News 11/4

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1129892&format=text
Celtics watch Pistons add Allen Iverson
On outside of overhaul

By Mark Murphy | Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

HOUSTON - An old friend has returned to the Celtics [team stats]’ neighborhood.

Even though he wasn’t part of the family back when Allen Iverson [stats] was in the Eastern Conference, Kevin Garnett can appreciate the iconic guard’s new incarnation as a Piston thanks to yesterday’s trade between Detroit and Denver.

The Nuggets received Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess in exchange for Iverson.

“It’s always good to see old friends in the neighborhood,” Garnett joked after yesterday’s practice at the University of Houston.

“AI is a great talent, man. I’m surprised with all of the blockbuster stuff that goes on in this league. Chauncey and McDyess is going to do a lot for the Nuggets, too.”

Many Pistons supporters, disappointed by president Joe Dumars’ delay in shaking up the team following last year’s conference finals loss to the Celtics, have been waiting for this move.

The question is how Iverson’s arrival affects this heavy Eastern Conference contender.

“It changes their style of play, that’s for sure,” C’s guard Rajon Rondo [stats] said.

Iverson also will take some getting used to, according to Paul Pierce [stats].

“It changes their chemistry, too,” the Celtics captain said. “They’ve had Chauncey and McDyess for the last four or five years, and they’ve had a pretty good system going with those two. But there’s no question (Iverson) will make them quicker.”

In the process, the Pistons have given every other team in the conference much to contemplate.

“The perfect trade would have been to just send Chauncey out west to be with Iverson,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers joked.

“Having (Iverson) come back? That’s not a pleasant thing. To be honest, right now we’re just concerned about us. But Detroit had to make a change to get over the hump. They already have such a strong bench with (Jason) Maxiell and Amir Johnson. I was just hoping that they would trade all five of their starters.”

There’s no question, however, that the league’s level of trade activity - on fire ever since the C’s turned themselves around with trades for Garnett and Ray Allen - still is on the rise.

“I think teams are going to be a lot more active this year,” Rivers said. “Teams that are on that (old) age line are going to be thinking about how they can make changes to improve their situations.”

The Celtics coach considers his own team’s situation - and what triggered the trades of two summers ago - to be more complex.

“We shook up the process as far as we turned it around very quickly,” Rivers said. “For Detroit, it was a situation where we beat them and went on to win it all, and now they are trying to make the changes they have to make.

“But we did two things. We changed our players, but we also had to change our culture.”

That would be a culture of losing - a concern that Dumars hasn’t had to worry about. His own team is a perennial contender.

“This makes the East more interesting, that’s for sure,” Garnett said.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1129891&format=text
Greece in Paul Pierce’s future?

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
HOUSTON - Paul Pierce [stats] recently told a reporter from a Greek newspaper that he wouldn’t mind retiring in Greece, and perhaps even playing in his later years for one of that country’s cash-rich teams.

But the Celtics [team stats] captain was looking into his early stages of middle age when saying that.

“I want four or five more seasons in the NBA,” Pierce, who is signed through the 2010-11 season, said after yesterday’s practice. “I think I could do another NBA contract before I’m through, too. I have another contract here in me.

“But I think I could probably play or live over there at some point. I’ve been to Greece. I really like it there.”

Revisiting Ron

Pierce’s most recent memory of Ron Artest still is fresh.

When the Celtics played the Rockets in Manchester, N.H., during the preseason, the Rockets forward started the night with a shot to the back of Pierce’s shoulder. He later knocked Pierce to the ground with what essentially looked like a tackle while chasing the Celtics captain around a pick.

Pierce is braced for more of the same tonight at the Toyota Center.

“You have to expect it,” he said. “That’s the way he always plays. That’s the way he gets himself up for this.”

As for Artest’s tackle, Pierce has little doubt it could happen again.

“I kind of expected that at the time it happened,” he said.

Artest’s rough stuff isn’t losing him any fans in the Celtics locker room.

“Artest has never been accused of not wanting to win,” coach Doc Rivers said. “If anything, when he does something bad, it’s because of stepping over the line on the floor.”

Change message

Though Kevin Garnett told the Herald on Saturday that one of the adidas-sponsored messages on his election night sneakers tonight will be “Obama for Change,” a spokeswoman said yesterday that the message actually will be non-partisan.

The only messages on his sneakers will be “Embrace Change” and “Vote 08.”

The Rockets’ Tracy McGrady also will wear special adidas sneakers to commemorate Election Day.

The only irony is that the game will be played after most polls have closed.

Toeing the line

Part of the C’s practice yesterday was focused on free throw shooting.

They sure needed the extra work, after shooting just 66.7 percent in their first three games.

“Better free throw shooting would have kept us in the game, as badly as we played,” Rivers said of Saturday’s loss to Indiana. “At one point, we missed five in a row the other night, and that didn’t help.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1129893&format=text
Pistons add Allen Iverson in big swap

By Associated Press | Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
DETROIT - The Detroit Pistons shook the NBA in a big way yesterday, landing former MVP Allen Iverson [stats] from the Denver Nuggets.

The Pistons gave up All-Star point guard and former NBA finals MVP Chauncey Billups, top reserve Antonio McDyess and project Cheikh Samb.

“We just felt it was the right time to change our team,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. “Iverson gives us a dimension that we haven’t had here and we really think it’s going to help us.”

Iverson is in the final year of his contract, making $20.8 million this season. He could debut with the Pistons tomorrow night in Toronto.

Also, a basketball official told the Associated Press that Richard Hamilton and the Pistons have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth about $34 million. Hamilton’s current $62 million, seven-year contract was signed five years ago.

Billups is in the second season of a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $46 million, with a $14 million team option for a fifth year. The Pistons kept McDyess off the free-agent market by giving him a $13.5 million, two-year contract extension, and they would love to have him back if the cost-cutting Nuggets buy out his contract.

The blockbuster deal comes two games into the season for Detroit. The Pistons have been a model of consistency in recent years, but they were determined to transform their core following a third straight exit from the Eastern Conference finals last spring.

Billups was born in Denver, played in college at Colorado and was with the Nuggets in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. McDyess was also with Denver previously (1995-97, 1998-02).

Iverson brings considerable star power to Detroit. The 20th-leading scorer in NBA history was the league MVP in 2001 - four years after being the Rookie of the Year - and is a nine-time All-Star. He has averaged nearly 28 points for his career and has led the NBA in steals three times, tying a league record.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1129907&format=text
Scouting report Celtics at Rockets

By Herald Staff | Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP (File)
TONIGHT - 8:30, Toyota Center, Houston. TV - CSN, TNT. Radio - WEEI-AM (850).

THE NUMBERS: Celtics [team stats] free throw percentage, tied for 28th in the NBA entering last night.

WHO’S HURT: The Celtics are healthy. For the Rockets, Shane Battier (foot) is questionable and Steve Francis (knee) is out.

WHO’S HOT: For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett has averaged 15.7 points in his first three games. Yao Ming leads the Rockets with a 22.3 scoring average.

WHO’S NOT: The Celtics shot 60 percent from the free throw line during Saturday’s loss to the Pacers.

BOTTOM LINE: The Celtics had a hard practice yesterday in an attempt to correct their many mistakes against Indiana. Look for much more action in the paint tonight, even though that will mean attacking Yao.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1129916&format=text

Joe Dumars’ Pistons gather no moss

By Mitch Albom / Detroit Free Press | Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP (File)
DETROIT — Say this about Joe Dumars’ Pistons: They’re more interesting when they’re not playing than the Lions are when they are.

Dumars, criticized by some for standing pat over the summer, just shot a cannon through the Detroit roster, and nothing is standing pat anymore. Out goes Chauncey Billups and crowd favorite Antonio McDyess. In comes Allen Iverson [stats].

Yes, THE Allen Iverson.

But before anyone hyperventilates, let’s take a breath and look at it two ways: the basketball way and the business way.

Basketball first. Dumars, no matter how much he liked Chauncey, had grown leery of the man’s ability to deliver in the playoffs. Two years in a row, Dumars had hoped for a warrior-leader in his point guard, a man who would close the deal, and instead he got a guy who tried, missed, limped and promised to get better. Nobody doubts Chauncey’s sincerity or contributions to the community. But Dumars left sentimental behind a long time ago.

The truth is, he tried to make deals for Chauncey during the summer, but couldn’t get one he liked. This one started last Thursday, Dumars said, "when the phone rang in my office." It might not have been a typical time_one game into the season_but, Dumars said, "these deals happen when they happen."

Meanwhile, the development of Rodney Stuckey made Chauncey more expendable than his captainship would suggest. So did the three expensive years left on Chauncey’s contract. That was huge. More on that in a moment.

Dealing with difficult players

Meanwhile, there’s Iverson. Say what you will about his history_and there is plenty to say_he fits the mold of a player Dumars goes for: hungry, talented, never won a title and winding down a contract. Rasheed Wallace worked out pretty well in that mode.

Dumars said Detroit would use Iverson, 33, as a point guard and a shooting guard. Plus, Iverson can do something better than any Piston right now: create his own shot. In the playoffs, against suffocating defenses, that is crucial. Billups slowly had lost that talent. Iverson always has had it. He also is capable of being a fine defensive player when he’s in the right place. Denver was not the right place.

"It was time for us to add an element that we haven’t had in the playoffs," Dumars told me. "... We’ve been kind of winning the same way for years now. ... Teams get used to you. This gives us a different way to attack."

Dumars said he didn’t know Iverson much more than to say hello, except from playing against him as "a guy who blew by me so fast, I didn’t have time to say hello." As for negatives on A.I.’s reputation? "I know that he shows up and he gives it to you night in and night out. Any of the other issues_I feel comfortable dealing with all kids of guys, from Dennis Rodman to Rasheed. ... I’m not gonna say, ’I’m never gonna trade for that guy based on what I’ve heard about him.’ "

Of course, there is Michael Curry. How’d you like to coach your third game in the NBA, having just learned Allen Iverson is your new point guard?

"Actually," Dumars said, "Michael walked in and said, ’Thank you. You got me a big-time player.’ He will not shy away from this."

Wishing Billups the best

Now. The other big factor. Business. This deal gives the Pistons a chance to be very rich in the free-agent world. Dumars has become shrewd at dumping expensive assets when everyone else still thinks they’re valuable. And he loves expiring contracts, because they give him options.

Iverson’s is expiring. Billups’ was a lock-down for three years. With Rasheed’s deal also up, Dumars is thinking not only of this season’s roster but rosters ahead.

OK. Now. A word about Chauncey. He deserves a standing ovation. His recent postseasons notwithstanding, he has been the face of the franchise and a good face, a hard worker, a great man for the community_and a hell of a player. At 32, he gets to go home to Colorado. He will be missed.

But make no mistake. An era officially ended Monday. Ben Wallace was first. Chauncey cements the fact. The Pistons, under Dumars, never stop, they just idle with the engine running. It’s what makes them interesting. We’ll see if it makes them a champion.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/04/questions_injuries_still_nag_mcgrady?mode=PF
Questions, injuries still nag McGrady
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | November 4, 2008

Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two-island nation in the West Indies, have many attractions to help tourists escape the stresses of home. Visitors can tour the nation on its renowned Sugar Cane Railroad and enjoy the tropical forests, beaming sun, white-sand beaches, and countless music celebrations.

But even with all that, Tracy McGrady was fixated instead on a TV on a yacht last spring as the Celtics clinched their first NBA championship in 22 years. And when his good friend Kevin Garnett screamed, "Anything is possible!" the Houston Rockets star felt the same way.

"I felt all of it. I felt every minute, every second of it, absolutely," said McGrady, whose teams have never advanced past the first round of the playoffs. "K is my man. We're both with Adidas and I'm around him a lot. We talk. I just know some of the things that he's been through. I'm kind of in those shoes.

"I can only imagine when that time comes. You take so much criticism through the years. It's your fault. But when your time finally comes and you shut everybody up, it's your time. You let the emotions out."

No one can question that McGrady is a poten tial Hall of Famer. The seven-time All-Star has averaged 22.3 points in his 12-year career, is a three-time All-NBA first-team selection, and was the 2001 Most Improved Player. He has the fourth-highest scoring average in playoff history at 28.5 points per game, behind Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Jerry West.

Yet even with all of that hardwood success, the big knock against McGrady is that he has not been past the first round of the playoffs. While playing for coach Doc Rivers in Orlando in 2003, McGrady was quoted as saying it would be great to "finally be in the second round" after the Magic took a 3-1 series lead over Detroit. However, the Pistons won three straight to claim the series.

McGrady was overcome with emotion when the Rockets were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs two years ago, and again last season when they were missing Yao Ming.

"I'm pretty content with what I've accomplished to this point," he said. "I wish there could be some things that could be different, but it is what it is."

Now the Rockets are hoping to blast off toward the franchise's third championship, as they acquired talented yet troubled forward Ron Artest via trade in August. The addition gives them their own version of "The Big Three."

The rejuvenated Rockets (3-0) host the Celtics tonight in Houston in what could be a preview of the NBA Finals.

"Adding Ron to this team was real big with what he brings to us offensively and defensively," McGrady said. "There is toughness that he brings out and competitive spirit on the basketball court that unites your team in so many ways. That's what we were lacking the last couple years, being without Yao, just having somebody else you could rely on, not just myself and Yao.

"But now having Ron and the depth we have on our team, I don't see why we can't be one of the best if we're a healthy team."

Whether the Rockets can be a healthy team physically and mentally is a big question mark.

They definitely don't need any drama from the oft-troubled Artest, but it is always a possibility with him. They need Yao, Shane Battier, and Rafer Alston to stay healthy, too. But for the Rockets to put up their first championship banner since 1995, a healthy McGrady on his All-NBA level is a must.

"We are going to go as far as I take it," McGrady said. "If I'm healthy, I'm almost positive that good things will happen for this team."

McGrady, 29, hasn't played more than 71 games in any of the past three seasons. He missed 16 contests last season, and had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his left shoulder and left knee, then missed most of the preseason because of a left leg injury.

"Injuries have affected his whole career," Rivers said. "I remember a day we were practicing and he took his shirt off, and I said, 'Boy, you are going to have a bad back.' It's the curvature in his back. He started laughing and, I swear, about a month later, his back went out."

While the 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pounder said he feels fine now, he acknowledged that his body has a tough time making it through an entire season.

"When people talk about my injuries, it's not like I go out there and miss a month or two out of the season," McGrady said. "It's just nagging injuries. My body is really not built for 82 games. I have a slight case of scoliosis in my back. With that, it triggers a lot of things in my body.

"But when my team needs me, which is down the NBA stretch and in the playoffs, I never missed a playoff game. I'm always there when they need me."

In an NBATV commercial currently airing, Garnett is shown going through countless media interviews last season before things culminate with a championship and Garnett exclaims, "What are they gonna say now?"

Just as he did on that yacht in the West Indies, McGrady takes Garnett's words as motivation that his day will come, too, a feeling that is reinforced every time that ad airs.

"When I'm sitting at home watching TV, I just go to smiling when I see that commercial," he said. "I try to picture myself having that feeling."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/04/celtics_see_power_struggle?mode=PF
Celtics see power struggle
Road is tougher as foes improve
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 4, 2008

HOUSTON - The Celtics realized the road would be especially rough this season even before Saturday's 95-79 loss to Indiana in their first away game. And the Eastern Conference road could become even more difficult as the Detroit Pistons acquired Allen Iverson in a trade with Denver for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess yesterday.

"I was hoping they traded all five of their starters," coach Doc Rivers joked while preparing for tonight's game against the Houston Rockets. "All of them to the West, with no return.

"I look at it like Detroit needed to make a change. They've been together so long. It's an interesting trade, and there will be more of them, because of the fact they want to win now and they feel they need to make a change to win it. They are on that age line. They've got to do it soon, otherwise the starters will start going the other way in age. You're going to start seeing that a lot."

The Celtics made radical changes before last season, the moves paying off in an NBA championship.

"I don't think we shook up the process," Rivers said. "We did, only as far as turning it around quickly. We changed our players and we changed our culture, and when you do both, it usually turns out pretty good."

But the Celtics were getting into tunnel vision mode after practice at the University of Houston.

"Only time will tell," guard Sam Cassell said of the Iverson trade. "He is a great player, but we have to concentrate on us and don't worry about that. No matter who we play, we have to be ready to play.

"It was a rude awakening [Saturday] night. This team has come back from big deficits, but the way we play is to take the lead and stay ahead. That was a wakeup call."

Several Celtics spent the final minutes of practice at the free throw line. They were 21 for 35 from the foul line against Indiana and are shooting .667 in three games.

"We missed five or six in row at one point," Rivers said. "It didn't matter, but if we made them, it would have been a different game because we would have been [within 4 points of the lead], and it changes the mind-set."

Houston is among several teams whose acquisitions appear to be paying off. The Rockets added Ron Artest in the offseason, and they have won their first three games.

"Guys are healthy right now, which is the biggest thing," Rivers said. "[Artest] gives them a better identity, a tougher identity. They have a protector for Tracy [McGrady] and Yao [Ming]."

The Celtics might have been surprised by Indiana's intensity, but Rivers expects them to shift into another gear.

"We're going into the lion's den 41 times a year and that's fine," Rivers said. "I enjoy that. I enjoy the intensity and it will help us in the long run, it will make us a better team for when the playoffs start."

Said Kevin Garnett, "When we used to play the Spurs, the Lakers with Shaq, the Bulls, I was always jacked up. We have to put ourselves in those positions, and we've been there countless times."

Cassell practiced at full speed but is expected to be on the inactive list.

"I'm here for the postseason," Cassell said. "Doc's getting me ready, he'll give me enough time, then activate me. I'm in good shape, I'm in better shape than last year, and when my number is called, I'll be ready."

McGrady said the Rockets are attempting to copy the Celtics' success.

"I know how they made it work," McGrady said. "All three of those guys played on bad teams. They really hadn't accomplished a lot. KG did make it to the Western Conference finals. Ray Allen, he was very successful. Paul [Pierce] got out of the first round several times. Other than that, I think those guys were hungry.

"All three guys were just hungry, all three of them were unselfish players, and what matters the most is all three sacrificed.

"You know how unselfish I am, Yao's the same way, and for people who don't know, Ron is like that as well. Everything is nice around here. We're getting too old. The window is closing."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/11/04/answer_isnt_clear_in_all_this?mode=PF
Answer isn't clear in all this
Questions follow Iverson as he is traded to Detroit
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | November 4, 2008

AI is on the move.

He is an enormously popular, can-do-no-wrong player in the eyes of his constituents, who have anointed him as the ultimate counterculture player - suit? necktie? tie shoes? you crazy? - but Allen Iverson is just a basketball commodity to the basketball establishment, and now he has been traded for a second time in less than two years.

"The Answer" is what his adoring public calls him. Well, today's question is, "Can you win a championship with Allen Iverson as your best player?"

Thus far, the answer is no, and AI is now 33. This means he is a) past his physical peak and b) set in his ways. There is a chance I'm wrong about the first one, but there isn't much doubt about the second one.

Iverson has been traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons, a team that needs a change of something. Call it change of pace, call it what you wish, but it was evident by their play against the Celtics in the 2008 playoffs that the window for that core group had closed. A team that had the talent and knowl edge to win multiple championships was going to hold itself to just one title for reasons the rest of us will never know.

What is shocking about this transaction is the sobering thought that the Pistons have cold-bloodedly acquired him with a larger idea in mind. Can Allen Iverson deal with the idea that he has not really been brought to Auburn Hills to help the Pistons win an NBA championship, that he is, in addition to being an experienced player of note, that most desirable of NBA items, an expiring contract?

Oh, the indignity.

But that is the immediate assumption the experts are making. Detroit general manager Joe Dumars has acquired Allen Iverson as much for his contract as his skill. Iverson's $21,937,500 contract is up at the end of the season. Rasheed Wallace's $14 million deal will likewise soon be history. Dumars is positioning himself for the luscious free agent crop of 2010 that will include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Redd.

Wow.

This is Year 13 for AI, which hardly seems possible, does it? It seems like yesterday that Carmelo Travieso and Edgar Padilla were schooling Iverson and Victor Page in the 1996 NCAA Eastern Regionals down there in Atlanta. That was a glorious day for UMass, but we all knew Iverson was headed for NBA fame and glory, regardless of what took place in the Georgia Dome that Sunday afternoon.

But how will history treat Allen Iverson?

The barebones are that he is a Rookie of the Year (1996-97), a three-time first-team All-NBA player, a three-time scoring leader, a three-time steals leader, and an MVP (2000-01). He got to the NBA Finals once, in 2001 against the Lakers, and his 76ers were simply beaten by a better team. He is a two-time All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005), with a high of 35.

Pretty good for 6 feet 1 inch (if that), huh?

Yes, it is. Allen Iverson is one of the most intriguing players in the history of the NBA. There have been little guys equally quick and there have been little guys (Nate Archibald, for example) who could match his ability to both score and pass. But the thing he will be remembered for is his sheer physical toughness.

The only players his size I know of who have ever approached Iverson's fearlessness and ability to play in pain were K.C. Jones and Norm Van Lier, and neither was anywhere near the total ballplayer Allen Iverson has been. Neither K.C. nor Stormin' could have led this league in scoring even if they had been allowed to count all their pregame layups.

All of us who love basketball have been thrilled by Allen Iverson's extraordinary tenacity and virtuosity. But the eternal issue with all extraordinary virtuosos in this game, whether they be 7-foot scoring-machine centers such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, midsize do-it-alls such as Michael Jordan (OK, specifically Michael Jordan), or small multiskilled guards such as Archibald, Isiah Thomas, or Allen Iverson, is how to blend that dominating talent with the other four people in order to best help a team win basketball games and, eventually, championships.

It is basketball's great conundrum. A man can indeed have too much talent.

In Iverson's case, the entire package includes a very specific personal background that has shaped him into a very rigid adult. He embraces a culture that very often irritates the basketball establishment. It permeates everything he does, from the way he dresses to the way he plays the game. And being 6-1 is a major problem. The 6-1 player who can affect basketball in the long run the way the great centers and the great midsize players such as Bird, Magic, and Michael did has not yet been born. As talented as Allen Iverson is, there is only so much a 6-1 guy can do.

I'm not sure Allen Iverson will ever be at peace with that concept.

The fact that he has not won a championship since high school is not his fault. It is a testament to the game of basketball. Pure point guards fitting a specific team need in a given point in time help teams win championships. This is what Oscar Robertson and Tiny Archibald did for the 1971 Bucks and 1981 Celtics, respectively. They were each very toned-down versions of their career-peak physical selves when they won their rings.

But Allen Iverson has yet to make that transition.

Could he? Theoretically, yes. If he did so, could he make Detroit a champion? I'm not sure the Pistons are that close, but for the sake of argument, let's say yes, again theoretically. Does he have any idea what I'm talking about? I doubt it.

I bet Joe Dumars doubts it, too. But he's going to enjoy Allen Iverson's expiring contract.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/11/04/pistons_trade_three_for_iverson?mode=PF
Pistons trade three for Iverson
Billups, McDyess headed to Denver
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | November 4, 2008

Allen Iverson knew there was a possibility he wouldn't be a member of the Denver Nuggets by season's end. But the former NBA MVP couldn't have envisioned being traded this fast.

The Detroit Pistons yesterday acquired Iverson for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess, and center Cheikh Samb.

Iverson is expected to debut with the Pistons tomorrow night in Toronto and make his home debut Sunday against the Celtics.

"We just felt it was the right time to change our team," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told the Associated Press. "Iverson gives us a dimension that we haven't had here and we really think it's going to help us."

The Pistons have reached six straight Eastern Conference finals and won the 2004 NBA title.

Iverson, 33, entered the season 20th among all-time NBA scoring leaders and is a three-time All-NBA first-team selection. The 2001 MVP played 11 seasons with Philadelphia - leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 - before being dealt to the Nuggets in December 2006.

"He was very excited about the trade," Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, told the AP.

Iverson is making $20.8 million in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Pistons also have a talented young point guard in Rodney Stuckey, who is expected to take over the starting job next season if Iverson isn't re-signed.

"Two teams had one common problem, or challenge," Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien told the AP. "I think the Pistons looked at Stuckey and saw him as the point guard of tomorrow, and you have an All-Star in Chauncey who was in his way.

"We're just thrilled with the way J.R. [Smith] is progressing and he had a Hall of Famer in front of him. You understand the motivation of both teams."

With trade rumors swirling, Iverson told the Globe Oct. 24 that he was looking forward to free agency.

"The luxury of this whole thing, the best feeling about this whole thing, when the season is over, the summer comes I have a chance to go wherever I want to go." he said. "And if I go somewhere where I'm not happy, then that's going to be my fault. I feel like the ball is in my court."

Billups, 32, is in the second season of a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $46 million with a $14 million team option for a fifth year.

A fan favorite in Detroit, he received MVP honors in the 2004 Finals as the Pistons beat the Lakers for the title.

"There's always a good feeling about acquiring a player of Chauncey's ability," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I think getting a point guard on this team is something we have talked about and fortunately we're getting a guy who is an All-Star-caliber point guard. I think the connection with Denver and Colorado is fun to be a part of and enthusiastic to our organization."

Billups is a Denver native, former Colorado star, and former Nugget.

McDyess, 34, has two years and $13.5 million remaining on his contract, and the Pistons might re-sign him if the cost-cutting Nuggets buy out his contract.

The 7-foot-1-inch Samb played in only four NBA games last season, spending much of his year in the NBA Development League, where he led the league with four blocks a game.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1536625709/Last-Celtics-trip-to-Houston-memorable
Last Celtics trip to Houston memorable
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By Mike Fine
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Nov 04, 2008 @ 12:39 AM
BOSTON —


It wouldn’t be accurate to say that it turned their season around, but when the Boston Celtics visited Houston last March, they accomplished one of their more impressive feats of the championship season.


The Rockets had won 22 straight games, the second-longest streak in NBA history. They were a good but not great team, yet they were on an incredible roll – incredible because they were playing without the injured Yao Ming and had reached a level of near perfection. The Celtics had already stood the league on its ear.


In mid-February the Celtics suffered what would be their only three-game losing streak of the season. Yet, with a healing Kevin Garnett, they went on to win 10 straight before losing to Utah at home and beating Milwaukee at the start of a five-game road trip. Then they headed to San Antonio, Houston and Dallas knowing vaguely that it had been seven years since an NBA team had swept a Texas trip.


This was a special part of the Celtics season. Questions about their staying power had long ago been erased. Five weeks earlier they’d knocked off the Spurs at the Garden, their first Boston win over the them since Jan. 28, 1997, or before Tim Duncan. So in this game at San Antonio, they overcame a 17-point first-quarter deficit, their largest of the season, and won by two. It was their third straight victory over the Spurs after 18 straight losses.


They came into Houston with high anticipation. National media attended the game, which was telecast to a national TV audience. This was to be, perhaps, the last best test for the Celtics prior to the playoffs, still a month away, and games like these don’t come around every night.


The teams were tied, 40-40, at the half before the Celtics laid down their defensive blanket and dominated, outscoring the home team, 59-34, in the second half, the Rockets’ lowest one-half point total of the season. Leon Powe scored 21 points, Garnett 22, Paul Pierce 20 while playing without Ray Allen.


The Celtics knew they couldn’t lay down and went into Dallas two nights later for a 94-90 win despite a season-low .345 shooting performance. They held Dirk Nowitzki scoreless in the fourth quarter to give them their first Texas sweep since 1987.


The Celtics, did, however, go on to lose at New Orleans, ending their trip at 4-1.


Unfortunately, we won’t get the pleasure of watching the C’s run through Texas again. Strange that they’re playing their second road game of the season tonight in Houston, where they usually don’t play until the middle or end of the season. They’ll be in Dallas Feb. 11 and won’t play in San Antonio until March 20, so any sweep will have to be piecemeal.


Yet, just like last season when they headed into Houston, tonight’s visit is something of a test for the Celtics. This time around, the Celtics come in with some uncertainty, having lost their first road game, in Indiana, Saturday night.


No one saw that coming, and this is a better Houston team than the one that won 22 straight last season. Yao is healthy and already being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate. The Rockets have added Ron Artest to stiffen their defense. They’re hurting a bit (Shane Battier hasn’t played yet) but they’re being mentioned as a possible finals candidate. They won 55 games last season; the last two times they won 55 games they won a title the next two seasons (1994, 95).


One other thing that “they” are saying about Houston is that their top 3 of Yao, Tracy McGrady and Artest bear some resemblance to the Celtics top 3 of Garnett, Pierce and Allen.


“I’m not thinking of myself like a star,” Yao said last week. “People talk about ‘Big Three.’ I think we have a good team, but we’re not making anything happen yet. We have the three guys together. Last year, Boston was the same way. The only chance we can call us the ‘Big Three’ is when we make something happen.”


Well, the Celtics made something happen last season. Tonight marks their opportunity renew the process.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.enterprisenews.com/sports/x1536625687/Road-test-awaits-Celtics
Road test awaits Celtics
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Associated Press
The Celtics will have to contend with center Yao Ming when the face the Rockets in Houston.

By Jim Fenton
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Posted Nov 03, 2008 @ 11:46 PM
Last update Nov 04, 2008 @ 12:34 AM

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BOSTON — They went more than 10 weeks before losing back-to-back games at the start of the 2007-08 season.

It wasn’t until Jan. 12 and 14 when the Boston Celtics dropped consecutive games to the Washington Wizards that they finally experienced a losing streak.

One week into the 2008-09 season, the Celtics are facing a major challenge as they bid to avoid early back-to-back defeats.

The Celtics’ three-game road trip, which began with an ugly loss to the Indiana Pacers, continues tonight at the Toyota Center, where they face the unbeaten Houston Rockets (8:35; TV: Comcast SportsNet; radio: WEEI-850 AM).

Following home victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, the Celtics fell flat in Indiana, 95-79, on Saturday night. Their worst regular-season road setback a year ago was by 14 points to the Wizards.

Getting back on track against the new-look Rockets won’t be easy since Houston has opened with double-digit wins over the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The addition of Ron Artest, who has had his one-on-one battles with Paul Pierce, to Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming makes the Rockets a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

Keeping McGrady and Yao healthy has been a problem, but if they stay in the lineup, the Rockets will have a potent trio with the pesky Artest. Yao is averaging 22.3 points and 11.3 rebounds, Artest is scoring 18.3 points while McGrady is contributing 18.0 points and 5.7 assists.

The Celtics had little trouble with Houston last March, scoring a 94-74 victory to end the Rockets’ incredible 22-game winning streak.

That was part of their three-game sweep in Texas over a four-night span. The schedule is different this season with Boston returning to the Lone Star State in February to face the Mavericks and in March to take on the San Antonio Spurs.

The current road trip ends on Wednesday night when the Celtics play the Thunder in Oklahoma City, getting their first look at the former Seattle SuperSonics.

The surprising lopsided loss to the Pacers over the weekend showed that the Celtics can expect top performances from opponents looking to knock off the defending champions.

“We’re going to be attacked every night,’’ said Coach Doc Rivers recently. “I thought we were last year, too. We were the beneficiary of being on every (preseason magazine) cover, and teams attacked us for that because we hadn’t won anything yet.

“It was, ‘Who are these guys? They’ve won nothing.’ I just don’t know when you go through that every night how you keep it going. I don’t know where that road will take us.’’

Once the Celtics return to Boston, they will be seeing a lot of the TD Banknorth Garden, playing 11 of 16 games at home over the course of four weeks.

One of the road games in that stretch is Sunday night at Auburn Hills, Mich., when the Celtics play the Detroit Pistons, who made a major change on Monday.

The Celtics will be greeting Allen Iverson back to the Eastern Conference after he was obtained by Detroit from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for ex-Boston lottery pick Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

Iverson promises to make things interesting with the Pistons, who will be making an early-season adjustment with the loss of a leader like Billups.

The Celtics will also see Billups and McDyess in their new uniforms when the Nuggets visit Boston a week from Friday night.

Back-to-back:

The Celtics are playing on consecutive nights tonight and tomorrow for the second time already this season. They will on 15 other occasions. … The trip to Oklahoma on Wednesday will be a homecoming for Tony Allen, who played two seasons at Oklahoma State. … Paul Pierce needs 13 points to become the fifth Boston player to reach 17,000 points. Pierce (16,987) is 348 behind Kevin McHale, who is fourth, and 9,408 behind leader John Havlicek. Larry Bird and Robert Parish are second and third, respectively.