NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Allen Iverson getting some love from Coach Michael Curry
So it seems funny that so many fans are suddenly all over Joe Dumars case about the Allen Iverson trade. It is actually pretty rare in sports for both teams to get quality star players in any trade.
In this case Joe D gets a trading A+.
How can this be, you ask? Haven’t they lost a ton of games since AI rode into town, you ask?
Well, it can be and yes they have lost more than they usually seem to lose.
But consider the benefits of this trade.
The transition Dumars so boldly made in dumping Billups and his $36.3 million stretching out through 2010-11 was as shrewd and forward-thinking as it gets in this what-have-you-done-for-me-yesterday league. Clearing cap space by acquiring a huge expiring contract — in Iverson’s case, $21.9 million — is a tried-and-true rebuilding tactic. When the expiring contract is attached to Theo Ratliff, Joe Smith or some other fading veteran, the case can easily be made to fans reaching deep into their pockets that it’s the right move for the future.
Now did you really think Detroit was going to win it all this year with an aging Billups? Haven’t you noticed how he failed to produce big in the last two playoffs? No knock on Chauncey, but his better days have come and gone. Denver gets a nice boost from Chauncey, because he settles them down and calmly spreads the ball around. That was not going to help the aging Piston starters.
By the way, have you seen AI play with the Piston backups? Amir, Maxiell, Afflalo, and new starter Stuckey, can fly up the floor and blend in better with the attacking Iverson.
Hey, if the experiment fails, AI and Rasheed Wallace will be sent packing and two new young stars will be in their place.
Trading A+.
Photo source Newscom
As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.
More blogs about basketball.
