^ see 2001 sixers. this team resembles that one quite a bit, except for more talent. AI is a superstar, and is going to get this team fighting again, like they were before they won a championship. Iverson is actually a great team player, its just that he's such a great scorer, that his 7 assists a game are overlooked. The fact that you think Iverson can't succeed on this team just goes to show, you don't know anything about Iverson, and probably not even all that much about the pistons if you think they were better with Billups. Sure hes not as great of a defender as Billups, but he gets more steals, and should be able to wreak havoc on both opposing offenses and defenses.
Explain to me how this team resembles the 2001 76ers? That team was built around Iverson and using his scoring. For that matter, he was really the only legit scorer on that team. The Pistons, aside from Iverson, have two other really good scorers in Sheed and Rip, and another solid scorer in Prince. They also have solid depth. And Iverson won't "wreak havoc" on defense. He'll get his steals, but he's also going to get burned frequently because he gambles with the passing lanes so much. If anything, Amir, Maxiell and Sheed are going to have to step it up moreso to make for his missed gambles. And, I hate to break this to you, but Iverson is selfish. His 7 assists per game are overrated because of how much he has the ball in his hands. The guy averages 22.6 shots per game for his career, which is a ridiculous number. And if he was so "unselfish", that number wouldn't be nearly as high. I just don't buy that Iverson makes this team better. He's a poor defender, he's going to get burned by his gambles, putting more pressure on the post defenders of the Pistons, and he's selfish. He has always thought of himself before the team (practice, anyone?). I want him to prove to me that he can succeed in a system that won't want him to be a superstar scorer before I claim this team is better, and I don't think he can do that.
of course the argument that his shot attempts per game would be lower if he wasn't so "selfish" needs adjustment as well when you take in consideration the teams that he played for. with the sixers, he was their only scorer and them being successful was dependent on him being a volume scorer and taking a large number of shots. on denver, he played in a system where they pushed the tempo and tried to get up as many shots as possible, so again, his shot attempts would be expected to be high though for his 2 years in denver he only averaged 19 shots per game while towards the end of his career with the sixers he was around the 25 shot per game range. so while it would be unwise to expect iverson to completely change his game, it seems likely that he will adjust to his situation and being in a system where he isn't relied on to be the only scorer and where they aren't focused on pushing the tempo as much we should expect iverson to take fewer shots in detroit.
Because this team is a great defensive team that grinds it out. That is the best system for Allen Iverson. The other players make up for his weaknesses and he makes up for the lack of superstar scoring that this team has needed. MUCH LIKE THE 2000-2001 76ers. Billups was overrated because he was an above average pg in a great system with a great coach. they just gelled well together. also, when they won the championship Ben Wallace was the real MVP. he was the best defender on a strictly defensive team. You can say all you want about how much Iverson is a bad player, or selfish or whatever, but at the end of the day he is going to be in the hall of fame, and Billups is not. This team is perfect for Iverson, and is going to prove a lot of doubters wrong about being able to build around a 2 guard.
Meh, think what you will, I guess. For what it's worth, the only reason AI is going to the Hall is because he's probably going to end up in the top 10 in all time scoring, which is a great reason to make it. And believe me, I'm not denying that he doesn't deserve it, cause he does, anyone that scores that much that consistently deserves to be in the Hall. And Billups being overrated? How so? He's a great decision maker (note his 2.0 TOPG for his CAREER, Iverson has never done that in a season), he's a great defender, he can score the ball well and in a variety of ways, and he's clutch. As for Ben Wallace being the real MVP of those Finals...how? He got annihilated by Shaq that entire series. If anything, you should have given it to the entire team...but as for individuals, Billups definitely deserved it, and for the record, I'd have given that MVP to Prince over Wallace as well. He absolutely locked down Kobe and Kobe had one of the worst series of his career. Lastly...I never said AI was a "bad" player...overrated, yes, bad...no. And why does the Hall really matter? Whoop-tee-damn-doo, he's going to the Hall...Billups probably isn't. That's means nil in this argument. If Billups scores 20,000+ points, he'd likely go to the Hall too. The reason AI is going to the Hall, as I mentioned earlier, is the fact that he was a great scorer on a team that had no other scorers until he played with 'Melo.
well i thought being in the hall of fame meant you were one of the best players ever, but i guess that doesn't mean anything.
iverson does help the team a lot by being a superstar, somethin detroit needs if they wanna ring. they gave away billups and siemb which isnt bad at all. the only thing they lose w/ tradin billups is defense, but ai is a top 10 steals guy so its not that bad of a drop off. man to man d at the point wont be that great for detroit w/ him and stuckey sharin the point but o well, you gain a lot of offense. they need a better frontcourt to be the best team in the east imo. sheed as their best frontcourt option is bad for a championship team, but they have amir, dice, max, and walter so its not that bad, but rebounding will still be a problem. boston, philly, orlando all have better frontcourts. and almost every team in the west does too. iverson doesnt turbocharge the team cuz billups and ai arent that far apart.
Give up man, it's obvious, you love Iverson and that's ok, but don't come on here and try to say he's god's gift to the Pistons. Chauncey Billups is a better PG than Iverson, it's not debatable. The only thing Iverson does better is score, that is it, and there is a WHOLE lot more to basketball and running a team than scoring.
no, but they haven't shown any sign of progress either. the pistons weren't going to win the championship with their roster, so dumars decided to start over. they'll probably do a bit worse than last season, but who cares if they go out after east semis or east finals?
