By acquiring the high flying, defensive stopper Andre Iguodala from Philadelphia in the Andrew Bynum/Dwight Howard blockbuster deal last Summer, many felt that the Denver Nuggets, under esteemed coach George Karl, would finally be contenders in the Western Conference.
After Carmelo Anthony left for New York nearly two seasons ago, the Nuggets were lacking that star power that most teams need in order to compete against the Kobe’s, Lebron’s, and Durant’s of the Association.
With Iguodala in the fold, coach Karl finally had a decorated NBA veteran to serve as captain and mentor to the younger talent on the team. After all, the former lottery pick was a former All Star, Olympic Gold Medalist, a member of the NBA’s All Defensive Team, and one of the league’s most athletic and complete players in the NBA.
Andre did have another outstanding individual season in ’12-’13, averaging 13 ppg, 5.4 ast, 5.3 reb, and 1.7 steals in helping the Nuggets to a 57-25 season, finishing only 3 games behind the OKC Thunder in the Northwest Conference.
But the Nuggets faltered in the Playoffs, as Steph Curry and the upstart Golden State Warriors eliminated Denver in 6 games, as Iggy averaged a team high 18 points and 8 rebounds during the series.
Then in a surprising move and despite having one of the most successful regular seasons in team history, Nuggets management decided to make a change at the top, firing 2013 NBA Coach of the Year George Karl along with hiring a new GM immediately following the season.
As a result, Iguodala decided to opt out of the 6th and final year of his $80 million deal signed with Philadelphia in 2008, making him one of the top free agents on the market this Summer along with Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Brandon Jennings.
There’s no doubt that the 29 year old swingman is definitely looking to win a ring during the latter parts of his career but he is probably best suited as a 2nd option on a team with an already established scorer, as Iggy is more of a Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan type player.
While he may frustrate his new teammates and fanbase by sometimes falling in love with the 3 point shot, Andre is regarded as one of the league’s premier lockdown defenders, and can always be counted on for at least one highlight reel dunk per night. Check out some of Iggy’s top plays for last season and his career……..
Andre Iguodala’s Top Plays of ’12-’13
Andre Iguodala’s Top 10 Dunks Of His Career
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
