Casey Gets a Mic in the Horse's Mouth

by Dave on Nov 3, 2008 11:34 PM PST

Casey Holdahl got some quotes from Kevin Pritchard on the Iverson-Billups trade. The main jist of it is that the trade makes Denver a playoff team. You can read it all here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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I don't get it

Denver subtracts Camby and AI and adds Billups and McDyess and this is supposed to make them much better this year? Marginal improvement, maybe, but I just don’t see this as a huge upgrade over last year.

It does decrease the possibility of locker room meltdowns. This looks to me like a “keep Carmelo happy” trade. But I can’t see how they’ve locked down one of the playoff spots. This just undoes some of the damage of the loss of Camby, and perhaps puts them back into contention. I still don’t see who is going to play defense for them. Billups does not alone make a decent defensive team, he can only guard one guy.

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Nov 3, 2008 11:55 PM PST reply actions

The Denver Nuggets' backup wings, Renaldo Balkman and Dahntay Jones, are ...

defensive stalwarts. In addition, a healthy Nenê and clean Chris Anderson are an overall improvement on defense over the vastly overrated Marcus Camby. I won’t go in-depth here regarding Camby’s drawbacks defensively, as that’d just be me rehashing my comments on the subject from last night.

by AK1984 on Nov 4, 2008 12:11 AM PST up reply actions

yep

I suspect Denver will improve what was already an underrated defense (with a fastbreak team, you have to look at fg% and points per possession, not points per game).

Also, this allows ’Melo to be the clear go to guy on offense and balances out their roster.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Nov 4, 2008 12:28 AM PST up reply actions

What do you think Dave?

There has been a lot of debate on this subject as you might have noticed.

If somebody hits you with an object you should beat the hell out of them.-Charles Barkley

by Winchester on Nov 3, 2008 11:58 PM PST reply actions

I'm hearing McDyess

is expecting to go back to Detroit while Denver is saying he WILL be a Nugget. IMO, it’s a good trade for Denver only if they get both players. I know Iverson is usually a cancer to team chemistry, but I have a hunch this may work out well for Detroit.

when i get sad, i stop being sad & become awesome again. true story.

by Net Ranger on Nov 4, 2008 12:05 AM PST reply actions

The Denver Nuggets ...

already have four frontcourt players in its rotation (i.e., Nenê, Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, and Linas Kleiza); thus, Antonio McDyess is an expendable asset. Yet, if McDyess changes his mind and decides to play in Denver, then he’d be this year’s version of Eduardo Najera for the Nuggets; that’d give George Karl another gun in his arsenal.

by AK1984 on Nov 4, 2008 12:16 AM PST up reply actions

/agree

when i get sad, i stop being sad & become awesome again. true story.

by Net Ranger on Nov 4, 2008 12:37 AM PST up reply actions

The experts seem to agree it's potentially a good deal for both teams

Hollinger likes it for Denver a lot:

Denver got the better player
The trade better configures the Nuggets’ talent [star PG and more time for Smith on SG]
It makes room for Melo
It shores up the frontcourt [doubtful if McDyess is bought out]
It helps with the fans [hometown kid]

He said in a chat on ESPN he now sees Denver in the playoffs, potentially as high as sixth. KP seems to agree.

Ford likes it for Detroit:

Dumars is a fan of Iverson, already wanted him in 2000 in a mega deal that fell through
Stuckey is the point guard of the future in Detroit, keeping Billups would have stumped his development
Young frontcourt players could get more time with McDyess out
Significant salary cap space in 2009 and/or 2010
Rebuilding starts before it became inevitable and they really declined out of contention in the East at least

by Norsktroll on Nov 4, 2008 12:23 AM PST reply actions

I heard last evening that Denver is buying out McDyess.

I’m expecting him to go re-sign with Detroit.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Nov 4, 2008 6:38 AM PST up reply actions

Oh horse collar

I don’t buy it. The acquisition of Billups does NOT make Denver a playoff team. Denver will remain mediocre and Billups will be unhappy.

Their 'thinking' is based not on critical judgment, but on what authority figures have said to them.

Many of them would attack France, Massachusetts, or the moon if the president said it was necessary "for freedom."

Highly compliant with social conventions, pro-conformity. Feel safer in the presence of powerful authorities. Often highly religious, zealous, dogmatic, moralistic, moderate to little education, narrow-minded, intolerant, highly prejudiced, hostile and bigoted towards minorities, bullying, mean-spirited, severely punitive, panic easily.

As distasteful as these qualities appear, for authoritarians they can be (secretly or even openly) very attractive.

by dwarfgoper on Nov 4, 2008 12:25 AM PST reply actions