The time machine

[C]The two men stand in front of the 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲, eager to discover its possibilities. Out of desperation, they hope to change their perception. As it stands, they're not viewed in the light they'd hope for. This instrument can change that, though.

[C]These men are typically mentioned as tragic figures in the basketball realm; their names are Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. Both players earned their rightful flowers but were on pace to achieve so much more. Besides that similarity, they were linked to another possibility that could have changed the trajectory of their careers. If we turn the clock back to the earlier stages of their careers -- specifically 1999 -- we realize that reality could have diverged considerably.

[IC]The two men walk into the time machine preparing for a new reality that paints them in a different light. They take a deep breath...and walk into the machine...

[C]  ▬▬▬▬

[C]  

[BC]𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗦.

[C]The 1996 NBA Draft was special. At the same position as prospect Kobe Bryant was an undersized phenom; Allen Iverson out of Georgetown. Initially, his physical profile was questioned, but his talent compensated for it. The 76ers couldn't pass up on this chance, so they grabbed him without further thought.

[C]In his rookie year, AI had highlights. He made Michael Jordan look silly with an ankle-stealing crossover. He averaged 40+ throughout 5 games. He earned praise from many legends. Similarly, another notorious player entered the NBA.

[C]Before the 1997 Draft, Tracy McGrady was a high school prospect with absurd physical traits. Standing at 6'8" in height with extreme length, he was the prototype of the modern-day scorer. Despite the talent, he was eased into the league.

[C]Due to the uncertainty of him adjusting to the NBA, the front office took this as a gradual process. This led to him starting in 19 of 131 total games in '98 and '99. Both men were in different circumstances but were likely to be stuck in mediocrity. 

[C]What's vital to note is their surroundings. Outside of their potential, their rosters were far from ideal. In Philadelphia, Iverson didn't have much to work with besides Jerry Stackhouse and Derrick Coleman for 1-2 seasons. Tracy played with his cousin Vince Carter, but Toronto was only in its 2nd year since its creation, and the front office had little to no experience. Couple this with a lack of free agency appeal and you've got an arduous situation.

[C]By the offseason of 1999, everything was set into motion as some interesting headlines came to light. The main storyline was rumors of a Raptors-76ers trade. The 76ers offered Larry Hughes to the Raptors in exchange for Tracy McGrady and a first-rounder.

[C] Despite not getting enough time, the Raptors seemingly gave up on Tracy McGrady, and wanted to go in a new direction. They wanted the defensive-minded Larry Hughes paired with Vince Carter, a budding star with a phenomenal vertical. Since Philadelphia was still questioning if T-Mac would develop, a first-rounder gave them more assurance.

[C]While the deal nearly happened, some factors prevented it. First, Toronto had doubts about whether Larry Hughes would be a cornerstone of the franchise. Next, Toronto thought that Philly was asking for too much with the extra first-rounder. While the stigma surrounding T-Mac was that he wouldn't develop, his upside was levels above Hughes. In the end, Toronto backed out of the deal due to cold feet. 

[IC]Although that seems to be all, exploring the possibilities of this trade becoming a reality sounds damn fun.

[BC]  ════ ⋆★⋆ ════  

[C]Before we see into the possibilities of this move, we need to dig through the needed context to understand what these superstars missed out on during their prime. Only then can we see how this pairing would help each other, especially given their surrounding cast.

[C]After Toronto refused to trade him, T-Mac left in 2000 to sign a seven-year $92.8 million contract with the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic already had Grant Hill; T-Mac would immediately play next to one of the premier players in the league. With him only being 21 years old, this pair would have time to build their chemistry.

[C]Meanwhile, in the East, the 76ers signed Iverson to a six-year $70.9 million deal. Although the circumstance there wasn't as ideal as other potential suitors, he remained loyal.

[C]This deal paid off. In 2001, the 76ers would go on to win 56 games and reach the NBA Finals, even stealing a game from the Lakers. The Magic, on the other hand, weren't as fortunate. Grant Hill went down after spraining his left ankle, and him being rushed in didn't help either. He'd end up playing only 4 games the entire regular season, causing the Magic to lose in round one.

[C]To Tracy's dismay, this became a trend in the coming years. Grant Hill was plagued by nagging injuries. And whenever he took the court, he was bad. On the contrary, Iverson didn't have severe injuries, but his cast was never sufficient to gun for a title.

[C]As the years progressed, things changed, but not in a good way. In Houston, T-Mac continued his all-star level production but his Rockets team never took flight. In 2008, the Rockets finished 53-29, and had a very respectable team with McGrady, Yao Ming, and Shane Battier, but lost in round one. The next year, despite adding Ron Artest, was no different. Tracy McGrady was seemingly out of his prime, and various injuries would hurt him past this point. They did reach the WCSF, which was a solid achievement, but the foreseeable future was looking bleak for both sides. With T-Mac aging and having frequent health complications, it was well-known that he had fallen from grace.

[C]In Iverson's case, he found himself in the same boat. The 76ers had many opportunities to obtain quality players in Free Agency but never cashed in. This translated to seasons where Iverson carried the workload, which never led to anything noteworthy. Usually losing out in the first round, the 76er's only sniff of success came in 2001.

[C]So we now have the necessary context to delve deeper. Tracy did have injury troubles, but these only plagued him around 2008, right after he had his prime. The only reason he never found much playoff success was due to the absence of a healthy, all-star-level teammate. He had Yao Ming in Houston, but was that TRULY enough to contend? Similarly, Iverson's situation was never perfect for him to operate. During his prime years ('01-'04), his best teammate was Eric Snow (sorry, Eric).

[C]We have two players who weren't flawless, but didn't have the circumstance to make use of their skills. Although we can only look in retrospect, I feel like we can analyze the possibilities and fit of T-Mac and AI playing in Philly. If we do so, we come out realizing that things could have been so much different, without strictly assuming.

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[C]At the peak of his powers, Tracy McGrady was a bona fide scoring machine. With an arsenal of reliable tactics, Tracy was nearly unstoppable. What made his game so exceptional was his efficiency and versatility. From nearly anywhere he could knock a shot down, and he found his sweet spot every time. When looking at the given shot-chart for his '03 season (single-season peak) this becomes all the more apparent. 

[IUC]'03 Tracy McGrady shot-chart:

[C]With this, we can verify that he was an incredibly versatile scorer. For the first time, the league came across a lengthy and tall wing who played smoothly like a guard -- even more of a unicorn than Larry Bird or Dominique Wilkins. Specifically, it was his tools that made him so unique. Despite not looking intimidating, his bag of tricks, including the mastery of certain shots, made him formidable. 

[C]In '02-'03 T-Mac had an rTS of +4.5%, partially due to his efficient usage of shots. Stemming from his athleticism and towering frame, smaller defenders couldn't contain him. He would have no problem rising and hitting it, and attacking the paint gave defenders issues too. The fact that he took such effective shots proves that he wasn't your typical high-volume backpacker. Contrary to Iverson, his shot selection was top-notch and among the best scorers in the league.

[C]He was also the absolute definition of the modern three-level scorer, shooting at a clip of 38.6% from 3pt on 6 attempts and being respectable from downtown for most of his career. With his quick release and ability to hit just about any shot, defenses needed to approach him with caution. Typically, the only way to slow him down was by tightening the man-to-man defense and having the big down low advance. Overall, though, T-Mac couldn't be stifled, and his creation for others made him even more of a problem. Whenever he was doubled or had a few bodies angling in his direction, he'd hit an open man with a dazzling pass. Nonetheless, he wasn't perfect offensively.

[C]Keep in mind, for the majority of his career, he lacked an offensive partner. Due to the absence of a great shot-creator, T-Mac had inefficient nights where he was ball dominant and couldn't get anything going. Other times, he was unwilling to pass even if given the right opportunity, and he missed easy looks other elites would cash in on. Anyways, if the trade came into fruition, he would have that desired co-star in Allen Iverson.

[C]_____

[IC]Now, let's see Allen Iverson and how he'd fit alongside T-Mac, plus the benefits he'd draw from it.

[C]Let's begin with a simple shot chart.

[UC]Allen Iverson Shot Chart (‘01)

[BC]  ════ ⋆★⋆ ════  

[C]The main thing you notice is the spontaneity of his percentages. Despite him taking most of his shots from mid-range (24.8% of fga's were from 16ft-3pt), he was quite versatile with his arsenal. That being said, it subsequently affected his efficiency. From the right corner, his efficiency was below-average and it wasn't an effective shot of his. On the contrary, he was among the most proficient scorers from near the 3pt-line. This was due to his ability to create space with his exceptional dribbling, which had his defenders on skates. 

[C]Similarly, he was quite good at drawing defensive attention. Unfortunately, this strength didn't result in anything notable. Given his teammates' inability to space the floor (76ers ranked 26th in 3pt% in '01 & 25th in fg% from 10-16 ft), and him being undersized, the 76ers never benefited from this aspect. In turn, he took very difficult shots that constituted poor shot selection.

[C]Fortunately, next to T-Mac, he'd have less of a problem. With the off-ball movement of Tracy and his quick release (50% FG of assisted 3pt attempts), Iverson would be more open to spreading the ball out. Likewise, Tracy would be more willing to pass with another scoring machine alongside him.

[C]Offensively, the 76ers would likely succeed with these two, so you can expect that they would get a top 5 ORtg consistently. 

[C]Now, the defense is something we need to cover, as this duo wouldn't be completely spotless. Lacking on-ball defense, AI was never that good of a defender beside his knack for creating turnovers. Tracy, meanwhile, had the physical traits to be a capable defender but fell short of his defensive potential due to effort.

[C]Thankfully, they'd be covered. On that 76ers team, they would add Dikembe Mutombo before the '00-'01 season, and already had Eric Snow and Theo Ratliff. With the myriad of top-rate defenders, Philly finished with a top 5 DRtg that season, and high placements in other categories such as opponent 3PT%, steals per game, and opponent turnovers. We should also consider that they were under Larry Brown, someone who knew how to improve the defensive capability of any team.

[C]Knowing this, we need to see how this team would match up against other contenders. Would they measure up to the talent of teams like the Lakers, and the vigor of the Heat or Pacers? Let's analyze.

[BC]  ════ ⋆★⋆ ════  

[C]Assuming this team stayed healthy, they would be a top-tier contender. With two all-NBA level players backed by an elite defense, the 76ers would compete with teams such as the Nets, Pistons, Pacers, and more. The only challenges would be the Lakers and Spurs, two franchises with incredible players at the forefront Star-power would not be a problem for the 76ers, though. Say Iverson is completely off his game; Tracy McGrady could step up and have himself a game. Once again, the luxury of having a co-star would be the prominent factor in ensuring success. 

[C]Assuming their primes stay in course with reality, these two would be consensus all-NBA players for 8 or more years. During this timeline, you can easily see them reaching the Finals a couple of times or even bringing a title home; potential years for that could be 2003 or 2006. 

[C]Of course, we should mention that Iverson was already around the age of 29 in 2003. But given the decent longevity AI had barring injuries, the 76ers would surely be a top-5 seed for years.  

[C]The only question is, what levels would the Iverson-McGrady pair reach? Once again, when factoring in health, I doubt they would be as potent offensively post-2006. Still, the sample size wouldn't be tricky if they both averaged 25+ with respectable efficiency (likely they would).

[C]This circumstance would be similar to Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry from 2017 to 2019. Only playing 3 seasons together, both players played at an MVP-level for each of those years. They're a consensus top-10 duo ever too, and many fans don't bother about the sample size.

[C]Similarly, with a slightly larger sample, the AI and T-Mac duo would likely be grouped in the top 10 offensive duos ever.

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[C]Upon exiting the 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲, the men reflect on everything they experienced. In contrast to the original reality, they're painted in a light that portrays them as legends; two pioneers who achieved greatness. In the realm of sports, they're regarded as some of the greatest to ever do it, and their perception is pristine. Not only are they fan favorites, but they have distinguished careers. Compared to the former reality, things have greatly changed, as no longer are they frowned upon. All it took was one possibility coming into fruition to revise history completely, yet it feels so 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. These two legends deserve every bit of praise for their achievements.