CB and Dice for AI

Honestly, i feel absolutely awful for them esp if they were blindsided by this as they say. To be that close with someone for 6 years and then just poof gone must be extremely hard to take. I get that it's a business, but they are still human beings. It probably stings less for Chauncey b/c it's DEN, but i think hard feeling will linger for awhile all around, and AI plays like AI then i'm not sure they'll go away.

Allen Iverson is going to have the hardest time winning over Rip.

Unfortunately, i'm hanging out on this side.

Weren't the Pistons in total awe of AI after ousting him from the '05 playoffs? I don't think they'll have a problem playing with him.

It was being worked on throughout the day, and i think he agreed after which puts a pause in my theory, but if Rip believes AI is only a rental . . .

I don't think Tay/Sheed will. The only person who i'm iffy on is Rip, and not just b/c of Chauncey, but also their ability to coexist.

The more I think about this team I wonder if Tay might move to the bench to let Stuckey start and have Rip move to the 3 against most teams. I know there are some 3's that Rip has a hard time with but on most nights he should be able to hold his own. Especially when you consider that AJ and Sheed are back there to help him out at the rim.

That allows Tay to be the primary option off the bench with Bynum, AA, Max(Herman) and Brown. He becomes that calming influence for the second unit.

It appears from the first 3 games that MC is going to go with the guys that are playing well to finish games. We may end up with a different 5 finishing games every night. If that is the case; it really doesn't matter who starts and who comes off the bench. The best five of the night will finish the games.

Would Tay be man enough to come off the bench for the betterment of the team if asked????

It will be interesting for sure.

I have to disagree with you on this one LP. I personally feel that, Rip & CB may have been close, professionally, on a personal level I think it was a different story.

I was totally reading between the lines when Rip repeatedly said after the season started that everyone was not held accountable by Flip. I think he was talking about CB myself. Secondly, I really don't think Rip would have signed an extension if the feelings were that strong. Rip & AI are pretty close, they have did a lot of volunteer work together in Pennyslvania, they even did some kids camps together, also they were always together at the Run & Shoot in MD, laughing it up.

Don't believe the hype, watch the chemistry between AI & the team, particularly Rip, Sheed and AI. Sheed and AI are also close, it's that Philly connection.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Rip's extension was contingent on signing AI.

I hope your right, and i hope they (and everyone) co-exists peacefully on the court and off, but i'm not so sure right now.

That i highly doubt.

I also think it's going to be good, for Sheed and for the whole team, to have another emotionally expressive player on the floor. For me, it's primarily a question of heart and AI unquestionably has it. I also agree with whoever it was who posted earlier in the thread that this is not the selfish AI of the past, and it's an AI with people he can trust to score the ball around him. I just see him not only able to create his own shots/get to the line, but setting up easy looks for others. I also remember how many easy put backs he creates for the bigs -- I'm looking to see jmax, amir, and sheed (maybe even Kwame) -- racking up some easy flushes off AI's drives. But whatever, all this is, i admit, rationalization on my part.

the bottom line, i'll say it again, is he makes them fun to watch again, and they haven't been fun to watch in a while.

Max, actually he is from the Norfolk area, but he spent a lot of time in DC-Philly corridor, Georgetown-76er's

When factoring inflation and the weakened dollar into account, plus the predicted upcoming hyper-inflation, then this was only the 12th biggest trade in Det history.

(better?)

First of all I love the trade, but I like to play devils advocate here and say that the jury is out on this trade as it being great until we see what the results are.

All trades or midseason transactions don't translate to titles, but we have to hope that it does advance a team to the next level. At this point the Pistons have been trying to get back to a certain level for 3 years, and if they don't get there, then 8 months from now, some may dismiss it as a transaction on the level of acquiring Chris Webber in 2007 and then try to save face by saying that at least we cleared cap space.....

I am thinking the Rasheed Wallace trade in 2004 would be the most significant trade as it directly led to the title. :winner_first_h4h:

Although 2 titles were won after the Dantley-Aguirre trade in 1989, I still think the Pistons could have won at least one of those with Dantley in the line-up.