It is true that he once met the definition of a troubled kid with an attitude, but he’s learned from his mistakes; he’s grown up. For the last several years, Iverson has been an exemplary citizen, a highly paid player who gives money back to the community and has never forgotten either his friends or where he came from. He doesn’t show up opponents, doesn’t get into fights, doesn’t get pulled over for DWI. Sure, there are better people out there, and you can start with Tim Duncan, but there aren’t that many. In the world of professional sports, Iverson isn’t one of the bad guys.

For the Sixers, the news is also good, but that may be only because things can’t possibly get any worse in Philadelphia, where the Sixers are officially the most abysmal team in the NBA. They’ve got only five wins, just half of what the woeful Knicks have managed to assemble, so it’s not as if expectations for the rest of this season are all that high.

Iverson hasn’t been playing since the beginning of the month, when he asked to be traded and the team agreed to oblige him. So no one will miss a guy who hasn’t been there. Miller and Smith won’t make the team that much better, but in addition to the lottery pick Philly is headed for, the team now has two more first-rounders. They won’t be high picks — somewhere around number 20-25 is likely — but they’re picks. For a team that’s rebuilding, bodies are important.

Philly also gets rid of Iverson’s salary and will now be able to deal on the free-agent market come the off-season, which can’t arrive soon enough.

At one point, I had thought that Iverson would finish his career in Philadelphia, but that was before management let the team fall apart. Guys who demand trades are never popular, but it’s hard to blame Iverson. He wants to win, and it wasn’t going to happen on the banks of the Delaware River, not in time for him to be part of it.

It’s a rare deal that’s good for everybody involved, and this looks to be one of them. The Nuggets are a good team in a tough conference. They needed another great player to compete in the NBA West. In Iverson, they got him.

Now all that’s left is to wait until Anthony returns.

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