MVN: Most Valuable Network

Allen Iverson, are we talking about practice?  (Photo via thanasim25's flickr photostream)

Matt Geiger, where are you? You and your bison at your Florida mansion must be smiling. Geigerween is in full effect.

If you recall, the Sixers tried to trade Allen Iverson prior to the 2001 season to the Detroit Pistons to bring Jerry Stackhouse back to Philly, but in order to make the salaries match they had to include Matt Geiger in the deal. Geiger failed his physical and the trade was off. Turned out that Geiger had no knees left and he didn't suit up much for the Sixers after that. What he did do was buy Allen Iverson five more years in a Sixers uniform.

Imagine the luck then when eight years later, the Monday after Halloween, the Pistons pull off a trade for Iverson by sending Chauncey Billups to Denver. Antonio McDyess was also involved in the deal, except that he was bought out by the Nuggets last week. Now, Dice is a free agent.

At the surface, the Billups-Iverson trade seems to make no sense. It felt like a departure from the direction both teams were heading. The Nuggets got rid of Marcus Camby this summer and bringing on Billups contract when Iverson's was in the last year doesn't give them much flexibility. For the Pistons, Billups was a centerpiece of a team that won 59 games last year and started out well this season. They signed him to his current contract last summer.

From the Nuggets side, Chauncey Billups is at or past his prime and is owed eight figures a year for the next three seasons. Meanwhile, Allen Iverson is in the last year of his contract that pays him just under $22 million this season. If I had to guess, it looks like the Nuggets are eyeing 2011. That's when Kenyon Martin's player option expires and Billups will be a restricted free agent.

From the Pistons side, Iverson is replacing a guy who had a more traditional point guard role than what Iverson is accustomed to. The Pistons might win in the regular season, but what about the playoffs? The Nuggets showed that Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson were not a winning combination for the playoffs. Richard Hamilton is the guy who runs off screens for the Pistons. The way I figure, the Pistons are looking for Rodney Stuckey to fill the gaps to make this work.

The knock on Iverson is that you can't win with his style, 2001 Sixers squad notwithstanding. Looking at that Sixers squad though and you'd have to think that this Pistons team has a winning formula for Iverson if he buys into the team concept. At this stage in the game, there's no reason to think that Iverson wouldn't be on board. These guys are winners and they keep their egos in check for the good of the team. It would be a welcome departure for Iverson from the shoot first, defend last Nuggets.

Billups is also what the Nuggets need. This is after they spent a good portion of the offseason trying to trade for second and third tier point guards like Jamaal Tinsley. Billups should provide the direction and leadership that that squad needs.

Push come to shove, both teams wanted to shake things up and this trade did that. For the players, they went to better situations. McDyess is still searching for his and might be turning to Detroit once the 30 day waiting period is over. 

On paper, not much changes.  You already knew that the Pistons would be one of the top teams in the East.  This doesn't change much in that regard, but does make them vulnerable in the playoffs.  For the Nuggets, they went back to their pre-Iverson model with Andre Miller at point guard.  How it plays out for their new teams is the better question that only time can answer. 

BONUS: Starting Wednesday, November 19th, Passion and Pride presents the Passion and Pride Pulse. It's a web-based radio show hosted by Justin Harris. The Pulse will be live, with interaction via message boards, instant messaging, e-mail, phone calls, facebook messages, text messages and anything else we can come up with. Stay tuned for further details and be sure to check in Wednesday night at 6pm!