Sports Thread #2 for 11/11/08: A Quick Look Back On The Iverson-Billups Trade

(Both Photos from the Charlotte Observer) It actually was time for a charge for not only America as a whole, but also for Iverson and Billups'.

Due to the overload of Election Coverage last week, I never had a chance to focus fully on the Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade last week, and the ramifications of that deal for both the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets.

Until now.

Obviously, in terms of winning a title, both teams were not going to do that in their versions before the trade. The Pistons saw their chance go away last season against the Celtics in the East finals (as well as against the Cavaliers, Heat, and the Spurs in the recent past) .

The Nuggets, who Stephen A.Smith famously thought was going to the NBA Finals against the eventual champions Celtics last year, never showed any defensive heart at all, and that was even with Marcus Camby. You know you are defensively deficient when you not only have a former Defense Player of the Year being unable to influence the rest of the team to even put a good hand up, but also when you make the Phoenix Suns of the Mike D'Antoni era look like the San Antonio Spurs on defense. Such was the case of George Karl's team, as his lack of getting his team motivated on the defensive end has put Carmelo Anthony into the muck of potentially never reaching real super stardom like buddies Lebron and D-Wade. Denver's "Bend and definitely break" defense has also (and deservedly) put Karl's job under the hot seat, because the Nuggets had the talent to actually go to the finals if they remotely dedicated themselves to stooping the opposition.

But when you have "one on one, 30 points or bust, poor rotation on defense" players like J.R. Smith and Linas Kleisa (who was terrific in the Olympics this past August for Lithuania) to go along with Kenyon Martin's apathy and Nene's waste of his own body, and you don't crack even the slightest whip on them, then your team is bound to underachieve.

That sadly was the case for the Rocky Mountain side, and Iverson knew in his heart that this team wasn't going to the pinnacle like he hoped it would take him after coming from Philadelphia.

So this deal had to be made on that premise alone. Billups (and at the time, Antonio McDyess) returns to his old stopping grounds and home state, Iverson heads back to the Eastern Conference in a deal where both teams knew full well that they weren't going to go any further with their clubs unchanged.In only that regards, this is a no lose for either team, no matter the end results.

But here's further proof that this isn't a bad deal for both sides. Denver finally gets a least some defense on the ball with Billups, something that Iverson clearly was not offering at all. Never known for his defense, the younger version of the "Answer" would at least be dangerous in the passing lanes, intercepting anything short that he could take in for a lay up (or two headed dunk occasionally).

But in his time with Denver, Iverson's age disallowed him to even do that, and he wasn't going to waste fouls guarding Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, or Tony Parker and place himself on the bench. That guaranteed lack defense and easy penetration to be a killer for the Nuggets and their fans. Then again, Iverson was far from being the main culprit for Denver's multitudinous woes on D. Everyone knows that, as the team was about the worst I have ever seen in regards to rotation and picking up wide open men. Just pop in the tape or go to Youtube to see highlights of their first round 4-game sweep at the hands of the Lakers last spring in the Playoffs to see how atrocious they were.

Billups is a significant upgrade in that department alone for the Nuggets. They needed someone to put up any sort of resistance when the other team didn't have the ball, and the 2004 Finals MVP certainly provides that. And they also need someone who could help generate more consistent ball movement with his ability to back it in downlow, a skill that no other point guard in the league right now does better than Billups (maybe Davis, but that is a stretch though to deny Billups dominion in that point guard characteristic).

It wasn't like Iverson didn't pass the ball however, one of the stupidest myths still traveling around in some NBA circles. Iverson was still amongst the league leaders in assists last year, and just because he was "pounding the ball" didn't mean he didn't find Smith, Carmelo, Kleiza, or Anthony Carter open. In fact, while people have spread the myth that Billups is a better pure point guard that Iverson based on the fact that he "sets the offense" better, remember this stat: Iverson averaged 7.1 assists last season, in comparison to 6.8 per game from Billups.

And though the adjustment will probably have to come more from Flip Saunders club than in Denver (hence the lost to the offensively troubled Nets on Friday) with their new "1-guard" (it was rumored that Tayshaun Prince will play the four with Rasheed Wallace going to a 5 and Rodney Stuckey coming into the lineup, letting the Pistons become what the Suns were before Shaq arrived there in February), Iverson will be off the books at the end of the season. That will free up cap space for Dumars and crew, making the trade look more shrewd beyond the implications of another title being the only criteria for the deal.

And with McDyess slated to clear waivers and return to Motown, the Pistons may turn out the clear winners of this deal. This is one trade where you can't automatically say who got the better end of this deal right after it was made, because neither team could really lose with it. They weren't going to go anywhere if they stood pat, so why not make this move? And as mentioned just before, it gives the Pistons flexibility in their fiscal strategies (something that is not a common theme throughout America, or the rest of the world, at this point).

I really would love to see Iverson end up on top here, and it is a better situation in Detroit than it was in Denver. But frankly, with the way the Celtics are firing this season, and with how Mo Williams is giving LeBron James some much needed help so far in Cleveland, it's going to take a much better effort at the defensive end of the court for "The Answer" to have a legitimate shot at winning his first title. And though the likes of Williams, Rajon Rondo, Jose Calderon, Jameer Nelson, and Andre Miller don't stack up anywhere near the floor generals in the West, it is still a risky bet to count on Iverson making key defensive plays with how much wear and tear his body has taken over the years.

One thing for sure though. That wasn't going to happen for him in Denver anytime soon.