SECAUCUS, NJ -- April 13, 2007 -- Dec. 19, 2006 is now a historic date for any true Sixers fan. It marks the end of an era for a player with a 6-foot frame who was known for acrobatic plays, memorable sound bites and clutch shots, and was a true-life basketball version of Rocky.

Six days before Christmas, Allen Iverson packed his bags and headed across the country to Denver. After requesting a trade and sitting out for several weeks, Philadelphia sent Iverson out west in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, Ivan McFarlin and two first-round picks in this summer’s NBA Draft.

After 11 years of carrying Philadelphia on his back, single-handedly bringing them to the NBA Finals in 2001 and winning the MVP award in the same season, the player known as "The Answer" would have a new role for the first time in his career.

Instead of being the only superstar, A.I. would now be paired with Carmelo Anthony, who at the time of the trade led the NBA in scoring and was developing an All-Star reputation of his own. Immediately, two schools of thought broke out. Analysts either believed that Iverson would be the missing piece to Denver’s puzzle, the player that would put them in the same class of the NBA's elite teams - the Mavericks, Suns and Spurs - or that he and Melo would fail to co-exist and eventually implode, destroying the Nuggets’ playoff chances.

The spotlight was on the Nuggets for their December 22 game against the Kings to see how things would turn out, but something was noticeably missing. Anthony was out of the lineup and it remained that way for 15 games because of the suspension he was serving following his on-the-court incident at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 16.

Without his future All-Star teammate, Iverson showed up and posted 22 points and 10 assists in 39 minutes in his Denver debut.

"I'm glad it's over,'' said Iverson after the five-point loss. “That's the only thing I thought about, just getting the first one by me."

On Jan. 22, the moment Nuggets’ fans had been waiting for finally happened. Iverson and Anthony suited up together for the first time. Melo scored 28 points and Iverson added 23 as the duo quelled the doubters in a 115-95 home win over the Grizzlies.

"We just wanted to show the whole world we could play together,'' said Anthony after the game. “We know there's a lot of doubt about that.''

Still, the initial prophecy of Denver emerging as a premier squad has yet to be fulfilled. Iverson and Anthony have enjoyed a near-perfect marriage, playing at a high-level and keeping their statistics at an All-Star level, but Denver has been inconsistent this season.

With the season winding down, the Nuggets have hit a hot streak and are currently on a season-best seven-game winning streak. During the streak, Denver has edged Dallas and taken down the Lakers, whom they are battling for playoff positioning, twice.

Also over that span, Iverson has eclipsed the 20-point mark six times and dished out 10 or more assists on three occasions. For the season, Anthony is averaging an NBA second-best 29 points per game, while Iverson is tallying 26.6 and 7.2 assists per contest.

In Philadelphia, things have been quite different since Iverson's departure. The Sixers are probably not going to make the playoffs this season, something they failed to do only four times during Iverson's reign.

Yet, in the wake of Allen's departure, a new A.I. has emerged like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Andre Iguodala has given Philly fans hope for the future. Since Iverson left for Denver and passed the torch, Iggy has become a force, averaging 18.3 points per game on the season. He even brought playoff hopes alive, although briefly, for Philadelphia in March.

With two first-round picks coming from Denver to go along with Philadelphia's own selections, the Sixers have a bright future.

While the jury may still be out on whether Iverson can bring home a championship for the Nuggets, it appears both teams are satisfied with a deal that brought Iverson to Denver and youthful hope to the City of Brotherly Love.