As the 2008 NBA Season begins, a lot of people have questions about the Detroit Pistons. Now, they might have found The Answer.

By now I’m sure all of you have heard – Detroit acquired veteran guard Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in a blockbuster trade that sent Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver. And no, A.I. is not talking about practice. He’s talking about championships. At his press conference in Detroit, Iverson started off by telling the media “I’m committed to bring the championship back here.”

Now, this doesn’t automatically put the Pistons in the finals, we all know that. But, at age 33 and no NBA titles to his credit, Iverson is running out of time. Detroit is probably his last (and best) chance to win it all, and it appears that he is dedicated to that goal.

Say what you want about Allen Iverson. He has always been a ‘hate him or love him’ type of player, but there are multiple reasons why this trade makes perfect sense for both Iverson and the Pistons organization.

In recent years, what has been the one big knock on the Pistons? They didn’t have a player who could score at will – no one who could take over a game during crunch time. It seems Pistons fans have been brainwashed into thinking that having a superstar doesn’t matter, but let’s look at the facts. Yes, Detroit did win the NBA Championship in ’03-’04 by playing “team basketball.” Where has it gotten them since then? Take a look at the teams who beat them.

In 2005, the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan beat the Pistons in the finals. In 2006, it was the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade. And in 2007, LeBron James almost single handedly beat the Pistons to advance the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals.

The point here is that all of these teams had a superstar they could look to in the clutch. These guys can take over a game and impose their will on opposing defenses. You can keep going back in history too. Shaq and the Lakers won three straight titles at the start of the new millennium. In an eight year span (1990-98) some guy named Michael Jordan won six titles while playing for the Chicago Bulls. Who won the other two titles during that time? Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets (1994 and 1995).

Not since the days of the “Bad Boys” have the Pistons had a player they can lean on when times get tough. Allen Iverson is that guy. He’s been doing it his whole career. Only now it’s a different situation. Detroit isn’t going to ask him to carry the load for 48 minutes like he did in Philadelphia, and he doesn’t have to compete with another superstar like he did in Denver (Carmelo Anthony). Here in Detroit, it’s going to be the same “team basketball” philosophy. That’s not going to change. But now, at the end of a close game, the Pistons have a proven scoring option. Allen Iverson is going to have the ball in his hands and he’s going to make plays.

Currently ranked third all time in scoring percentage, averaging 27.5 ppg throughout his 12-year career, Iverson is one of the most prolific scorers to ever play the game. For those of you who say A.I. is selfish, he also averages over six assists per game. Not bad for a guy who has had to act as a one-man army most of his career.

You can speculate all you want about Iverson being a team player, or how well he will mesh with the Pistons, but both Joe Dumars and Iverson seem to believe that the relationship will be a strong one. A.I. acknowledged that the transition might be tough in the beginning, as most trades are, but he seems to be onboard with the team’s philosophy.

“It’s all about just being a basketball player and being willing to sacrifice whatever I have to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,” Iverson told the media in his Pistons press conference.

When you compare the gains and losses to this trade it is clear the Pistons came out on top. I know that both Billups and McDyess are fan favorites and I am as sad as anyone to see them go. Let’s be honest. These two guys are not the same players they were during the Championship run. McDyess hasn’t been the same player ever since his first knee injury, and Billups’ numbers have hit a plateau. It seems that we have already seen the best of Mr. Big Shot.

The biggest issue here is that these guys aren’t young anymore (Billups 32, McDyess 34) and there is a new generation of players coming up through the Pistons system. It’s clear that Billups and McDyess were shipped out to make room for youngsters Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson, all of whom are expected to make big contributions this season.

Finally, there are some rumors floating around the sports world saying that the only reason Detroit got The Answer is so they can bring in The King in the near future.

Here is essentially how it would all go down. Lebron James’ contract with Cleveland is up in two years, meaning he can become a free agent at that time. Iverson’s current contract only has one year remaining on it and Pistons big man Rasheed Wallace has a similar contract. These two guys are the oldest players on Detroit’s lineup (Wallace is 34-years-old) and they are also the highest paid. Wallace is set to make almost $14 million this upcoming season, while Iverson will make over $20 million. Theoretically, in the next two years, both Iverson and Wallace will walk away from the Pistons (hopefully with a title ring) leaving a $34 million void to be filled. The money they leave behind would then be thrown at Lebron James.

As one of the best players in the game today, it seems obvious that James will be getting offers from all over the league, most of them involving staggering amounts of money. But the Pistons have something extra to add to the equation. Not only will they be able to give ‘King James’ a large sum of money, but they will also provide a winning attitude and a franchise that has won championships before. On top of that, they will have a very balanced and talented lineup for James to play with, including Stuckey, Maxiell, Johnson and Tayshaun Prince. All of these pieces put together makes for a pretty enticing offer. One NBA General Manager said “I’m scared Joe (Dumars) has all the pieces in place to possibly pull this off.” But first, the Pistons need to win.

When you take a step back and look at the whole picture, the Iverson trade seems to work in Detroit’s favor. Both parties bring something that the other side needs. Iverson, with his 1997 Rookie of the Year Award and 2001 Most Valuable Player award, provides Detroit with that deadly scoring threat they’ve been lacking since Isaiah Thomas. In return, the Pistons provide Allen Iverson with one last shot at an NBA title.