Even a month or so after the trade, I’m still getting used to the notion of Allen Iverson not wearing a ‘Sixers uniform. The two went together like bread and butter. But now that I’ve had a full month to digest the change, I’m thrilled by the explosive implications of the NBA’s newest superstar tandem — Carmelo Anthony and “The Answer.”

In the Nuggets’ first two games following Anthony’s suspension for his role in a December brawl with the Knicks — both wins — we’ve seen glimpses of a future title contender. Iverson has flourished in his role as a point guard with a total of 17 assists, and Carmelo has benefited immediately from the former Philadelphia star’s presence, averaging 31 points per game playing alongside AI.

But questions still linger about whether or not the duo will be able to coexist to lead the Nuggets to long-term success. We all remember the last time two NBA superstars were featured in the same lineup, and let’s just say it didn’t end well for the Lakers.

Moreover, Anthony and Iverson may appear, on the surface at least, to be head-cases of Shaq and Bryant proportions. AI had constant fallouts with his previous coaching guru, Larry Brown, and has been arrested on several occasions for minor transgressions. Melo, too, has shown signs of “attitude problems” in the past, and, for most of his young career to date, he’s been in the shadows of his fellow players from the NBA Draft Class of 2003: Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

But don’t be fooled. As long as Melo quits sucker-punching people and running away, the tandem of AI and Anthony will make the Nuggets a formidable contender, both in the West and out of it.

Neither Melo or Iverson has won a title. AI could practically taste the championship when he single-handedly pulled the Sixers into the 2000 Finals against the Lakers, but he came up short against Kobe, Shaq and Phil. Melo, on the other hand, has yet to come close to winning a title at the professional level, despite winning an NCAA Championship in his freshman and final year at Syracuse.

This should keep the two united and from squabbling about who takes more shots. Again, you only have to look as far back as that previously mentioned Lakers dynasty to see the effects of winning a ring. Once they had won the big one, the intensity and drive of Los Angeles’ dynamic duo diminished. And you know the rest of the story from there.

Iverson, especially, is the kind of player who hungers for a championship. He’s done everything he could have in his career so far — except win a title. He’s getting a bit old, and there’s no way that he’ll put his own priorities over those of the team.

A second reason why the Melo-AI pairing will succeed is the fact that Iverson knows how to pass, unlike some other NBA superstars (see: Bryant, Kobe). With the Lakers, there was always some sort of issue with who was going to get the ball, which ultimately resulted in the battle of egos that brought an end to LA’s championship era. And it all started with Kobe’s trigger-happy playing style.

The common perception of Iverson as a “ballhog” stems from the sheer quantity of shots he took as a 76er. That perception doesn’t take into account that he was basically the only scoring option every year. Iverson had no other choice but to take shot after shot and hope for the best.

AI should revel in his new role as point guard for the Nuggets, penetrating the lane and kicking it out to Carmelo at will. Those who say he can’t or won’t pass are simply ignoring the situation he’s been in for his whole career up until this point.

It’s also important to take note of the development that both players have made in recent years. Iverson, once popular for his public diatribe on “practice,” seems as if he has finally wised up after passing the age 30 threshold. He sees the big picture now: winning an NBA title.

If Iverson has matured off of the court, Melo has done the same. When he first entered the NBA, many doubted his attitude and whether he was anything more than a Glenn Robinson-esque scorer who would only play defense on occasion. Carmelo has since erased all doubts about his game in this regard with his performance both last year and at the beginning of this season, making a commitment to defense and emerging as a leader for the Nuggets.

Of course there was the incident in New York, but I really don’t think that a player getting into a fight on the court has any bearing on his ability to be a leader or a team player.

As far as I’m concerned, this trade will be nothing less than “The Answer” for a Denver franchise looking to establish itself once and for all as a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.

Jack Salisbury is a freshman and a fan of on-court riots. Email him at jack24@stanford.edu.