Pistons + Allen Iverson = NBA Title?
In case you didn’t know it yet, Iverson was traded to the Pistons last Monday.
We’re only in the first two weeks and yet we already have the first big trade of the 2008-09 NBA basketball season. Allen Iverson, one of the game’s most prolific scorers, is now a Piston after the Denver Nuggets traded him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.
Was this a deal that just might give the Detroit Pistons the NBA title come June? Sure, having a guy like Iverson on your team is a huge advantage but was giving up on Billups and McDyess the right way to go?
Billups was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and was one of the key factors why the Pistons have been in the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years. It would be hard to fill in those shoes considering that the guy has made a career of making big shots in Detroit. But if there’s anyone who can fill the void Billups leaves, Allen Iverson can.
Iverson has been known as a guy who never gives up on the court easily. And while the Pistons continue to promote the blue collar style of basketball the last few years, Iverson has always been a blue collar guy even way back when he was still playing with the 76ers.
Next, we have Antonio McDyess, the third guy of this three-man deal between the Pistons and the Nuggets. The trade will bring McDyess back to the Nuggets, the very franchise that made him one of the most talented big men in the game a few years ago. But for some reason, McDyess doesn’t want to play for any team other than Detroit, and I won’t be surprised to see him back in the Pistons lineup this season or the next.
STILL, the Denver Nuggets are looking for better things with the trade. They are hoping to finally get some leadership from their point guard now that Denver native Chauncey Billups has arrived.
With Chauncey Billups patrolling the Denver offense, guys like Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith should now have better looks than when Iverson was running things. Besides, Melo desperately needs a veteran to keep him out of trouble and the kid will definitely learn a lot from one of the craftiest veterans in the NBA today.
But then again, I still like what the Pistons got out of this deal better than what the Nuggets have. The Pistons will now have a legitimate superstar in Iverson after playing in all six Eastern Conference Finals without one.
I’m not expecting the departure of Billups to hurt the Pistons offense that much either since Rodney Stuckey is already becoming one of the better guards in the game today.
Yes, they can keep jumping on the ‘’Big Three’’ bandwagon in Boston but as far as the Pistons are concerned, they now have a superstar in Mo Town. And since they’ve already been in six straight Eastern Conference Finals without a superstar, imagine what these guys can do with one.
Who will win the 2009 NBA Finals? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.
Boston Celtics 4.00
Los Angeles Lakers 4.50
Detroit Pistons 9.00
San Antonio Spurs 9.00
Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more basketball betting odds. Want to watch the NBA live? Get NBA tickets online now.
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