With the ink still fresh on the deal that sent Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-rounders, reaction has been, not surprisingly whenever a player as polarizing as Iverson is involved, split down the middle.

You’ve got Charley Rosen of FoxSports.com casting doubt on how the deal will really help the Nuggets (Sidenote: Rosen is cynical to the core and you’ll disagree with half the things he says (I know I do), but he’s also one of the most veteran and knowledgable basketball minds writing today and always a worthy read.)

John Hollinger at ESPN, one of the foremost stats crunchers in the game, likes the move in his ESPN Insider column (membership req’d) due to the Nuggets’ system and the probable motivation of Iverson to prove the haters wrong,  leading Hollinger to slot the Nuggets in as title contenders.

That’s just a mere sampling of what’s out there and the opinions vary widely.  My own two cents?  Mind you I could be labeled as biased (I am a Georgetown alum and was front row and center on the stat crew during Iverson’s two seasons with the program) but I will analyze this objectively as I can.

When looking at the deal, the first realization one has to make is that there is no way the Sixers could have gotten equal value back in terms of current players.  Teams knew Philly was desperate to deal and weren’t going to give up anything of his caliber back.  Given those obstacles, I think the 76ers still ended up with a decent package.  Andre Miller is a solid point guard who Maurice Cheeks will love.  My real fear with him is his offense comes and goes and Philly will need him to score more than he’d been doing in Denver.   Joe Smith is serviceable, but his inclusion was more for his expiring contract than anything he has left in the tank (It’s funny to think that Smith was the #1 pick in the draft just a season earlier than when Iverson was taken #1 in 1996)

The real clincher in this deal were the two 2007 first round picks Denver gave up which consisted of their own and  Dallas’.  Although neither will likely be a lottery pick, they give the Sixers a chance to add a young core in what should be a deep draft.

Iverson adds another weapon for the Nuggets and they’ll easily be the funnest team to watch in the league.  The key will be the transtion that occurs once Carmelo Anthony is off of his 15-game suspension and he and Iverson will be on the court at the same time.  I don’t foresee issues, as many observers have accurately stated that Carmelo can do a lot without the ball in his hands.  Iverson’s ability to disrupt defenses will mean lots of open looks and clearer lanes for ‘Melo and I think both players have a respect for each other.

The Nuggets will win and I think the move was one they had to make, but at the same time I don’t think this puts them into the elite status in the West.  Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix are still better teams and even within the Nuggets’ own division I think the Jazz may be a more complete team overall.  Interestingly, they may not be able to improve much above the current sixth seed they have, but they will be an imminently greater threat in the playoffs themselves, with the sort of intangibles that can steal some rounds.