This is an awesome trade imo. Billups has declined offensively since 2005. Defensively he still has a lot to offer, and is universally liked and respected around the league which is exactly the type of guy Denver needs. Detroit gets a vet scoring superstar ready to sacrifice to win a championship, not unlike what happened in Boston. Rip and AI are both shooting guards, yes, but they're also vets who I hope will have the experience to get along and sacrifice for the sake of contending for a championship, something Carmelo has yet to learn (but something Billups will definitely help him with). It is also handy to have a guy who is feared in the playoffs...he's gonna draw a lot of fouls/free throws. And yes since AI's contract expires at the end of this season, along with moving Billups contract and potentially Sheed's which expires this year, the Pistons will have something like $35 million in cap space to spend on the big free agency class of 2009-10. Its a win-win for everyone involved.
11:46pm post-game: 6 years of watching Billups bring the ball up the court and captain this team to a championship and 5 straight eastern conference finals. Hamilton basically ignoring new fellow guard Stuckey in the backcourt. I am bummed out tonight.
