Pistons Get Iverson Now, James Later?
 

ahahahahahahaha looks like my pistons are evil geniouses :> look out NBA!!!!!!

Joe Dumars had the chance to consider Dallas’ Jason Kidd and his expiring contract over the summer, a league executive said Monday, but the Detroit Pistons president had bigger, bolder ideas. Allen Iverson still gives the Pistons a puncher’s chance in the Eastern Conference this season, but this trade isn’t about him. It isn’t about Chauncey Billups.

Think bigger.

Think bolder.

Think LeBron James, 2010.

The Pistons president doesn’t just have the salary cap space for the Cleveland Cavaliers star. He also has the connections and the championship credibility. Make no mistake: Detroit and Dumars are officially in hot pursuit of James – maybe even the favorite now – and it promises to be a long, agonizing two years for the Cavaliers.

Detroit doesn’t deliver the bright lights and global metropolis destination that James wants when he opts out of his contract in 2010, but two more years of watching Kobe Bryant win titles could transform his priorities. James wants badly to be considered the best player on the planet and that won’t happen until he’s a champion.

James wants a front office with a vision that honors his greatness, and make no mistake: This makes Detroit and Dumars so dangerous, makes them Cleveland’s worst nightmare. The city could justify losing its prodigal son to New York or Los Angeles, but nearby Detroit?


Cleveland would never recover.

So why Iverson over a possible package for Kidd? Several league executives know exactly why: The trade with Denver to make an unhappy Iverson happier just further imbeds the Detroit franchise deeper into James’ agent, Leon Rose, and advisor, William Wesley. Just as they represent James, they rep Iverson.

And as much as anyone, “World Wide” Wes is one of the most important voices in Lebron’s life. Wesley lives in Detroit, where one of Rose’s clients, Richard Hamilton, is a Pistons star. What’s more, Dumars is close to an agreement with Hamilton on a two-year extension that will keep him through 2012, sources say. This is a terrific show of faith for Hamilton, who is trying to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars that a business manager allegedly stole from him.

Wesley comes and goes at the Palace of Auburn Hills as he pleases, and few have such a window into the winning culture of the Pistons.

As one rival GM said Monday, “Damn it, I am afraid Joe has this whole thing wired. He’s got everything in place to pull this off.”

The New Jersey Nets’ move to Brooklyn is falling apart, and so is owner Bruce Ratner’s chances of using limited partner, Jay-Z, to lure James. The Knicks will be a factor, but the bumbling of the Stephon Marbury mess has reflected horribly on the organization. The Knicks have an owner, GM and coach with differing agendas and they’ve made an initial poor impression. Detroit can’t compete with New York as the global city to market James, but winning could take care of everything.

With Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni as GM and coach, the Knicks can still get their act together. Yet, no one will ever need to ask that of Dumars. No one else can sell James on a winning culture as compellingly as Dumars. He had gone as far as he could with Billups, who has three years and $36 million left on his contract. Billups gave the Pistons a slight edge over Iverson to make another run this season, but Dumars had already gotten a final run out of him a year ago. Detroit won a title, reached a Game 7 of the NBA Finals and six straight Eastern Conference finals with Billups.

Now, Billups is 32 years old. He’s declining. This is a low-risk, short-term, high-reward, long-term play for Dumars.


AUBURN HILLS, MI - NOVEMBER 1:…
Getty Images - Nov 1, 11:04 pm EDT
The Pistons president believes that the young guard Rodney Stuckey, a brilliant pick out of Eastern Washington, can take over the Pistons next year. Iverson and Rasheed Wallace could leave the payroll this summer, and the Pistons will be $22 million under the salary cap in 2009. They will have a core of Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson in 2010. No one else among James’ serious suitors with cap space has two All-Stars (Hamilton and Prince) and a potential third (Stuckey) for him to join.

Most of all, James knows he’d have Dumars to give him the right coach, the right teammates, the right atmosphere to chase championships for a long, long time. What makes this plan so ingenious is that the bridge from Iverson to Stuckey, from Wallace to Maxiell, makes it possible for the Pistons to reconstruct themselves without bottoming out. They’ll still be a 50-win team. Dumars hates the idea of rebuilding through the lottery, and that won’t need to happen here. He won’t be offering James a heap of ashes in 2010, but a good team needing him to complete its greatness.

For the flawed franchises falling over themselves to get under the salary cap for 2010, the most ingenious plan promises to start out of the NBA’s brightest executive mind. Joe Dumars is thinking big. He’s thinking bold. This will be an agonizing two years in Cleveland.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now, James Later?
 

I read that yesterday,I'm from ohio and the cavs would go back to the worst team in the NBA. Detroit has always and a good team. I know if they get LJ they will be the top team in the NBA

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now, James Later?
 

oh no doubt they have the bench in tact through 2010 and than get rid of sheed which is killing us anyway and than the payroll of iverson after the season asnd than detroit will pick up james in 2010 and have the most dominate front 5 in the league. (maby ever) as the article states a rival gm already knows that dumars has this all planned out and would be willing to put money down that after 2 more seasons in cleveland you will see lebron come over to the pistons and win a title in his first year :>

sucks for your cavs again lmao :> cant even keep your sdtar playter that went to high school right inthe state of ohio hahahahaah

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

I hate the cavs just like LJ i'm more of a shit if I was him I would leave this shitty ass state and go to Boston or L.A. where nba is the shit. The only thing in Ohio thats worth anything is the Buckeyes and I'm a huge fan of them too but FU*K they blow it every year too. The Reds and Indians sucks goat penis the bluejackets like to FU*K each other in the ass with there sticks.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

hahahahhahahaa michigan aint better with the lions and all lmao.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

the good old days where he was with the 6ers.... but w.e. i really dont watch basketball...

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

The Pistons are basically renting A.I. for a season its a good move because Bubbachuck is not a pure PG so running along with Rodney Stuckey makes a dangerous back court duo but LeBron is New York/Brooklyn Bound.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

there is no way with the shape of the team, isiah thomas, and many more issues... lebron wants to win a title and will come to detroit and not new york since new york wont be able to place the players around him that he needs so it would be even worse than cleveland.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

+1 on that New York does suck more than the cavs and the cavs suck

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

The Pistons window is getting very small Lebron got two more years in Cleveland he's made it clear where his heart is (it's not in Cleveland) The Knicks/Nets whichever will be a different team in two years Best believe Mike D'antoni will have a better team then and aint he Jay-Zs' boy?

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

lol are u guys that stubborn, knicks have the largest salary cap of all teams in the nba, its clear in 2010 king james is comin to nyc... the knicks are making a hell of a lot of space now, and in 2010 they will have a great team for him to come to....knicks dont suck they just arent many skilled players on the team, i mean, how many all stars are there in the knicks??? answer is....none! and the cavs dont suck bro, since james been there they been to the playoffs every year, and now with my man mo williams theyre gonna kill it

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

IMO LJ makes the cavs go around. HE leaves then its back in the crapper for them

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

not happening because the knicks front office is a mess, they wont have a team, look what they are doing with maurbury on top of all of that..... there is no way that lebron is going to see a chance at winning a title there and in detroit there is a great chance since they will have a good young experienced team around him and a front office that is willing to do what it takes to win a championship......... no doubt that the pistons are landing king james.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

They better hope they land King James lmao they made them selfs worse with that trade not better!!!!!!!!

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

naw they didnt...... i think they made themselves better since now they have an offensive thread every game which they havent had since grant hill in his prime..

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

pistons got a young team???? lol no way bro theyre old as hell and the knicks front office was a mess thanks to isiah, but donnie walsh is clearing things out now, and we should be set to bring in LJ, and by the way, LJ needs to be in a big city like kobe so nyc is his best suit, pistons can stick with sheed and rip lol

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

naw bro there is no way he will be able to bring the franchise back enough before 2010 to persuade LJ to come to new york. detroit is the spot because of the base around the team that would be built and guarnteed via contract to be, the cash, the best chance of the available teams to win a championship, and the publicity and marketing deals.

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

what base? in 2010 all the piston players gonna be old as hell, pls dont tell me stuckey, afflalo lol....NYC is the place to be james wants to be in the garden(the greatest arena on earth)

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now James Later
 

ill just wait to tell you i told you so in 2010 :> :Elffy_15:

Re: Pistons Get Iverson Now, James Later?
 

by trading for iverson..after this year the pistons will have cap rooms to vie for the lebron sweepstakes. this is like Lebron's senior year in high school where the lottery teams were trying to lose in purpose to get him.