This past week Andre Iguodala reportedly agreed to sign a lucrative 6-year deal with the Sixers. That leaves the team with a very solid line-up that is decidedly lacking in shooters. Brand and Dalembert should be great in the middle, especially with Speights and Evans backing them up. The now-out-for-the-season Jason Smith might also be replaced in this year's line-up with serviceable back-up center Theo Ratliff.
Swingmen look very good with the oversized Iguodala at the 2, the lightning-fast and highly efficient Thaddeus Young manning the 2/3, and Willie Green playing back-up or part-time starter. Kareem Rush adds a light element of shooting.
The point/combo-guard situation looks just as stable with Andre Miller anchoring the point as a steady leader. Lou Williams can play the 1 and 2 and hopefully will improve to the point that he can play the 1 more often. Royal Ivey is a solid defender who will be a solid upgrade over the useless Kevin Ollie.
On the defensive end, Dalembert and Brand should provide ample interior D with the help of Evans. Iguodala is a stellar defender and Miller is OK. A defensive line-up of Dalembert, Brand, Iguodala, Williams/Ivey, and Miller should be able to score, stop the opponent, and draw steals.
The only missing element? An exciting shooter. Iggy is a slasher, Brand is a post-scorer and mid-range shooter, Dalembert has no offensive game, Miller is a mid-range guy, Green can shoot at times, Williams is another slasher, Speights is another mid-range guy and so is Young.... The deep threat, other than Rush and Green, is missing. That's why I'm proposing we trade Andre Miller for Chauncey Billups.
Billups would give us the 3-point threat, defensive toughness, and elite leadership we need. The Pistons might do the deal because Andre Miller's contract expires at the end of this season, thus potentially giving Detroit a lot of money to play with. A team of Billups, Iguodala, Young, Brand, and Dalembert could compete for a championship. The presently composed team will improve and hopefully will compete for a championship too; but there are too many slasher and mid-range guys on offense and not enough shooters. Even with trading Carney, the team has a lot of talent that brings the similar skills to the table between Iguodala, Green, Williams, Rush, Young, and Ivey. If Ed Stefanski is reading this, he'll heed my words and try to deal Miller (and possibly a pick or a guy like Green or Evans) to a Pistons team that is looking to reshape itself for that final piece of the puzzle.
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