Iguodala has emerged to spark post-Iverson Sixers

	Andre Iguodala's all-around excellence has helped Philadelphia play close to .500 basketball since the Allen Iverson trade. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
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In Philadelphia, AI is all the rage.

Did you see AI kill Miami? Nineteen points, eight rebounds, six assists and that sick around-the-back pass to Steven Hunter? He took it to them!

That was nothing. You see AI against the Lakers? Thirty-one points, eight rebounds. He outplayed Kobe Bryant, baby!

No, they have not become delusional in Philadelphia. They have not gone mad. The locals are not conjuring up images of Allen Iverson or confusing ESPN Classic games with the live version. No, that AI is still 2,000 miles away in Denver. It's the new AI, Andre Iguodala, who has been embraced by the fan base while making the old one (no kidding) little more than a distant memory.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. When Iverson was traded to the Nuggets in December, it was obvious that the 76ers had decided to give up on the season (buying out Chris Webber's contract in January reinforced that feeling) and hope a high draft pick would yield the type of player that would carry them into the next decade.

Privately, the Philadelphia front office was salivating at the possibility of a Greg Oden-Samuel Dalembert front line that could swallow up guards daring to penetrate into the lane, or at the very least having Dalembert to dangle as trade bait. Failing that, the high-scoring Kevin Durant, whose skills -- at least offensively -- compare favorably to Iverson's coming out of college, could spark an anemic offense that when Iverson departed was ranked 23rd (94.4 points per game) in the league. Bottom line: Philly was ready for a change.

It doesn't look like Iguodala got that memo.

Never before considered a cornerstone player, Iguodala has emerged as a legitimate first option offensively while continuing his role as the 76ers' defensive stopper. Against the Lakers earlier this month, Iguodala held Bryant to just nine points in the final 32 minutes. The win capped a 6-0 homestand that propelled Philadelphia back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, a feat no one could have imagined in the aftermath of the Iverson deal.

With eight wins already in March, Philadelphia is assured of its first winning month of the season and is just one game below .500 (23-24) since dealing its franchise player. "The losing," as Iverson frequently referred to it, has stopped.

It has been Iguodala's play, however, that has been the most surprising. Since the Dec. 19 trade, "AI2" has averaged 19.6 points (up from 13.9) and 6.0 assists (up from 4.4). He has two triple doubles during that stretch and is one of two players among the NBA's top 50 scorers to connect on more free throws (405) than field goals (400).

"There are not many players," said Sixers forward Kyle Korver, "playing better than Andre right now."

"He's taken responsibility of taking tough shots and making plays at the ends of games," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said recently. "Everyone knew he had this great talent and was just waiting to break open."

Defensively, Iguodala has led a resurgence that has made the Sixers one of the league's stingiest teams. In the last 26 games, Philadelphia opponents are averaging just 95 points, compared to 100.1 in the first 44 games of the season.

Ironically, the 76ers' climb in the standings may prove disastrous in the long term. Philadelphia looks like a longshot for one of the top two picks and currently projects to pick seventh, a slot that could yield a prospect like Florida's Joakim Noah or Georgetown's Jeff Green. Those are solid players who could contribute right away, but a far cry from the immediate impact a player like Oden or Durant could have on the franchise.

That, however, is not Iguodala's problem. For now the third-year forward is focused on continuing to improve while proving that he can be the "Scottie Pippen-type" player many projected him to be when the Sixers made him the ninth pick in the 2004 draft.

"The talent he possesses is special," Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks said. "When you have a guy like that, you just start building around him."