the stretch. The guy wants to be the only one in the headlines. This is going to kill the team when it counts.”

Mutumbo was the most prized trade commodity. The center is averaging 9.6 points and 14.1 rebounds per game and according to sources is committed to helping Philadelphia win an NBA Championship. However he does not feel that will occur with Iverson leading the 76ers.

Article courtesy of Sportsuperstarz.com