NBA Betting: Allen Iverson packed off to Motown
NBA Betting: Allen Iverson packed off to Motown
Less than two years after acquiring Allen Iverson from the 76ers, the Nuggets have traded the often-troubled guard and former NBA MVP to the Detroit Pistons in a four-layer deal that included Chauncey Billups returning to his hometown of Denver. The Nuggets now have to decide what to do with Antonio McDyess who was part of the trio of players Detroit included in the package for Iverson.
That didn’t take very long. The Detroit Pistons only needed two games (at 2-0 SU, but 0-2 ATS) to decide that it was time for a change; on Monday, they shipped point guard Chauncey Billups and power forward Antonio McDyess back to where they came from – the Denver Nuggets. In exchange, Detroit gets 2001 league MVP Allen Iverson. The Pistons also threw in rookie center Cheikh Samb from Senegal.
This trade has obvious appeal from a Denver perspective. Iverson is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body; a backcourt of Billups (23.48 PER last year) and J.R. Smith (60.3 true shooting percentage) should be an immediate and considerable upgrade over Anthony Carter (12.89 PER) and Iverson (56.7 TS%). The Nuggets also get McDyess (11.7 rebounds/40 minutes) to shore up a frontline that shed Marcus Camby (13.8 rebounds/40) in the offseason.
The immediate on-court benefit for the Pistons is less evident. There was a time when Iverson was the best player out of the four on the move. That time appears to have come and gone. At 33, Iverson’s career peaked three years ago. Billups is getting long in the tooth at age 32, but he’s aging gracefully and coming off arguably his best season ever at 21.0 points and 8.4 assists per 40 minutes.
It’s still a sharp move by Pistons president Joe Dumars. Iverson is a free agent after this year. Moving Billups and McDyess opens up floor time for the franchise’s cornerstone players of the future, point guard Rodney Stuckey and power forward Jason Maxiell, with help from fellow PF Amir Johnson. Iverson will reportedly play point alongside Rip Hamilton, who signed a three-year contract extension on Monday, then shift to the 2-spot when Stuckey comes off the bench.
Denver also gets something of a monetary benefit from the deal, especially if the team decides to buy out McDyess. As it stands, the Nuggets shed about $2 million in salary this year while improving on the court. And that’s what handicappers will be looking for in the immediate aftermath of this trade. Denver had to go 50-32 SU (44-38 ATS) last season just to get the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The Nuggets weren’t expected to compete this year following the Camby trade – that’s definitely not the case anymore.
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, Nov 5, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
The Iverson-Billups trade puts Detroit in a better position for the free agent class of 2010, which includes a certain Mr. LeBron James. He’s up to his usual tricks; on Monday, James dumped 29 points and eight rebounds on the Dallas Mavericks (-5) in a 100-81 road victory. Cleveland improved to 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS with the win.
The Bulls (+8) also got paid as road dogs Monday night, but they fell 96-93 to the Orlando Magic to sport the same 2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS record as the Cavaliers. Now these two teams will meet for the fifth time since their massive three-way trade with Seattle. The Bulls won the deal as far as the betting odds are concerned at 3-1 SU and ATS in four post-trade meetings.
The two teams have continued to tweak their rosters since the megadeal that brought Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to Chicago and sent Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland. Both clubs have new point guards; the Cavs are getting solid play from Mo Williams (6-for-12 shooting and six assists versus Dallas), while Chicago has a superstar in the making in No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose (7-for-16 shooting against Orlando).
The Bulls have been working without Hughes (dislocated shoulder) to start the season; his return is said to be imminent, but nothing definite was planned as of press time. Thabo Sefolosha is doing quite well as a spot starter, although he’s only playing about 15 minutes per game. Coach Vinny Del Negro likes to pair Rose with Sefolosha’s defense and his 6-foot-7 frame, which is a couple of inches taller than Hughes and four inches taller than holdover guards Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Del Negro knows that whatever is best for Rose is best for the Bulls – even if it costs them a win or two in the short term.
Less than two years after acquiring Allen Iverson from the 76ers, the Nuggets have traded the often-troubled guard and former NBA MVP to the Detroit Pistons in a four-layer deal that included Chauncey Billups returning to his hometown of Denver. The Nuggets now have to decide what to do with Antonio McDyess who was part of the trio of players Detroit included in the package for Iverson.
That didn’t take very long. The Detroit Pistons only needed two games (at 2-0 SU, but 0-2 ATS) to decide that it was time for a change; on Monday, they shipped point guard Chauncey Billups and power forward Antonio McDyess back to where they came from – the Denver Nuggets. In exchange, Detroit gets 2001 league MVP Allen Iverson. The Pistons also threw in rookie center Cheikh Samb from Senegal.
This trade has obvious appeal from a Denver perspective. Iverson is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body; a backcourt of Billups (23.48 PER last year) and J.R. Smith (60.3 true shooting percentage) should be an immediate and considerable upgrade over Anthony Carter (12.89 PER) and Iverson (56.7 TS%). The Nuggets also get McDyess (11.7 rebounds/40 minutes) to shore up a frontline that shed Marcus Camby (13.8 rebounds/40) in the offseason.
The immediate on-court benefit for the Pistons is less evident. There was a time when Iverson was the best player out of the four on the move. That time appears to have come and gone. At 33, Iverson’s career peaked three years ago. Billups is getting long in the tooth at age 32, but he’s aging gracefully and coming off arguably his best season ever at 21.0 points and 8.4 assists per 40 minutes.
It’s still a sharp move by Pistons president Joe Dumars. Iverson is a free agent after this year. Moving Billups and McDyess opens up floor time for the franchise’s cornerstone players of the future, point guard Rodney Stuckey and power forward Jason Maxiell, with help from fellow PF Amir Johnson. Iverson will reportedly play point alongside Rip Hamilton, who signed a three-year contract extension on Monday, then shift to the 2-spot when Stuckey comes off the bench.
Denver also gets something of a monetary benefit from the deal, especially if the team decides to buy out McDyess. As it stands, the Nuggets shed about $2 million in salary this year while improving on the court. And that’s what handicappers will be looking for in the immediate aftermath of this trade. Denver had to go 50-32 SU (44-38 ATS) last season just to get the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The Nuggets weren’t expected to compete this year following the Camby trade – that’s definitely not the case anymore.
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, Nov 5, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
The Iverson-Billups trade puts Detroit in a better position for the free agent class of 2010, which includes a certain Mr. LeBron James. He’s up to his usual tricks; on Monday, James dumped 29 points and eight rebounds on the Dallas Mavericks (-5) in a 100-81 road victory. Cleveland improved to 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS with the win.
The Bulls (+8) also got paid as road dogs Monday night, but they fell 96-93 to the Orlando Magic to sport the same 2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS record as the Cavaliers. Now these two teams will meet for the fifth time since their massive three-way trade with Seattle. The Bulls won the deal as far as the betting odds are concerned at 3-1 SU and ATS in four post-trade meetings.
The two teams have continued to tweak their rosters since the megadeal that brought Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to Chicago and sent Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland. Both clubs have new point guards; the Cavs are getting solid play from Mo Williams (6-for-12 shooting and six assists versus Dallas), while Chicago has a superstar in the making in No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose (7-for-16 shooting against Orlando).
The Bulls have been working without Hughes (dislocated shoulder) to start the season; his return is said to be imminent, but nothing definite was planned as of press time. Thabo Sefolosha is doing quite well as a spot starter, although he’s only playing about 15 minutes per game. Coach Vinny Del Negro likes to pair Rose with Sefolosha’s defense and his 6-foot-7 frame, which is a couple of inches taller than Hughes and four inches taller than holdover guards Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Del Negro knows that whatever is best for Rose is best for the Bulls – even if it costs them a win or two in the short term.