Former 76er Andre Iguodala struggles in return to Philadelphia

This was not the successful return to Philadelphia that Andre Iguodala might have envisioned when he was dealt by the 76ers to Denver in August in a four-team blockbuster.

Not only did he struggle to find his way on offense but so did his teammates during Wednesday's 84-75 loss to the Sixers in the NBA opener for both teams at the Wells Fargo Center.

Iguodala had 11 points, shooting 5 of 13 from the field, missing all four three-pointers, and shooting 1 for 3 from the line. He had four rebounds, four assists, two steals, four turnovers, and one blocked shot.

"For myself it was kind of emotional," Iguodala said afterward. "It was taxing a little bit during the game and I was just thinking too much."

Iguodala was booed in the pregame introductions and frequently afterward when he touched the ball. His misplays often brought cheers.

The Sixers showed a short video tribute to Iguodala during a timeout with 5 minutes, 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

"It was real classy of the organization," he said of the video tribute.

While the boos began when he was shown on the video board, a large segment of the crowd began to stand and cheer, showing that his eight seasons, 615 regular-season games, one all-star appearance, and five trips to the playoffs were appreciated by some.

Iguodala said he appreciated the response during the tribute. He said the boos he heard during the game did not catch him off guard

"I wasn't surprised by that at all," he said. "They will get on their team sometimes if they are not playing too well."

Then, drawing laughter, he added, "It's been worse."

Nuggets coach George Karl had an analytical assessment of Iguodala's performance.

"There was a degree of him searching for an identity on the court," Karl said. "I thought early in the game he might have been trying too hard."

Iguodala didn't disagree.

"At times, I was trying too hard, "Iguodala said. "If I hadn't got a shot in a while or wasn't as impactful as I wanted to be, maybe I would start forcing things."

It wasn't just Iguodala who shot poorly. The Nuggets, playing without three-point threat Danilo Gallinari, who was out with a left ankle sprain, hit just 37.5 percent of their shots.

"As the game went on, [Iguodala], along with all of our players, didn't have confidence in making the outside shot," Karl said.

After the game, Iguodala embraced Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday and then met with his former teammates and some coaches on the court for a few moments.

"I let Jrue know I still have his back no matter what," Iguodala said. "We had a close bond and still have one."

Most of all, Iguodala seemed truly relieved that his first trip back to Philadelphia as an ex-Sixer was over.

"It was good to get it out of the way," Iguodala said. "You can always shake off a bad first game."