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.

Photo credit: Newscom

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With free agent money dried up around the NBA, Smith appears likely to either re-sign with the Hawks or be traded in a sign-and-trade deal. If Smith is indeed involved in a sign-and-trade deal, where would he end up? Here are the leading possibilities:

Detroit Pistons – The Pistons have a lot of veteran player who they are willing to offer to bring in a superstar. While Smith isn’t a superstar quite yet, he’s well on his way of becoming a superstar. Chauncey Bilulps and Tayshaun Prince may be involved in a deal that would bring back Smith.

Los Angeles Lakers – With Lamar Odom as trade bait, the Lakers definitely could be a factor in the Josh Smith talks. If the Lakers were to offer Odom and a few young players, the Hawks would likely have to consider their offer if talks with Smith stall.

Dallas Mavericks – The Mavericks have long had interest in Smith and could use Josh Howard as a piece to bring in Smith. The Hawks would obviously want more than just Howard but Howard would allow the Hawks to replace Smith with a proven winner who could keep Atlanta competitive.

Houston Rockets – If the rumors are true that Tracy McGrady may be traded, a TMac for Smith deal makes sense for both sides. The Rockets get a defensive oriented player who they can use to build around. The Hawks get a big name superstar to compensate for the loss of Smith.

Here is a video discussing more Josh Smith rumors:

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McGrady would give the Pistons a go-to scorer — something the team has lacked in recent years. The Pistons have been great defensively but have struggled a bit offensively, especially late in games.

For the Rockets, this trade makes a lot less sense. While Houston isn’t strong at the point guard position, Chauncey Billups is definitely on the decline and might only have one or two good seasons left. Tayshaun Prince is a good player but he and Shane Battier are similar type players.

While this trade is unlikely to happen, don’t expect the Pistons to sit around during the summer. Detroit will continue looking for a way to bring some star power to their team. The Rockets, meanwhile, will be somewhat active but for the 2008-09 season, Houston just need to remain healthy to become a true contender.

Here is a video talking about the McGrady to the Pistons rumors:

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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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PG Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors
Davis was the playoff hero for the Warriors last season. He was amazing during the postseason, playing at a level we hadn’t seen from the point guard out of UCLA. That said, he’s being drafted too high in fantasy drafts. First of all, Davis is a huge injury risk. Davis misses games in bunches and playing in Don Nelson’s fast paced offense won’t help keep him healthy. On top of that, Davis isn’t an overly consistent player. Players such as Deron Williams and Mo Williams produce at a similar level and are each much safer picks.

SG Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
Iverson is still a very good player but fantasy owners have been slow to react to the fact that Iverson is no longer the number one option on his team. Playing next to Carmelo Anthony, Iverson is going to be the second option on most nights for the Nuggets. Since Iverson’s value mostly comes from his scoring, the fact that he’s second on the totem pole hurts. He’s still a good player to have but not as high as he’s being drafted.

SF Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistons
Prince is an example of a good NBA player doesn’t always make a good fantasy player. Prince is a fine player in real life but his contributions simply don’t translate very well to fantasy basketball. He doesn’t do anything that great and he’s prone to disappearing for games at a time. Name recognition, rather than fantasy potential, is the reason he’s drafted as high as he’s drafted.

PF Al Harrington, Golden State Warriors
Harrington is being picked relatively high in fantasy drafts. And honestly, I’m not exactly sure why. Harrington is a solid player but he’s not a great fit for Don Nelson’s system. He struggled mightily at times in the playoffs last year when seemingly everyone else on the Warriors was playing well. Nelson has already sent Harrington to the bench, which is even further proof that should lead you away from drafting him this year.

C Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls
Undersized centers don’t have a long shelf life in the NBA. Wallace is getting up there in age and could start to see his game fall off. He’s already not as good as he was on the Pistons and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to be able to find the fountain of youth and bounce back this season. With all the other center options out there, Wallace is a player you should just allow another owner to draft.

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