The new starting lineup for the Pistons will feature Rodney Stuckey at point guard, Allen Iverson at shooting guard, Richard Hamilton at small forward, Tayshaun Prince at power forward and Rasheed Wallace at center. The player who got bumped of the starting lineup was center Kwame Brown, while Stuckey is the new addition.

At first glance, obviously this new lineup is rather small. Interior defense and rebounding could very well be a problem. However, fantasy-wise this lineup should make each player a slightly more productive rebounder. In fact, Prince may see a significant rise in rebounds.

On the offensive end, this lineup change should be good for everyone. The Iverson at point guard experiment failed, as he was unable to create shots for others. Stuckey should be able to create shots and play much more like a true point guard. If Stuckey is given big minutes to go along with this promotion, he automatically becomes a fantasy relevant player. 12 points and five assists per night with some good complementary stats makes him a solid bench guard for your fantasy unit.

The other big winner is Iverson. He no longer has to worry about point guard duties and can instead go back to concentrating on scoring the basketball. Prince too may be able to hit a few more three-pointers now that he will have a bigman defending him.

If this lineup doesn’t create wins for Detroit, the next move would be re-inserting a bigman into the starting lineup and benching one of Iverson, Hamilton or Prince. Keep a close eye on the Pistons over the coming weeks to see which players are getting minutes and how their fantasy production changes.

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First of all for the Nuggets, they finally have a star point guard to build around. Every since trading away Andre Miller, Denver has struggled to find a floor general. Although Billups isn’t as good as he was a couple seasons ago, he’s still an elite point guard. Expect his fantasy basketball numbers to remain relatively the same in Denver.

The biggest winner on the Nuggets roster is Carmelo Anthony. He’ll get a lot more shots now that he doesn’t have to share with Iverson. Anthony should once again challenge for the league lead in points per game. His percentages should also improve now that he has a player to set him up. The other big winner on the Nuggets is JR Smith. He should see way more time at shooting guard and could blossom into a big time scorer who could lead the league in three-pointers made. The big loser on the Nuggets is obviously Anthony Carter, who will go from starter to limited bench player.

For the Pistons, things aren’t nearly as cut and dry. Iverson likely will first begin as the team’s point guard. But throughout his career, Iverson has struggled running the show. With so many different pieces to feed, it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to be a full-time point guard. If he can’t survive at point guard, that opens the door for Rodney Stuckey to play even more. There’s even a chance that the Pistons could opt to start Stuckey and Iverson in the backcourt and then bring Richard Hamilton off the bench. Another option is for Tayshaun Prince to become a pseudo point guard and let Iverson play off the ball.

Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell should also see the fantasy stocks rise due to taking up more of McDyess’ minutes. However, rumor has it that McDyess may return to Detroit after a buyout – a la Brent Barry and the San Antonio Spurs last season.

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Billups tried to give it a go but wasn’t able to play in Game 4 for the Detroit Pistons. As it turns out, the Pistons didn’t need him. After almost getting blown out of the water at one point in the second half, the Pistons rebounded and ended up winning the game 90-89. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 32 points and Tayshaun Prince hit the game winner with less than ten seconds to go in the game. The Pistons now lead their best of seven series against the Magic 3-1.

The news was better for Wallace. Despite being listed as doubtful, Wallace was able to start for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs used a big first quarter to easily dispose of the Boston Celtics. Wallace led the Cavs with nine rebounds and was also very active on the defensive end of the court. Even though the Celtics lost, they lead the series 2-1.

Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace on the Detroit Pistons.

Photo: Newscom

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