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Understand what the Detroit Pistons are asking Allen Iverson to do runs counter to just about everything that's made him the third-highest scorer, per game, in NBA history. Understand, too, he wants very badly to be the player the Pistons are asking him to be, according to the Detroit News.

"I am just in a better situation now, for me," he said. "Hopefully I get the chance to compete for a championship. That's what it's about for me."

Just listening to him talk after practice Thursday, though, you could sense how genuinely conflicted he is right now.

In one breath he said, "It's different. I am not called upon to score as I was throughout my career. It's just a different experience for me."

Or, "I am used to leading the league in minutes every year. This is just something I have to adjust to."

Then in the next breath he said, "But it's easier for me, and hopefully it will allow me to be a lot stronger at the end of the year. It's different, but I won't have any problems adjusting to it."

The 76ers, whom the Pistons host tonight, might not completely recognize this version of the Answer, the player who was the face of their franchise from 1996-2007. Instead of dominating the ball and scoring close to 30 points a game, he's playing off the ball and scoring close to 20.

"He's still the same guy," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "He's still able to dominate the game. But we're not asking him to dominate games like that every night. We aren't asking him to play 45 minutes or take 25 shots a game, so he's not going to have the same numbers. But he still has the same kind of impact on the game in terms of putting pressure on the opposing defense."

Source: Detroit News