Practice for Big Shot

on the outset, one would assume that granting a disgruntled star's wish to be traded usually bodes well for the team that is ridding themselves of complacency. but that might not be the case this time around.

for the record, i am a giant fan of Mr. Chauncey, but i've never been a George Karl fan and i certainly don't think Carmelo will ever contribute to leading his team to a championship. everyone thought this summer when Joe Dumars said he was looking to trade one of the pieces of his team's foundation, "What are you doing? you can't really break up the most underrated backcourt of Billups/Hamilton can you?". and so when Dumars brought in a notoriously undersized shooting guard to his blue collar Pistons, it seemed like a desperate attempt for a fading team that was trying to take a final gasp of air before their time was up. lots of teams do it - trade for a superstar or a big name - to ressurect the franchise. Lakers did it with Malone and Payton, the Blazers did it with Pippen, and my Clips tried it with Dominique - and none of those worked out too well.

so, on second glance, i think Detroit comes out on top and we might see the last hurrah (and it might be a BIG HURRAH ) out of AI. now it might be a one year rental to free room next year for the Pistons, but it might also work real well. As for Billups, the West is tough and i think that he certainly fits Karl's style more than AI did, but it won't result in playoff wins.

excited to see the Allen to Rasheed lobs and especially Hamilton and AI giving defenses fits. plus, AI always looked weird in yellow and baby blue and playing in a city like Denver - AI is an East Coast dude, and i think it's a better match.