Remember what the media was saying when Ed Snider made it known that Allen Iverson would in fact be traded from the Philadelphia 76ers? Let's take a look at what the Sports Guy had to say before the deal went down.
First, as soon as this trade happens, Iverson will play out of his mind
coming out of the gate, followed by a series of stories and features
from his new teammates saying things like "I can't believe how good
this guy is" and "He's completely transformed this team, we think we
have a chance to win every night now," followed by the Sixers fans
flipping out and demanding King's departure. I wish there was a way to
wager on this scenario in Vegas. I can't believe softer contenders like
the Magic, Nets or even the Mavs have underestimated the undeniable
force of his personality, the potential of his crunch-time scoring if
there were other scoring threats on the court, or even the fury he'll
unleash on a new team. He will practically KILL HIMSELF trying to haunt
the Sixers over the next three season. Mark my words.
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They have been marked, Mr. Simmons, and linked to, but one thing they have not been were accurate. I'll admit that there was no way I would have thought things would be going so poorly in Denver and so much better in Philadelphia. Let's take a look at the two teams.
The Sixers have won four straight including last night's win against the Nets in which they came from being down 17 to win. The departure of Iverson has allowed every single Sixer to get in on the action. Iggy has become a legit star. Korver has become one of the league's best sixth men. Andre Miller and Joe Smith have showed that the Sixers didn't just get draft picks in return. Willie Green has shown flashes of excellence we hoped for years ago before his nasty injury. Louis Williams has even seen the floor and shown promise.
These are not Allen Iverson's Sixers.
I'd also like to make the case for Mo Cheeks. If Mo doesn't get a chance to help this team grow, Sixers fans should be livid. In the wake of Iverson, the Sixers are finally a "team" and Mo deserves the chance to lead the way. If Larry Brown gets anywhere near the court, I'll be pissed. Brown left for Detroit just when things started to go south. Now, when things are finally moving in the right direction, he doesn't deserve the opportunity to coach the Sixers. Plus, we all know he wouldn't last longer than a season or three. This should be Mo's team for years to come.
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Now what happened to Iverson and the Nuggets? They're currently fighting for the final spot in the Western playoffs. Sixers fans should be watching the scoreboard every night Denver plays in hopes of a Nuggets loss. The way the Sixers keep winning, they may need the Nuggets to get some balls in the lottery as well.
Allen Iverson's trade out of Philadelphia has some similarity to Bobby Abreu's departure from the Phillies last season, classic Ewing Theory in action. The main difference though, the Sixers got impact players and draft picks in return. Billy King isn't looking as bad as we all think he is.
The Sixers have won four straight games. They may be playing themselves out of the Oden/Durant sweepstakes, but they're building an attitude of hard work to the Wachovia Center. The answer for Philadelphia seems to be having a balanced team. The Answer for Denver has yet to show itself.