OK, first off, you just argued that Iverson's assists per game were proof that he's not a ballhog. Since Iverson plays a ton of minutes, and thus has lots of opportunity to rack up assists, wouldn't THAT be due to playing more minutes than anyone else?
Beyond that, assist rate measures the PERCENTAGE of times a player's possession ends with an assist. The number of minutes played is irrelevant to the calculation. Roughly 18% of Iverson's possessions end with an assist. The average for a point guard is between 25 and 30. Chauncey Billups is around 35, I believe, and is either the leader, or very close to being the leader among point guards that have a starting job. (I don't have the numbers in front of me at the moment). So basically, TWICE as many of Billups' possessions end in assists as Iverson's.
Understand this: I like Iverson. Calling AI a ballhog and saying I like him are not at all mutually incompatible. I love to watch him; he might be the most fascinating one-on-one basketball player since MJ. He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer, he's having a fine season, and I hope he keeps doing his thing for many more years. But he's a ballhog. The stats make it clear; they have nothing to do with the number of minutes he plays. Anyone who's ever watched a Sixers game should know he's a ballhog just from watching him play. For God's sake man, call a spade a spade!