A while back, I complained about Allen Iverson. Here's what I said: "he can do everything on the basketball court except win.... When the Nuggets come down the floor, whether Iverson eventually shoots or not, he clings to the ball and dribbles around while the rest of the team stand and watch. Iverson turns his teammates into spectators.... He isn't going to become a team player; he's 31 years old and he's averaged 23 shots a game with a .422 shooting percentage for an entire career." "The Answer," I said, was not the answer. Not even close.
But things have changed for the Nuggets. They finally unloaded Iverson -- which would have been blessing enough. Detroit put him on the shelf -- didn't even play him at the end of the season. But in exchange the Nuggs received Chauncey Billups, who is everything Iverson is not: a skilled point guard, an intelligent man, a team player. A leader, a defender. It's marvelous how one player can change the complexion of a team. The Nuggets are now a serious contender. I like their chances against the Lakers.
Was it a brilliant move by the team owners and management? I'm not privy to the details, but I'd say, not brilliance -- just plain dumb luck. I don't think they knew either how bad Iverson was or how good Billups could be.
Bad planning, in any case. If management could have guessed that the Nuggets would make it to the western conference final, would they have let Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera slip through their cheapskate fingers a year ago? No -- they would have made the investment that one makes when a championship is a possibility. The Lakers can put three seven-footers (Bynum, Gasol, Odom) on the floor at the same time -- wouldn't we love it if we could bring in Camby (an all-league defensive player) to help Nene? And who's going to guard Bryant? Dahntay Jones will take a crack at it, but wouldn't it be helpful if Najera could have given us some minutes as well -- if not to stop Bryant, at least to bang him around a bit?
And hey, does anyone remember that we gave up not only Andre Miller but two first-round draft picks for 'The Answer'? We might have had a dynasty in the making if we had played our cards right -- and been willing to pay the freight. Two first-round picks, I repeat.
So the Nuggs have a chance -- but not the chance they might have had if they'd been a little smarter, a little more imaginative, a little less tightfisted..
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