The Iverson Deal: The Worst Trade In NBA History?
Posted by Matt McCready on 12.22.2006
The similarities between the Vince Carter trade to the New Jersey Nets and the Allen Iverson trade to the Denver Nuggets are too hard to ignore. The Carter deal is known as one of the biggest swindles in NBA history, so did the Philadelphia 76ers get ripped off just as badly? Matt McCready investigates...
When I saw that Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets and the main piece the Philadelphia 76ers got in return were two second round draft picks, I couldn't help think of when the Toronto Raptors dealt Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets for a package that's main appeal was also two first round draft picks. The Vince Carter trade is widely acknowledged as one of the worst in the history of professional sports and it's worth examining whether or not the Iverson trade will turn out as terrible for the 76ers.
Vince Carter's stock was at an all-time low at the point of the trade, he wasn't playing too well and there were serious questions on whether his chronically wonky knee would be able to stay structurally sound. While he demanded a trade from the Raptors (and it's no coincidence that it came days after they selected Rafael Aroujo directly in front of studs Andre Igoudala and Andris Biedrins. Just to throw out superlatives, Aroujo might go down as the worst draft pick of all time) he was playing for them and actually suggested to head coach Sam Mitchell mere days before being traded that he come off the bench and provide a scoring spark to the second unit. There was no immediate rush to trade Vince, but management thought otherwise.
Former Toronto Raptors General Manager Rob Babcock
Aka The dumbest man in professional sports
Aka PenisHead
Iverson's stock was probably as high as it's been throughout his career. Despite his advancing age, the last two seasons have been among Iverson's best. He actually set a career high in scoring last year and dished out more than seven assists per game. He's a liability when defending bigger guards (as he's only 6 feet tall when he's wearing his big boy shoes) but makes up for it by using his quickness to threaten the league's lead in steals. The new wide open style that the league has adopted over the last couple of years, with minimal amount of contact needed for a foul to be call, really helps a man whose crossover moves and exceptional quickness forces a lot of opposing defenses to commit fouls when trying to stay in front of him. No one could really blame the Answer for walking away from the mess that the 76ers have become, this might be a stretch, but I think the team's second option Chris Webber MIGHT be a little past his prime. Philly isn't doing much in the foreseeable future, so AI avoids yet another ‘problem child' blemish on his career.
Allen Iverson
Looking quite dapper
I'm not a huge AI fan but I've got to respect him. I think that Iverson takes too much blame for his previous practice antics as he's been a good soldier the last few years and plays his heart out while on the court. And how much could you really blame him for dogging it in practice when he was playing through injuries that would restrict most people for getting off the couch. I'm not saying that it's not a weak thing to do to a team, but it's been years and people need to get over it.
With his stock being pretty high, Iverson needed to be moved by Philly GM Billy King as soon as possible. He could've waited until the trade deadline and waited for a team desperate enough to toss the farm for him, but if he took too long and the deadline passed and the Answer was still a 76er, then Billy would be looking for a new job come the off-season.
The Raptors acquired Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning and two first round picks in return for Vince Carter. Thus far, there has been very little impact from any of these assets. Eric Williams was brought in to be a character guy, couldn't play effectively enough to crack the regular rotation, and demanded a trade. Unfortunately there were no other Babcock's employed by any of the other 29 teams in the league, so no one would trade for him until his contract was expiring. Aaron Williams also couldn't earn consistent playing time and was dealt for two second round draft picks. Alonzo Mourning never played a single minute in a Toronto uniform. But basketball guru Rob Babcock realized this situation before even acquiring him and, using all of his Babcockian cunning, gave Mourning $10 million dollars to become a free agent with the Miami Heat. Incredibly, Mourning's contract is still costing the Raptors five million dollars against the salary cap despite the trade occurring more than two years ago. Babcock's big selling point to the fans at the time were the two first round draft picks, that time will show how the trade really worked out for the Raptors. One of the draft picks was sent to the New York Knicks as an incentive for them to take Jalen Rose's bloated contract while the other pick turned into Joey Graham, currently a serviceable rotation player with the Raptors with negligible upside. So Robby, time has told us and in return for one of the most popular and talented players in the world the Raptors received Joey Graham, two second round picks and negative ten million dollars. Ouch.
Vince Carter: Coming to a three-for-a-dollar bin near you
The 76ers received a lot more for Iverson. Andre Miller is a solid starting point guard with the size to post up smaller guards. He has pin-point passing skills and sees the floor very well, however his shot is mediocre for point guard standards and he has no three point range whatsoever. However, expect him to facilitate enough alley-oops with Andre Igoudala. He's not a bad point to build around because he'll create easier shots for his young teammates while allowing them to improve their offensive games by not hogging the ball too often. Other than that they didn't receive too much. Joe Smith has a contract expiring at the end of the season, so that's why he was in the deal. The two first rounders are owned by the Nuggets and the Mavericks. So while the upcoming draft is considered a deep one with a crown jewel of Greg Oden at the top, two twenty-something picks aren't equivalent to a franchise player. It does give King some leverage to move up in the draft if the 76ers fall out of the top 5.
Iverson wants to win. He's at the point of his career where that's all that drives him. He's third in league history in points per game behind Michael Jordan and Wilt ‘The Stilt' Chamberlain, but all his statistics will be looked at with an eyebrow raised if he never wins a championship. I've heard the experts (or at least anchormen who loosely follow the NBA, regardless they all seem to have exceptional hair) point out that Iverson has played with scorers like Anthony before with limited success. They've thrown out names like Larry Hughes, Chris Webber and Jerry Stackhouse to help hammer home this point. They're all ridiculous calls seeing that after being traded, Hughes needed several mediocre seasons with the Golden State Warriors before breaking out as a player, Stackhouse was a virtual psychopath early on in his career (him and Iverson have both matured a lot since then) and Webber is a shadow of his former playing self. Iverson has never played with a scorer like Anthony, period. I think that AI will defer to Anthony at this point of his career simply for the win. The win is why he peels himself off the floor after being knocked down several times a game, it's why he likes taking those big shots. From a financial standpoint, while Iverson's 20 mill paycheck is a bit steep, the Nuggets will be over the salary cap anyways and jersey sales will more than make up for it.
Can Carmelo and Iverson co-exist?
Billy King is no Bobby Babcock. While this deal is comparable to the Carter deal, the fact that the 76ers got an established player in Andre Miller differentiates it from the Vince debacle. While I don't think that King got a good deal, I also don't know what kind of market he was dealing with. The big story isn't what happens in Philly anymore anyways, but with Denver. The 76ers enjoyed their greatest success with Iverson when they teamed him with Dikembe Mutumbo and a plethora of gritty, defensive minded players. In Marcus Camby, the Iverson has the closest thing to Mount Mutumbo and in Nene, Eduardo Najera and Reggie Evans, they also have the grit. He carried that Philadelphia team all the way to the finals before bowing out to Shaq and the Lakers. Add a player like Anthony to this mix and this experiment could blow up like a piñata or a land mine. Either way it's gonna catch my eye.
