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Christmas Comes Early for Denver
by: Joshua Silcox
It was another scene out of the WWE this past Monday night as a hard foul turned into yet another royal rumble in Madison Square Gardens. Up by almost twenty points with 1:15 to go, Denver coach George Karl left his starters in the game which included the league’s leading scorer Carmelo Anthony. This would end up being a costly coaching strategy as things turned rather ugly in a hurry. During a break in the action, New York Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas told Carmelo Anthony that it would not be a good idea for him to go anywhere near the paint. Anthony complied and didn’t go into the paint or anywhere near it for that matter but J.R. Smith, the Nuggets second leading scorer, did attempt to put another two points on the scoreboard. What looked to be a fast break turned into the fire starter for the brawl as Knick’s guard Mardy Collins committed a hard foul before Smith could go up for the easy lay up. What followed was the biggest altercation on the hardwood since the "malice at the palace" last year in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The scuffle started off heavy and then began to cool down but not before Knick’s rookie guard Nate Robinson reignited the fire by throwing a punch at an already furious J.R. Smith. The next thirty seconds was a mix of slapping, punching, wrestling and retaliation as it spilled into the stands and all the way down to the other end of the court.
After last year’s brawl between Detroit and Indiana, commissioner David Stern vowed to keep fighting out of the NBA. Commissioner Stern stood his ground once again as he came down with a swift and hard punishment that suspended a total of seven players for a grand sum of 47 regular season games. The Nuggets, already in a very tough Western Conference, received the news that their two leading scorers, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, would be suspended for a total of 25 games. Smith was suspended for 10 games without pay and Anthony, whose 31.6 points per game leads the NBA, would have to serve a 15 game suspension for his actions Monday night. After already losing forward Kenyon Martin for the year, losing Smith and Anthony’s combined 50 points per game over the next month is a devastating blow in a Western Conference full of powerhouses.
So how does a team deal with the monumental loss of the league’s number one scorer?
You go out and get the number two scorer in the NBA, Allen Iverson. After years of punishing his body in Philadelphia due to a lack of supporting cast, Iverson finally went on air and announced that he and his 31.2 points per game were seeking a trade. Knowing that things were not working out in Philly, as represented by their rather embarrassing record, 76ers GM Billy King complied with Iverson’s request and began negotiations with teams such as the Timberwolves, Clippers, and Pacers, but when it was all said and done, it would be the city of Denver who would be receiving their Christmas present early this year.
Knowing that Carmelo is the franchise and the Nuggets are essentially his team, coach George Karl got on the phone with ‘Melo to hear his take on the possible trade. The outcome of their conversation was a mutual thumbs up on the trade and it was approved literally hours later. It didn’t take long for the excitement to engulf the city of Denver. Within thirty minutes of the Nugget’s announcement of the trade, 340 season tickets were sold, furthermore; within forty-eight hours of the announcement being made public, over 2,000 more season tickets were sold.
So what does this trade mean for the two organizations and the league as a whole? Well first off lets look at the trade implications on Philadelphia. Not only did the 76ers lose their leading scorer and assist man, they lost their star power as well. Already at the bottom of the NBA in game attendance, losing Iverson will result in millions of dollars lost. Philly received point guard Andre Miller who is by no means a bad player but in comparison to Iverson......well there really is no comparison to put it politely. Look for a scoring increase from Chris Weber and I wouldn’t be to surprised if Andre Iguodala starts pumping out double-doubles in wake of Iverson’s departure. There is no question that the 76ers came out on the bottom of this trade and are likely to stay at the bottom of the Eastern Conference as a result. The only reason I will continue to follow the Philadelphia 76ers now is to see if they can out-battle the New York Knicks for next year’s number one draft pick.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the Denver Nuggets are now contenders in the heavyweight division that is the Western Conference. If George Karl can make this work with the help and advice from former 76ers coach Larry Brown, Iverson and Anthony may turn into the next Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars combination. Karl very seldomly calls offensive play and prefers to let the team run and gun the length of the floor. To finally see Iverson released from his leash is going to be pure joy to watch and the Denver Nuggets are going to remain at the top of the league in scoring per game. With the acquisition of Iverson, I have the Nuggets leapfrogging Houston and Utah into the 4th strongest team in the Western Conference behind Phoenix, San Antonio, and Dallas.
Whether you love him or hate him, Iverson has been among the league’s elite players for years. Consistently atop the rankings in points, assists, and steals, Iverson has beat his body into submission for Philadelphia for almost a decade. It is great holiday story to see Iverson finally go somewhere with a supporting cast and an offensive style that suits his game. Expect some growing pains as he gets used to Denver and his new teammates, but by the end of the season the Nuggets will be a serious contender whom no one will look forward to having to face in the playoffs. Although Iverson’s new jerseys won’t be produced in time for Christmas, I think we can all agree that Nuggets fans couldn’t have asked for a better present. Merry Christmas Denver.
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