Dumars happy with new parts in Pistons' engine

In the 2000-01 season, Joe Dumars' first as the Detroit Pistons' president of basketball operations, the team won a mere 32 games. Since that inaugural year, the Pistons have never won fewer than 50 in a season. They've been to six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals and made two NBA Finals, winning it all in 2004 by knocking off a heavily favored Lakers team in five games.

Heading into this season, the core of that excellence remained intact: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace. But Dumars wasn't pleased with just making the conference finals. Something, he felt, needed to be done. Just one week into the season, he made a change, sending Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Chiekh Samb to Denver for 2001 NBA MVP Allen Iverson.

Two weeks after the trade, the Pistons have gone 4-3 with Iverson in the lineup, including a rousing 96-89 win over Cleveland on Wednesday to snap the Cavs' eight-game winning streak. We traded e-mails with Dumars about the swap, how he feels the Pistons are playing now and whether McDyess would be welcome back in Detroit.

NBA.com: It's been two weeks since you've acquired Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups. Can you assess where the team is two weeks after the trade?

Dumars: We've been able to win games and learn on the fly at the same time.

NBA.com: Where can this team improve?

Dumars: Our improvement will come with chemistry and playing as one over the long haul of the season.

NBA.com: I was curious about the timing. How did the deal go down? Was it something you sought in the summer or preseason and it just didn't get done until Nov. 4? Or was it something that happened quickly and you made the decision quickly?

Dumars: This deal happened rather quickly, I would say it happened over a five day period. Both teams were motivated to do this deal.

NBA.com: Why did you trade for Allen Iverson if your team was already one of the most efficient offensively?

Dumars: We want to be more than just an efficient team, we want to be in contention every year and we felt it was time for a change.

NBA.com: And has Iverson gone to the free throw line as much as you've expected in acquiring him?

Dumars: Allen has come in and has done exactly what we expected him to do.

NBA.com: Did you worry the trade would accelerate Michael Curry's learning curve as a head coach?

Dumars: I have confidence in Michael Curry and I had no reservations about this trade and the impact it would have on him as our coach.

NBA.com: Do you believe the Pistons can still rely on the defense shutting down opponents if the offense isn't working?

Dumars: To win at the highest level in this league, you have to win in different ways. We know we can't simply count on shutting people out. We have to be versatile in the ways we win games.

NBA.com: This question has always intrigued me, and Keith Langlois in his True Blue Pistons blog mentioned it here: "Curry is trying to balance the desire to win games and hasten the integration of Iverson with the need to give his core veterans appropriate rest and his emerging young core necessary exposure." How does one do that? How do you balance the desire, the passion to win games but stay patient enough to integrate a new system and new personnel?

Dumars: What we're doing now is really not much different than what we've tried to do over the last seven years: win big and develop guys along the way. Integrating Allen is something we feel very comfortable doing.

NBA.com: Who came up with the idea of having Tayshaun Prince take over the point guard duties, and have you seen progress in the offense since Tayshaun took over?

Dumars: Michael Curry and the coaching staff feel very comfortable putting the ball in Tayshaun Prince's hands. He's one of our best decision-makers with the ball.

NBA.com: How is Richard Hamilton handling the transition from Chauncey running the offense to Tayshaun running the point?

Dumars: Rip is making the transition just fine. He and Tayshaun have played together for six years now.

NBA.com: Kwame Brown has played well in the last two games as starting center. Where have you seen progress from him and what would you like to see from him in the immediate future?

Dumars: Kwame has come in and done exactly what we've asked of him and that's defend, rebound and have a presence when he's on the floor.

NBA.com: The Pistons have been to six straight conference finals in the East. The East has always been a bit underrated when it comes to the toughness of its top teams. But this year, the conference seems even more rugged with the Celtics still playing with a chip on their shoulder and the Cavs adding Mo Williams and LeBron playing at an MVP level. Do you think the Pistons, as currently constructed, are still in that mix?

Dumars: The conference has definitely gotten tougher, but we'll continue to do what we've always done and that is strap it up and play as tough as possible ... only time will tell how far we can go.

NBA.com: Can you publicly comment on Antonio McDyess? If so, do you expect him back with the Pistons in December after the one month moratorium ends?

Dumars: We would love to have McDyess back.