Well we have the first major trade of the NBA season, and boy is a it a whopper. The Denver Nugget's Allen Iverson goes to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. It a big move for both teams, and it will be fun to see how this plays out during the season.
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony never did seem to be able to get the most out of each other. Both players are among the elite players in the NBA, but they just couldn't seem to translate their innate talents to wins on the floor. The trade shakes up both rosters and gives both teams something they needed.
In Detroit, Allen Iverson will continue to do what he has always done, and that is score, score score. He is among the best shot creators in the NBA and his speed makes him lethal on the floor. It has long been a knock on Iverson that his defensive effort is somewhat lacking, but that won't be as much of a problem in Detroit, as he is surrounded with some players that always go the extra mile in their defense. Also no-doubt entering the equation for Detroit is that Iverson is a free-agent next year, so that should free up some cap room for GM Joe Dumars to rearrange his team some more. The move is Dumar's second huge move, after he fired Head Coach Flip Saunders during the off-season. I have a feeling that the move will generate a lot of excitement in Detroit, and there will be a lot of people looking for Detroit Pistons tickets.
Allen was a league MVP in 2001, year he led the 76ers to the Finals in 2001 before Kobe and Shaq stopped him. he went to Philadelphia from Georgetown in 1996.
NBA insiders have long known that Chauncey Billups is one of the best point guards in the NBA. He was instrumental in Detroit's Finals win in 2004. Billup's leadership and experience will do well to steer the Nuggets in the right direction. He has also been one of the best three-point shooters in the league. He should mesh well with Carmelo Anthony, another great player that showed what he could do in the Olympics this summer. Billups is also quite an upgrade on D over Iverson, one area that the Nuggets definitely needed to address. The Move will also shake up the Nugget's fan base, hopefully get some more people into the Pepsi Center and get more people looking for Denver Nuggets tickets.
Billups had his number retired by the University of Colorado, and also was awarded the 2004 NBA Finals MVP.
