Next season is going to be an important one for Mr. Andre Iguodala, as he attempts to guide a team in transition (in more ways than one) through what could be a difficult stretch, leading for the first time without his primary running partner, the recently departed Andre Miller. One can not accuse Iguodala of off-season laziness, however, as he has been seemingly unable to stop mixing it up, on and off the court--auditioning, tweeting, dunking and just generally staying in the picture.
While in Vegas for the Team USA mini-camp (along with fellow Sixer Thaddus Young), Chief Blocka looked to help his odds of making the 2010 team--for which there are only four spots available, three of which are already thought to be off-limits for 'Dre, due to being reserved for a third point guard, a second big man, and NBA-wide megacrush Kevin Durant. Sez ESPN's Chris Sheridan, Iguodala has "built up a wealth of positive equity by playing with the Select Team for the past three summers." Sheridan also believes that AI9 will have to lock down scoring machine Rudy Gay in next July's practice to put a seal on the No. 12 slot.
It hasn't been all business for 'Dre, however. Speaking of Rudy Gay, he and Iguodala set a 16-year-old Twitter fan's heart aflutter when they posted that the first fan to come see them at the Chesecake Factory and correctly identify both of their numbers would get a free slice of cake courtesy of the two swingmen. Mark Travis of the But the Game is On blog wrote of his experience getting the Tweet, dashing to the Factory, tapping on the NBA stars' shoulders and winning his slice--his first-ever taste o' cheesecake, apparently. "All-in-all," writes the young Travis, "I would not trade the experience for anything."
On a less inspiring note, Iguodala has also expressed his deep disappointment at Andre Miller's departure. "I got the worst news of the day," AI9 Tweeted on Friday. "Dre Miller signed with portland...ruined my day...what the @#!¤?" Then yesterday, further remorse: "I aint gone lie, I'm still a lil bitter over this dre miller situation. I knew he wasn't comin back, but reality is settin in..." Iguodala had previously expressed great approval of PG-in-Waiting Jrue Holiday, and always seemed affectionate with immediate heir apparent Lou Williams, so it's not the most encouraging sign to see him bawling ove the loss of Miller, but the two always did have a stunning synergy that will be all but impossible for Holiday or Williams to replace in the near future--it's a first name thing, I guess. Anyway, we feel your pain, Chief.
With all this Twitter talk, it's also important to note that it isn't just the internets that Iguodala has been setting on fire in Vegas. He also showed the rest of the Team US minicamp a thing or two about a thing or two with this spectacular throwdown during an intersquad scrimmage:
The list of the top five dunkers in the NBA right now goes like this, in no particular order: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Andre Iguodala (with Nate Robinson coming off the bench). This is not arguable.
Bottom line--Sixers fans have definite cause from concern next season, but with Andre Iguodala continuing to evolve into a legitimate star both basketball-wise and celebrity-wise, they've got plenty to be excited about as well. Especially when that commercial comes out, dear lord.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/07/ig...
