Billups, A.I. Trading Places

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 3, 2008
in Around the NBA and Miscellaneous
.

The first mega-deal of the 2008-09 season sure didn’t take long, huh?

While the league has yet to confirm what ESPN is reporting, it seems that Allen Iverson’s heading to Detroit in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb (solid name, right?).

I have to say that at first glance, off the top of my dome, I think Detroit got the better end of it. Here’s why:

  • With Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, Detroit has two forwards that can move the ball as well as nearly any front line in the NBA, which means the Pistons can get by with a shoot-first guard like A.I. better than most teams.
  • Iverson’s in the last year of his deal, while Billups has (including this season) four years and more than $50 million on his contract. So basically, Detroit tries to catch lightning in the bottle for one year when they weren’t going to win the title as they currently existed anyway.
  • Billups can still play, but is he a game changer at the point anymore? Even if he still has a lot left this year, does his contract limit the Nuggets in the next few years?
  • Rodney Stuckey is really good. So if the A.I. experiment doesn’t work this year, his contract is up and Stuckey steps into the spotlight with full confidence.
  • Detroit might get McDyess back for free, as Denver could buy him out and the Pistons re-sign him. Basically, his contract is needed to balance out the deal, but the Nuggets might not even want him.
  • Iverson really wants to go to Detroit, according to Stephen A. Smith (funny how the local beat guys always get scooped by the national guys, huh?). That mitigates my worries about Iverson’s banged up ankles and knees from the preseason. He’ll be fine, especially with new motivation. And if you don’t think A.I. can still score at will, then you and I simply disagree.

    Effect on the West
    Why does this matter to the Lakers, you ask?

    To be honest, I’m not sure that it matters at all in the grand scheme of the Western Conference playoff picture. I think this helps the Nuggets win a few more games this season - enough to sneak into the playoffs - as well as saves them some luxury tax money, but does it give them enough to beat L.A.? Houston? New Orleans? San Antonio? Utah? Not on paper.

    One thing I’d bank on - especially for you fantasy owners out there - is that Carmelo Anthony will have a huge statistical season … He just jumped like 15 spots in the rankings to just outside the top 10, if you ask me. Fighting for shots with A.I. is no longer an issue, meaning George Karl’s offense is going to feature ‘Melo almost more than any offense in the league features its star. And remember, FGAs transfer into fantasy points. Off the bench, J.R. Smith will huck them up while ‘Melo gets a breather, but the Syracuse National Champ just won’t be getting that much rest.

    I’ll try and get a few of the Lakers to weigh in on the deal at practice today in an odd week where we’ll only see the purple and gold on the floor once, this Wednesday against the Clippers, before the Rockets come to town Sunday.