The Perfect Storm

Colorado may be in a state of Emergency due to a massive snowstorm that pummeled the state with up to four feet of snow in some areas, but there is another storm brewing in Denver on the basketball court.

This week it was announced that Philadelphia’s 76ers Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first-round 2007 draft picks. The 76ers threw in Ivan McFarlin to sweeten the deal.

Take Iverson and mix in a little Carmelo Anthony, after serving his 15 game suspension for sucker punching New York Knicks' Mardy Collins, and you have the perfect storm.

Between 2001 MVP Iverson and Anthony leading the league in scoring with 31.1 ppg, this duo is going to do more than sell tickets, which they have already done plenty of.

The Nuggets, already a playoff contender, have upped their offensive threat with two players who can easily put 60-points on the board a game just between the two of them.

Granted both Iverson and Anthony have less than stellar track records off the court. Both have had run-ins with the law off the court. And on the court as can be seen by this latest incident, the two have limited self-control.

But at the same time Iverson brings 10 seasons of experience to a young Denver team that could use both leadership and vision. While Anthony has potential to be the next superstar in the NBA, he is still young. Anthony has led the Nuggets well, but Iverson will add depth to the chemistry on the team.

Iverson has already said he is thrilled to be coming to Denver, and it’s no wonder considering the team he is coming from.

The 76ers never gave half as much to Iverson as he gave to them by single-handedly turning them into a viable threat.

Putting Iverson into the run and gun offensive Denver runs is ideal. Combined with Earl Boykins, Marcus Camby and Nene the Nuggets now have the ability to do something they haven’t had in year – go deep in the playoffs.

While the odds of Denver winning it all are still marginal, Iverson widens that margin a bit and perhaps will give the Nuggets a late season shot in the arm to get them through.

Denver’s weakness is still on defense. Neither Iverson nor Anthony put up too much of a fight on defense. That will pose a problem against better teams such as LA or Miami who can match the high scoring points.

Denver will have to run their game from start to finish and take other teams out of it early, something it doesn’t always do.

If nothing else the Iverson/Anthony combination promises to be an exciting show.