Yes, we’re talking about practice. AI went through his first full practice with his new teammates earlier today, and afterward had some interesting comments. From the Detroit News:
“We went through some stuff today that I hadn’t been through in my whole career, and that was shocking,” Iverson said after the Pistons’ workout at the L.A. Sports Club in Manhattan. “I would have thought somebody would have put those type of plays in for me and the guys around me sometime in the 13 years I’ve been around. That right there was exciting.”
[…] “I am getting the ball now in places where I never got it before,” Iverson said. “I used to always get it at the top at the three-point line and now I am getting it closer to the free-throw line and that makes a difference.”
From the Freep:
“I felt like I need to get a practice in just to get some type of chemistry and rhythm and just learn the plays,” said Iverson, whom the Pistons acquired Monday. “I didn’t want to go in the game tomorrow and just know a couple of plays and while I’m in the game just run those certain plays.”
For what it’s worth, Chauncey Billups practiced with the Nuggets for the first time, as well. From the Denver Post:
“I have a feeling he’ll pick up our offense pretty quick,” Nuggets coach George Karl said, whose team practices today in Denver, leading up to Friday’s game against Dallas. “Some of the stuff that Detroit runs, we run. So we’ll be able to run those plays pretty consistently, in a pattern. You just want enough, eight, nine, 10 plays.”
From the Rocky Mountain News:
Billups was one of the last players to leave the court as he went through a full workout under the tutelage of coach George Karl.
“They threw a lot of things at him, so hopefully he retains some of it,” Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said. “A lot of it he won’t get right away, but he’s a veteran and he knows what to do on the court, so I’m not worried about it.”
Karl indicated Billups would play Friday night against Dallas but said whether Billups would start is “a decision for tomorrow.”
If you’re up for a double-header on Friday, you can watch AI make his debut with the Pistons on FSN at 7:30 and Billups and the Nuggets on ESPN at 10:30.
More random links:
- Shaq thinks Denver won the trade.
- McDyess might still be mad at Denver for how he was treated earlier in his career. (via PN)
- Apparently 17 (!) teams have expressed interest in Antonio McDyess.
- Not surprisingly, the Pistons have sold a boatload of tickets and jerseys the last three days.
Pssshhh…
Shaq dislikes Detroit so much, if he was traded to Detroit, he’d say the Suns won the trade.
The only way I end up disliking the AI trade is if Dyess ends up back in the East, but not on the Pistons.
Any word on whether Dyess plans on suiting up for the Nuggets any time soon/at all?
I love this site! Good gets on the quotes.
Why does everyone keep saying we win the trade conditional on McDyess re-signing with us? He was our fourth best big man. Look, I love the guy, want him to get a ring with us more than anything, and would detest seeing him wearing green. But suggesting a scrappy, likeable, but ultimately league-average player is the key to a trade that involves two elite players and financial implications in the 30% of annual payroll area seems really forced.
Fourth(!) best?
Rasheed, Amir, and Maxiell are all better today. I can see an argument for Dice over Maxiell, but you’ll find the main stat guys tend to prefer Maxiell. PER, Adj. +/-, and Roland Rating all like Maxiell (the latter two by a fair amount). Dave Berri liked Dice a little more last year, but I’m guessing based on their respective ages that it would invert this year.
Would you rather have the Dice from two years ago that shot 53% over Maxiell? Sure - but that’s not who we traded.
Oh. I’m not a stat-head, by which I mean the computer/mathematical formula things. I’m actually more surprised that you place Amir over Dyess, rather than Maxiell.
I suppose I just wonder because Curry made such a ta-do about Dyess being the anchor for the 2nd unit, and BAM!, it’s over two games in. Though Tayshaun’s performance with that unit last night alleviated some of my worries. Kwame’s played pretty big in the past two games, as well.
I’m totally slappy over Amir, but I guess I still have trust issues.
So, um, what about showing up to practice?
After watching the excerpt from Chauncey’s press conference on TNT, it’s clear that Chauncey is happy to be returning home to Denver. This trade was great for everyone involved. However, it’s still going to be a little unsettling seeing Iverson wear the #1 jersey.
If I recall Shaq has a history of talking up the conference that he is in at the expense of the other conference. Why give a conference rival bulletin board material? He’s not wrong about Billups helping the Nuggets but I also recall Shaq listing AI as the toughest player in the league, then himself.
Trading Billups alone (assuming Dice returns) makes it seem like he’s to blame for our failures the last three years. That’s not fair at all. I think this makes him hate Joe Dumars.
But anyways, our offense has been stale and it’s like we left the pop bottle open and have been drinking from it for three years.
The Denver paper reports that ‘Dyess’ agent says the chances of him playing for Denver are “very, very low to zero.”
According to Billups “he’s tired of moving.”
Well, I know of one way he wouldn’t need to…
iverson’s comments sort of relate to what i was thinking about this summer when i thought iverson was a good target in a trade. i was trying to think who might be a better rip than rip. i could see a.i. being easily as adept as rip as curling off screens and getting those open mid-range shots. of course, this was under the idea that chauncey would be feeding him the ball, but nopody’s berfect.
this story just in, shaq o’neal is still a big fat doofus.
Seems unlikely the plan here was ever anything but a buyout - they just have to put up the front so as not to be accused of tampering. Hope he still wants to play for us.
AI has screw you money. He might just play for a modest amount forever like Michael Finley or Mutumbo as long as he finds a place he is happy. If the Pistons go deep in the playoffs and AI is happy with Curry and Dumars I see him resigning for whatever he can get in Detroit.
The same goes for Rasheed. I always thought Rasheed would age into a rich man’s Robert Horry and I think that more than ever now.
Shaq’s opinions are worthless… really. One that sticks out is him saying that “he always makes free throws ‘when they count.’” When don’t they?!?
I hope after 30 days, McDyess flips Boston the bird and comes back home!! If McDyess looks at the numbers he has to know Dumars wouldn’t have traded him unless he HAD to to make the deal work. There’s no need for him to hold a grudge, sell his house, and move to another city. What a pain in the ass… just come back to D-town and help us win a championship!!!
Anyone that’s watched the playoffs over the last few years knew that Billuips would be gone at the end of the season. I was surprised to see him on the court opening night. Billups has lost his game and Stuckey seems to have found it. With the speed and the tenacity of Stuckey, Billups actually didn’t have a chance. Billups is a veteran that was making rookie mistakes. If we are going to contend for the championship, we have to bring our “A” game from the beginning of the season the end of the playoffs. As far as McDyess is concerned, I think he was just added in to make the trade look good. Now that A.I. is in, let’s get McDyess back in the red white and blue and just do the darn thing, bring the trophy back to Detroit.
JackDutch, I agree. I could see Tay at the top with Rip and AI concurrently running off screens.