I would love to have Miller also.Who cares if he doesn't have the best J?He'll have open,easier looks here like he's never seen before on a consistent basis. And Andre is a very good point guard.He's one of the top 10 in the League. The guy can run a team and plays defense...very good in transition..Miller plays with the harnished desire of a pro whose goal is winning. I find it amusing how people can put Denver so high when they don't have any talented bigs or halfcourt game....plus there is the aforementioned implosion factor. AI while being incredibly talented has proven over and over throughout his career that it's all about him.How could he go any place but Denver? He comes in when Carmelo is out for 15....They will rely on AI chuckin it up in the West.I'm not sure whether this bodes well for a team where there won't be enough basketballs to go around.
allen iverson has never had another reliable scorer on his team. eric snow, kyle korver, aaron mckey, george lynch, tyrone hill, I could go on and on. not exactly all star players. larry hughes was too young. chris webber is an all-star talent, but he isn't a scorer, that scenario could have worked out better with webber handling the ball more, but it would have ended up the same, allen shooting the most shots.
I think Melo is the one that will be required to make adjustment by taking higher percentage shots and using his athelectic ability smartly. If he can, which probably means his scoring average drops considerably due to reduction of shot attemps, the denver team will be real scray. Phoenix kind of scary, sort of speak.
Thy only played together 1 full season, 1996-1997, and Philly had awful talent otherwise, coming off an 18 win season. Stack's scoring numbers and shooting percentages went much higher in later years with Detroit.
They will be better but I am not scared of them. AI and Melo IMO won't complement each other that great (neither are off the ball players) and they don't have efficient shooters around. Reasonable trade from both sides, Denver didn't really give up much (two late 1sts and the much lesser player in Dre) and Phily does clear a way for capspace and picks towards the 4 year plan.
The guy whose entourage got into a big brawl with Iverson's posse and then found himself on his way out of town not long afterwards?
Iverson also played with a very good Derrick Coleman (18-10). Coleman later came back for another stint where he averaged ~15 a game. The point is, Iverson has had a horrid habit of joining forces with pretty good scorers and still simply dominating the ball. It's no mistake Philly was its best when they surrounded AI with players who had no doubt who the scorer was. Stack was a 20 ppg scorer before and during his time with AI, and became even bigger a few years later. For all intents and purposes, Iverson forced him out. Larry Hughes may have been "young", but immediately after the trade, he averaged 22 a game in Golden State. The Glenn Robinson situation was another weird one. He had average 20+ for 4 years straight, and 8 of his last 9 years. He goes to Philly and his career basically ends. The question to me becomes what happens when he goes somewhere where the team was playoff caliber before acquiring him, especially with a well-established megastar like Melo. I think one of the best things for the Nuggets success may be for them to struggle in this interim time while Melo and Smith are out. Iverson, not Carmelo, has to be the guy who buys into the system. Iverson is going to be the "point guard"; he must be willing to get the ball out of his hands and into Melo's hands. This is such a strange situation, where one superstar goes out, and the team happens to trade for another at the same time. He's saying the right things so far, but I don't think we'll get a fair assessment till the year ends.
His authentic jersey is gonna be available starting tomorrow December 21 at the NBA Store in NYC. Price: $170
Looks like Iverson is getting one last shot in on King and the 76ers. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2704221 In first interview since trade, Iverson tells his story ESPN.com Allen Iverson says he never demanded a trade, but he's sure happy he landed in Denver. In his first interview since the Nuggets acquired him from the 76ers, Iverson told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday, "It's a great feeling. I'm just glad the whole process is over. I think I'm just put in a situation where I can succeed." Iverson took exception to the perception that he went into Sixers general manager Billy King's office and demanded a trade almost two weeks ago. "I went into a meeting with Billy and I had expressed my frustrations," Iverson said. "We had lost 12 of 14 games and something wasn't right. I told Billy King we couldn't win with this style. I didn't directly say, 'Trade me -- I'm ready to go.'" The four-time scoring champion, seven-time All-Star and 2001 league MVP said he told his teammates about the meeting and told them he "loved them." But he said the Sixers had to know that, "If they didn't change what was going on so that we had a chance to win, I thought they should get rid of me." The time surrounding his discussion with King and the weeks after were especially difficult. "From the last month I didn't feel appreciated at all," Iverson said. "And I still feel that way to an extent. I just knew that any team I went to they were going to appreciate what I can do on a basketball court." Iverson repeatedly thanked his fans for all of their support, but he appeared relieved to be leaving the Philadelphia sports pressure cooker. "I love my fans in Philadelphia, but this is the hardest place in the world to play in," Iverson said. "And I think it's the hardest place to play in to be a superstar. Just to be the No. 1 guy. All eyes on you -- because everybody wants you to be perfect, but not themselves." From his conflicts with coaches to his brushes with the law, Iverson wasn't ready to trade his time in Philly. "It was a great experience for me -- the ups and downs -- because I became a man in Philadelphia," he said. Iverson is scheduled to make his Nuggets debut on Friday in Denver against the Kings. The Nuggets were holding out hope that he could play in Wednesday's game, but a snowstorm not only kept Iverson in Philly, but it also forced the postponement of the Nuggets' game against Phoenix.
Does the blizzard canceled denver game means Melo won't get out of his suspension before Rockets game?
If the game wasn't played, then it doesn't count towards his suspension. If the game isn't made up before Jan. 20th, the Rockets might luck out...
FYI Did you know that Vernon Maxwell helped mentor a young AI in Phily, now AI has gone to the NBA Finals and is one of the best players in the league. Vernon was his BEST FRIEND http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol4no06iverson01.html If you get rid of his friends, cover your ears. It came to a head when the team released his pal Vernon Maxwell this season. A despondent Iverson went storming to Brown to say, "All my best friends are released or traded," which Brown denied to his face. "I said, 'Vernon isn't gone because he was close to you,'" Brown says. "But Allen said, 'What about Stackhouse?' And then he himself said, 'No, you're right, I couldn't have played with Stackhouse.' And then he said, 'Larry Hughes!' And then he said, 'Oh, you're right, I knew Larry had to leave because he and I play the same position.' And then all that stuff stopped."
just got more interesting http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/nba/12/20/brown.sixers.ap/index.html
