Allen Iverson's ranting. Justifiable or not?  

Since he suited for the Detroit Pistons after being traded by the Denver Nuggets for Chauncey Billups, Allen Iverson was demoted to a 6th man from a starter. Before playing for the Pistons, Iversons started in 827 out of 832 games for the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. Iverson said that he's been a starter all his life and coming off the bench is a little hard for him. Iverson said that Detroit's head coach Michael Curry promised to give him a starting role and it never materialized. Iverson played behind Pistons veteran Richard Hamilton and rising star Rodney Stuckey. Because of his ailing back, the Pistons decided not to re-sign Iverson. A star as he is, he got in trouble during the 2009 offseason as no team showed interest in signing him. The reason? Iverson's asking price is quite high. It's clear that he can still play and contribute well but he's no longer "The Answer" that he used to be. After a series of negotiations, the lowly and rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies signed Iverson for $3 million for one season. Knowing what he's done in Philadelphia and the reputation of the Nuggets and Pistons that he played for, Iverson is in an unfamiliar territory, playing for a possible doormat team. He didn't suit up in the Grizzlies' first 3 games and he came of the bench in his first game as a Grizzly (Memphis' 4th game of the season). He came into the game with about 4 minutes remaining in the game against the Sacramento Kings, just took a single shot in the first half, and was heckled by the Kings fans that he should already retire. Iverson redeemed himself in the second half scoring all of his 11 points but unfortunately, the Grizzlies lost the game and saw the Kings' Kevin Martin drop 48 points. After the game, Iverson openly said that if Memphis wants to win games, they should start him even in the presence of starting guards OJ Mayo and Mike Conley. Mayo is averaging more than 22 points a game so it's quite clear who Iverson is referring to. The Grizzlies coaching staff however didn't discuss anything about any starting line-up change so Iverson might stay and come from the bench in a few more games.

Iverson is a star but isn't it unfair for the Grizzlies for a newcomer just to rant because he didn't get the starting role? If Iverson wants it, he should earn it and make use of the minutes that he's given on the floor to show that he really deserve one spot in the first 5. He should focus more on contributing and winning rather than that starting spot. With the talent that they have, Memphis is a good team. All they need to do is gel well. Iverson is a veteran, he should use his smarts to lead the Grizzlies.

Is Iverson's complaints justifiable or not? Will the Grizzlies win games with him on the starting spot?