ESPN reports Iverson headed to Detroit for Billups and others

Iverson and Wallace on the same team?

Insanely stupid.

 

This strictly be a cap move. Iverson is set to make nearly 21 million, the outgoing contracts of Billups and Dice are 18 million.

Iverson has one year left on his contract, Billups has four, McDyess 2.

This way, the Pistons could either resign him at a lesser rate, or let him become a FA at years end and have more than 21 million in free cap space; possibly 33 million if they can get rid of Sheed.

That's a lot of money they could throw at some FA's to go around

PG STUCKEY
SF PRINCE
PF MAXIELL/JOHNSON

 

Billups will be a disaster in Denver. He's talked over and over again about how he couldn't be successful until he got away from his hometown.

 

Uh, because NBA refs are corrupt, rabbit-eared children who should STFU and call the games?

 

Well, that too, but continual buzzer-to-buzzer ear-splitting screeching scatological caterwauling at the refs has proven to be a questionable method of getting favorable calls in crunch time.

 

i'm happy for billups. he's one of my favorite players. denver will soar by this, and carmelo takes it to the next level.

not a pistons fans, but the team that won it a few years back should've become a dynasty.

 

No idea why Detroit would do this. Rasheed Wallace and Iverson are going to be jacking up shots all over the place. Maybe this was just a cap space and rebuilding thing for down the road.

 

Just heard that the Pistons are also dealing the Nuggets CHiekh Samb, a bench player and that Dyess may not sign with Denver. He may end up in Detroit at the end of this.

 

This makes no sense for either team.

Then again, it's the NBA. Isn't every trade somehow tied to salary cap relief rather than, I don't know, improving a franchise?

 

Agreed. Stuckey looked good in the playoffs, and I've always been an Iverson apologist, so there is that. I don't think this is as near a bad of a trade as some here seem to think.

 

Iverson has long been one of my favorite players. I think he gets a bad rap. Pound for pound, there's probably not a tougher guy in the league.

Billups has become a defensive liability, doesn't use his strength to post up smaller point guards anymore and gets abused by small and quick guys like Rondo and Gibson.

Iverson also doesn't have a title. I think he needs that title. He also gives the Pistons a guy who can score whenever he wants. Detroit's playoff problems have been confounded by long scoring droughts. Sure, they had four or five guys who could score, but nobody who could score at will.

I think this is a great trade for the Pistons...as much as I like Billups...especially if Denver releases McDyess, as is rumored. Even if the Nuggets keep McDyess, this sets Detroit up for a good run in the playoffs.