Starters....Benched

After having a two winning streak against the Bucks and the Knicks, it was almost expected the Pistons would steal another one against the Blazers...not so much after a disappointing first quarter performance by the starters, Michael Curry decided to put them on the bench and let the Zoo Crew finished the half. Final score 96-85.

• Out of all the starters who were about to make it a blowout game, Rip was the one who came with an acceptable stat, led the team with 18 points on a 6-12 field goal but he was -13 on the +/-
• Although Curry is having a hard time adjusting with the line up he has now, I'm still in his bandwagon. For a simple fact that he is not afraid to sit all his starters and replace them with the ones who are more eager to put blood and sweat on the floor.
• It seems to me that everytime the starters are back on the floor, the Pistons' engine gets on halt mode
• Stuckey led the Zoo Crew with 15 points and 5 dimes but with 5 turnover
• Amir also led the Zoo Crew on boards with 8
• Just like what Curry has been declaring all summer, whoever wins the rebound battle most likely will win the game. Pistons lost 35-29
• With the exception of Maxiell, the Zoo Crew dominated the starters on +/- points, -83 (-28 on A.I.) to +23. So why the hell would Curry keep the starters on the floor!!!?
• I have to give credit to the Blazers, but the Pistons didn't lose this game because of the Blazers but because of themselves. Sorry but I'm just not convince the Blazers are better than a 6th consecutive Eastern Conference appearance team...plain and simple

Whether the Pistons win or lose on any games throughout the next few weeks, I'd have to remind myself that they are in a summer camp mode since A.I. has arrived, as declared by Michael Curry. However, I'd have to say that defense is a choice to make whether you'd play for it or not. It's not like shooting that you have to get into a rhytm. With that said, I expect them to not fall asleep against the Spurs on Tuesday because Poppavich is a surgeon on creating big opportunities on the very tiny mistakes the opposing team makes.

Walter Anyone?

It was still anyone's game in the beginning of the 4th quarter until it started raining 3s in the Palace courtesy of Walter Hermann. He practically sealed the game with his 5 for 6 behind the arc shots and ended up with 16 points. Final score 107-97.

• Maxiell's multiple monster dunks makes you think when the rim is gonna give in
• Speaking of multiple, it was raining 3s in the 4th courtesy of Hermann
• How about the Kwame dunk off the dribble....Everybody get out of the way!
• Amir's blocks are present again and threw in a lob dunk
• The Pistons are alive and kicking on both ends of the floor
• Although A.I. didn't start he led the team with 17 points and 7 assist
• Stuckey started for A.I. and did a pretty good job with 11 points 5 assist
• Maxiell seems posses racking the stat sheet with 6 swats and 8 boards....He ended up with 13 points as well. Talk about contributing on both ends of the floor
• 6 Pistons in double figure

I'm pretty impressed with the last 2 games and I have a feeling it has something to do with the days of intense practice they put in after the loss to TWolves. Although A.I. was a no show on the morning of Thanksgiving, I'm glad he's man enough to apologize and admit that it was wrong which was good because Michael Curry doesn't really care who you are, whether you're a star player or not. Something the previous regime (Flip Saunders) wouldn't even take action with.

Back On Track

After a devastating loss to the T'Wolves who was 2-9 this season, the Pistons got back to their basics with an inspiration of knowing that McDyess is returning during the holidays.

• Amir's blockshots has returned
• A.I. looks a little more attach to the team on the court
• Is the A.I. to Max lob crazy or what!?
• The defensive intensity of the Pistons has picked up. It shouldn't be surprising to know that it's there, the problem is the consistency. Lets see it on the next game.
• Rip led the team with 17 points with 8 of 13 field goal
• 8 Pistons in double figure
• Amir's presence were not only felt because of his usual blockshot, but 13 boards!!!!
• Same thing for Stuckey, 11 assist!!!! That's just show how good a point guard is on making a decision.

Next game will be against Milwaukee on Friday. I expect the same defensive intensity from everyone.

Better Now Than Later

According to Michael Curry this game is about attitude for the Pistons...That was nowhere to be seen unless the attitude he was looking for is lack of enthusiasm. There maybe some good things or shouldy I say little good things that the boys might have done, but it couldn't be better than its better we lose now, than in the playoffs. It's better to know what the riddles now (against Celtics) after two games than after two games in a 7 game series.

• Is it me or is it almost everytime the Pistons comes out of time out, they commit a turnover. That just defeats the purpose of it


• I'm not buying the "We had a game back to back" because beating the Lakers after a tough win in the Bay Area was clearly do-able


• This game was no different than their first game this season, except its on National TV and its far the most embrassing game ever this season


• Celtics are talking a lot of $#!&, or at least according to TNT announcers, 25 technicals and counting already this season


• Rasheed's presence were actually felt, the 3s were there, the defense were there, but against the Celtics, he's gonna' need help were Dyess presence is missed badly


• 15 total assist with 4 minutes left to play......Clearly no ball movement


• Though the game has already been decided halfway 4th, Bynum is showing some sign of earning his minutes. I'm electing Bynum to be the reserve point guard ahead of Stuckey


• I'm almost convince that Prince' game this season has moved to another level compare to all those years, apparently not, until he proves he can compete against team that dominates the SF position (Lebron, Prince)


• If I'm Michael Curry, I would have to point out A LOT on their defense, particulary pick and roll especially on Rondo and help defense in the interior. I didn't see a physical defensive team that I've always anticipated to be on a consistent basis

The schedule for the rest of the month should give the Pistons time to practice with A.I. and put a clamp on what Curry's been declaring on bringing back the Bad Boys defense. 5 games for the rest of the month with 2-3 days apart against non-championship contender plus, all are at home should be a big brake. I expect a better Pistons by the end of the month.

One Word....Rasheed!

Cleveland visiting Detroit was just an awesome game. Though I missed out on writing the highlights, I didn't miss the deadly three pointers of Sheed. It was amazing.

Almost Perfect

The Detroit Pistons ended their 4 game westcoast road trip with one loss against the Phoenix Suns last night. Shaq was dominating the game in the first quarter but ejected later on due to a flagrant 2 foul that sent Rodney Stuckey hard on the floor. Just when the Pistons thought they could've used a breathing room, the Suns were already on fire and had the momentum along with the people in Planet Orange.

• Why do I get the feeling that Amir is becoming a non-factor in the game
• A.I. and Prince combined 6 for 28, its hard to win with this
• Wallace cryptonite is Shaq, Pistons fans knows this
• Rip played well and led the team, 7 for 13 with 19 points
• A.I. with 9 points, lowest points as a Pistons
• Not a good idea to put Prince again on Diaw
• I'm sure Porter had his own scouting report against his former team
• Sheed still played decent with 11 points with 9 rebounds
• Good night for Kwame again, 4 for 4 with 10 points

Shaq's presence was felt by the Pistons and had them off their guard. When Pistons played the Phoenix with Shaq last season, Pistons were 2-0 against them, including a National TV in Phoenix that practically massacred the Suns. It's pretty clear that Suns new coach Terry Porter, former Assistant Coach for the Pistons had a lot to do with it. He knows how to utilize big and strong Frontline at both ends of the floor. Fortunately after the westcoast trip, Pistons could get a breathing and more practice with A.I. since their next game is not schedule until Wednesday against Cleveland. The only problem is its a back to back following a game against the Celtics at Boston.

7-0 and playing in LA.....We Don't Care!!!

The Pistons started the game as if they don't care the Lakers are undefeated this season and they're in the Lakers' turf. All it matter was to get a win against whoever..... wherever. The Pistons handed the Lakers their first loss of the season with the final score 106-95. The Lakers were pretty much playing catch up almost the whole game.

• A.I. is just getting better and better....25 points with 4 steals


• As if the big worry for the Pistons are the Lakers Frontline, Bynum only 8 points in 30mins while Gasol with 13 points for 40 minutes


• Sheed practically beat the starting frontline of the Lakers (Bynum and Gasol) with 25 points and 13 boards (Bynum and Gasol combine for 21 points and 18 boards)
• Whatever people said about Kwame, especially fans from LA, all I had to say was..."Give me a player who became a Pistons that got worst"....and then some "Did you know who Billups and Hamilton before they moved to Pistons" do the Math.
• Kwame showed the Lakers how they should've utilized him, he finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds
• Maxiell presence was felt once again.....a putback dunk
• It's raining 3 pointers in Staples center, except not by the Lakers but by Sheed and Prince
• Pistons frontcourt dominated Lakers' so as their backcourt
• I'm so impress with the execution of Pistons
• A.I.'s addition is starting to show that the opposing defense is getting scrambled, leaving other Piston jerseys for wide open shots...this should give McDyess more motivation to return
• All I could say about Prince now is, "as usual good performance"18 points with 6 assists
• Although Rip had 12 points, he was 3 for 10. I wouldn't worry about it, considering Kobe is an amazing defender
• Kobe led his Lakers with 29 points but had to take 30 shots

The Pistons are done in Cali but will be playing one more game on their westcoast trip. Their last game will be in Planet Orange against the Phoenix Suns. I'm glad they got this win, not only for handing the Lakers their first loss but for making a dry-run on how to defend conventional Frontline. Because after containing Bynum and Gasol, the Pistons will be up for more challenges of Stoudemire/Shaq.

On The Spotlight

Game time tonight against the defending West Champs and still undefeated this season tips off at 7:30 Pacific Time. A.I. and Kobe will be the two key spotlight along with Rip, Rasheed, Gasol and the emergence of Bynum. Despite of arriving in LA late last night by the Pistons, coming from a fast tempo game against the Warriors, Prince (Compton, CA), Afflalo (UCLA) and Amir (Westchester HS, CA) should be comfortable and looking forward to playing in LA as some of their friends and families would be watching them live in Staples Center.

Run and Gun....The Pistons!!!?

The Detroit Pistons went on their 2nd winning streak after disposing the Golden State Warrior on their own turf. Although Pistons were making a run on the 2nd half the Bay Area fans were impress, nevertheless on how the Pistons dictate a fast tempo against one of the fastest fastbreak team in the league. That's what a combination of A.I. and Rip along with the young second unit would do to a team.

- Turnover problem increased in the 2nd quarter and especially in the third

- Pistons were down by as high as 12 in the beginning of third

- A.I. is becoming a better passer deep in the paint

- Rasheed sent a message that Zone Defense ain't gonna' work when his couple of shots dropped from beyond the arc during crunch time

- Rip's shooting slump has finally ended, he was 7 of 15 who also led the team with 24 points

- Although Prince only had 10 points, he was too busy handling the board with 16 rebounds

- Rip's new backcourt buddy (A.I.) came up with 23 points with 9 assist

- I was upset about the conservative calls for Magette, three foul calls in a row on the block, ITS A DAMN CONTACT SPORT REF!

- Rip hit the dagger with his curl signature move to close the deal with a little over a minute left

- I'm glad Sheed got his mind off of that technical foul when he came back

- Maxiell came with his signature dunk again

- Bynum (with 6 points, less than 12 minutes) continue to impress everyone of attacking the paint including the commentators Marv A and Doug Collins

- Afflalo's two critical strong "AND 1" gives the Pistons a big push

The Pistons aren't done yet in Cali. Tonight they'll be facing the Lakers who's currently undefeated this season. Pistons frontcourt hasn't really been consistently productive until last nights game, with Rasheed leading the way. Amir, Maxiell and Kwame would need to step it up a few notch because LA's big (Bynum and Gasol) will definitely create some problems. On the other hand, even if they have Kobe, Pistons backcourt will be loaded with A.I., Rip, Bynum, Afflalo and the return of Stuckey. It'll be interesting to see who will guard Kobe, although we know Prince is the "Kobe Specialist" someone needs to cover Odom. I expect Curry will be rotating the assignment between Rip, Afflalo and Prince.

A.I. Began To Strike

A.I. gets his first win 100-92 in a game against the Kings. Allen was one assist shy away from a double-double, 30 points and 9 assist while Prince had 26 points with 11 rebounds. The Pistons were having a hard time getting over the hump almost throughout the whole entire game. They were down by double digit in the first quarter but caught up by half time at 50. In the second half, they just couldn't break away from the Kings until the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter when AI made a three pointer and a mid range shot from Prince where they finally took control of the game.

- A.I. was great, his moves and reaction shows how he's becoming more familiar with his teamates along with the Pistons playbook

- Bynum was great cutting to the defensive teeth of Kings

- Although Sheed didn't show his stat, he's presence was felt

- A.I. dish to Kwame in the paint...Twice!!! I smell offensive chemistry

- Prince continue to be aggresive

- Rip did play better, but he's still not out of his slump, 4 for 16

Pistons stays in Cali for few more games, Golden State on Thursday and Lakers on Friday. After that, they'll go to Planet Orange to play the Suns before heading back home. I hope Stuckey will make it to the Bay Area.

Dog and Cat Instinct

About a month ago, my wife and I decided to get a new member of our family... (My wife and I with 2 cats name Stevie and Eva), a new dog. My wife pretty much did all the research and shopping around and we finally found what we wanted and it happens to be a pointer breed with a mix of lab. As part of our preference we wanted a younger dog and the one we found happens to be an 8 months old, Samantha. As part of the family, we wanted her to be comfortable with not just my wife and I but also with the rest of the family...Eva and Stevie. Fortunately, pointers breed are even-tempered, congenial dogs happiest living indoors as part of the family. They are affectionate and loyal and more importantly, they can happily co-exist with other dogs and often cats. Knowing that gave my wife and I some relief that our cats (Stevie and Eva, both female) would live happily with our dog. Currently, we have passed the process of introducing them to each other and from what I could see, we are in the stage of having them get accustom in the same room. Stevie and Eva are about the same age, a little over two years, while Samantha is still considered a puppy (a big puppy, should I say), in other words, she's still hyper and playful and she's doesn't know that our cats are not comfortable with her yet, although she takes it as they are playing (hissing, or running away from her) with her. Stevie shouldn't take that long to get use to her since she could be the most friendly and patient cat I've ever met. She's actually responsible for taking care of Eva and also having her getting accustomed to social environment. On the other hand, Eva is the shy type and gets scared easier which makes her self-defense level high although she's very mellow. It would take just a little longer to get Samantha get along with Eva compare to Stevie, but in the end and in the long run, it would be one big happy family.

I thought of this situation as similar to the arrival of AI to the Pistons. No matter how great AI could mesh with the Pistons and vice-versa how versatile Pistons can adopt just any type of player in or out of the league, it won't be a 1 or 2 day transition, it will take a little longer. Given enough time, everyone will be on the same page.

The Story Behind 2 Losing Streak Since A.I.

If I were to make a survey what had happen to the last 2 games of Pistons, chances are "Team Chemistry with Iverson" will stand out the most. Along with that may be "Billups leadership or presence". It would be foolish not to admit that both of those are true, but I wouldn't get too close that those were the major issues. After reading Keith's entry at Pistons.com, I would have to agree with the assesment of Michael Curry. This is actually what I'm looking for as I emphasized after the last two games that Curry would need to do a major analysis of this team, fortunately he did, and he knows what went on. Now, its just a matter of looking for the best solution.

From Keith Langlois:

Here was Curry before Sunday's game: "As I said when we made the trade, that's a big void we're missing. Our last two games, you can tell when Dice is not out there. Whenever we take (Rasheed Wallace) off the court, we always had a veteran guy out there who could spread the floor and allow Rodney Stuckey to be able to get to the basket. Right now with Max and Kwame, you don't have that shooter. These guys have strengths in their own areas, but they're not Dice. We have to change our rotation around to make up for that extra scoring and the ability Dice had to spread the floor for us in the beginning of the second and fourth quarters."
Here was Curry after Sunday's game: "The first quarter was good. The second quarter is what I've been concerned with since we made the move. We've got to find a way to get something going in that second quarter when we take our scoring big out, Rasheed. We've got to find a way to get things going with other guys. We'll do that. We'll get better. ... By moving Dice to the bench, he became that scoring forward so whenever Sheed was out of the game, Dice was always in. So we always had a big that could spread the floor and really shoot the basketball."

The Pistons headed out to Sacramento today to begin a four-day West Coast trip that further complicates their transition to the Iverson era. If they looked sluggish in the loss to Boston, it might have been more than just the acclimation process to the dramatic personnel change. They'd just returned home after a three-game road trip, making Sunday's home game seem like just another stop along the mid-point of what is essentially an eight-game road trip, and now the Western leg squeezes them further for practice time.
"I would like to have about three or four practice days," Curry said. "I wish we didn't play until Thursday. But it is what it is." Curry decided immediately after the trade that the loss of McDyess meant he needed to add another reliable scorer to the playing group that starts the second quarter. So he and Tayshaun Prince agreed that Prince would be the first starter to check out, somewhere around eight minutes into the game. But when the promising first quarter in New Jersey ended in Iverson's debut, the group that began the second half was Rodney Stuckey and Prince - out of position - in the backcourt with Walter Herrmann, Brown and Maxiell up front. Curry quickly concluced he needed to stagger the coming and going of Iverson and Hamilton so that their time together out of the game was infrequent. Before Sunday's game, he said he would take Hamilton out when he removed Prince, then bring both back along with Stuckey to start the second quarter. But that doesn't solve the issue of not having a big man beyond Wallace who can step outside as a credible scoring threat and provide Iverson and Stuckey the chances to attack a spread-out defense. In the best case, McDyess will return to the Pistons 30 days after the waiver process plays out. In the meantime, expect Curry to keep experimenting with lineup combinations and preaching the message of opportunity to Johnson, Brown and Maxiell. The 20 minutes a game the Pistons had set aside for McDyess are now up for grabs. This is the chance for one of those three to stake his claim to an increased role, whether McDyess returns or not.

Many fans and reporters are so diluted to the Billups-Iverson trade that they are forgetting that McDyess (and Samb) is part of the trade. This simply leads me to believe that many people have no idea how valuable McDyess is to the Pistons.

Massacre at the Palace

There's no other way to put it in one word....Massacre. The score (88-76) may not reflect that, as much as what happened in the game. I'm sure by now, reporters, commentators and speculators are throwing things around as: It was a mistake to trade Chauncey Billups to AI....Well, at this point, Pistons cannot really argue until they prove that it is not. Only winning games can prove that. All I can say is Celtics had fun at the Palace.

- Rip was sub-zero cold ice....I remember 9 minutes left in the 4th, no FG. Damn!!!!

- What the hell is up with the careless passing, AI, Rip and Stuckey

- Amir, Bynum & Prince were the only Pistons I saw.....Everybody else is MIA

- Same goes for Rasheed, out of sync...Plus, what happen to his post up???

- Celtics bench just killed Pistons'

As much as I would love to say more about the game, its better not to.....I rather have the "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything" attitude. Michael Curry needs to do some major analysis on what's going on with this team. There's a huge lack of effort and passion as a team......I would start with Rasheed and Rip. They better come up with something quickly because the westcoast trip is coming around fast (Sacramento on Tue, Golden State on Thurs, and LAL on Fri).

Is Detroit in Lebron or Chris' mind?

For the past few days, the big talk in Piston Land is about Allen Iverson. Today or maybe even the next few days, the new talk generating from the trade is the free agent market, when Lebron James and Chris Bosh are free to explore their options. Logical reasoning tells us, that a championship team with flexible cap salary is the most probable place to be. That puts Detroit to one of the elite choices when they hit free agency.

From ESPN

There was a definitive declaration about the future earlier this week from LeBron James. You probably just haven't heard about it yet. The official decree from King James: "22, 10 and 10." That's how LeBron replied when someone in Dallas asked him what his ideal, every-night line in the box score would be. I think I can safely predict the response, too: All of the fans in all of the cities whose teams fantasize about signing James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2010 will inevitably seize on the fact that LeBron didn't specify where he dreams of racking up all those triple-doubles. Of course, even had he pronounced himself a Cav For Life in the same sentence, who outside of Ohio would hear him? No. 23 could clearly state his intentions to stay with his home-state team -- and he pretty much did in October at a Barack Obama rally when no one was expecting it -- and it wouldn't discourage anyone in the basketball mecca of New York … or the Nike capital of Portland, Ore. … or now Detroit.

The line for LeBron, as you've undoubtedly heard by now, got one team longer this week when the Pistons traded for Allen Iverson and a huge chunk of financial flexibility that might just hold up until July 2010. If the cash does stay stashed that long, Detroit won't merely try to sign James, either. We're sittin' here talkin' about Joe Dumars, so trust us: If the Pistons' uber-aggressive president can keep enough cap space to afford two max players in 2010, I'm reasonably sure that his A-1 scenario would be trying to sign James and Chris Bosh.

No fewer than 15 teams -- including the Cavs -- have less than $40 million in committed salaries on their books for the 2010-11 season, hoarding cap space for a free-agent class so deep that we don't even talk about Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and early Eastern Conference player of the month favorite Joe Johnson. Among those teams are Chicago, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Portland and Bosh's Toronto Raptors. I also fully expect the likes of San Antonio and Dallas to be major bidders by the time LeBron and Co. hit the open market, which is to say that the Pistons, between now and the NBA's Free Agent Frenzy of 2010, won't be the last team to be mentioned as a new threat to steal LeBron away from Cleveland. Far from it.

Pistons Riddle was Devin Harris

I don't care how you put it....whether its AI's debut, team chemistry is still in development with him, Chauncey's offensive set is missed, or Dyess presence would've been a good impact. From what I saw, Devin Harris gave the Pistons a little taste of why the Nets decided to re-build the team around him. The first quarter was a riddle that wasn't challenging for the Pistons to run their offense and defense, but when the second quarter started, question marks started flying in the air that their answers were not fast enough.

- How in the world will they stop Devin Harris from Penetrating and drawing fouls

- Boone's score doesn't bother me, but 14 rebounds??? C'mon!

- Too many jump shots from the Pistons? I hope Michael Curry gives them hell of a practice

- I did not see much defensive effort on Sheed and Kwame. What the hell??? Kwame was too busy getting inspired by Harris while Sheed was playing again against the officials not against the Nets

- But frontcourt's defense may have scrambled due to Harris penetration

- Amir was nowhere to be found

- Good job by the backcourt, AI, Rip and Stuck

- I did find that the referees were making no calls on the hits and bumps towards AI, Rip and Stuck but that doesn't justify Sheeds distraction to the officials

- I wouldn't be surprise if today's practice would be about basics on how to attack zone defense

- AI's debut performance was great

- I can't wait for the Pistons to play them again, I'll put money that Harris will not play like that again, not against the Pistons at least

A Bittersweet Farewell....Thanks For the Memories

As much as I hate to see Chauncey leave the Pistons (after all the things he has done for the team and for the city), I'm happy for him that he's finally going home. To the town where he was known, and raise and where he first became someone Big.

From Keith Langlois

The silver lining for Billups is where Joe Dumars sent him. When he saw the handwriting on the wall, he asked Joe D if it came to that, and it was at all possible, he could send him to the Nuggets, whose need at point guard was pronounced. Denver is home to Billups, where his extended family still resides and where they have never forgotten the greatest high school player in Denver history. Or the favorite son who stayed home to play college basketball at the University of Colorado, taking a bereft basketball program to the NCAA tournament in his sophomore season before entering the NBA draft and becoming the No. 3 pick in the 1997 draft.“Bittersweet,” Chauncey told Joe D when he told him of the trade – and where he was going. Leaving Detroit is bitter for him. He adopted it as his second home. But going to Denver is sweet.All his successes with the Pistons were celebrated nearly as much in the Mile High City as they were in the Motor City. The Denver newspapers followed Billups throughout the great playoff runs he captained over his six seasons as the point guard Joe Dumars chose to restore the Pistons to glory – and all six of those seasons ended with the Pistons no worse than one of the last four teams standing.That’s a remarkable record of achievement for the man who became the face of the franchise.And he became that not only for what he did on the 94 feet of hardwood at The Palace. He became that for how he wove himself into the fabric of Detroit. Chauncey Billups took his role as one of Detroit’s most recognized and celebrated faces seriously. He plunged himself into civic work, setting up charities here and buying thousands of Pistons tickets a season so underprivileged kids could come see the team they otherwise knew only as larger-than-life TV characters. Whenever the reporters who follow the team wanted a reaction or an explanation, it was Billups who unfailingly stood up and voiced his teammates’ perspective.

Tonight, Allen Iverson won't be able to make his debut against the Raptors since Chauncey is still in the process of finishing all the requirements (i.e. physical test) to start playing as a Denver Nuggets.

AI Ready To Sacrifice To Win

As most people know by now, the big news in Piston Land is the arrival of Allen Iverson. As I mentioned yesterday, I have faith that he will follow Michael Curry's lead. Fortunately, I wasn't expecting that this will happen over night, until I heard his first press conference as a Piston.

From MLive
"I have done so many things in this league, as far a being an All-Star, a scoring champion, All-NBA first team, but I haven't accomplished my number one goal, and that's to win a championship."
"Like I was telling Joe (Dumars) earlier today, I'm willing to sacrifice whatever I have to sacrifice to get it done. I've tried it my way plenty of my times. I've tried it different ways and it hasn't been done. Once again, I have to look at myself, I have to look in the mirror at myself and think of things I can do to help us to win a championship. Maybe there are some things I have to change.
One thing is for sure, two things for certain, I'm going to do whatever the coach wants me to do on the basketball court. If he gives me an assignment, I'll just try to carry it out to the fullest."

Yet I'm not that surprise because knowing Joe (Dumars) he wouldn't take on AI unless he has 3 things in order to be a Piston. Talent, Character and Winning, regardless of the sacrifice you have to make as a player. Below is a video of one of my favorite basketball player defending Iverson.

It's Official, AI is a Pistons

I wasn't able to come to work today due to personal matter, however when I heard the news about the Pistons under Curry's regime I was SHOCK! The Pistons turned into a different team after trading the captain Chauncey to Denver's AI. More on ESPN

I have three concern about this trade. First, the age comparison of AI to Billups. AI has been proven an all-star player and more compare to Billups, as I say, his resume speak for itself. This simply means that there's more mileage on AI's engine than Billups, but considering AI is 33 and Billups is 32, there's not much difference. Secondly, I was under the impression for some reason at first that this could create a long term contract if it doesn't work for the Pistons, but since AI is on his final year of 20million, its almost like renting him and at the same time giving him another chance to get that ring before he retires. Fortunately my two concern are covered, (thanks to Joe D again) except of AI's dynamic scoring ability, he may present a defensive liability to other bigger point guards, but I have faith in Michael Curry. They already have an intense summer camp that emphasized on bringing the Bad Boys defense back. Similar to several players in the league who has great respect to Michael Curry, AI will follow his lead.

I've always been a fan of AI. I remember the first time I saw him, I couldn't believe my eyes seeing his height (listed as 6-0 but he definitely looks shorter) and how he compete with all the bigger players and most of all, creating his own shot, going straight through the teeth of the team's defensive set. Welcome AI!