Compiled by Chris Bernucca

We'll have more later on Allen Iverson. For now, here's some links, plus our news roundup: 

ALLEN IVERSON'S RETIREMENT 

• "I've never met an athlete as complex and intriguing as Iverson. It is impossible to reflect on his greatness without considering his faults. For all of the thrills and excitement he delivered during his decade with the 76ers, I always felt cheated by Iverson. As electrifying as Iverson was, I never felt he maximized his potential. There was a higher level Iverson could have reached, but he never willed himself to go there." John Smallwood in the Philadelphia Daily News

• "'It's not all physical,' Hollins said when asked his reaction to Iverson's decision. 'It has a lot to do with the mental part of the game. The mental part is what makes you do the physical part.'" Ronald Tillery in the Memphis Commercial Appeal 

• "Carmelo Anthony recently spoke to Allen Iverson and sensed sadness from his close friend and perennial all-star. He just didn't sound like A.I. Anthony felt that Iverson would actually consider calling it a career 'if everything didn't work out,' so when word spread Wednesday that Iverson would do just that, Anthony said: 'It's tough — just a messed-up way to go out like that. Especially knowing you can still play, knowing you still got it.'" Benjamin Hochman in the Denver Post 

NEWS LINKS

• SIXERS: "If there has been one part of this year's Sixers team that still appears to be under experiment, it is the substitution rotation. But with the rash of injuries now hitting the team, things are totally in flux. Lou Williams suffered a fractured jaw on Tuesday and underwent surgery yesterday morning, having his upper and lower jaws wired together. He will be out 8 weeks, according to the team. Williams was hit in the face by Antawn Jamison's shoulder in the first quarter of the Sixers' loss at Washington. Williams continued to play, going nearly 40 minutes and posting 26 points and five rebounds. Williams will meet soon with a nutritionist about a liquid diet designed to help him maintain his weight." Bob Cooney in the Philadelphia Daily News 

• BOBCATS: "Obviously, the Bobcats don't have the money New York does to spend on LeBron or other coveted soon-to-be free agents such as Miami's Dwyane Wade, Toronto's Chris Bosh and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire. The Knicks have carved basketball salaries from their payroll the way the way the rest of us carved white meat. They painstakingly put themselves in position to sign LeBron. So why didn't Charlotte?" Lee Sorenson in the Charlotte Observer

• CELTICS: "Pierce drew a charge from Andre Iguodala with 34.3 seconds remaining. Then, Pierce made certain the Sixers would not have a chance for a tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds, putting Jason Kapono on the foul line with 1.4 seconds on the clock. Not that Pierce ignored his other responsibilities, the captain scoring 27 points, inspiring his teammates, and going the entire second half. 'He’s been the MVP, to me,' coach Doc Rivers said." Frank Dell'Apa in the Boston Globe 

• CELTICS: "Watching the way the Celtics are playing now brings to mind their forefathers from the 1980s. Unfortunately, we’re talking about the very late ’80s. The teams from that decade needed more than just their significant talent to win. They were often tougher and willing to work harder than their opponents. But a strange thing happened as the decade got late. Though they still clearly were one of the NBA’s elite teams, they started acting like it was their birthright. And that was a problem." Steve Bulpett in the Boston Herald

• HORNETS: "Coming into Wednesday night's New Orleans Hornets-Milwaukee Bucks game at New Orleans Arena, a rookie point guard was expected to shine Not many figured, however, it would be Hornets' rookie Darren Collison who would steal the thunder, and the basketball at a critical moment in overtime, as New Orleans rallied for an improbable overtime victory. On a night when the Hornets threatened the team record for single-game shooting futility and trailed by 13 points, 11 at one juncture in the second half, it seemed unlikely that Collison would eventually grab the spotlight away from Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings, whose performance through the early part of the season has made him the favorite to win rookie of the year honors." Jimmy Smith in the New Orleans Times-Picayune

• JAZZ: "After everything that happened last summer, the NBA might have thought it would be getting a holiday homecoming for Carlos Boozer when it scheduled the Jazz and Chicago Bulls for a Thanksgiving night game at EnergySolutions Arena. No matter, though, how much Boozer expressed his desire to be traded, no matter how much he entertained thoughts of playing elsewhere, the Jazz opted to stand their ground with the former All-Star forward, bringing him back for a sixth season in Utah. From his sixth-row seat Thursday, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor could have been forgiven for enjoying a helping of vindication after the turkey and mashed potatoes as Boozer delivered a devastating performance in the Jazz's 105-86 rout." Ross Siler in the Salt Lake Tribune 

• KNICKS: "Two weeks earlier, LeBron James approached Gallinari after Cleveland's victory in New York and, in English, offered sound advice. 'He asked me about my back and he told me to make sure I stretch before every game," Gallinari said. "It was nice of him.' James' interest in Gallinari makes perfect sense. According to one of LeBron's confidants, James is monitoring Gallinari's progress since the two could become teammates next season. At least that is what the Knicks are planning on." Frank Isola in the New York Daily News 

• LAKERS: "Asked about the lackluster play of the bench players near the end of a fairly routine victory Tuesday night over the New York Knicks, Lakers coach Phil Jackson did not sugarcoat what he believed to be another in a string of lackluster showings. 'Right now they're just filling minutes for guys who are getting a rest on the bench,' he said. 'We have to do better than that.'" Elliott Teaford in the Los Angeles Daily News 

• MAGIC: "The Hawks closed out the first half on a 16-3 run, largely at the expense of the Magic's starters. Van Gundy likened that dismal stretch of basketball to 'six minutes of sleepwalking.' Van Gundy recalled that he asked his team a simple question at halftime: 'Does anybody in here want to play?' They responded in the second half -- no one more so than Howard and Johnson." Josh Robbins in the Orlando Sentinel 

• ROCKETS: "The question, spun artfully, seemed fair. That was probably the point. Tracy McGrady was surrounded as expected by microphones and cameras and at least one notepad and though no one brought up the backlash that had found him again, he sent a question back. 'When did wanting to play basketball become a problem, a bad thing?' McGrady said. Well played. Since he asked, and we are here to help, endeavoring to answer such questions, it seems only fair to explain things now, too. The problem is not that he wants to play. It is — again — how he's gone about it." Jonathan Feigen in the Houston Chronicle 

• SUNS: "Nash hurled a left-handed pass like a jai alai ball to the hands of Jason Richardson, who sank an open 3-point shot. Just when you wonder if his well of creativity, athleticism and instincts is evaporating at age 35, Nash taps into new ways to amaze. He leads a Suns team to a surprising 11-3 start. He plays like that two-time MVP of four years ago. He makes a pass he never has before. 'How does anybody see that?' Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. 'That was a shocking play.'" Paul Coro in the Arizona Republic 

• BUCKS: "Sampson is in his second year in the NBA. Is it more difficult to coach million dollar pro athletes? 'The thing that surprised me is you hear a lot about NBA guys, do they really want to be coached?' Sampson said. 'My experience is they really do want to be coached. They want a plan, ‘How are we going to win the game?’ And they’ll follow that plan. At the end of the day you’re still coaching.'" Mike Baldwin in the Oklahoman

• WOLVES: "The first rule of the streak is, don't talk about the streak. It's 14 games now, nearly a solid month of losing since opening night, and after Wednesday's 124-111 Target Center drubbing by the first-place Nuggets, officially the worst start ever to a Timberwolves season. But while coach Kurt Rambis concedes that a victory, any victory, would evaporate several tons of anxiety from his team's psyche, he's also careful not to add to the ugly vibe by harping on the Wolves' lengthening list of losses." Phil Miller for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune 

• WIZARDS: "The view from the back seat of the car in which Wes Unseld rode that day in June 1978 was difficult, if not impossible to imagine for a native Washingtonian. The Bullets' victory parade began at Capital Centre and, slowly, oh so slowly and deliciously, traveled the entire length of East Capitol Street from Prince George's County to the Capitol, until the cavalcade and its police escort completed its triumphal route at the District Building. Abe Pollin rode somewhere ahead of us. What a sight must have opened up before him that day. All his Bullets had their own chauffeur-driven car, but he got to gaze at the vista first." Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post

• The offensive explosion in Dallas on Wednesday prevented a shutout and left the bankroll at 530 jeelanis. Tonight, we'll take the Suns giving nine, the Nets getting 4.5 and Mavs-Pacers over 199. Ten units apiece. 

• The Song of the Day. Have a nice weekend.