Young Grizz eager to learn from veteran Iverson

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rudy Gay listened as Grizzlies' teammate O.J. Mayo talked of the team's need to meld at practice and couldn't stop himself from piping in, "Practice?"

Oh yes, the player who's been with the Memphis Grizzlies the longest has seen video of Allen Iverson's infamous 2002 rant during a feud with Larry Brown about missing practice and heard that word maybe 20 times in the clip. Still, Gay and the other Grizzlies are eager to learn from and play with the 10-time All-Star and former league MVP. They're also hoping he helps them win more games.

"Actually getting a chance to sit down and talk to him really shows his growth," Gay said of Iverson. "Of course, that was a while ago, and Allen Iverson is a talented player. To see his growth from then to now and how much he's turned into a leader and how much he wants to win. ... It's definitely someplace he wants to influence and bring that winning to Memphis."

The player nicknamed the Answer faces his biggest questions going into his 14th NBA season. Can Iverson, the scoring machine used to leading on the court during games but not in practice, provide the leadership needed to turn around a franchise that hasn't reached the playoffs since 2006?

Iverson sounds as if he's embracing that role.

"That's the fun part about being a veteran is that you get a chance to lead guys to places they've never been before and give them something they've never had in the league," Iverson said.

Leadership? From Iverson? The man happiest when his teammates feed him the ball to take all the shots? Iverson said he learned how to be more vocal from Eric Snow and Aaron McKie, and he wants the Grizzlies to follow his lead, watching and learning what he called the right way of doing things to see how it translates into wins.

He also understands how reaching the NBA can satisfy so many young players. They start cashing paychecks, find themselves surrounded by people telling them how great they are and get comfortable. Iverson, who hopes to be named a team captain, wants to stoke their hunger to play games that really matter in the postseason.

"I'm not saying that it matters a lot, but it does. I want to be something people think I can't be," Iverson said.

No promises have been made or lineups drawn up yet.