Iverson lands with Nuggets

All it took was one stupid sucker punch and one big hammer from the commissioner and Allen Iverson finally could pack his bags. The 76ers' apostate guard was dealt yesterday to the Denver Nuggets, meaning that while the Celtics won't see the suspended Carmelo Anthony next Tuesday night in the Pepsi Center, they will see the Answer in Denver blue and gold.

The 76ers, sporting the Eastern Conference's worst record, received point guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith, and two first-round picks in the 2007 draft for Iverson. (Philly also sent along Ivan McFarlin, a rookie from Oklahoma State, who has played 41 minutes this season.) Smith's contract expires at the end of this season while Miller has two years left beyond this season. The draft picks belong to Dallas and Denver, so they are likely to be in the lower part of the first round. The Sixers also have their own pick in 2007 in what is rumored to be an exceptionally strong draft.

"I think it's a good deal for Denver," said Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge. "At the end of the day, they gave up Andre Miller and what probably will be two late-round picks for Allen Iverson."

The deal came one day after Anthony was suspended 15 games by commissioner David Stern for throwing a sucker punch near the end of Saturday night's game against the Knicks. At the time, Anthony was leading the league in scoring while Iverson was No. 2. J.R. Smith, the Nuggets' No. 2 scorer, was suspended 10 games for his role in the same fracas, so the Nuggets felt they had to act, despite a big win Monday night over the Wizards. They host the Suns tonight.

The trade ends a two-week melodrama, which started with Iverson demanding a trade, then being told to stay away from the team. He hasn't played since Dec. 6, pocketing an estimated $156,218 per game for not playing. The Sixers fielded offers from a number of teams, including the Celtics, and had three criteria to get the deal done: young talent, expiring contracts, and draft picks in 2007. Ainge said he could have made the deal had he acceded to Philadelphia's request for most of his young talent -- he didn't name names, but you don't have to be a genius to figure out who they are. In the end, Ainge said, there had been no talks between the clubs for more than a week.

Denver had two of the three criteria and also is in the Western Conference. Also, the Nuggets already have made their 2006-07 visit to Philadelphia, so there will be no dramatic Iverson homecoming until 2007-08.

Iverson and Anthony won't be on the same floor until Jan. 20, unless the players union gets Anthony's suspension reduced. Suffice it to say that while several "name" players have been paired with Iverson, the latest being Chris Webber, none were as talented as Anthony. The two were teammates on the 2004 Olympic team.

"I think he and Carmelo will work well together," Ainge said. "They both have high basketball IQs and the way Denver plays, there's enough shots to go around. It may be like when they used to have Alex English and Kiki [Vandeweghe]. But having Allen Iverson play in their style, in the open court, is big because he is a much better player in the open court than he is in the halfcourt."

The trade also could have huge financial ramifications for the Nuggets, potentially good and bad. Only 14,285 showed up to see the quasi-Nuggets Monday night; the team is 25th in attendance. Iverson should help in that area.

But the Nuggets also have added Iverson's salary to an already bloated payroll. In 2008-09, the last year of Iverson's deal, the Nuggets (as presently constructed) will be liable for more than $70 million to six players: Iverson, Anthony, Nene, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, and Reggie Evans. They will need to do serious roster trimming to avoid being luxury tax payers.

Iverson had played all of his 11 NBA seasons in Philadelphia after being the Sixers' top draft pick, No. 1 overall, in 1996. Among active NBA players, only Kevin Garnett has been with one team longer than Iverson. Garnett campaigned for the Timberwolves to trade for Iverson, but Minnesota did not have what Philly wanted, save for Randy Foye.

Iverson was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1997. He was MVP in 2001. But the teams he led never won it all, not at Georgetown, not in Philadelphia, and not even in the Olympics. But he remains one of the game's unique and singular talents, and now it is George Karl's mission to do what Larry Brown, his friend and mentor and Iverson's longtime coach in Philly, could not.