Allen Iverson was a perfect teammate in his Denver Nugget debut on Friday night. He may have stolen the spotlight, but at least he shared the ball. In the process, he gave the blizzard-weary Colorado basketball fans an early Christmas present — hope.
Then again, he couldn't deliver a win for the shorthanded Nuggets against the Kings. Iverson dished out 10 assists — which could have been many more, according to reports, if a few fellow Nuggets could have hit some open shots. He scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting in the 101-96 loss at the Pepsi Center.
The trade with Philadelphia for Iverson has already been a huge success — at least at the box office. The Nuggets reportedly sold 600 additional season tickets and 6,300 individual game tickets the first day after the trade was announced. He was given a standing ovation when he checked into Friday's game and is already a fan favorite. His Denver jersey went on sale at the NBA Store in New York on Thursday — before he'd ever played a game for the Nuggets — and was flying out the door at $170 a pop.
Then again, it will take months — if not years — to see if the Iverson trade works out on the court. Iverson's nickname is "The Answer." But what is the question?
Does Iverson's addition make the Nuggets an instant NBA title contender?
Or will he be a cancer that eats away at team unity, gives his veteran coach an ulcer and forever stunts the growth of up-and-coming star player/hit-and-run pugilist Carmelo Anthony?
Realistically, the Iverson experiment in Denver will probably fall somewhere in between. The Nuggets were already a playoff team without him. They won the Northwest Division crown last season and figured to be the Jazz's top competition this season — with or without A.I.
The biggest question since the trade has been whether there will be enough shots to keep both Anthony and Iverson happy since both are used to being the go-to guy on offense for their respective teams. Anthony is currently averaging 31.6 points per game, leading the NBA in that category. Iverson is second in scoring, with a 30.6 per game average. Iverson will now be getting the minutes that used to go to pass-first ex-Ute point guard Andre Miller.
Iverson, for one, feels the two high-scoring stars playing together won't be a problem.
"Everybody talked about 'Can we coexist?"' Iverson said this week. "I get tired of answering it. My thing is, just wait and see. A lot of critics will be wrong. I'm going to play just like I play. I'm going to play hard every game, I'm going to try to play the right way every night."
Anthony still has 13 games remaining on his 15-game suspension for the sucker punch he threw during a brawl with the New York Knicks last week. Until then, Iverson and the Nuggets will attempt to tread water, hoping not to fall any further behind the Jazz in the Northwest Division standings.
When Anthony gets back, there still should be plenty of points to go around. Denver coach George Karl likes to play an up-tempo game. In fact, he uses a 16-second clock — since 24 seconds is simply too long — for his team in practice.
Iverson, who has had his share of problems with coaches and teammates in the past, will also likely be on his best behavior — especially this first year. He will, no doubt, be trying to send a message to the 76ers and the entire NBA that he is a good team player. He has shown an ability to be a leader in the past — he was the best player on the disappointing USA Olympic team in 2004, for instance. He is a hard worker during games, too, even if he doesn't like to practice. He's not a great defender, but he does have quick hands and can get some steals.
How much better — or worse — will the Nuggets be with Iverson?
Apparently bettors think Denver will be improved. According to the Associated Press, an online sports betting site had the Nuggets as a 50-to-1 longshot to win the NBA a week ago. Now, with Iverson on the roster, the Nuggets odds have fallen to 18-to-1.
Those odds still aren't great. The Spurs, Suns and Mavericks remain the class of the Western Conference.
But at least Denver took a bold gamble in the hopes of joining the ranks of the elite.
If nothing else, it gives Denver basketball fans hope, if only fleetingly.
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com