Iverson-Billups Trade Shakes Up the NBA By Jared Forbus In the NBA, November and December generally arent the most accurate predictors of which teams will make the playoffs and what off-season trades worked or didnt work. So much can happen in the course of a nearly six month season that a fast start or early struggle isnt the best way to judge a team. That said, this seasons wild start has seen teams and players assert themselves in a manner that cant be ignored. The most shocking development of the young season was the trade that sent Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups and others to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. Both teams started the season with high expectations, but with plenty of doubts to go with them. When the Nuggets acquired Iverson from the 76ers in the 2006-2007 season, they were expected to be immediate contenders for a title. However, after two straight first-round playoff losses since the trade, and five overall, the team realized that the pairing of Carmelo Anthony and Iverson needed to end. The Pistons, on the other hand, had the same core of players that they had in 2004, when they beat the Lakers in the Finals, but despite appearing in every Eastern Conference Finals since then, have failed to win another championship. When they won the championship in 2004, one of the teams great strengths was that any one of their players could take over a game at a given moment. They didnt need a superstar scorer to carry them because they had five players capable of doing that. Recently, this erstwhile strength became a weakness, as Boston showed in last seasons playoffs. The Pistons didnt have a go-to scorer who could be relied upon to close out a game. The trade, to which both teams agreed just a few days into the season, seems to have given both teams exactly what they need. Billups gives the Nuggets a team leader who creates opportunities for the team, which should compliment Anthonys scoring extremely effectively. Anthony hasnt yet had a teammate with as much experience and knowledge as Billups, and playing with him should elevate Anthonys game to an even higher level. The Pistons have found exactly what they need in Iverson. For them, the trade is reminiscent of the deal that brought them Rasheed Wallace back in 03-04. Iverson, like Wallace, has for a long time fought against the perception that he is selfish and a bad teammate. On the Pistons, surrounded by the depth of talent that team has, Iverson will finally be able to play basketball without being the player the team counts on every game. In Philadelphia, and even with Anthony in Denver, Iverson was under pressure to score 30 points every game for the team to have a shot at winning. In Detroit, he will be able to simply be another part of the offense. On Friday, Billups and Iverson played against the teams that ousted them from the playoffs last season. Different teams yield different results, as Billups led the Nuggets with 18 points and seven assists to beat the Celtics in Boston, and Iverson led the Pistons with 25 points to beat the Lakers in Los Angeles. It is early in the season, but those wins were huge statements for both teams. The Nuggets moved to 4-1 with Billups in the lineup and improved to 5-4 overall. The Pistons scored more than 100 points for the third straight game and improved their record to 7-2. It is far too early in the season to draw any conclusions about these two teams ability to make deep playoff runs, but both teams are clearly better with their new players. The only thing that is certain is that Iverson and Billups can both expect warm receptions both times these teams play each other this season. This article is ? 2008 The Bi-College News. The material on this page is free for personal or educational use, but may not be reproduced, reprinted, republished, redistributed, or otherwise transmitted to a third party without the express written permission of The Bi-College News, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041. Editor's note: Articles that appear in the Last Word section are works of satire. McGrady left the game in the opening minute of the second half after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee, but the Rockets were still able to mount a 14-3 run powered by Scola and Yao. Ron Artest extended the lead to 77-58 when he stepped behind Kevin Durant’s back to knock the ball away and set himself up for a right-handed dunk. Oklahoma City came back with its own 14-3 run to trail by 82-74 on Russell Westbrook’s basket inside with 10 minutes 42 seconds to play, but the Thunder still lost its eighth straight game. Artest added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, but was left clutching his right ankle after driving the lane in the final minute. He limped off the floor with help from team trainers and joined McGrady on the bench. McGrady, who had surgery in the off-season to remove loose bodies from his left knee, never went to the locker room and instead remained on the bench with a towel draped over his shoulders during the second half. “Tonight I went back to Square 1, even before surgery, is how my knee is feeling right now,” McGrady said. Artest was more positive. “People sprain their ankles all the time,” he said of his injury. “It’s not broke.” The Thunder played without forward Desmond Mason, who will miss about 10 days with a sprained right elbow. JAZZ 109, SUNS 97 Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 19 points and 2 big blocks in the fourth quarter, and host Utah ended a three-game losing streak. Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal both drew their fourth fouls early in the third quarter, and the Suns’ offense went cold in the fourth as Utah scored 13 straight points. Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 30 points and 8 rebounds. Nash had 14 points and 8 assists, but O’Neal finished with just 9 points and 1 rebound. He had back-to-back shots blocked by Kirilenko during Phoenix’s slump in the fourth quarter. Earlier Monday, O’Neal was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court quickly after being ejected Sunday against Detroit. He was fined $35,000 on Friday for his role in a fight against the Rockets.