Detroit Pistons: Top 5 greatest one-season wonders in team history

1. Allen Iverson — 2008–2009 season

When the Pistons acquired Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in a shocking deal that sent Chauncey Billups and two players the other way, the expectation was for the future Hall of Famer to become a mainstay as a starter.

It didn’t pan out his way as Pistons executive Joe Dumars pushed for the team to build more around second-year guard Rodney Stuckey. Iverson refused to even consider a bench role, and the team moved on without him late in the season.

“Detroit was a bad situation for me,” Iverson said in 2016. “I was told something, and I was promised something that wasn’t to be.”

Aside from the controversy that left a sour taste in the mouth of both Iverson and Dumars, the majority of the guard’s short tenure in Detroit was at the least enjoyable to watch. While he posted a then career-low 17.4 points per game average, he showcased a couple of memorable performances, such as his 38-point game against the playoff-contending Utah Jazz.

Iverson would then go on to spend a short time with the Memphis Grizzlies followed by a return to the Philadelphia 76ers before calling it a career.