The Moral of the Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups Trade

Is there a more instructive story in the NBA season this year than that of the Iverson/Billups trade? 

When it happened, the guys in my gym were saying that Detroit had really made out by getting the NBA's third highest all-time scorer in exchange for a mere 15.1 points-per-game career scorer. 

All Billups has done in Denver is turn them around and show them what its takes to win, and that's even without Marcus Camby to anchor the defense, something Iverson benefited from in the mile-high city. 

As for Iverson?  Iverson has been a disaster in Detroit.

Iverson is a 2-guard on offense and a point-guard on defense. 

That means that his team needs to find someone else who can play the point on offense, yet cover the big 2-guards of the league on defense. No easy task. 

Iverson needs minutes and shots.  He's a "volume shooter." 

Translation: year after year he shoots well below the league averages in percentage, yet shoots a ton.

He gets some assists, but his passing does not generate team offense.  His assists always come late in the shot clock (because he dribbles around so much), and leave his teammate with nothing to do but finish.

He's difficult to win with.  Chris Webber on TNT said that he was the greatest athlete he'd ever played with, but the most difficult player to be on the court with. 

It's well known how many players struggled when they were Iverson's teammate, and then flourished after being traded to another team.

There is a myth that Iverson carried Philadelphia to the NBA finals on his back in 2001.  In fact, that team won with defense and rebounding, neither of which Iverson specializes in (you can look it up at basketball-reference.com). 

On offense, in which Iverson was jacking up an amazing 32 percent of the team's field goal attempts, the 76ers were mediocre at best, shooting just 44.7 percent as a team (and yet that was higher than Iverson's 42%). 

You could argue that the 76ers succeeded in spite of Iverson, not because of him.

Is anyone really that surprised that the Iverson-Carmelo hookup in Denver didn't even translate to a first-round win in the playoffs?  Really?

This year, Detroit was mediocre at best with Iverson starting and Rip Hamilton on the bench.  Iverson got hurt, Hamilton moved back into the starting lineup, and Detroit went on a tear. 

Meanwhile, Billups has Denver poised at No. 2 in the West. 

What does Billups do?  Defensively, he absolutely bullies the opposing point guard, and he expects his teammates to do the same on their opponents. 

Offensively, he takes great care of the ball, so that his teams in Detroit were always among the league leaders in shots per possession (a much neglected stat). 

He gets everyone else on the team going, not worrying about his numbers, then, when it's needed, he calmly steps up and sticks the killer three-pointer, or backs down the opposing point guard in the post and shoots over him. 

Whatever his team needs.  Whatever it takes to win.

Iverson has the shoe contracts and the notoriety.  Kids idolize him and want to play like him, and like him, they haven't a clue about what it takes for a team to win at basketball.