Iverson's new, old teams enduring change

If the Pistons had any urge to feel a little sorry for themselves over the inevitable growing pains that have accompanied Allen Iverson's acclimation, the arrival of his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, on Friday night should lift their spirits.

Because for the ups and downs they've had in the month since trading Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver for Iverson, at least the Pistons are doing better than treading water. They've won almost twice as many games as they've lost, they account for two of the five combined losses of the Lakers and Cavaliers and they're coming off a win at San Antonio that provided another drop of evidence that the finished product here has title potential.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, coming off of the first-round scare they threw into the Pistons following a closing rush to the 2007-08 season before an off-season that saw the 76ers add Elton Brand to the lineup, is bumping along in last place in the Atlantic Division at 8-11 - not challenging Boston at the top, as expected.

And you can make a pretty compelling case that the Pistons' challenge was more daunting, both in timing and degree.

The 76ers had all summer to plan for Brand - who, to add injury to insult, will miss Friday's game after straining a hamstring in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers. The Pistons made their move for Iverson two games into the regular season. And while Brand added a completely missing element - low-post scoring - from a team that had little it could hang its hat on offensively, Iverson was stepping into a lineup filled with double-figures scorers and All-Star credentials.

"Both are very dominant scorers," Michael Curry said after Thursday's practice, "and any time you add a dominant scorer that's a little different than you how play, it takes some adjustment. Brand is a low-post scorer that goes to the low block, demands the ball and is very effective. Allen is a guy who demands the ball on the perimeter and scores more in a freelance setting. We've had to adjust to being able to play in transition and play more a freelance game, but then when we have to play a half-court set, we have to be disciplined enough to do it. At times, we've been able to do that, but regardless - for them and for us - the constant has to be the defensive end of the floor."

The disappointment in Philadelphia, which has lost five of its last six, has dampened the enthusiasm generated by the strong finish and the $80 million contracts both Brand and restricted free agent Andre Igoudala signed over the summer. Attendance in Philly has lagged accordingly, but you can bet TV ratings there for Friday's game will be high, thanks to Iverson, who remains a compelling figure in a city that both deifies and crucifies its athletes.

"I definitely want this game," Iverson said. "But I want them all. It's going to be special tomorrow night, just to play against them again."

The win at San Antonio gave the Pistons ample reason for optimism that they're beginning to get a handle on how best to exploit Iverson's ability - and that Iverson, similarly, is starting to grasp how and when to pick his spots.

They're rarely going to ask him to play 45 minutes or take 25 shots - a typical night for most of his first 12 years in the league - but they'll be thrilled if that guy emerges in the final five minutes of games hanging in the balance. Iverson made one play in the fourth quarter in San Antonio that wouldn't make any highlight shows, but spoke to his value. He had the ball on the wing, where he loves to launch his attacks, and drew the defense to him before flicking a laser to Rasheed Wallace in the corner for one of his three huge fourth-quarter triples.

"He's not going to have the same numbers that he did (in Philadelphia)," Curry said, "but he does the same things for you. He puts a lot of pressure on an opposing team's defense and he creates a lot of open shots for your guys. Our guys are starting to get used to playing with him and because of that, we have guys being able to shoot wide-open, spot-up 3s and we've got some pretty good guys to do that."

That's the logic of it, and the Pistons are seeing enticing glimpses of it play out often enough - and against championship-caliber teams like the Lakers, Cavs and Spurs - to believe fully in the possibilities. But the logic was sound in Philly, too: Give an athletic team that can play defense, rebound and extend the court one elite half-court scoring option and everything else falls into place. They're still waiting for a glimpse in Philly, for something to believe in.

• Rasheed Wallace went through Thursday's practice wearing powder blue Nike high tops, a vestige of his allegiance to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Wallace was seated behind North Carolina's bench at Ford Field on Wednesday for UNC's 35-point demolition of Michigan State and took a shot at Pistons TV analyst Greg Kelser, a Michigan State alumnus.

"I've got to talk to Kelse," he said. "Had us come all the way up here for that practice. We could have stayed in Chapel Hill and had practice."

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