Los Angeles
CHANGE MY LOCATION
Erin Hickey
Denver Sports ExaminerA Colorado sports nut for life, Erin Hickey takes his obsession to a new level with the best seat in the house, covering local hoops, hockey, the Rox and everything in-between scene.
Examiner Feeds
These websites were picked by the Denver Sports Examiner as useful resources.Denver Examiners
Brigette Rodriguez
Longmont Examiner
Most Recent Post
Presidential Pumpkins: Don't let yours wind up in the street!
Longmont Examiner
Most Recent Post
Presidential Pumpkins: Don't let yours wind up in the street!
Brit Horvat
Denver Women's Examiner
Most Recent Post
Colorado women to be featured in 'O, The Oprah Magazine'
Denver Women's Examiner
Most Recent Post
Colorado women to be featured in 'O, The Oprah Magazine'
AI is staying put, what about Melo?
2 comments
by Erin Hickey, Denver Sports Examiner
Photo: David Zalubowski, AP
Now they know that they’ll have Iverson’s 27.7 points and 6.3 assists per game for at least one more year (if the Nuggets don’t extend his contract this summer, he’ll become a free agent in July 2009). Not to mention his ticket-selling ability. Of course, they’ll be paying a pretty penny for his services… $20.84 million, to be exact. But the Nuggets know that he’s worth every last cent. He’s a leader on the court and in the locker room, he’s still one of the league’s most potent scorers and, at age 33, he’s desperate for a championship ring.
Now that Iverson isn’t going anywhere, though, I’m a little worried that the Melo haters will intensify their calls for management to cut him loose. Certainly, if the Iverson/Melo “experiment” fails to produce a title (and I haven’t lost hope yet), it won’t be through any fault of AI’s… which means that Carmelo would and should shoulder a lot of the blame. But I think it’s too early to abandon ship and send one of the league’s best talents to a competitor. Plus, I’m not even convinced that the Iverson/Melo pairing isn’t working just fine. After all, they did their part last year by racking up 52 points a game. And Melo has improved his rebound and assist averages since Iverson arrived. And oh yeah… both of them were starters in the All-Star game last season.
I tend to think that what’s really missing in the equation is one veteran, pass-first, defensive-minded guard to command the floor, lock down the other team’s best weapon and give Iverson and Melo the opportunity to play their game. That’s all. It’s not a problem of one too many superstars… it’s a problem of one too few role players. Keeping Iverson for another year should not be an excuse for kicking Carmelo to the curb. That would be a big mistake.
For more info: http://tinyurl.com/6cxxus
Topics: Denver , Sports , Nuggets , Carmelo , Iverson , basketball , NBA
Subscribe
FeedComments
More from Denver Sports Examiner
Buffs finally take the field again
Topics: Buffs , CU , Football , Colorado , NCAA , West Virginia
Broncos-Chargers: Some quick postgame thoughts
Topics: Broncos , Sports , Jay Cutler , Football , NFL , Brandon Marshall , Tony Scheffler , Mike Shanahan
E.Y. gives Rockies fans something to smile about
Topics: Rockies , Eric Young
ESPN delivers gloomy forecast for the Nuggets
Topics: Nuggets , NBA
Avs, Broncos, Nuggets and Rockies: Headed for glory or destined for failure?
Topics: Denver , Broncos , Sports , Avalanche , NHL , Nuggets , Rockies , NBA , Colorado , NFL , MLB
Looking to buy a house? Allen Iverson has a deal for you
Topics: Iverson , basketball , NBA , real estate
Broncos ready for some football
Topics: Denver , Broncos , Football , NFL , Monday Night Football
Melo to appear on Oprah
Topics: Nuggets , Carmelo , olympics , basketball , NBA , Oprah
A Buffalo stampede tramples the Rams at Invesco
Topics: Buffs , CU , Colorado , CSU , college football , Rocky Mountain Showdown
