Pistons make a big trade to bring in Iverson

The Detroit Pistons acquired the four-times NBA scoring champion Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in move that saw Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb go the other way. After seeing Detroit knocked out in the Eastern conference finals for a third consecutive year in May, president Joe Dumars had promised to shake things up for his side. He delivered on his word just two games into the new season swapping Billups, the most valuable player on the Pistons 2004 championship team, for Iverson, the 2001 league MVP.

"We are pleased to welcome Allen Iverson to the Pistons organisation," Dumars said. "Allen has proven he is one of the elite players in the league and we like what he adds to our roster at the guard position." Taken as the number one pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA draft, Iverson has been one of the league's most consistent and dynamic scoring threats averaging 27.7 points per game in 13 seasons. A nine-times all-star, Iverson, 33, averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 assists in the Nuggets' opening three games of this season's campaign.

The move to Denver will constitute a home-coming of sorts for Billups and McDyess, who both had stints with the Nuggets earlier in their careers before moving on to other clubs. * Reuters