The question about The Answer

In case you were too cool to be following your fantasy team by watching a meaningless Nuggets-Heat game last night, the big news in the NBA p.m. was that Allen Iverson asked to be traded. This wasn't exactly unexpected, as Mark Stein reminds us. But Iverson did throw in a little twist by saying he wants to go to Minnesota. The catch, as Stein also details, is that Minnesota doesn't really have shit to trade thanks to inept management. (How you deal Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric and still come out owing the other team a first-round pick is pretty much amazing.)

So can this trade happen? Time to bust out the ol' ESPN trade machine. I'm assuming Philly's looking for young talent and salary cap relief, so let's go from there and then guess at the draft picks.

Minny's up on the clock first, of course. Their options:

Iverson for Ricky Davis, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, and Marko Jaric

Analysis: Assuming that Philly is cool with a crazy guy, a clone of a guy already on the roster (Willie Green), a dude who just had major knee surgery, and a guy who will be paid something like $20 million over the next four years to keep sucking, I'd say Minnesota would have to throw in something like a decade's worth of first rounders. With G.M. McHale, it just might happen.

Iverson for Bracey Wright, Eddie Griffin, Ricky Davis, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, and Craig Smith

Analysis: This one actually works better. Wright and Griffin are expiring contracts included only for salary cap purposes. Ricky Davis gives you a poor imitation of Iverson for the next two years of his deal. And Foye, McCants, and Smith could all end up being very good players (Smith's P.E.R., for what it's worth, is over 18). Actually, the more I think about this, the more I think it might work if some picks are thrown in. Of course, Philly would have to cut or trade like 1/4 of its current roster to make room for everbody, but that's outside the scope of this exercise.

Now, if I were the Sixers, as part of the deal I'd demand that someone take Chris Webber's whiny ass off my hands, too. Let's see if that's even possible, much less doable. ... Got it!

Iverson and Webber for Bracey Wright, Eddie Griffin, Ricky Davis, Randy Foye, Mark Blount, Trenton Hassell, Rashad McCants, Troy Hudson, Craig Smith, and Marko Jaric

Analysis: Yes, a rare 10-for-2 deal. That would leave Minnesota with 6 guys on the roster: Garnett, Iverson, Webber, Mike James, Mark Madsen, and Justin Reed. It'd be like Hoosiers, only older. It would also leave Philly with a 23-man roster, which should position them perfectly for a run at the Champion's Cup in 2008. (Fun fact: it would also ask Philly to take on the contracts of Jaric, Hudson, Hassell, and Blount, all of whom have four years left on their contracts, and who are making a combined $22.7 million just this year, and whose combined averages are 28.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.5 threes, 2.4 steals, 2 blocks, and 6 turn-overs — in other words, a typical night for Dwyane Wade when Shaq's out.)

And, just for kicks, because you know the sports pundits are going to joke about it, let's see if Isiah and the Knicks could pull of this deal.

Iverson and Webber for Channing Frye, Quentin Richardson, David Lee, Malik Rose, Nate Robinson, and Stephon Marbury

Because big names are always better than scrappy, efficient guys, and because two years of Malik is better than three years of Webber.