Thursday, December 21, 2006
*related to my previous post about Allen Iverson.*
After more than a week of shopping, the Denver Nuggets bought themselves a last-minute holiday gift: the league's second-leading scorer and 2001 NBA MVP, Allen Iverson.
The Nuggets have agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sending Iverson out west in exchange for point guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith and two first round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Nuggets also receive forward Ivan McFarlin in the trade.
Iverson, who has not suited up for the Sixers since requesting a trade from the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1996, is averaging 31.2 points and 7.3 assists in 15 games this season.
The move leaves many wondering if there are enough basketballs to go around in Denver now that the Nuggets have the top two scorers in the league. Iverson (31.2 ppg), however, would be in action without Carmelo Anthony (31.5 ppg) until at least Jan. 20. Anthony was suspended on Monday for 15 games for his role in Saturday's altercation in New York.
"We need another scorer," Denver's Marcus Camby told the Denver Post earlier this week. "We need a guy that can complement 'Melo. That would be crazy to have them two here, the one and two scorers in the league. (Iverson's) a guy that can fit into our offense running up and down the court."
When both finally suit up as teammates, they should find their share of shots in George Karl's high-octane offense. The Nuggets rank first overall in the league in field goals attempted per game (85.2) and put more points on the board (108.8) than any team outside of the Phoenix (110.6).
In 23 games as a starter for the Nuggets, Miller is averaging 13.0 points and 9.1 assists, ranking third-best in the NBA this season. In 11 games off the bench for Denver, Smith is averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
The teams meet for the first time since the trade when the Sixers travel to Denver on Jan. 2, 2007.
CHUCK-ED @ 5:26 PM
