The last time the NBA saw Allen Iverson was 2009. Allen didn’t want to come off the bench, which made sense at that point. He was only a couple of seasons from being the best player in the NBA. Well time has a funny way of allowing people to swallow their pride. After stints in Turkey and contract offers from a Venezuelan team and the Texas Legends the D-league affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. Even Kobe Bryant would be humbled after that. Allen Iverson desperately wants to play in the NBA one more time and probably wants to leave on his terms.
The Nuggets are a very exciting young team with a lot of good pieces. They do lack a true go to scorer when the pressure is on. When games are close they Nuggets are 8-10. The worst part of it is that in a number of those games the Nuggets had the last shot of the game. Danilo Gallinari is good shooter but is not a clutch shooter. The best person for the Nuggets to have the ball in their hands would easily be Ty Lawson, but Ty Lawson gets scared of missing and takes a very bad shot. I don’t believe that Ty is ready yet but is well on his way. Now I don’t expect the Allen Iverson of 2005 or even 2009 the last time he was a member of the Nuggets. Allen is a natural scorer who even if he has lost a step can still put the ball in the basket. Iverson also has the clutch mindset which only the best have. Players like Kobe, Carmelo, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James have the ability to make a play whether it’s them scoring as the buzzer sounds or finding the open player for a clean shoot. Allen would be a perfect guy for this team in the clutch. He would have a one on one matchup which even at 37 is crafty enough to get by the defender or at the least be able to shoot a step back fade away.
The other thing that Allen would do would be able to help bring a great scorer off the bench. I love Corey Brewer’s energy and Andre Miller’s craftiness but I think Iverson would be a better option for this team the lacks a reliable scorer. He could probably average about 14 points while playing around 20 minutes a night. Allen could also help teach Ty Lawson some moves such as a better crossover or a better way to get steals. When the Nuggets get into trouble and the other team goes on a huge run just give the ball to Allen and let him do his thing.
People say Allen isn’t a good teammate but I beg to differ. No matter what he always gave his all every night he was on the court, which is something I can’t say about a lot of NBA players now. They tend to slack off on defense or just not try sometimes. Allen has had problems with his coaches in the past however him and George Karl had a great relationship so much so that George said if something were to happen to Ty Lawson where he was out for an extended period of time Allen would have been his first call. Allen’s play on the court is contagious and everyone feeds off of it. Allen has always been a good teammate who doesn't cause a rift through the locker room.
If the Nuggets were to add Allen Iverson to a 10 day contract to give him a chance to see how it goes if he comes in and helps the Nuggets for a playoff push what’s the harm. If the GM of the Nuggets says we aren’t a contender this year why shouldn’t the try it and see what happens. Until the Nuggets have a scorer that they can go to in the 4th quarter they will continue to struggle in the playoffs and most likely get bounced out in the 1st round.
