Deep Impact: Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams Saviors of the Year

Nene seems to satisfied with the arrival of Billups. Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images

We all know about the usual individual awards handed out at season's end: MVP, Defensive Player of the Year etc. But what if there were accolades given to one player who either raised the level of one team, or a player who literally saved a team from a sub-par year?

Almost every season there is at least one player who saves a team destined for destruction, and brings them to life.

In 2004, the Detroit Pistons were contenders--but they were missing something some people couldn't quite put their finger on. Their missing piece turned out to be Rasheed Wallace, who was traded mid-season from the Atlanta Hawks and helped the Pistons win their third NBA Championship.

And last season the Boston Celtics, who were coming off their worst season in the history of their franchise, acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to assist Paul Pierce.

Of course we all know how that turned out.

So who are this season's saviors? A couple of guys come to mind.

Before the 2008-09 NBA season kicked off, many questioned if the Denver Nuggets, would even reach the postseason this season despite having two All-Stars in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson in the lineup.

After a slow start, it didn't take Denver long to make a change. A week into the season, Denver traded Allen Iverson to Detroit in exchange for Chauncey Billups.

For Denver, it was exactly what they needed to save their season. Since acquiring Billups, the Nuggets have gone 36-17, good enough for first in the Northwest Division and third in the Western Conference.

Though Iverson didn't last long in a Nuggets jersey this season, it would be hard to imagine Denver in the same position they are in now. With Billups in the lineup, they now have an unselfish player who is a decent one-on-one defender and knows how to make his team better.

Something Iverson failed to do.

The Pistons, however, have lost eight straight games for the first time since 1994, are two games under .500, 5-17 in their last 22 games and are currently the seventh seed in the East with Iverson.

Richard Hamilton, Detroit's leading scorer the last few seasons, is now coming off the bench--and Rodney Stuckey, Billups' replacement, has gone into a shooting slump.

So has Billups been the savior Denver was looking for? All evidence above says yes.

For the President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, he took a big gamble giving away Billups and is on the losing end of the bet right now.

As for the man in Cleveland, Mo Williams, he was one of the biggest free agent signings during the offseason. And it's probably safe to say he was the best offseason acquisition.

This season the Cavs are first in the Central Division, the first time a team other than Detroit has led the division since 2004. Cleveland also owns the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Now, let's compare this season's Cavs to last season's. Cleveland ended the season with 45 wins last year, and they are already at 44 as of February 27th.

Though Cleveland reached the NBA Finals once before the days of Williams, they were missing another reliable scorer alongside LeBron James because Larry Hughes turned out to be a bust in Cleveland. Both Billups and Williams get the vote for Savior of the Year.

For Cleveland, they might have finally found the piece they needed to win an NBA championship. For Denver, they have found the point guard they have been looking for.

The only question that stands now, which player has been more valuable to their team this season?

Comparing 2008-09 season averages

Mo Williams

Chauncey Billups

Michael Whittenberg is one of two NBA Community Leaders for bleacherreport.com

Information from NBA.com was used in this article

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