Point-less trade

Before the NBA’s opening week was in the books, the Eastern Conference had a shakeup at the top after Allen Iverson was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess. For Iverson, it’s a move back to the Eastern Conference, where he started his career with the Sixers. For Billups, a Denver native and former Nugget, it is a move home. And for McDyess, it is a move back to the team that drafted him sometime in the 1900s.

I won’t bore you with my opinion on who won in the deal and whether I do or don’t like the trade. There is a laundry list of real sportswriters across the web to do that. I will, however, say this: If you are a Celtics fan, you have to love this trade.

After hurting himself in last year’s playoffs, the Pistons and Billups split after just two games. (NBA.com Photo)

The Pistons are the C’s perennial rival and no player embodied their hard-nosed, team oriented, cool-in-the-clutch mentality more than their gritty point guard. While Rip Hamilton was the most consistent scorer, Rasheed Wallace was the most talented, and Tashaun Prince was their best defender, nobody could argue who their MVP was. It was Mr. Big Shot, hands down. This point was magnified in last year’s playoffs. After Billups was injured doing a split that would make Michael Jackson blush, the veteran point guard wasn’t the same in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. It took a breakout performance from backup point guard Rodney Stuckey for the series to even extend to six games before the Celtics clinched.

One player who undoubtedly is excited about the deal has to be Rajon Rondo. During matchups between the Celtics and Pistons last season, Billups exposed Rondo by using his superior size and experience to frustrate the C’s young guard. Rondo was clearly a different player when playing Billups. Even on the rare occasion that he got the best of Billups during a game, it was clear that he was caught up in the one-on-one matchup between the point guards.

While Iverson is a superior scorer, and even in his advancing age, no slouch, his style of play is an easier matchup for Rondo. Speed vs. speed is better than speed vs. power. Stay tuned kids. Next we’re learning long division.

Now, when the C’s play Detroit, Rondo will be the most experienced point guard on the floor. What a difference a ring makes. No word on whether Rondo did any breakdancing upon hearing the news of the trade.

Another benefit for Boston is that the addition of Iverson leaves the Pistons, well, point-less. Right now the starting five looks like Iverson, Hamilton, Wallace, Prince, and Amir Johnson. While that is certainly a formidable squad, there isn’t a true point guard in the lineup. NBA fans know the “Iverson at point guard” thing has been done before and the results were so-so at best. How does the shot distribution for Detroit change now that there isn’t a facilitator on the team? Even if the team goes super small, with Stuckey, Rip, Prince, Johnson, and Sheed, there still isn’t a true passing point guard to run the show.

Here are few more bullet points on the blockbuster trade:

• The best passer for Detroit is now Rasheed Wallace.
• The Pistons bench takes a hit with the loss of ageless cyborg Antonio McDyess, who also hurt the C’s on a regular basis.
• The Pistons still have their best low post scorer, reserve Jason Maxiell ... coming off the bench ... for 23 minutes a game ... for some reason.
• After the trade Brian Scalabrine is still making $3,206,897 this season. That didn’t change ...
• Chauncey Billups may not have been able to drop 30 points a game like Iverson can, but no one puts a dagger in a team better than Mr. Big Shot himself. I’m not going to miss those.
• Expect boos from die hard Pistons fans that are in an uproar of the inclusion of rising phenom center Cheikh Samb in the Iverson deal. The Pistons will turn to Walter Sharpe to replace Samb’s 7 point-per-year contribution.
• With a new team and a new coach, it may take the Pistons some time to gel as a unit. It makes one wonder why this deal wasn’t made before the preseason to give this time to work together. It may take a few workouts before the offense flows like it did previously. Then again, we all know how Iverson feels about practice. I’m sure they’ll be fine.

Predictions:

• Kendrick Perkins will foul out of a game on six offensive fouls while attempting to set screens.
• Rajon Rondo will get knocked to the ground 800 times.
• Tony Allen will complete an unprecedented six-game stretch without passing the ball once.
• Brian Scalabrine will play in more than 10 games in which he does not record a stat.
• Leon Powe will dunk and then proceed to tear his shirt off, a la Hulk Hogan, after throwing down a thunderous dunk in a game.
• After two straight games in which the Celtics give up over 100 points, assistant coach Tom Thibodeau will ditch the Just For Men and go gray again, sparking a nine-game winning streak.
• Regular season record: 59-23, first place in the Eastern Conference.