HoopWatch

It’s official! The Philadelphia 76ers dealt All-star guard Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two 2007 draft picks.

I believe this is a good deal for both teams. Philadelphia gets the load off their salary cap with Iverson’s heavy 20-million dollar contract out of their concern. Plus they bring in a legitimate strong pass-first point guard in Miller. Miller’s assists may dip down now that he’s playing for a slow-down offensive team, but his minutes will certainly go up. He would bring steadiness in Philly’s offense.

Iverson will definitely bring excitement in the Pepsi Center, and the timing is really really great. Carmelo Anthony is just starting to serve a 15-game suspension for his involvement in that New York brawl. And Denver now has that superstar to fill the void being left by Melo. AI is, for now, the lone offensive option for Denver. He’ll have more than the 24 possessions he had with the 76ers. His 28.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals will definitely spike up. That is until January 20. Melo will return by then and things will pretty get interesting out there.

The big question for Denver is chemistry. George Karl needs to find a way to let the two top scorers in the league mesh and blend. Melo and AI need to share the ball, if the Nuggets are to be successful. If they do, the Nuggets will definitely contend with the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks for Western supremacy. (pic courtesy of yahoonba.com)