The issue of the Billups vs Iverson trade and how it impacted both teams will likely be a hot topic all season long. The Pistons are always at the forefront of NBA news, as any team that has made it to 6 recent conference championships should be, and Denver's high profile players tend to hover around the headlines as well.

While it's certainly too early to judge, the difference being made by Chauncey Billups on the Nuggets roster is already obvious. In spite of his poor shooting, he's gone 7-30 in his first two games with the Nuggets, the team is visibly better with Chauncey on the floor: the pace operates more appropriately to the situation, turnovers are down, assists are up, steals are up.

When Billups is removed from the game for a breather it's an immediate breakdown that takes place: shot selection degrades, ball movement degrades, focus even seems to degrade.

One of my major knocks on Coach Karl has been his lack of intensity on the floor and his inability to make in-game adjustments. The acquisition of Chauncey has already somewhat mitigated these drawbacks, and I believe his impact will only grow larger with as he has a chance to gel and grow on this team. Chauncey has embraced this role as a vocal team leader, and I have already witnessed him pulling aside junior members of the team for on-court quick conferences... even when Billups is sitting on the bench.

Who knows? Maybe even Karl will pick up a few coaching tips...