Would the Pistons have won the championship in 2004 with Iverson?

So I was thinking. What if the Pistons had Allen Iverson on that championship team. Do you think they still would've won the championship with this lineup: Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, R. Wallace, B. Wallace?

 

I think so.

The Lakers (injuries, chemistry) were just a mess, Detroit blew past them, I think 2 of the 5 games were blow outs.

 

Ya, i think GP would have gotten eaten up by AI, probably worse than chauncey did. That lakers team was pretty overrated... Malone, and GP couldn't last the whole season.

 

Not an AI fan, but I think that Detroit team was strong enough on the defense that they can afford an AI in that team. He'd probably suck all the air out of the offense tho. I see that series going to a game 7 showdown.

The Lakers did a bad mistake taking in GP and Karla after their steep decline. They were pretty much dead weights and the whole team had to baby sit them as a result.

 

AI sucking the air out of the offense? is that whats been happening so far this year? besides, they averaged under 91 ppg in that series. hardly what i would call a high scoring offense. The pistons dominated by creating mismatches on offense and playing stellar defense. how would AI hinder that? he would be a mismatch in himself with an old GP. Anyway, the lakers got manhandled in every game except when Kobe went insane in game two when they went to double overtime to win get a lucky win. They would have been just as good with AI

 

Pretty simple actually, AI doesn't play defense.

We probably still could of won in 04 with AI, but Chauncey was/is the better player.

 

So you say AI couldn't even handle Gary Peyton in his last year in the NBA? or Derek fisher who he embarrassed in the 2001 finals? HAHA. absolutely wrong. AI actually is a decent defender, not on Chauncey's level, but is decent for a pg.

you sound exactly like all the detroit bandwagon fans that hated the pistons when they had grant hill and jerry stackhouse but started loving them as soon as they got a radio guy to start yelling DETROOIITT BASKETBAAALLL. Iverson has never had the talent that Billups had until this year, and is doing very well for being a work in progress. Iverson is one of the best ballers of ALL TIME. i know you like your home town team just like everyone else, but saying that Billups is a better player than Iverson just doesn't make sense. Better defender, maybe... better floor general, maybe... better player, NO.

 

I don't know if I could ever call Iverson a decent defensive player. He takes way too many gambles for me to do that. His defense is overrated by his steals, and again, that's a product of him taking gambles and occasionally cashing in on them.

Wrong. Iverson had plenty of talent surrounding him in Denver (Camby, Smith, Melo, KMart) and they still never made it out of the first round.

As for Iverson being one of the best of all time....no. Just...no. He may be one of the best scorers of all time, but one of the best players ever? Not a chance.

And Billups is a better player. He's a better defensive player, better floor general, better shooter....the only thing Iverson is better at is scoring. Billups trumps him in every facet of the game except scoring, and even then, he's a very good scorer.

I really don't think that there is any question that Billups is the better player to be honest.

 

I think you forget that all that "talent" surrounding Iverson in Denver, was completely trumped by the worst coach in the league. Iverson has had statistical seasons that Billups could only dream about while crying in his hotel room with Rip Hamilton. If Billups never played for Detroit, and been on that great DEFENSIVE TEAM, he never would have won a ring, and you wouldn't be calling him better than AI. He would be about on the same level as Mike Bibby, but with better D.

 

Yeah, Iverson has had great statistical seasons, that's fantastic...Billups is a winner. One ring, six straight Eastern Conference Finals, what has Iverson done again?

 

Scoring titles, MVP, steals leader, All-NBA first team, not to mention Iverson took a garbage team to the finals by HIMSELF. Chauncey has had a great team every year in Detroit. Everyone thinks that chauncey was the MVP when they won in the finals, when it was actually BIG BEN. They won the championship with amazing defense, and Ben was their best Defender. If Billups never played for Detroit, and been on that great DEFENSIVE TEAM, he never would have won a ring, and you wouldn't be calling him better than AI. He would be about on the same level as Mike Bibby, but with better D.

 

Even Iverson himself will admit that all the INDIVIDUAL accolades he has received mean absolutely nothing without a ring on his finger. As for Chauncey not carrying our team in 04, clearly you did not watch the Pistons much because he was the single most important factor all throughout the playoffs and the finals. Billups might not of won a ring if he never played in Detroit, but that doesn't really change the fact that he is/was/always will be a better point guard than Iverson ever dreamed of being. The Nuggets are playing better than they ever have with a true floor general running their offense, the Pistons on the other hand look awful. Say what you want about AI being god's gift to basketball, the man is the 3rd leading scorer in NBA history and can't win anywhere he goes, truly it's pathetic.

 

I live in detroit. I watch the pistons every time they are on, so yes i saw that team when they went to the finals. And Big Ben's, teyshaun, sheeds, and hunter's D is what got them there. I will admit in a heartbeat that Billups is a better pg or floor general, but iverson is the better player hands down. BTW, charles barkley never won a ring, niether did webber, Jason kidd, stockton or malone, is billups better than them? NO. Iverson is the best little man to EVER play the game. and as for the nuggets playing better than they ever have, why don't you wait to see if they make the postseason with billups before you say that. The pistons went 3-1 on a tough westcoast trip, beat the cavs, and lost to the celtics. How do they look horrible, considering AI is still getting acclimated to a new team, and the new team is getting acclimated to him? ALSO, McDyss is coming back, and is going to make this team even stronger. I think the pistons have a better chance to win this season with AI over Billups easily.

 

What exactly makes him a better player? As I've said, the ONLY thing Iverson does better than Billups is score, in every other category Billups is better.

 

Iverson Billups
X Ball Handling
Shooting X
X Slashing/Finishing
X Steals
X Passing X equal
Decision making X
Man D X
X Athleticism
X Scoring (overall)
X Heart


If you can think of anything you want to add please do. I want to know how its possible that billups is better, even though it was his team that got him the status he has.

 

So basically...you're saying what we've all been saying. Iverson is the better offensive player, that's it. Who cares if he gets more steals. He does that because he gambles more than any player in the league and gets burned in the process. The amount of time he gets beat in a game because of that really cancels out his ability to get steals. Everything else you marked...ball handling, finishing, etc. goes in to the offensive category, and no one here has denied that he's the better offensive player.

The fact of the matter is that Iverson has always been a one-dimensional player. He is and always will be just a scorer. He's never been a good defensive player. His passing (which, for the record, isn't better than Billups) is highly overrated and his assists are inflated because of the amount he has the ball in his hands.

As for things with Billups...well, he's a much better defender, which you do realize, which is good. He's also a much better team guy. He, unlike Iverson, doesn't have a huge ego. He does what it takes to win. If that means shooting, he'll shoot, if it means playing defense, he'll do that to. And he'll never complain. I'm not saying that Iverson doesn't, but he's got a poor attitude about it. His whole practice rant...yea. And how about his pouting at the end of his Philly career? Iverson has never been a good teammate. He's always looking for himself first and foremost. So yea...aside from offense...I'd say Billups has him beat...in, well...everything. You just won't admit it because AI is your favorite player.

 

You can't lump everything into offense or defense. Otherwise you would just have to say that Iverson is better on offense, and Billups is better on defense, and you can't really distinguish them that way. all attributes aside, Iverson has the ability to carry a team by himself, and i think that Billups isn't capable of that. Billups success has come from his team. Iverson will be considered a great player no matter what.

 

I think Billups fits into the '04 Detroit team better than AI. Maybe they could've won a ring with AI on that team in '04, but Billups was the better candidate at PG to lead that team. Billups does a better job getting others involved IMO

 

Nope, New Jersey would have beaten them in the second round.

 

Well pretty much every basketball related skill falls into the category of offense or defense, so yes you can lump them all together. And, if Iverson had the ability to carry a team all by himself, wheres his ring? Why is it that he couldn't get it done in Philly with what you call a mediocre team, or in Denver where he had a great group of players helping him?

Billups success has come from knowing his role, being a team guy and not trying to do too much. Iverson hasn't really had success, and that has come from him trying to score every point, caring about his stats, and always trying to do too much. Iverson is a great player and will be a first ballot hall of famer, but what this argument started over was who was the better point guard and who was better for the Pistons. Billups is it, hands down.