Could Iguodala Work in the Big Apple?
By Josh Dhani
Philadelphia 76ers’ wing-man, Andre Iguodala, understands that he may not be with the Sixers for long as they enter their rebuilding mode. They drafted Evan Turner back in June and plan to use him for the long and run and hope he becomes the leader for the team in the near future. And for Iguodala, he could be gone by the time Turner takes control of the team. Right now, the Sixers are struggling and they realize they may want to trade their best player in Iggy. Andre realizes that, too.
“I would love to stay in Philadelphia, but if I’m playing somewhere else, I definitely understand how that could happen. I know how the business works,” he told FanHouse on Friday night. “You have to be prepared for anything in this league. And I am. It’s one of the first things you learn when you get here. Guys get traded on draft night.”
But it may be tough for the Sixers to even trade Iguodala. For one reason, he is dealing with injuries as he is tendinitis in his left knee. Iguodala also has four years with $56 million remaining, and many teams may not want to take a shot at that. But Iguodala seems like he wants to leave the team as he continues to perform but not his squad. As of right now, Iguodala wants to be on a winning team.
“Losing like this is tough. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing with,” Iguodala said. “I’m here trying to help the young guys. My whole thing is to go out there, and use this as a learning experience. I couldn’t ask for a better job. I’m just happy now to playing ball, wherever that will be.”
A possible team that could work would be the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been improving lately after an early slump. But the team is relying a lot on Amare Stoudemire and the team would like a good wing player, which is why Carmelo Anthony has been a lot in the trade speculation. But what about Iguodala? Couldn’t they fit? They could easily create a winning team.
So this is how the trade could probably work:
New York Knicks Get – Andre Iguodala, Jason Kapono
Philadelphia 76ers Get – Anthony Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Eddy Curry
Now the only bad part of this trade is that the Sixers may not be all that interested in a guy like Curry. But hey, that is how it is going to work and it works on ESPN Trade Machine. The Knicks seem like they could use Anthony Randolph a lot for trade bait. He would fit well in the solid core of big men that are on the Sixers. They would also get a young, rising superstar in Danilo Gallinari. Gallanari has a lot of advantages for the positions he plays and for his lucky size.
As for the Knicks, they get a playmaking Iguodala and a pretty good shooter in Jason Kapono. We’ve Kapono succeed many times, hitting those big shots. He is the three-point specialist. He’s won the Three-Point competition a couple of times. But the Knicks have a good wing player in Iguodala as he can play shooting guard and small forward.
With Landry Fields at shooting guard, Iguodala will fill-in for Gallinari at small forward. Iguodala has some good back-ups so he won’t be relied on too much all the time. Bill Walker, Kelenna Azubuike, and Wilson Chandler will definitely help out at small forward. But the Knicks could be hard to cover with a starting five of Raymond Felton, Fields, Iguodala, Stoudemire, and Ronny Turiaf.
This could work.
So, what do you think?
Can Andre Iguodala work in the Big Apple?