Nuggets G Anthony Carter, making the NBA veteran minimum of $1.25 million this season, “hasn’t bought a new car in five years,” reports the Denver Post’s Aaron J. Lopez while examining how economic turmoil has affected area athletes, fans and franchise owners. “Nuggets players, some of whom make several million dollars per year, aren’t uttering Sprewellian comments about trying to feed their families,” observes Lopez, who goes on to deliver a quote from Allen Iverson that’s as classic as anything Spree uttered.

Iverson, who is making $20.84 million in the final year of a six-year, $76 million contract this season, spent much of training camp remembering what it is like to have a newborn baby in the house.

His daughter Dream, born Oct. 7, cries in the middle of the night, but she and her four siblings never will have to worry about being hungry or destitute.

“With all the money that I’ve made in my career, if the economy starts to worry me right now, obviously, I’m doing something wrong with my money,” Iverson said.

“It don’t worry me at all – unless it gets outrageous and to fill up your tank it’d take $20,000 or something like that. If I had to pay $100,000 for a plate of food, then it might bother me. Other than that, I’ll be all right.”