Pistons Acquire A.I. For Billups, McDyess and Samb
How this Iverson for Billups, McDyess and Samb trade will play out depends on how well behaved Iverson can be this season. He routinely arrives late to practices and does whatever he feels like. But besides that, on the court A.I. is an offensive threat every time he has the ball. He is willing to take the foul and get to the free throw line and can also create offense by finding the open shooter. Obtaining A.I. makes the Pistons championship contenders for the 7th season in a row going back to the season that New Jersey eliminated them 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
What will life be like after Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess? McDyess was arguably the best rebounder on the team and he was an offensive threat from the wing. This responsibility now falls solely on Jason Maxiell. In Billups’ absence, the Pistons will miss his team leadership and late game heroics which earned the tag “Mr. Big Shot.”
But past Pistons teams that were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals were eliminated due to their lack of offense. They live and die by perimeter jump shots. Iverson will shake this up as he is third in career scoring average behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. The Pistons also can let Hamilton, Prince and Stuckey play the point in different situations and let Iverson play the 2 guard.
The team chemistry is weakened with the loss of Antonio “McNice” and the addition of Allen Iverson. But the dynamics on offense are slightly improved with Iverson’s superstar abilities to be a threat of putting more offense on the floor. Being one of the best man to man defensive teams in the NBA, the Pistons are unbeatable when they score 100 points or more.
