I think Dave Del Grande is smoking crack, here. Trade Davis, Murphy AND Diogu for Iverson? I could see MAYBE trading selfish, talented and injury-prone Baron for selfish, far more talented and not as injury prone Iverson and throwing in Murphy, maybe...but Davis, Murphy AND Diogu. That deserves some JRICH-style response your thoughts?

Warriors need a closer: Iverson
Column by Dave Del Grande
Article Last Updated:12/07/2006 02:40:07 AM PST

THE WARRIORS HAVE a problem. If you watched their blowout losses at San Antonio and Houston ... well, you didn't see it.
If, on the other hand, you witnessed their two previous defeats — stumble-from-ahead home disappointments against Eastern Conference also-rans — this serious deficiency should be obvious.
The Warriors are the Armando Benitez of the NBA. They simply cannot be trusted to close out games.
Short of being an elite team that catches the Warriors on a road back-to-back without Jason Richardson, the formula to beating Don Nelson's latest edition is the same on every scouting report: Keep it close for 31/2 quarters, then outplay them down the stretch once the game slows down.
There are no in-house solutions to this problem. Nor are there many out there leaguewide.
But there is one that's becoming more and more available by the day: Allen Iverson.
The Warriors need this guy. And here's the best part: The 76ers don't.
Philadelphia took the court in Chicago on Wednesday night as the last-place team in the Atlantic Division. That equates to being fifth in the National League West and fourth in the NFC West — the three most embarrassing residences in American sports.
Sixers general manager Billy King will be fired if this keeps up, and his only course of action (short of finding a taker for Chris Webber, who's even less desirable these days than Barry Bonds) is to sell Iverson to the highest bidder.
The Warriors can be that team. A package of Baron Davis and Ike Diogu would match Iverson's contract, but the 76ers might want more.
I'd let them exchange Troy Murphy for Diogu, but that would require the 76ers throwing in a second player for salary-cap purposes. Heck, take both Murphy and Diogu, as long as the Warriors get back the expiring contract of injured Jamal Mashburn.
Iverson is a nice fit between Monta Ellis and Richardson, and the ideal solution to a seemingly incurable problem.
Hiring Nelson was a bold move. Now it's time to make another.

On crack. He seems to just throw ideas about trades on the fly without thinking about them.

In fact, they're not even original ideas. We've been hearing about trading for AI for the last three years or so...

Also, we would give them our two PFs? (well, one PF and one Flower Forward )

Nah. Nonsense. On crack.

He first started smoking when he wanted the Warriors to trade Tim Hardaway for Shawn Bradley Tweaker.

TMC wrote:On crack. He seems to just throw ideas about trades on the fly without thinking about them.

In fact, they're not even original ideas. We've been hearing about trading for AI for the last three years or so...

Also, we would give them our two PFs? (well, one PF and one Flower Forward )

Nah. Nonsense. On crack.

Flower Forward hahaha

yeah get rid of our only distributor and get another scorer.
WHAT?

Definately a stupid trade proposal!


I really think Iverson has dropped in effectiveness from a team perspective. This season, the 76ers probably have more talent than they have had since the season they lost to the Lakers in the finals. With Iggy, Green, Carney, Dalembert and Webber (though has played rarely and when he has he has been shiit), the sixers have a potentially good group but they are not working that well. I would be looking for a trade if I was the 76ers and I'd be looking at teams that have been unable to get over the hump in recent years, like the Wizards and Nuggets. A team that would be far more deadly with another great scorer/creator would be willing to give two or three of their top players for a superstar

Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

#32 wrote:Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

Quite the opposite. The ones that love him the most are those that root for his team... ask any Philly fan if they want to see him go and most would rather have Billy King fired.

John Patrick wrote:Flower Forward hahaha

Hey, props for the one that deserves them. It was Colt who re-named Murph in one of the game threads (if I'm not wrong).

migya wrote:Definately a stupid trade proposal!


I really think Iverson has dropped in effectiveness from a team perspective. This season, the 76ers probably have more talent than they have had since the season they lost to the Lakers in the finals. With Iggy, Green, Carney, Dalembert and Webber (though has played rarely and when he has he has been shiit), the sixers have a potentially good group but they are not working that well. I would be looking for a trade if I was the 76ers and I'd be looking at teams that have been unable to get over the hump in recent years, like the Wizards and Nuggets. A team that would be far more deadly with another great scorer/creator would be willing to give two or three of their top players for a superstar

Yeah, I also think the Sixers should re-build. Last rumor has Minny offering Hudson and Foye for him (which would be a pretty stupid trade for Philly, IMO)...

#32 wrote:Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

Iverson at 27: Tradable for a three star like trade
Iverson at 31: About to break, untradeable

Iverson helps your team, but I'm not trading for a guy who plays like that with that contract and is 31.

TMC wrote:

#32 wrote:Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

Quite the opposite. The ones that love him the most are those that root for his team... ask any Philly fan if they want to see him go and most would rather have Billy King fired.

What I meant was that everybody loves AI... but most smart fans are opposed to trading for him.

TMC wrote:

#32 wrote:Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

Quite the opposite. The ones that love him the most are those that root for his team... ask any Philly fan if they want to see him go and most would rather have Billy King fired.

John Patrick wrote:Flower Forward hahaha

Hey, props for the one that deserves them. It was Colt who re-named Murph in one of the game threads (if I'm not wrong).

Thanks, bro! I can depend on you to get the jokes

#32 wrote:

TMC wrote:

#32 wrote:Iverson's a black hole, like I've always said.

People love the guy... just not when he's playing for THEIR team.

Quite the opposite. The ones that love him the most are those that root for his team... ask any Philly fan if they want to see him go and most would rather have Billy King fired.

What I meant was that everybody loves AI... but most smart fans are opposed to trading for him.

agreed. I'd trade baron for him straight up (because AI is basically a better less injury prone version of Baron) but no more. no way I give equal value for him

TMC wrote:Yeah, I also think the Sixers should re-build. Last rumor has Minny offering Hudson and Foye for him (which would be a pretty stupid trade for Philly, IMO)...

The TWolves should be the ones offering a package like RDavis, MJames and one other guy, like Jaric, for Iverson. Like I said, they would still have the young future backcourt of Foye and McCants, as well as potentially very good forward Eddie Griffin to have around Iverson and KG. That woyld not be a bad team at all and the sixers might just go for such a trade

migya wrote:The TWolves should be the ones offering a package like RDavis, MJames and one other guy, like Jaric, for Iverson. Like I said, they would still have the young future backcourt of Foye and McCants, as well as potentially very good forward Eddie Griffin to have around Iverson and KG. That woyld not be a bad team at all and the sixers might just go for such a trade

Seems too little for the Sixers. I wouldn't go for that trade. I'm pretty sure they can get more, even if that means trading in their own conference.

migya wrote:The TWolves should be the ones offering a package like RDavis, MJames and one other guy, like Jaric, for Iverson. Like I said, they would still have the young future backcourt of Foye and McCants, as well as potentially very good forward Eddie Griffin to have around Iverson and KG. That woyld not be a bad team at all and the sixers might just go for such a trade

When the Sixers deal Iverson I am sure the goal is to get younger and free up some salary cap space in the process. That being said, the above deal does not make any sense. Mike James, Ricky Davis and Marko Jaric will do little to help the Sixers get better and more importantly, these three will not bring and hope for the future.

James and Davis specifically will never play on winning teams. They should be on a team with Al Harrington and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Not to say they are bad players, but not the kinds of players you trade for a guy like Iverson.

I honestly do not think Minnesota has the pieces to make a trade work. My prediction is that Iverson's 18 million dollar salary, which expires in 2009, ends up in Boston. I am guessing a combination of Theo Ratliff (12 million, expires in 2008) plus Gerald Green (1.75 per year, expires in 2009), Sebastien Telfair (1.8 per year, expires in 2008) and potentially Al Jefferson (1.75 per year, expires in 2008) AND a future first round draft pick.

The salaries are close. Iverson is around 17-18 this year with 20-21 over the next two seasons, while the Celtics would be trading 17.3 million in salaries.

I see this as Boston getting the player they want NOW to compete in the lowly Atlantic division and in turn, the Sixers get younger with Green, Jefferson and have a point guard replacement with Telfair.

The Sixers might see this as too much, but fiscally, it makes sense and in the NBA things have to make fiscal sense more than common sense when trying to make a trade happen.

Thoughts? Predictions where Iverson will end up?