Around the Rim: What Does the Future Hold?

One way for Iverson and Melo to coexist

1. Weapons of Mass Destruction
Plenty of questions surround the trade involving Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, with the suspension of Carmelo Anthony, we have to wait until January 20 to see the new look Nuggets. But if the league’s top two scorers can mesh together, Denver could have the best starting five in the NBA next season. The question mark in the lineup will fall on the power forward spot and the health of Kenyon Martin. However, should K-Mart return to his old form, this would be one of the most powerful and explosive lineups in the game. Iverson, J.R. Smith, Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby; now that’s a versatile group of starters. The general concern is about how this trade will play out this season, but the true potential for both teams involved will not come to realization until next year.

2. LBJ Hits the Wall
Reports from Cleveland say that LeBron James’ body is wearing down and, while he won’t admit it, he’s become tired and fatigued of late. While his statistics don’t indicate any problem, it seems he is lacking the same explosion. And, frankly, who can blame him? He’s fourth in the league in minutes with 40 a game, and he has to carry the weight of a struggling team on his back every single game. Perhaps no individual player does more to contribute to his team than James. Sure, he’s only 21 years old but he played a full season that went into the playoffs last year and spent his entire summer with Team USA before returning to preseason workouts. LeBron probably does need rest, but it’s not coming anytime soon as James made a three year commitment to USA Basketball.

3. Suns Are Hot
With a 17 point win over the Raptors last night, Phoenix set a franchise record by recording their 15th straight victory. And the Suns are only going to keep improving as their young stud Amare Stoudemire continues to progress after having microfracture knee surgery. Coach Mike D’Antoni was slow to give Stoudemire too many minutes earlier in the season, but since inserting him into the starting five, Stoudemire has not disappointed. His numbers continue to grow with the team’s streak as he is averaging 21.2 points and 8.9 rebounds during December. As far as the team’s win streak is concerned, it could increase to 18 before the Suns face a tough Mavericks team on December 28.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Amare Stoudemire vs. Toronto 28 min, 28 pts (FG: 11-14, FT: 6-6), 10 reb, 1 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (18-6) @ Denver (14-9) Phoenix rides a 15 game winning streak into the Mile High City as the Suns will look to take advantage of a depleted Nuggets roster. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith will not be playing, but it’s possible that Denver’s newest player might. Allen Iverson could make his debut in a Nuggets uniform tonight, but according to his agent he probably won’t. If A.I. doesn’t suit up, you can still see history be made as the Suns could tie the 1991 Portland Trailblazers for the fifth longest winning streak.

Buzzer Beater: Kobe Bryant fouled out for the first time in over a year last night in a 94-89 loss to Chicago. His sixth foul capped off a miserable 6 of 19 shooting performance. Without Lamar Odom in the lineup, the defensive minded Bulls cast were able to concentrate their efforts onto Bryant. Chicago continues to prove that with a focused Ben Wallace in the paint, the Bulls are able to shut down even to leagues most potent scorers.