Take a look at the new Jordan Brand commerical entitled Lead the Charge. It features Melo, CP3, Joe Johnson, and Rip Hamilton. Pretty good commercial though it has sort of a football feel to it. I wonder if Rip would be as well known if he didn’t wear his mask.
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Atlanta Hawks, Business, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Hornets | Tagged: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, commercial, Joe Johnson, Jordan Brand, Richard Hamilton | 
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Posted by david im
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
The Allen Iverson era in Detroit got off to a bumpy start last night as the Pistons fell to the lowly Nets. Now, I know it’s just the first game with AI but how could they lose to the Nets? They had a 13-point lead after the 1st quarter but then Devin Harris took over and New Jersey pretty much blew them out the rest of the game. Sure there will be an adjustment period but I am a little concerned about the complacency that blanketed the Pistons that allowed them to give up their lead. I hope the team isn’t too down that one of their mainstays from the last few years is gone and they will play just like they played with Chauncey. But they have a brutal stretch coming up, starting with Boston on Sunday, going on a west-coast road trip which includes a game against the Lakers, hosting LeBron and the Cavs, and finally playing against Boston again next Thursday. After seeing the Pistons lose last night, I’ll say they’ll be lucky to win 3 of their next 7 games.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Things started off differently in Denver as Chauncey Billups had a successful debut (well, second debut I guess) with the Nuggets defeating the Mavericks 108-105. Billups didn’t have a particularly good game as he only shot 5-17 (he’s a surprsingly poor shooter from the field throughout his career. Billups strikes me as a guy that will have at least a 48% FG%) from the field and missed a crucial free throw at the end of the game that looked long right when he released it. But he did just enough to help his team win the game. Now as the Pistons come west, the Nuggets head east to face the likes of the Grizzlies (okay still technically the west), Bobcats, Cavs, and the Celtics before coming back to take on the tough Western Conference teams. I wonder how long it takes for Chauncey to realize how easy he had it in the east.
Some quick thoughts:
PATHETIC STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT
Ben Wallace:
19 MINS 0 PTS 0 REBS 1 AST 1 STL 1 BLK 0 TOS 0-1 FG 0-0 FT -17 +/-
0 rebounds for a guy who has averaged over 10 per game for his career. Terrible.
IMPRESSIVE STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT
Dwyane Wade:
36 MINS 33 PTS 10 REBS 9 ASTS 3 STLS 0 BLKS 3 TOS 14-25 FG 5-6 FT 0-1 3PT +24 +/-
If you didn’t know before, D-Wade is officially back.
Leave a Comment » | Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons | Tagged: Allen Iverson, Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Dwyane Wade | Permalink
Posted by david im
Obviously the big news of the day was the trade that sent Allen Iverson to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and some other dude. It’s tough to say who got the better of the deal because I don’t think either team becomes a championship contender as a result. I suppose the Pistons could still win it all but I have to see how much AI “disrupts” that team-first attitude. Maybe it’ll be good for them to have this elite scorer who will be their go-to-guy in clutch situations by default. I think Allen Iverson is genuine when he says he is a team-first dude but we just have to see how he gels with his new teammates. But if anything, this trade does give the Pistons one of the most marketable guys in the NBA. He’ll sell tickets, jerseys, and other Pistons merchandise.
And for the record, I don’t buy all this crap about how the trade is just one step in a grand scheme to sign LeBron James in 2010. First of all, the Pistons have cap space after this season so there’s no way they give up on an entire season just to get LeBron. And why would he go there anyway? Because they’ll always put a contending team on the floor with LeBron? LBJ will win wherever he is and he’s shown that playing in Cleveland all these years, annually leading a D-League team to the Playoffs. They run a classy organization? No team would mess up having a once-in-a-lifetime athlete on their team and if they did, the team should be moved to Guam. Plus Detroit has been his chief rival during his tenure in the NBA so far and there’s no way he’d jump ship to join the Pistons. And finally I thought the rumor was LeBron was leaving Cleveland to enhance his marketability so he could become a global icon. And he’s going to do that in Detroit???? Seriously?????
JR Smith. Dude can score.
As for the Nuggets, they definitely improve in the short-term. I never thought they needed to trade for Iverson in the first place, especially with their glaring need for a true point guard. Now they have one of the best and also JR Smith ready to come in and take over the 2-spot. Having McDyess play for them would be great but it looks like he’ll get bought out. The problem I have with this trade is AT BEST, the Nuggets will be a low-seeded playoff team for the next few years, in a place I like to call Playoff Purgatory. That means Denver will be good enough to make the playoffs and give their fans a couple of playoff games but won’t be bad enough to get an impact rookie that will help them down the road. Kind of a LeBron-effect in Cleveland these past few years. In any case, that’s the best case scenario which makes you wonder why they made the trade in the first place. They could’ve had Iverson’s contract come off the books this year but now are stuck with Chauncey’s contract for at least 3 years. It’s tough to figure out where this team is going. Oh well, I guess that’s why i’m not an NBA GM.
PATHETIC STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT
Mikki Moore:
18 MINS 0 PTS 0 REBS 3 ASTS 1 STL 0 BLKS 0 TOS 0-2 FG 0-0 FT -17 +/-
A 7-footer who couldn’t even grab 1 rebound in 18 minutes of play. Seriously?
IMPRESSIVE STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT
Marc Gasol:
36 MINS 27 PTS 16 REBS 1 ASTS 1 STL 3 BLKS 6 TOS 9-11 FG 9-11 FT +2 +/-
6 turnovers is a lot especially for a big man but this was probably the best performance by a rookie so far in the young season.
Leave a Comment » | Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons | Tagged: Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Mikki Moore | Permalink
Posted by david im
Though the trade hasn’t been finalized yet, it has been reported that the Denver Nuggets have agreed to send All-Star Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb (who?). Interesting move for Detroit. I guess this is the beginning of the rebuilding process for them. I see this move as a sign that Joe Dumars is pretty much giving up on this season and starting the rebuilding process for the team. With Iverson’s and Rasheed Wallace’s contract expiring this year (I doubt they re-sign any of them), the Pistons will have some cap room to work with in the future. They also got some young talent in Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, and Jason Maxiell that they like and can help the team in the coming years. It’ll be interesting to see how Detroit fans react to this trade.
As for the Nuggets, I like the trade for the short-term. In the long-term, notsomuch. They had a glaring need at point guard and you can’t do much better than Mr. Big Shot at that position. JR Smith can come in and start at 2-guard right away and Carmelo can resume being the primary scoring option. McDyess helps the front-court that was in shambles after Marcus Camby was dealt, but that only makes me wonder what this team could’ve been if they had Camby along with the two former Pistons. This trade won’t bring a championship to Denver but I think it gets them into the playoffs. With that said, they’ll never win a title with this roster and now they’re locked into having Billups for three more years and McDyess, two. Maybe the Nuggets have plans to move Chauncey to another team (Cleveland????????)
Edit: Looks like Denver is just gonna buy out McDyess. Good luck with Nene Nuggets fans.
Leave a Comment » | Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons | Tagged: Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, trade | Permalink
Posted by david im
DENVER NUGGETS (50-32) – ELIMINATED FIRST ROUND
The Denver Nuggets made perhaps the most questionable move in the offseason trading Marcus Camby to the Clippers for virtually nothing. And I mean nothing. All the Nuggets got in return was the OPTION to swap second round picks in 2010. I mean c’mon. You’re trading away the NBA Defensive Player of the Year from two years ago and that’s all you can get? GM Mark Warkentien might’ve just stolen the worst GM in the NBA award from Chris Wallace of the Grizzlies.
Face of the Franchise: Carmelo Anthony. His run-ins with the law have forced the Nuggets to explore trade opportunities in the past year. But there is no question the team (and Jordan Brand) viewed him as their franchise player he signed a five-year $80 million deal in 2006. Anthony is one of the top talents in the NBA and always a threat to win the scoring title. His mid-range game may be the best in the world and he showed why the last three years playing for Team USA. After winning the gold medal in Beijing with the Redeem Team, he has learned to be a better leader on and off the court.
He can’t do this anymore but I’m still amazed any time I see it.
Send Him Away: Allen Iverson. I wish I could put Kenyon Martin or Nene instead but with their ridiculous contracts, it would be tough to trade them without making the team even worse. Iverson is their best trading chip as he is in the final year of his contract and with JR Smith looking like he can step into that starter’s role, the Nuggets must take full advantage of it. You would be crazy to think this team will make any noise in the playoffs assuming they can even get there. They got badly beat by the Lakers last year and now without Camby, they might not even win 40 games. Denver is on the verge of a minor rebuilding period and they have a bunch of holes they need to fill. They can get a head start by trading AI.
Impact Newcomer: Chris Andersen. With no first round pick in last year’s draft, the Nuggets were forced to look to free agency for additional help. They picked up the Birdman for the minimum and he might be able to help reduce the impact of the Camby trade. He’s never gonna score a ton of points but he he is a big, athletic body in the middle who can grab some boards and play some defense. He won’t be starting but if he’s in shape, he can give you 15 minutes of active play each game.
X-Factor: Nene Hilario. Nene has suffered through a series of unfortunate events related to his health, with the worst of course having testicular cancer last year. He’s had other various injuries throughout his career that have kept him from playing a full season in any year. But by sliding into the starting center position now, he will be relied upon to stay healthy and fill Camby’s shoes. He is not the defensive force Camby was but is a bigger body and provides more offensively.
Melo never looked like the type of guy that could do this. I guess he can.
Forecast: Mid Lottery. With the team they have now, the Nuggets can still win about 40 games, which of course, would not be enough to make the playoffs. I think ownership will push Warkentien to trade Iverson by the deadline and he will comply. Denver will not be as good a team after the trade and probably will end up only winning about 30 or so games. It will be a rough season for the Nuggets and with Warkentien calling the shots, it may be a rough few seasons.
Leave a Comment » | Denver Nuggets | Tagged: Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, NBA Preview | Permalink
Posted by david im
