The circumstances are sad (in regards to JR), but Arron Afflalo will likely be allowed to take advantage of them.

Afflalo is the favorite to start in Smith’s spot during his suspension, according to the Denver Post.

The loss of Dahntay Jones and Linas Kleiza left a pretty damn big gap in the Nuggets rotation, especially defensively. Guess who fit right in? Our own Mr. Afflalo, who Karl practically picked up by saying ‘please’ with those big puppy eyes of his.

If you were with me earlier this summer, you may recall my “Please Joe, don’t give Arron away” rant that was posted about three hours prior to Afflalo’s departure. And wouldn’t ya know it, but everyone in Denver just loves the kid.

In almost a sick, twisted reversal of fortune, George Karl raves about Arron, calling him “tremendous” and saying that “the coaching staff loves him.” And of course, Chauncey had to throw his two cents in too, just to make it sting a little more.

Ugh, more depressing news from the Piston Post. I’ve gotta start popping Prozacs before I post or something.

The next post will be a happy one, I promise.

Portland is still trying to pry Tayshaun Prince out of Detroit in a three-way deal with Utah, but Pistons president Joe Dumars hasn’t shown an inclination to move Prince and extend Boozer’s contract, league sources say. Several league executives are dubious of Boozer as a $14 million-a-year player, which his agent, Rob Pelinka, has told teams it will take to sign him to an extension. Miami could be the suitor willing to pay it.

-Yahoo Sports

The Denver Post reported Sunday that the Nuggets and Pistons were arranging a deal that would send the Pistons’ Arron Afflalo to Denver to clear cap space, which brings me to my first point.

Afflalo’s paycheck this coming season would total all of $1.09 million. In the sports world, that’s pocket change. Not even pocket change. Walter Sharpe nearly gets paid that much, and the only time fans usually see him is during timeouts, where he can be spotted in the second row donning his finest designer suit.

What Afflalo brings to the Pistons is rare. He brings a work ethic, he brings backcourt defense, and he brings an ever-improving jump shot. The front office is always talking about how important a positive attitude and hard work is to becoming a contender, so why would they think about getting rid of the one guy that does those things best?

The answer: there is none.

Like so many puzzling moves the Pistons have made over the past five years, there’s a good chance this will become the latest cherry on top of the team’s Cupcake of Confusion.

Part of the disarray lies in Dumars’ fear of commitment: six coaches in ten years, letting valuable free agents go, and, in Arron Afflalo’s case, ousting young guys before they can come to fruition.

Ironically, that fear of commitment was briefly overlooked when he signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to respective five-year contracts. The contract lengths were head-scratchers, due to their streakiness and poor defense.

Newly-hired Pistons coach John Kuester, who was an assistant to Larry Brown, has already stated that he wants to emphasize defense. How many players on the current Pistons roster can boast about their defense? Two or three, tops.

Why not lock up 1/58th of your cap space on a player who meshes with Kuester’s system perfectly?

Joe only knows…

Also found at The Western Herald.

Regardless, in the amount of time it took for Magic fans to read the article, Rasheed did a complete 180 from a no-good cry baby to an impeccable team player and all-around great guy. Newly ordained Sheed-worshippers commented relentlessly, and 78% of the poll voters agreed that he would fit like a glove in Orlando’s system. He would put the Magic in a lock for the championship, they said. Despicable!

But wait. How many Pistons fans thought about Rasheed in the same manner before February 19, 2004? I’m willing to bet it was a good amount.

—

For many, when the Billups-Iverson trade was announced, A.I. was golden. Finally, an energetic superstar who could penetrate the lane and had the heart of a lion. He could do no wrong. We laughed when he made his press conference “practice” allusion and we couldn’t wait for Allen to take us to the next level.

By the end of the seaons, Allen Iverson was an old, greedy, washed-up NBA antique whom the Pistons should’ve stayed as far away from as possible. Many wanted Chauncey back.

—

Ever since Boston purchased their All Star team, I’ve despised the Big Three. Yes, I hate the way Ray Allen chews gum. Yes, I hate how good Paul Pierce is at mid-range fadeaways. And yes, I think Kevin Garnett needs to lower the dose of whatever medication he’s taking.

But the truth is, when the Celtics offered us Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen, I was all over it. Rondo…a flopper? Never. He’s a future All-Star! Allen…a lucky shot-hog? Never. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer! I’ve always found it disturbing that Rajon Rondo ends up on the ground after every lay-up, but to be honest, I’d be happy to have him do it in a Pistons jersey. If the offer wasn’t so lopsided, many would have thought the same way.

Call it desperation if  you will, the desire to have a team that’s on top again. But we’re all just hypocrites in the end…in the sports world at least.

Oberto didn’t even last 24 hours with Milwaukee, of whom he had just been dealt as part of the Richard Jefferson swap.

Oberto probably won’t be much of a step-up from Amir, who was the dictionary definition of “going nowhere” with the Pistons. Oberto did show signs of decency a couple seasons ago, but I only know that because he was on my fantasy squad.

Best of luck to Mr. Johnson, maybe the kid can catch a break in a different town.

“The Celtics offered Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo to the Detroit Pistons for a package that included Richard Hamilton,Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.”

Mind you, the trade was rejected.

First of all, this is from a reliable writer and I believe it really did go down. This isn’t the usual summer rumor mill garbage.

Second, I’ve seen a lot of negative reaction from Pistons fans and to be honest, it’s puzzling.

Sure, if this trade was offered to you in NBA Live, it should be promptly rejected. However, this is the NBA. There are pocketbooks and salaries. The Pistons need to clear cap space.

Some key points:

• Rip is locked up until 2012 at over $11 million a year and he’s declining. He recovered nicely mid-season, but we all know he will never be the same without Chauncey Billups at his side. It’s time for Dumars to reverse the mistake of extending his contract that long.
• Tayshaun is almost 30 and let’s face it, he’s not very reliable. His glory days of successfully putting a body on Kobe or LeBron are behind him.
• I love Rodney Stuckey, but he is not The Messiah. Dumars blocked any offers in the 2008 offseason with the famous “sacred cow” bit. We gave him a year to show his stuff; he had some nice 30+ point games, but it was on-and-off all season, in true Piston fashion. Yes, he will improve, but how optimistic can we realistically be?
• Ray Allen is old, but he has an expiring contract. He’s off the books next summer, the “summer of love.”
• Rajon Rondo is overrated due to his surrounding cast. Regardless, he can penetrate better than Stuckey and has some ridiculous jets. I’ve heard that he’s a nuisance in the locker room, but we’ve dealt with Rasheed Wallace, how much harder can it be? Isn’t that what we hired Michael Curry for anyway?

I will concur that, in lieu of the apparent fan outrage, possibly one more decent body be thrown in from the Celtics’ side. I don’t think Leon Powe would have been too outrageous. But changes need to happen. How are the ever going to occur if our front office shoots legit offers down every time they surface?

Wrong. Chauncey Billups may be in the spotlight again, but that doesn’t mean we should have kept him.

I say this with due respect for Chauncey. He was a superb leader and floor general. But it was his time to leave Detroit. His passion for the Pistons had all but faded. Only a shell of his former 2004 Finals MVP figure remained.

According to the majority of what I’ve read across the sports blogosphere, it seems like Chauncey rising to the near-top was all it took to bring back countless memories and sob stories of days past when Billups donned #1. From what I can see, these emotions stem from confusion, denial, and…dare I say…jealousy.

I’ve said it many times: Chauncey’s shipment to Denver was ultimately a wake-up call for him, in my opinion. Along the lines of “Holy crap, I just got traded, maybe I do need to step up my game.” And step up his game he did. Would we ever have seen this kind of Chauncey Billups again in Detroit? No, we would have continued to see the Chauncey that settles for long jumpers, misses too many fast break threes, and can’t find an open man like he used to.

Instead, we are now emotionally tortured by Chauncey the Nugget who plays like he’s fresh out of college again.

However, the key point that most naysayers continue to overlook is the long haul. Sure, this season was a farce, but thanks to the absence of Billups’ contract, who knows who the Pistons will be able to reel in either this summer or the next. Wait until we sign Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade (or someone along those lines), see how the Pistons do, and then we can decide if Chauncey’s trade was worth it or not.

Again, all of this comes with respect to Chauncey. This isn’t a Billups bash. I revered the guy as much as anyone, and it’s outstanding to see him succeed and compete at a ridiculous level in his hometown.

But he needed to go, and the Pistons’ benefits of the trade are yet to come.

A golden opportunity for all of that to change.

The Bucks left the Palace like so many visiting teams this season-victorious. The typical 4th quarter comeback attempt showed up right on schedule, but like so many times this season-it failed.

I’m all in support of Antonio McDyess moving into the starting five, but when the closest starter scores 14 points less than he does, it’s never a good sign. McDyess is on the floor for gritty rebounds and occasional jumpers from 15-20 feet. He is not Rip Hamilton or Allen Iverson. The burden of go-to offense should not be on his shoulders. It’s not his job.

He made it a respectable game though, if nothing else.

The bigger concern is: will Detroit have the same lineup tomorrow night?

[AD]

“The Detroit Pistons will trade seldom-used guard Alex Acker to the Los Angeles Clippers for an exchange of future draft picks, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.

The Pistons might stand pat before Thursday’s trading deadline, instead of trading Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace, despite its struggles this season.

If Detroit doesn’t make another trade, it will clear about $23 million in salary-cap space to make major moves this summer and in 2010 when a slew of marquee free agents will be available.

The 6-foot-5 Acker played in just seven games for the Pistons this season, averaging 1.3 points.”

-Yahoo! Sports

Harris scored 19 points in the third quarter alone.  He was aquired from Dallas as part of the Jason Kidd trade last season.

Allen Iverson scored 24 points in his Pistons’ debut and notched 6 assists and a steal.  He definitely looked like the AI I know, taking the ball to the rim and drawing double and triple teams, then kicking it out if he hadn’t already drawn a foul.  He looked extremely good, considering he is still very unfamiliar with Detroit’s gameplans.

Unfortunately, Iverson’s kick-outs often ended up in Tayshaun’s hands.  Tay was the victim of another notorious off-night following a big game.  He had 27 points on Wednesday night, only to follow it by missing 11 of his 15 shots last night (27% shooting).  In my opinion, he was the X factor in this one.

Congrats go out to Chauncey and the Nuggets, they downed the Mavs (in Dallas) 108-105 in Billups’ first game.  He had 15 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Regardless, keep your eye on AI and the Pistons, they won’t let last night’s game get them down.

From what I’ve seen in interviews, it looks like it.  The veteran has said numerous times that he wants nothing else than to win a ring with Detroit.  Dumars said he was “bouncing off the walls” with excitement.

“I’ve done so many things in this league as far as being an All-Star, scoring champion, first-team All-NBA and things like that. But I haven’t accomplished my No. 1 goal and that’s to win a championship. Like I was telling Joe earlier today, I’m willing to sacrifice whatever I’m willing to sacrifice to get it done. I’ve tried it my way plenty of times. I’ve tried it different ways and it hasn’t been done,” Iverson said.

As long as Chauncey, Dice, and Cheikh pass their Denver physicals today, The Answer will indeed be playing in Pistons’ blue tonight.

His offseason promise to shake the Pistons core has been fulfilled, and a trade deal has been finalized that will send Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets in return for one of the league’s premiere (but aging) point guards: Allen Iverson.

There’s word that Cheikh Samb may also be heading to Denver as well.

I wholeheartedly give my stamp of approval to this trade.  Allen Iverson fits much, much better into the scoring style that Michael Curry has delivered.  AI and Rodney Stuckey could develop into a beautiful relationship.

So long, Chauncey and Dice- it’s been fun…

I’ll keep you up-to-date.