What's the answer to how the Denver Nuggets get over the suspensions of Carmelo
Anthony and J.R. Smith? Trade for Allen Iverson.
Tuesday afternoon the Nuggets reportedly have reached a deal to acquire
Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for guard Andre Miller,
forward Joe Smith and two 2007 first-round picks. The Sixers
might have to send another minimum-salaried player or two to Denver, but
Iverson is the centerpiece of the trade.
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Iverson will be the short-term answer on offense for Denver.
(Getty Images)
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For Iverson, he gets his wish to leave Philadelphia and will try to mesh
his game with Denver coach George Karl's up-tempo offense. The Nuggets
now have the top two scorers in the NBA with Anthony (31.6 points per
game) and Iverson (31.2). Both players will probably see their scoring
averages dip because there's only one basketball for two players who
like to shoot. But Iverson, who is averaging 7.3 assists per game this
year, should get a slight increase in assists playing with Anthony in
this offense.
Anthony and Smith are suspended for 15 and 10 games, respectively, for
their roles in Saturday night's fight with the New York Knicks, which
means Iverson will be asked to carry the offense like he did in Philly
until they return. The first time Iverson and Anthony will play together
is expected to be Jan. 20 at Houston. Then it will be interesting to see
how Iverson, Anthony and Smith work together on the court.
Anthony, Denver's franchise player, will still be the focal point of the
offense. But Smith, Denver's second-highest scorer at 16.9 points a
contest, probably will take the biggest hit with Iverson joining the
team.
In Philadelphia, Miller's scoring average should increase from 13 points
per game, but his assists (9.1) will slip. Forward Chris Webber
and guard Andre Iguodala, however, have improved while Iverson
was in trade limbo, and now they get a pass-first point guard in Miller.
The Sixers will still struggle to win games, but Miller, Webber and
Iguodala now have increased Fantasy value. And expect Iverson and the
Nuggets to be fine once they get a chance to play together.
