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Jury still out on Iverson deal

Guard, Anthony have not had time to mesh on court

Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 20, 2007 at midnight

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SAN ANTONIO — The two- month anniversary of the Allen Iverson trade came and went Monday, and what do the Nuggets know?

About the same as what archeologists know about why Stonehenge was built.

It remains a mystery as to how Carmelo Anthony and Iverson will mesh. While 28 games have passed since the Dec. 19 trade, the two have played together in only six, winning two.

But that's misleading.

Anthony, who missed the first 14 games of Iverson's Nuggets tenure because of a suspension, was rusty when he returned.

Then, when Anthony began to find his groove, Iverson was injured, missing eight of the past nine games because of a sprained right ankle.

It's anticipated the two will play together for the seventh time tonight against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. It figures to be a good test.

"I thought it would really work with Allen coming up," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "I thought he would be good for the team. And it's been up and down for them. But I've got to imagine they'll turn that corner at some point and really start to gel."

Duncan was among those who weighed in during All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas about whether the combination will work.

Many believe it eventually will, but whether the Nuggets can get it to click with 31 games remaining in the regular season remains to be seen.

"Dallas and San Antonio, those teams, with their chemistry, are so far down the road that two guys getting together in two months are not going to be able to match them," said Scottie Pippen, who knows a bit about great twosomes having been paired with Michael Jordan on Chicago's six title winners.

Nevertheless, there are those in the West who might not want to run into the Nuggets (26-25) in the playoffs. As of now, the No. 7-seeded Nuggets would face the No. 2 Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said the Nuggets, if they stay around their current position, would not be a typical low playoff seed. Dallas guard Jason Terry, whose No. 1 Mavericks are another possible first-round opponent, said the Nuggets can be "scary."

Of course, the Nuggets' potential playoff opponents are going to watch what they say. Nobody wants to get an early start on providing bulletin-board fodder.

Those tucked safely in the broadcasting booth offer a more critical analysis.

"The problem is not with Carmelo and Iverson, the problem is with the rest of the guys," said Bill Walton, a Hall of Fame player and ESPN analyst. "Carmelo and Allen are going to do their jobs. . . . (Having to do their jobs are) Marcus Camby, Nene, (Eduardo) Najera and J.R. Smith, whose shot selection is as mind-boggling as anything I've ever seen in the history of basketball."

From what he has seen, Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who hosts an NBA show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said the Nuggets have a ways to go.

"It's obvious right now the Nuggets are not a very good defensive team, and until they get to be a good defensive team, it doesn't matter who's playing for them," he said.

In the six games Anthony and Iverson have played together, the Nuggets are outscoring teams 109.7-109.5 compared with 105-103.2 in other games.

Iverson, though, isn't concerned about the pair soon being able to mesh.

"There's more than enough time," he said. "I think once we get healthy, we'll be all right. I just think we've got to get healthy."

At least there has been little wrong lately with Anthony's health. He scored 20 points Sunday in his All-Star Game debut.

"It's really hard right now because we've only played (six) games together," Anthony said of he and Iverson. "A lot of people are trying to judge us off (that), which you can't do. Let us get 30 to 40 games under our belt, then try to judge us. I'm loving it. He's loving it. I hear a lot of things that we're not getting along already. But that's (garbage)."

Coach George Karl said there's "still time to make it work" this season, but he wishes the two could have started to mesh "two or three weeks ago."

The Nuggets are 8 1/2 games behind Utah in the Northwest Division.

The goal now is to get to at least the No. 6 seed, which likely would mean the Nuggets would avoid Dallas and Phoenix in the first round. And that could mean a first-round date with the Spurs (35-18), who currently are No. 4 but only one-half game behind the No. 3 Jazz (35-17).

"They've got 30-plus games to try to gel as a team," San Antonio guard Tony Parker said of Anthony and Iverson playing together. "They've got a lot of room for improvement. They've definitely got potential. We'll see how far they can go and how far they can compete against the best in the West."

What they're saying . . .

about the Nuggets as Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson seek to mesh

• "They're still in a comfortable position. They still have enough games (left). . . . I think they're going to be pretty good. It's a team that you definitely don't want to see in the first round of the playoffs."

LeBron James, Cleveland

• "You've got two guys who are big-time scorers and are used to scoring a lot of points. Both have got to make some sacrifices."

David Thompson, Hall of Famer and former Nuggets star

• "It's hard when you haven't been playing together. They've got to get healthy first."

Shawn Marion, Phoenix

• "There's going to be a good opportunity for them to make it happen and I think they will."

Kenny Smith, TNT analyst

Nuggets at Spurs

• When: 6 MST tonight.

• Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio.

• TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

• Starting lineups

Denver (26-25) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 30.7

31 Nene F 6-11 10.8

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 11.9

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 28.7

25 Steve Blake G 6-3 5.6

Coach: George Karl

San Antonio (24-27) Pos. Ht. Pts.

12 Bruce Bowen F 6-7 6.5

21 Tim Duncan F 6-11 20.4

16 Francisco Elson C 7-0 5.0

17 Brent Barry G 6-7 8.6

9 Tony Parker G 6-2 18.9

Coach: Gregg Popovich

• Injuries: Nuggets — F Kenyon Martin (right knee surgery) is out; G Allen Iverson (sprained right ankle) is probable. Spurs — G Matt Bonner (torn knee ligament) is questionable.

• Notes: Karl plans to start Iverson, who has missed eight of nine games. Iverson said he's "ready to go," saying his ankle is a "lot stronger" than when he returned prematurely Feb. 7 against the Hornets. . . . The ankle kept Iverson out of Sunday's All-Star Game, but he said he might not have been able to play anyway because of the stomach flu. . . . Reconvening after the All-Star break, the Nuggets practiced Monday night at San Antonio's Trinity University. . . . Elson, who missed San Antonio's 92-83 win in Denver on Jan. 10 because of injury, makes his first appearance against the Nuggets, for whom he played three seasons before leaving as a free agent. . . . The Nuggets have won three of four. The Spurs have lost four of seven.