下面是一篇 Chad Ford 與 JoeD 談過之後寫出來的文章。
文章不難，有把這筆交易的幾個重點都寫出來了。
今天沒心情翻譯，純粹是不捨槍西和袋鼠的感情，
也同時歡迎 AI，希望他的戰神魂能帶給新一代的活塞更多激情。
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http://0rz.tw/714ZL
In June, Pistons president Joe Dumars promised to shake things up after
Detroit lost for the third straight time in the Eastern Conference finals.
"Make no mistake, everybody is in play right now," Dumars said then. "There
are no sacred cows here. You lose that sacred cow status when you lose three
straight years."
After a summer of trade rumors, including a reported attempt to acquire
Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, Dumars had to explain himself in
training camp when the Pistons failed to make a deal.
But one week into the season, Dumars pulled the trigger on a deal with the
Nuggets. On Monday, the Pistons decided to take the Nuggets' second-best
player, agreeing to a swap of Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess for
Denver's Allen Iverson.
The move is stunning for several reasons.
One, Dumars' original strategy was to package a couple of the Pistons' core
players for a young, emerging star. But Iverson is 33 years old. While he's
still an excellent scorer, his best years are behind him.
Two, it appeared the Pistons weren't interested in a deal that would
essentially just clear cap space. But with Iverson hitting free agency this
summer, that's exactly what this deal appears to be.
So what's going on in Detroit?
Whatever you want to say about Joe Dumars, the guy isn't afraid to take
risks. Some of them, like drafting Darko Milicic, a little-known 17-year-old,
have backfired (though swapping Milicic for the right to draft Rodney Stuckey
has mitigated that decision). But most of the time, Dumars has shown the
Midas touch in making risky moves. Whether it's making trades for Rip
Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, drafting Tayshaun Prince, signing Billups to a
big deal or letting Ben Wallace go, Dumars has proven he knows what he's
doing.
My conversation with Dumars on Monday revealed at least four key factors in
this latest gambit:
First, he has always been a fan of Iverson. In the summer of 2000, the
Pistons made an aggressive move to acquire Iverson in a whopping, 14-player
deal. At the last second, the deal was scuttled when Matt Geiger refused to
waive his trade kicker.
At the time, Iverson was in his prime, just months away from winning the NBA
MVP award. These days, Iverson doesn't have the same speed or quickness, but
he's still a devastating offensive force, averaging 26.4 points and 7.1
assists per game last season. Both of those numbers would have been team
highs for the Pistons.
Iverson gives the Pistons more punch, especially at the end of games. While
he's not the defender or distributor Billups is, he immediately steps in as
the team's best scorer.
Dumars will welcome Iverson's fiery attitude as well -- the Pistons' boss had
felt his team was too complacent.
All in all, the Pistons feel that with Iverson they will be just as
competitive as they were with Billups.
The Pistons are putting their trust in rising star Rodney Stuckey.
Second, the emergence of Stuckey made Billups expendable. Dumars believes
Stuckey is the point guard of the future in Detroit. Billups has four more
years on his contract, and Dumars didn't want Stuckey playing a sixth man
role that long.
While it's likely Iverson will start in the backcourt with Richard Hamilton
this season, when Iverson hits free agency next year, Stuckey should take
over as the starting point guard in Detroit.
Stuckey has proven to be an explosive scorer. His point guard skills are
still in question, but the Pistons believe he'll be just fine with more
experience. Many around the league see Stuckey as a young Baron Davis type of
point guard. He had better be, because Dumars is showing extraordinary faith
in him by making this move.
To a lesser extent, moving McDyess is also about providing opportunity for
young players -- in particular, the emerging frontcourt of Jason Maxiell and
Amir Johnson. The Pistons are high on both players and want to know by the
summer if they have what it takes to anchor the Pistons' inside game.
Third, trading Billups and McDyess for Iverson will clear significant salary
cap space for the Pistons. If Dumars lets both Iverson and Detroit's other
significant free agent, Rasheed Wallace, walk next summer, the team will be
approximately $21-22 million under the cap.
The 2009 free-agent class has a number of interesting players the Pistons
could pursue. Carlos Boozer can opt out of his contract and could prove to be
a big upgrade at the power forward position. The Pistons could also pursue
restricted free agents such as Marvin Williams and David Lee.
Or the Pistons could be patient and wait until the summer of 2010, when the
star-studded free-agent class is expected to include LeBron James, Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh, who might be Detroit's most realistic target.
Fourth, the Pistons have set a high standard in Detroit the past few years,
and Dumars did not want to go through a long, messy rebuilding process.
Dumars should still have a very competitive team this season. With a core of
Iverson, Hamilton, Stuckey, Prince and Wallace, the Pistons are still in the
elite tier in the Eastern Conference.
Though the team may take a small step backward next year with both Iverson
and Wallace potentially leaving, the development of Stuckey, Maxiell and
Johnson should keep the Pistons very competitive. And in the next two years,
if the Pistons can add a significant piece or two, they may well return to
power in the East.
All that said, this trade presents significant risks for the Pistons.
First, they have to hope Iverson is able to mix well with his teammates and
keep his focus on the Pistons' success, even though he knows he'll probably
be in Detroit for only this season. If he begins fretting about his lack of
an extension, it could be a major distraction in Detroit.
Second, Dumars is banking on Stuckey being the real deal. His talent is
undeniable, but he has to become a star to justify the trade.
Third, the Pistons are still weak on their front line. By trade or free
agency, Dumars needs to bring in a significant player to help down low with
both scoring and defense. If he doesn't, Detroit will struggle to remain
among the elite teams in the East.
Once again, Joe Dumars has made a major gamble. But if his track record means
anything, we shouldn't bet against Joe D.
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