Don't want to go too "old school" on you, but Adam West and Burt Ward may have morphed from superheroes to superstar athletes.
West and Ward starred in the 1960s television series "Batman." POW! (Sorry, I can't help it). However, these days, Denver's own "dynamic duo" isn't fighting crime, but, instead, for a spot in the NBA's Western Conference Playoffs.
The Nuggets are off to a 25-16 start, their best run out of the gate ever halfway into a season--and have done it despite injury woes aplenty.
Their efforts were rewarded yesterday when forward Carmelo Anthony and guard Allen Iverson were selected as starters for the Western Conference at the NBA All-Star Game later this month in New Orleans.
The announcement came as a testament to the popularity of the men Denver hopes will bring them to basketball heights higher than the top floor of the Wells Fargo Building downtown on Sherman Street and 17th Avenue.
Anthony has been a hugely popular figure since he splashed onto the scene five years ago. Iverson's popularity, much like his game, continues to evolve.
I can tell you that Iverson is cheered in every arena throughout the NBA. Basketball fans everywhere appreciate his combination of hustle, gritty play, and sheer jaw-dropping talent.
You may not relate to him off the court (though many do), but on the hardwood, most fans are in unison about his ability--still dangerous as ever, at age 32. He shows no signs of slowing down. However, signs of his growing maturity are becoming self-evident to those who have followed his career in Denver.
He has stayed true to his roots, especially in the form of toughness. He is always hurting--but always playing. If the heart is the strongest muscle in the human body, then Iverson is a cardiologist's dream, for sure.
Regarding the subject of heroes, Iverson once proudly proclaimed, "My hero doesn't wear a suit." That's the old Iverson talking. I'm not saying you're going to see him a tuxedo now, but many of his past transgressions--much like a leisure suit--have been left behind by society for good. (As an aside, if Iverson does decide to wear a suit, let's hope it's not actually a leisure suit).
These days in Denver, Iverson enjoys talking about his four kids.
Last Saturday night, before an interview with Jon Saraceno of USA Today, that you can check out by clicking here, Iverson got a call from his manager. He was asking Iverson about the rules regarding the board game "Monopoly." You think Iverson was taking calls that mundane in nature a decade ago?
After dealing with the press as far back as his days as a high school star in Virginia, Iverson knows how the drill with us. He has said virtually all of the right things since coming to Denver. His most important statement to date, may have been saying something that was deferential in tones.
Let's face it: before coming to Denver, the words "Iverson" and "deferential" were used in the same sentence about as often as "Brady" and "underachiever." When asked if the Nuggets were "his" team, "The Answer" has always answered "no." He says, this team belongs to Anthony and Marcus Camby, a point he later stressed to Saraceno.
Once again, the evolving persona of Iverson emerges. Ten years ago, the answer to that question would have been a defiant "yes." Today, he's casually demurring. However, it appears even though they have two All-Stars, they have one leader, and it's not Carmelo.
Iverson, to borrow a phrase from Reggie Jackson, is for the Nuggets, "the straw that stirs the drink." His effort and hustle are legendary, just like his career. Even Anthony, one of the brightest young players in the game, admitted that he is still sometimes in awe of Iverson.
In his first game in a Nuggets uniform in December of 2006, one Nuggets player even admitted he was nervous to be on the same floor, as a teammate, with Iverson. When other NBA players are starstruck to be around you, safe to say, you have arrived.
Yesterday, a large cotingent of media, myself included, raced around to the side exit of the Pepsi Center to get Iverson's reaction to making the All Star team. The way we running after him and snapping pictures, you would have thought Allen had a "boot" on his right foot and was walking to the house of his supermodel girlfriend. He stopped. He talked. He was gracious. He was appreciative to the fans for voting him in as a starter.
Shortly after, a car pulled up. It was a black Maybach, a vehicle that has a suggested sticker price of $426,000. Yeah, I said $426,000. He got in the passenger seat, though it's safe to say the Nuggets aren't going anywhere if Iverson is riding "shotgun." It's time for him to get in the driver's seat of the Maybach--and the Nuggets.
-"Z"
