I had to stop what I was doing when I heard the news that the Detroit Pistons traded Chauney Billups, Antonio McDyess, and a spare part to Denver for Allen Iverson. Not because the Pistons traded Billups, because Joe Dumars announced last spring after firing Flip Saunders that there were no sacred cows on the roster. No, the shock was that the Pistons brought back Iverson.
On its face, you have to wonder how a me-me guy like AI would fit in with the team first Pistons. How would AI's ego fit in with guys like Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace (especially Wallace).
And then it occurred to me. Maybe Iverson is exactly what the Pistons need.
He wasn't in Denver very long, but he wasn't a problem when he was there. There were no confrontations with Carmelo Anthony. There were no dustups with George Karl, nothing like that. If he hadn't been playing for Denver, with their late starting times, then more people would realize that Iverson has matured.
What Iverson always did, and will always do, is score. He is a go to guy. He averaged over 26 points per game last year. That's nearly ten points per game more than Hamilton and Billups averaged a year ago. The rest of the Detroit roster split its scoring pretty evenly.
What Iverson provides is a go to guy. You need a bucket down one with two seconds left? Iverson's the go to guy. He's a playmaker. He's the guy that will take Detroit back to the elite level.
Boston proved you could win with three superstars. Detroit proved you can win without one superstar, but winning the title consistently without that superstar proved to be more problematic. Now the Pistons can boast AI, Rip, and Prince. That gives them three guys. Maybe not at the same level as The Big Three in Boston, but I sure would like to see those two teams battle for seven games come June.
And I think we will.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment