FanHouse Grizzlies

After Allen Iverson received permission from the Grizzlies to take a personal leave of absence on Saturday, it was only natural to wonder if that was the last we would see of him in Memphis. Iverson was clearly unhappy coming off the bench, and his coach, Lionel Hollins, was clearly unhappy with the distraction the situation was creating for his team.

Most thought that if Iverson didn't return to the Grizzlies, then he would surely end up somewhere else. But according to a report in The Commercial Appeal, retirement is something that instead may be on the iconic superstar's mind.

When Allen Iverson signed a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason, you just had a feeling it wouldn't end well.

If most reports from Saturday night are true, you were right.

On Saturday, the Memphis Grizzlies granted the one-time league MVP his leave from the team for personal reasons. Yahoo's Marc Spears and ESPN.com's Chad Ford have both reported that Iverson's leave is indefinite and no timetable has been set for his return.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

The last time we got together, three different players scored 40 points or more on the same night. Well, maybe it's not as rare of an occurrence as we thought, since we were just a single point away from it happening again on Wednesday.

Chris Paul missed by one with 39, but Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade each delivered, with 41 and 40 respectively.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Four games into the Memphis Grizzlies' season, head coach Lionel Hollins says he's done talking about Allen Iverson.

Well, not done all together. But apparently done talking about what Iverson says. Two days ago, Iverson complained about a lack of playing time after he made his Grizzlies' debut in Sacramento, and it was clear those statements didn't sit well with Hollins.

"I'm not commenting on Allen," Hollins said Wednesday when asked if he was surprised by Iverson's comments. "I'm done commenting on what Allen says. Allen has a right to say whatever he wants to say. ... Most of you are ready to leave now, huh?"

Raw Like Sushi was the name of a Neneh Cherry album. It also could end up being the title for the Hasheem Thabeet rookie highlight video.

Of course, if you think this guy is green now, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins says you should have been around for his first workout after the Grizzlies took the 7-foot-3, 267-pound Connecticut center with the No. 2 pick in last June's draft.

"He was really bad,'' Hollins said. "Even though he's a shot blocker, he only had to stand in the paint in college. Now you've got guys attacking you and how you have to go meet them, he knew none of that. He had no footwork. He had no jump hook. He had nothing. And I can say that out of all the rookies in this draft, he probably has come the farthest. He has the farthest to go, and he still has a long ways to go.''

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rudy Gay didn't get his contract extension from the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, but to hear him tell it, he's fine with that. The Grizzlies and Gay had until midnight on Monday to hammer out an extension but didn't do so.

As it is, Gay will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

"We just didn't agree upon it," Gay said after the Grizzlies' 126-117 overtime loss to the Kings. "That's all it was. It's a business."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Allen Iverson made his debut for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night in Sacramento, and for someone who hasn't played in a month or so, it wasn't too bad of one. Iverson, returning from a partial left hamstring tear, had 11 points in 18 minutes in the Memphis' 127-116 overtime loss.

He said the hamstring felt fine. But it was another part of his body that Iverson wasn't feeling so good.

"I had no problems (with the hamstring)," Iverson said afterward. "I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That's the only thing I got a problem with."

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

It's not every day that we get to see a player hit for 40 points or more in an NBA game. So on Sunday, when we had three different players meet or surpass the mark, it's definitely something worth discussing.

Especially when two of them did it in the same game.

DENVER -- With Monday the deadline to sign a contract extension, Memphis forward Rudy Gay said it will take a deal of about $50 million over five years to get his signature.

"I think I should be in that range,'' Gay told FanHouse before his team's 133-123 loss to Denver on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.

However, Gay said the Grizzlies have yet to offer a deal worth as much as $50 million over five years.

"Yeah, you're right,'' he said.