A.I. Plays Underdog Card After Losing Camby

It was pretty much universally agreed that, while Marcus Camby is not a smart fantasy pick, the Nuggets had no business dumping him for cap space. Even with Nene waiting in the wings. But don’t try telling that to his teammates. In a novel variation on the “I heart being the underdog” theme that’s defined his career, Allen Iverson came out in support of, or maybe just at peace with, a Camby-less team. From The Rocky Mountain News:↵↵⇥“That’s the beauty of this whole thing ... Because we lost Marcus, everybody is thinking we don’t have a chance. That makes it more competitive for us and makes us want it that much more, because people are counting us out.”↵↵Yeah, but Allen, it’s possible to be competitive, or motivated, without having to lose a key defensive presence. I know, Camby just blocks and rebounds, doesn’t guard his man, but that’s still a useful asset. Maybe the Nuggets could’ve gotten fiery with the big man on board. Otherwise, in a weird way, it makes him into a goat (a sacrificial one, maybe?). But whatever, Camby himself is over his initial shock, and fully convinced that his departure, embarrassing and wrenching as it was, will work out just fine for the Powder Blue:↵↵⇥“Those guys have been hearing about it ever since the trade, about me not being there and the lack of defense and what I brought to the team,” said Camby, whose availability for the opener against the Lakers on Wednesday, and a home game Friday against the Nuggets, is in doubt because of a bruised right heel. “So I know a lot of those guys have a chip on their shoulders. They’re going to try to dig in and prove all the naysayers wrong.”↵↵Note the doubtful availability. That’s probably half the reason The Rocky Mountain News ran this lengthy article.↵