We're talkin' about Iverson the answer for our ring?

[From Mlive]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An All-Star talent arrives in Detroit with a checkered past, in the final year of his contract.

Four years ago, that was Rasheed Wallace who catapulted the Pistons to an NBA championship after being traded by Atlanta.

Is Allen Iverson next?

The Pistons certainly hope so after they traded team captain Chauncey Billups, super sub Antonio McDyess and second-year center Cheikh Samb to Denver in exchange for Iverson.

Iverson will take a physical Tuesday morning, and a press conference introducing him as a Piston is expected to take place Tuesday afternoon at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The 33-year-old guard then will travel with Joe Dumars to Toronto, where Iverson is expected to be in uniform for Wednesday's game against the Raptors.

"Losing Chauncey Billups is not easy for us," said Dumars, who added that trade talks with Denver began Thursday and didn't conclude until the wee hours of Monday morning. "So you have to replace him with somebody who can have an impact on the floor."

This wasn't Dumars' first attempt at landing Iverson. In 2000, the Pistons were within hours of completing a trade for Iverson, who played for Philadelphia at the time. However, former Sixer Matt Geiger had a trade kicker and refused to waive it, so the deal was killed.

Iverson has been one of the league's premier scorers for years, and currently is ranked 20th among NBA all-time scoring leaders with 23,031 points. He has been one of the league's top 10 scorers seven of the past eight seasons, and has three scoring titles.

"We get a chance to get a first ballot Hall of Famer," Pistons coach Michael Curry said.

Charlotte coach Larry Brown coached all the players involved in the trade except for Samb.

When asked about the two key pieces of the trade, Billups and Iverson, Brown said, "It's like trading Marilyn Monroe for Jane Russell. That's not bad."

For Brown, who led Detroit to an NBA title in 2004 and a return trip to the NBA Finals in 2005, there's a bit of sadness in seeing Billups and McDyess traded.

"Everytime I look out and I don't see Ben (Wallace), I get a strange feeling," Brown said. "And now, to not see Chauncey and Dice ... it's different."

Wallace signed a four-year, $60 million deal with Chicago in the summer of 2006. He since has been traded to Cleveland.

Dumars acknowledged there's never any joy in trading away a player such as Billups, who was so instrumental in Detroit's growth into an Eastern Conference power.

"Chauncey helped (form) the foundation," Dumars said. "Between him and Ben Wallace, along with Rip (Hamilton). It's never easy. It wasn't easy when Ben left to go to Chicago. And this is not an easy day to watch Chauncey Billups leave as well."

But an opportunity to acquire a talent such as Iverson made the deal attractive.

Add the salary cap flexibility this deal gives Detroit, and Dumars saw this deal as being too good to pass up. By dealing the 32-year-old Billups, McDyess and Samb, the Pistons shaved off more than $30 million in salary over the next three seasons. Iverson, who is due $20.8 million this season, is in the final year of his contract.

"If a situation like this presents itself where you can cover yourself on both sides, an immediate impact player and long-term flexibility, you have to push the button and make it happen," Dumars said.

Most of the Pistons were relatively mum or declined to comment on the trade, even after it was officially announced.

Its impact will affect a number of Detroit players, including Rodney Stuckey, whose play in the postseason last season seemed to quicken the likelihood of Billups being traded.

When asked about what he has learned from playing with Billups, Stuckey said, "He's just been there, let me know what to do and what not to do, stuff like that. He's just a great guy."

Dumars acknowledged that there are similarities between acquisition of Iverson and the trade the Pistons made four years ago with Atlanta for Rasheed Wallace. But that was not a factor in his decision to pursue the nine-time All-Star.

"Just because it worked with Rasheed, that can't be the model with all guys," Dumars said. "But this was a situation where this was a risk worth taking."