A.I.

Wandering the "internets" this afternoon I came upon a blog about the significance of Allen Iverson leaving the Sixers and heading for the Rockies. It's an interesting mixture of love, dismay and reminiscence.

When one of my cousins lived in Philly we would chat about Iverson in many ways, often using him as a poster child for whatever argument either of us was trying to make. Once the comparison came up about the relative worth of Iverson vis-a-vis the floor nurses in a hospital ward. Iverson got paid far more money than the angels of mercy, but they contributed to the saving of far more lives than he did. This conundrum of relative value and social equity goes on, even though Iverson left Philly and my cousin succumbed to complications of diabetes.

From a basketball standpoint I think A.I. will make life more interesting in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets and the Jazz may go to the wire for the division title but the teams' personalities could not be more different. The Jazz are a team, and must play as a team. The Nuggets are now primarily Iverson and Carmelo, huge stars, either capable of putting up huge numbers, but both are primarily individuals.

A drama worth watching.