This pairing mixes powder keg, match

The Denver Nuggets made a deal Tuesday for Allen Iverson, a trade that puts two of the NBA’s best scorers and most exciting players on the same team.

From a fan’s perspective, particularly one who lives in Denver, I think it’s a great idea. I don’t get to as many games as I used to, but that’s sure to change now that A.I. and Carmelo Anthony will be sharing the rock – as I’m sure it would for thousands of fans in Denver and around the league.

As for making the Nuggets title contenders, I just don’t see it.

Oh, things will be great for about a month or so (once Anthony gets back from his suspension), the two stars sharing on the court, saying the right things off it and winning games. But after that month, the new-car smell will wear off and things will start to stink.

Here’s a few reasons:

“The double-star method rarely works. Shaquille O’Neal meshed with Dwyane Wade in Miami and reluctantly did it with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, but most of the time it fails. Look at Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in New York – or any of the NBA Dream Teams since the original.

“Although Anthony seems to have matured since his pot-in-the-backpack and snitch-video days, he’s still not all the way there – a point made clear by his punch-and-run of New York’s Mardy Collins Saturday night, a move that cost him 15 games. He’s also used to being the center of attention. Now that Iverson is thrown into the mix, it’ll just be a matter of time before Anthony starts complaining about not getting the ball.

“Iverson does things his way, no matter what anyone else thinks. Not only will that not fly with Nuggets coach George Karl, who’s from the same do-it-my-way-or-else mold as Larry Brown (with less patience, no less), it’s going to wear as thin as the air in Denver with Anthony and the rest of the Nuggets when things start to go wrong.

Of course, I’m glad the teams pulled the trigger – it’ll be fun to watch while it’s going well and perhaps better when it’s not.