I wish that the official announcement included that Denver sent next years 1st round pick…

Aww, I just realized, I’ll never again get to hear “Chauncey B-B-Billups.” A sad moment.

Is he going to play tonight?

I’m not sure if I heard this correctly but Matt W, didn’t you say in one of your post that Chauncey and Mcdyess are still required to play tonight?

And was Cheik Samb included into the deal? Because I’m reading multiple articles and half are saying “yes” and the other half are not even mentioning him.

And is Detroit getting any draft picks? Because I think giving up 3 players for 1, is kind of an unbalanced trade.

I don’t see AI caring about minutes at this stage in his career. I see a 32/32/32 AI/Rip/Stuckey rotation (same as Curry implied with Billups).

I now see Tayshaun Prince doing much more Point Forward stuff (as Curry implied) so he’s key to how this pans out. Tay will be playing next to hybrid SGs at times.

Dumars solved the minutes problem in the front court and took away the safety net for Max and Amir. Your time is NOW young bigs.

If McDyess retires and then resigns with the Pistons it will kind of be bogus from a fairness standpoint but I guess if it’s OK for Brett Barry it’s OK for ’Dyess. Still, the NBA should fix that rule.

If McDyess just retires, he’ll be missed. A lot.

Has any elite franchise ever had this much cap room? I don’t think so.

Crazy deal but I like it. I think Billups was the on-court leader of the Pistons and Billups had the most issues with turn-the-switchitus. Maybe that’s unfair because CB was hurt last year (who was it that hooked his foot in ORL? you suck!) but things don’t always play out like a story book.

Having a NBA ring, Finals MVP, making $11 million dollars a year and playing in your hometown doesn’t suck.

Godspeed CB. You were a GREAT Piston.

^ I wouldn’t hold it against Mason if he did that next time Denver visits the Palace.

Diablo: I didn’t say that they were required to play tonight, I only said that Michael Curry was telling reporters he expected them to play (ie, he wasn’t acknowledging the trade rumors because it wasn’t official.)

Just realized something else. For the first time in quite some time, we’ll have an All-Star starter, given AI’s tremendous popularity.

A first or second round pick would be nice, but let’s be honest here— anybody that’s not a Pistons fan would be expecting US to throw in the pick.

Let’s just call the whole thing what it is— A STEAL— and be happy with it.

Matt W., Thanks for clearing that up.

So don’t expect Chauncey and McDyess to play tonight. :(

I would contend that this trade was more about moving Chauncey than about getting AI. The premier teams in the east have small, quick point guards now (Rondo, Calderon, Daniel Gibson, Jameer Nelson). This is not 2004 when our main rivals were sending out slow or sloppy PGs like Jason Kidd, Jamal Tinsley, and Jason Williams.

I think the deciding factor for Joe D in making this trade was all the playoff matchups in the past couple years, where Chauncey’s size and strength was supposed to be a big advantage against these smaller guys, and it never really panned out that way. Instead of being locked into similar matchups for the next 4 years…we get a one-year shot with AI and all kinds of flexibility for the upcoming free agent years.

Nice work, Joe. Go Pistons. Best of luck to Chauncey in Denver.

In fairness, Bigshot always pounded Jameer Nelson pretty well, if not Rondo or Gibson.

So…big game against the Bobcats tonight…

Well, two of the core five from the 2004 team are gone…sad, but we moved on after Ben left and we’ll move on again. Although Iverson is a bit of an upgrade than the Nazr/Webber combo…

So Samb also got traded.

still waiting on the draft picks Detroit is suppose to be getting

Joe on WDFN seems as hyped about the cap space as anything else.

Samb was a free agent after this year, unless I’m mistaken, so we might be able to grab him for cheap.

I know Denver had a backup center need, but this was a really elaborate way of satisfying it.

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

Here’s a video of Iverson and Ray Allen matching up in 1995 in the Big East. It will be kind of like this in the ’09 Eastern Conference playoffs, only with less hair, speed, and vertical leap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYznIWiw_kQ

I say we give the corner locker, team captain, and final introduction spot to Mr. Tayshaun Prince.

I’ve come around a little on the trade since I was only thinking about the present. All that capspace is making me giddy.

GMs need to get call display and not answer the phone when “Dumars J” calls. This is unbelievable.

Seconded, Mark B.

Getting a draft pick isn’t unreasonable. Looking at the reaction around the internet, basically everyone is saying that Denver got the better deal in the short term. This obviously wasn’t about the short term for Detroit.

I got home from school today and my mom told me about the trade. I just started gasping and saying “Oh” over and over. Right now I don’t really care about whether this is good or bad for the team, I’m just broken-hearted. I’ve said repeatedly that I would rather lose with my guys (Chauncey, Rip, Tay, Sheed, Dice, and Ben when he was here) than win with anyone else, and it’s true. Can you imagine Chauncey saying good-bye to those guys? Can you imagine how Rip feels? He and Chauncey were supposed to retire as Pistons together. Remember when Chauncey was a free agent and Rip said “if he goes, I go”? There are so many little things like that that just tear me up when I think about them, much less how much I’ll miss watching him play. That little half smile he got all the time when he’d done something awesome but didn’t want to gloat about it. His free throw routine that I loved. So many of his little mannerisms, just “the way he carries himself”, and to think he’s gone forever.

Another horrible thing about things like this is it gives the good things that happened in the past a bad taste when you think, “yeah, but then he ends up getting traded!” And poor Dice. After all he’s been through to have his situation torn up. Even if he comes back to the Pistons, Chauncey is his best friend. For his sake I almost hope he stays in Denver.

I don’t know. Right now my heart feel as if it was stabbed, my throat aches, and I just wish it was all a bad dream, no matter how well it may turn out. Also, it’s not that I have a problem with Iverson, just with getting him at the expense of players I love so much. I was so looking forward to watching the game tonight, and now I don’t know how I can bear to watch the rest of the season.

Hollinger thinks Hamilton might be moving as well, and the Warriors have made Harrington available. So help me, if that happens, I’m going to break things.

In all honesty, if Dyess cares more about a ring than anything else, he should sign with the Lakers.

lol @ Keegan.

I know how you feel jac..chauncey was for sure my fav piston player, but I remember feeling this bad when Ben left as well. We will have to remember the good times with Chauncey and wish him best on the way home.

There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about though..does this mean Rip probably won’t resign with us? I’d hate to lose our entire backcourt over this..

“to think he’s gone forever” – he’s not, brotha. He’s going to do well in Denver. Now you have a Western Conference team to root for. Get League Pass and watch Denver… and watch a few Pistons games, too… and you’ll be alright.

It really hurt when Ben left, so the heartache of losing such a big part of the team is long gone, but I gotta agree with Trader Jac. As much as I can appreciate all the long term positive possibilities this trade creates, it’s really upsetting at the same time.

I could probably stomach this better if Dyess wasn’t leaving too. I love Billups and I truly will miss him, but I always saw Dyess as the heart of the team since Ben left. I already feel that this team let him down last season, and now he’s being shipped off. I love Dumars, but damn, that’s cold.

I wish the best of luck to all the guys going out to Denver. This is going to take me awhile to process.

Seriously? You’re going to have to shell out $20 for a new keyboard from all that weeping you ladies are doing.

It’s not like he’s dead. And now you don’t have to get pissed off when he bricklays a bunch of fast break 3’s.

All is well in Piston Land.

Do you really feel no emotion toward losing the MVP of the NBA finals in the only championship any Piston fan under 27 or so REALLY remembers? Chauncey was a great, great Piston. And he’s all class. Not to mention the whole “busted pick that found his home here” narrative we all know and love.

I’m proud to be sad, if that makes sense…

That said, I’m increasingly bullish on the trade…

Has anyone got any word on how Iverson feels about the trade?

I think ol’ Trace Atkins said it best.

We’re gonna miss this. We’re gonna want this back. We’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. Those were some good times, so take a good look around. We may not know it now, but we’re gonna miss this.

Or how Celtics fans feel about the trade? They may have collectively slit their wrists.

I love Chauncey as much as anybody else. Unfortunately, there’s no denying his playoff woes the last 3 years, starting with that horrendous loss to the Heat in the ECF.

We’ve got a ton of young blood in the wings— so we trade Billups for a rental of AI for a season and more capspace than any contender should ever dream of having.

Joe Dumars +1000

@Gogal:

Using country music lyrics to describe your feelings?

“F” for FAIL.

Joe was serious. This year is it, plus a shit load of cap space next year for maybe Bosh or something. Im on board.

Ive heard Iverson wants a chance to get a title before he retires so this is a great oppurtunity for him. As for the weapers out there, man up ya’ll I love Chauncey as much as the next but over the last couple seasons his play has been fruturating me more and more.

All those open 3’s he passes up to to drive the lane and do nothing. And have you seen him on D this pre season and the 2 first games, I dont think ive seen him get burned as much his who career as i have to start off this season.

Overall im happy with the trade yes its sad saying goodbye to players weve been routing for for years now, but these thigns happen and Iverson will help up compete at a high level all season. Im very excited.

Stephen A said Iverson was “really, really happy” to be headed to Detroit.

And sure, it’s going to be a loss not having Billups and hearing Mason go B-B-B-Billups, but this is sports, and it’s the nature of the beast. I’m glad Joe D realizes this and makes being a Piston fan very worthwhile for years and years to come – not seeing our Pistons die old and having to rely on former glories. Hell, we had that in the mid-90s, and I’d rather not live through that again.

This is for the best.

Cheick Samb getting no media love.

Hey, jac, when all of this is over, you and chauncy should get an apartment together. And for those who wanted chauncy/rip to retire pistons (I don’t believe that rip is going anywhere soon, by the way), just think back to those teal and horse power teams of the early-mid 90’s if you want to get sentimental. I, for one, am not interested in being a lottery team with aging championship players. And as much as everyone on that 04’ did for this organization, they don’t give trophy’s for the most honorable organization. They give them to the smartest run ones. Which is what Joe is doing. Now let’s go beat up on larry brown.

Oh, and to back up my rip comments:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3680959

3 more years of plastic man

the real question is what should I do with my chauncey poster?

That’s one hell of a busy day…

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmCKljRCGWj0Lz3vwVMISDHJPKB4?slug=aw-dumarslebron110308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

That article makes me salivate.

this is strange to me on a number of levels:

ah) i called this trade. i never call trades. i can tell you this concerns me as much as it boosts my bball ego. i shouldn’t have some sort of strange insight into the mind of joe d. he’s smarter than me. this must be blind squirrel and the proverbial found nut.

bah) i went to the clippers/nuggets game on friday. and the main reason i went (aside from the tix being FREE) was to see iverson one last time. i’ve seen him play a lot growing up in pa. he is absolutely the best player i’ve ever seen live and in person. an absolute joy to watch. everyone in the nba is talented and fast and strong, but in his prime, iverson was blowing by the most talented, fastest and strongest dudes on the other team. at first i was depressed on friday, because he looked off and i thought to myself maybe he was truly washed up. (i think hollinger had some article during the day about players on the decline with iverson as the pic.) then he went off in the 4th quarter and ot. it was obvious he still has something in the tank.

that being said, the concerns with iverson are legit: he has a hard time learning to coexist offensively and he’s never going to be a great defender, aside from the 2 or 3 gamble steals he pulls off in a game. iverson-defenders (myself included) think that his desire for a title will suppress the former, while having defensive-minded supporting players like sheed, amir, max, and tay will help offset the latter. this is all without bringing cap room into the discussion. i think it’s a good trade.

and to be honest, watching those first two games, even though we won both, there was a voice in my head: “this team still isn’t good enough.” i don’t know if this changes things immensely, but it feels like it could.

https://offers.palacenet.com/pistons_fiverson_flash_plan/

That didnt take long

gogol: that article is absurdly awesome. some interesting points. it sounds so legit….

(squeezing hope and optimism down into jar inside heart)

Well, at first I hated this move but I’m starting to warm up to it. Money implications and the chance to get involved in free agency next off season are pretty good reasons to do this deal since next years free agent class is so impressive.

Turns out though, that Michael Curry has already shown some genius by opening up the decision making to whoever has the ball thus freeing up the need for a dominant point guard. I’m guessing that this is why Joe pulled the trigger on this deal now because I could have sworn that this was the same deal that was offered by Denver earlier this summer. It was reported though that Joe asked for Carmello Anthony instead of Allen Iverson. Am I wrong on this?

ugh! My head is spinning. We waited anxiously all summer for a move and nothing happened. And then when we’re primed for the season and excited about our current roster and win the first two games a move is made. One that I’m sure nobody expected.

I only hope that when Denver comes to the Palace, the fans give Chauncey the ovation he has earned. He has been the heart and soul of this franchise during the run we’ve sustained. I cringe at the very thought of Big Ben’s return to Detroit as a Bull. Give the credit where the credit is due. Ben brought a new mentality, Rip brought back the mid-range jumper, Tay brought back defense that blows your mind, and Chauncey brought back the leadership that makes it all work… Here’s to you Mr. Big Shot, thanks for everything.

I’ll be at the game against the Celtics this Sunday to welcome Iverson. I just hope we don’t look confused out there.

Jaybo: I am 100% sure the Pistons fan will give him a standing ovation when he comes back to the Palace, and we’ll even cheer for him when he makes his shots…Chauncey earned our respect.

I agree with Fadel. No way chauncey gets boo’d. The ben situation was different. Chauncey wasn’t asking out, or anything. So he’ll be cheered.

Good trade the pistons needed change just like the great usa needs change

I understand the Ben situation was different because he left via free agency, but some fans (individuals, not masses) have a tendency to immediately drop respect when a player changes uniforms. I recall trade rumors involving Isiah to the Knicks at the end of his career and I was sick to my stomach at the notion of it. Today I heard the rumor and had the same kind of feeling, only to have the rumor confirmed an hour later. It’s a sad day in motown. Good Luck Chauncey… but GO PISTONS!!!

Who said people wouldn’t boo Allen Iverson in Detroit?

Also, what good is cap space when the top free agents regard Metro Detroit not nearly as wonderful as Los Angeles, Miami, or NYC?

If players want to get paid and win games, they should come here. If they want to hang out at the beach or go clubbing, I don’t want them anyway.

Although I agree with the trade, I’d like to hear some stories about what a class act Chauncey was. He’s been my favorite Piston for a while: the one who calmed things down when the offense wasn’t working, the classy interview who always said the right thing, the well-liked player who brought everything back to even keel and made teams with internal turmoil look ridiculous.
I was going into a restaurant with my wife and mother-in-law and the guy in front of me held the door for them. That guy happened to be Chauncey with his wife and 2 daughters. He held the door for me too (it’s actually pretty cool in my book when a dude will hold a door for another dude) while I stumbled through and tried not to stare. He waited for us to put our names in first and then in a really polite way, as if the host didn’t know who he was, he put his name in for a table and asked for something in the back that was a little more private. He didn’t act like he deserved it or that he should be treated differently, he didn’t try and big-time it or insist on being seated right away. He just stood back and waited his turn, talking with his daughters and looking very much like a down to earth metro detroiter.
I’m not one to try and talk to famous people or get autographs (There’s just no way to come off cool in those situations: “I know you! You don’t know me but I know you. I like you!”) but I regret not just thanking him for bringing a ring to Detroit to this day. I very much appreciate the class and hard work that Chauncey broght to this town. We definitely got more out of it than he did, and he will be missed.

I am crushed to see Chauncey leave – he’s one of my favorite Pistons ever.

That said, I felt all offseason that something had to give in the Pistons 4 and I agree with Dumars that Billups was the one to go. This trade shakes the team up over the short term but it was really about the long term and the development of Stuckey and clearing the table for a major acquisition in ’09 or ’10.

Mark B, I totally agree that the corner locker, team captain, and final introduction spot should go to Mr. Tayshaun Prince but I bet it will be Rip.

…and thanks for that awesome Yahoo story Gogol!

@ Garrett:

How do celtics fans feel? Check in with our buddies at Perkisabeast!
http://perkisabeast.com/blog/2008/11/03/dumars-goes-all-in-on-2010/

Great story, Tiny.

Sauce: Consider LeBron for a moment. Do you think he would play in NYC for great nightlife and $50M extra from Nike, or in Detroit, where some of that $50M would come back in endorsements and a chance at a dynasty and the 4-5 rings that come with it?

I mean, you can take the extra money and play with a lineup that is worse than the Cavs, or you can play with a team which is solid from 3-10, and will likely add someone like a Carlos Boozer or Chris Bosh in the interim. I can’t speak for LeBron, but most elite athletes are ultimately about winning, and his best chance come 2010 may well be here.

^ I agree. Plus…doesn’t he have a “Chosen 1” tattoo on his back? I think he’s more about winning and proving to everybody that he’s the best player on the planet.

That was a very nice Chauncey story…But I have to admit…I would probably beg him for an autograph.

well I think AI will wear #4 in honor of Joe dumars and his old USA number. Makes most sense. Don’t take it from the young guy like Cwebb did to AIguodala for one yr. Stuckey might just give it up also.

Rob G: Ha! Thanks for the link. It was good for a laugh!

1! like AI!