As you might have guessed, I think this trade was an absolute home run for the Nuggets, one that elevates them into the grouping with the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks when we discuss the league’s elite.

I’m still amazed that the price wasn’t higher, and I sure hope for the Clippers’ sake that Shaun Livingston — whom they deemed untouchable — turns out to be a big star, because otherwise they’re going to be wiping egg off their faces for a long time.

People think that the Nugget who will miss out on the most shots will be Anthony, but this isn’t true. Really, the guy who’s going to lose out is Earl Boykins, who will see a precipitous drop in playing time once the suspensions end because Iverson can do his superhuman 46-minute routine on so many nights.

This is the same Boykins who is shooting 37.0 percent from the floor, has upset teammates with his poor shot selection, is on the trading block and is spending tonight trying to figure out why he’s still a Nugget.

Shouldn’t be a tough act to follow for the Answer. Meanwhile, having those shots transferred to Iverson’s ledger should produce an uptick in baskets and a huge jump in free-throw attempts. – John Hollinger, ESPN.com

Billy King and the Sixers wanted three things in return for Iverson: talent, salary cap relief, and draft picks. Amazingly, they got all three — a borderline All-Star in Miller, Joe Smith and his $6.8 million expiring contract, and two first-round picks. Unfortunately, that’s the problem right there. What the Sixers should’ve done was pick one or the other and hone in on it. Instead, King settled for some half-ass combination of the three and got burned. Brutal. – J.E. Skeets, NBA Fanhouse

Andre Miller is the epitome of a pass first point guard and one of the last of a dying breed. His mild mannerisms and soft spoken personality are not what our culture highlights, but he embodied everything associated with team concept. From his days being coached by Rick Majerus at the University of Utah, to leading the NBA in assists with the Cleveland Cavaliers, to his last gutsy performance as a Nugget, Andre Miller was, and is, one of my favorite players.

The Nuggets will sorely miss his alley-oop passing and his never tiring motor that was the energy propelling this team for the last three and a half years. – The Nugg Doctor, Hoops Addict

Iverson is a team bomb, wrecking chemistry with his refusal to be a part of a greater whole, deciding he is above practice, above coaches, above anything that goes against his thinking. To A.I., if he scores 30, he’s done his job and all is perfect in the world.

Andre Miller was never appreciated in Denver for being a solid all-around player and the Nuggets will miss him more than they will ever know, not only for being the best point the franchise had since Fat Lever but also for not being that difficult guy in the office to work with daily.

Enjoy the fantasy, but get ready for the reality.

Think Anthony, hardly the model of maturity, is going to benefit from having the gangsta’ hooper as a teammate? – Nuggets Noise

It’s a sad day in sports when a player of Iverson’s immense stature is traded because the reality of Tuesday’s deal is that the move from Philadelphia to Denver will cost Iverson more than a few frequent flier miles — it will cost him a part of his legacy.

Think about it. Would Larry Bird be viewed differently had he finished his career in Cleveland? Or would Magic Johnson be held in a lower regard if he was handing out assists in Dallas? Certainly no one will forget the image of a broken-down Michael Jordan gamely trying to reclaim past glory with Washington. While no one will say it diminished him in stature, well, more than a few of us might be thinking it.

Which brings us to Iverson, as Philadelphia as Rocky Balboa or a Philly Cheesesteak. Perhaps in Denver he will be part of a formidable 1-2 punch with Carmelo Anthony but the Nuggets will never be Iverson’s team. He will never have the same impact in the Rockies as he did in Pennsylvania. – Chris Mannix, SI.com

Meanwhile, Back to the subject, that-will-not-die, the Newark Star Ledger’s Dave D’Alessandro dives into his mailbag and addresses Saturday’s Nuggets/Knicks debacle.

Q: What would you rather have? The uncaring bunch of players the Knicks threw out on the floor last year or the one’s this year who at least give a rip? Admittedly a mis-guided rip… George Karl was trying to seek retribution for Larry Brown’s firing by leaving his starters in the game. Does he deserve no blame for the whole fiasco? Hopefully your article achieves it’s desired objective, and gets people to read it and form an opinion, either pro or con towards it. In my case, it has definitely elicited a reaction.
Leonard Schwartz II

A: The Karl role in all this completely irrelevant. It’s his team, he can coach it any way he wants, period. If you think he was running up the score, I have to ask: What the heck is the difference between losing by 17 and losing by 22? If you want to prevent someone from running and dunking in your face, here’s an idea: Defend like you care, or take your beating like a pro, not a punk who starts fights when he learns he can’t compete.

Isiah’s claim that George was responsible is the kind of stupid syllogism you get from Sean Hannity: A) Denver’s starters were on the floor in garbage time, B) players get hurt in garbage time, so C) it’s George’s fault that some punk nearly drove J.R.’s head into the basket stanchion. I’m not buying it.