THE ANSWER TO DETROIT'S WOES?

Yes, Allen Iverson, aka "The Answer" will be revving up Motor Town. But at what price?

Pretty steep, with Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups, Antonio "Dice" McDyess and Cheikh "Not Good Enough To Have A Nickname" Samb going to Denver.

What do the Pistons get? A tough, quick, still prolific but on-the-way-out scorer and future Hall of Famer who has never taken a shot he didn't like, including 3 point, stop-and-pop, falling-out-of-bounds, fadeaway jumpers.

What do they lose? Defense. Poise. A point guard, for Pete's sake! AI is a strictly shoot-first guard, and those who have Richard Hamilton on their fantasy basketball rosters would do well to stat picking up back up SG's.

What do the Nuggets get? A true point guard who is tough, unselfish, poised and has ice in his veins. Also, their backcourt gains instant credibility at the defensive end.

What do they lose? Instant, streaky, unstoppable offense. Chauncey is a predator, scoring when most needed and when the opportunity arises. AI scored whenever he wanted to. All you could do was try to get in his way and hope he missed.

Winner of the trade: Denver. Look for Nene to flourish and Kenyon Martin to regain his All-Star form (you know, the form he lost when Jason Kidd was no longer his point guard). AI will make Detroit marginally better on offense but Billups will make the Nuggets better on both sides of the ball.