Nov 27, 2008 - 2:56 PM
1 shoutAUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Throughout his NBA career, Allen Iverson has made no secret of his disregard for practice. The former MVP certainly wasn't going to show up for a workout on Thanksgiving.
Iverson skipped the Detroit Pistons' practice on Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after grumbling of coach Michael Curry's decision to hold the workout.
Curry said that Iverson will face a "hefty fine" and will be held out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I'm surprised when guys are late; I'm surprised when they don't show," Curry told the Detroit Free-Press. "It's a pretty hefty fine to be late, or to miss. And once again, it's accountability for yourself and your teammates."
Curry did not disclose whether Iverson would play against Milwaukee.
A four-time scoring champion and eight-time All-Star, Iverson made headlines in May 2002 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, when he skipped practice while the team was in the playoffs.
In response to criticism from then-Sixers coach Larry Brown, Iverson went on a highly-publicized rant during a news conference in which he uttered the now infamous phrase, "We're talking about practice."
The 33-year-old Iverson was one of several Pistons players who complained when Curry, the team's first-year coach, scheduled the morning practice following Detroit's 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
But Iverson was the only player to miss the workout. Curry said that Rodney Stuckey will replace Iverson in the starting lineup Friday.
