Denver Nuggets News
Two sources: 6 year Contract Extension is as Good as Done
Call the bureau Chiefs, wake them up if you have to. Call Yahoo, the print warriors, the talk show personalities. Get all those people sitting up at full attention, because we have something that none of them have but all want, BREAKING NEWS. NuggetsInsider.com has learned, from two sources with first hand knowledge of the situation, that the Denver Nuggets and Allen Iverson have agreed on a contract extension that will keep the future hall of fame sporting the Powder Blues for the next half decade. According to sources, "an announcement regarding the situation shouldn't be too far out." Another source, also from within the organization, has told NuggetsInsider.com that, "a max-value contract extension is imminent." From the sounds of it, it appears as if the Nuggets are taking a hard-line approach at securing their core team, taking care to do so, well before these types of contract uncertainties can become a source of worry and distraction for the players and team alike. Some players, will conveniently play remarkably better, approaching or during an actual contract year. [see. Eric Dampier & Tim Thomas]. Those two guys, and many more akin to there degenerative attitude, turn up there play right when it would serve them the highest potential compensation. For most its all about bargaining and hard balling. Allen Iverson, is quite different. First, he never played a half-game in his career - every game he takes the hardwood with the passion and desire and fight of a guy who, you would think, is fighting for his roster spot. Laying out the terms of his desired contract right out in the open avenue of the media, was probably a great move. Aware of what his worth equates to on the open market, Its completely plausible that AI could have gotten more money if he wouldn't out and let the open market counter offer each other into bloating Iverson's salary or incentive package. Overall, a very sly move on Iverson's part in helping to push this issue. So for such a competitor like Iverson, given his aging persona, it probably serves him, a great deal, to get the contract out of the way in order that he may fully concentrate on basketball. When this contract agreement does indeed become binding, inside the next 48 hours. While this comes but a day removed from Iverson's public decree of wanting to remain a Denver Nugget for the rest of his career. More to point, Iverson said, that both parties would be better off sealing an extension as soon as possible. Stan Kroenke looks ready to deliver. Following Iverson's bold declaration, many began speculating on if the Nuggets were not ready to commit such drastic team resources toward the preservation of Allen Iverson as a member of the Denver Nuggets. With having given the chance to either boldly report this breaking news or to wait for official confrontation, the editor of this web site decided against a wait and see approach. The confidence to make such a decision comes as a result of a third source, a site contributor in the past and a Denver Nuggets roster guru, Paul Toner, alerted us about this pending deal, upon which, confirmation was then sought after. Paul Toner has been credited with breaking major news stories regarding the Nuggets for many years, exposing the Nuggets' interest in trading for Allen Iverson, nearly two months before Iverson was even openly put on the market. Given Toner's testimony, combined with two anonymous confirmations, leads us to the 100% belief that this is very real and very near official. Just remember that you heard it hear first, at NuggetsInsider.com, breaking Nuggets news before the blogs have even had their morning coffee. Booya! More analysis can be retrieved in our accompanying pod cast.
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Nuggets Edge Hornets at Home
Melo's strong 4th quarter powers Nuggets to 14th win
Carmelo Anthony found his rhythm just in time for the Denver Nuggets. Anthony scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play with 38.4 seconds left, to lift the Nuggets to a 105-99 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. Allen Iverson had 22 points and 11 assists and Marcus Camby had 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks for the Nuggets, who won their third straight and fifth in the last six. Anthony, who has struggled with his shot over the last week, was 3-for-17 early but was 7-for-11 down the stretch. "I've been trying to get my rhythm back on my shot,'' Anthony said. "I thought my shots tonight were good, they just weren't going in.'' That was the case in his previous three games, when he was 24-for-69 from the field. "I know it was frustrating for him in the beginning because he couldn't catch a rhythm,'' Iverson said. "He was getting beat up on some plays and they weren't calling it. It says a lot about him to stay with it and keep playing.'' Anthony scored 12 of Denver's last 14 points to help the Nuggets pull away. His two free throws gave Denver the lead at 93-92, and he hit three straight shots to make it 99-96. Chris Paul, who had 30 points and 12 assists, made a 3-pointer to tie it at 99, but Camby's tip-in with 1:41 left made it 101-99. Anthony then made a layup and a free throw to seal the game. "The last rebound that Marcus tipped in, we did a good job on the defensive end, and we had two guys there, but somehow he got it and put it in,'' Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "That was a great play on his part, bad play on our part.'' Anthony said he attacked the basket the whole game but the shots weren't falling. In the fourth, he was 5-for-8 and seven of his points came when he went to the basket. "In the fourth quarter, I made it my priority and forced the refs to give me some calls,'' said Anthony, who was 11-for-13 from the line. The Nuggets where happy with their defense in the fourth, when they held the Hornets to 33.3 percent shooting in the fourth quarter and outscored them 28-18.
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