The Detroit Pistons shooting guard Allen Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his mouth.

He said what must have been an inappropriate and what definitely was a costly comment to a fan sometime in the third quarter of Detroit’s 90-86 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

But Iverson, as we know, has a history of saying and doing what he wants.  He once refused to go to a scheduled practice when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers.  He was late for practice over Thanksgiving weekend and head coach Michael Curry yanked Iverson’s starting position for one game.  The organization also fined him.

Allen Iverson could very well be a Hall of Fame player. He made it to the Finals on a Philadelphia 76ers squad that simply wasn’t that great. He’s been to the All-Star game countless times and is one of the most popular players in the game. That said, the Detroit Pistons made a mistake by trading for him.

The main problem concerning Iverson in Detroit is that he’ll need to play point guard. Although Iverson looks like a point guard and sometimes can even have the stats of a point guard, he’s always been more effective as a shooting guard. Trying to replace the steady hand of Chauncey Billups with the erratic decision making of Iverson is going to be a disaster.

Another problem is the backlash of the supporting cast. Players like Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace won’t like it when they turn into spectators of the Allen Iverson Show. They are going to go from being involved in almost every play to playing a secondary role. If you don’t think this issue can boil over, you don’t know much about Rasheed.

Finally, Iverson simply isn’t as good as he used to be. He’s a player who has depended on speed and quickness in his career but now that he’s over 30, he’s been slowing down each season. This year, he could very well hit the wall and be forced to rely on his shaky jumper rather than his ability to get to the basket.

Pistons general manager Joe Dumars has made great trades in the past but this one will be ugly as Iverson will turn into a bust for Detroit.

Iverson Mix …

Although the NBA is just three days in, it’s never too late to start sorting out the best teams. Which teams look the best so far? Here’s the SteamySports top five:

1) Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have wasted no time in looking dominant in the 2008-09 season. Already 2-0, the Lakers have pounded both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers. And shockingly enough, it’s not all Kobe Bryant anymore. He’s still their best player but he has an amazing amount of talent around him this year.

2) Boston Celtics
The reigning NBA champions are off to a good start. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their one game so far this season. However, we have to put the Celtics behind the Lakers. Not only do the Lakers look very, very good, the Celtics have a few questions marks including how they’ll adapt without James Posey and what they will do if Ray Allen loses another step.

3) New Orleans Hornets
Speaking of James Posey, his new team is looking quite good. At 2-0, the Hornets are a team that fits so perfectly together. Chris Paul is the head of the snake but he also has a lot of very talented players around him that fit perfectly in the equation. If the Hornets can remain healthy, they could very easily end up with the best record in the entire NBA.

4) Houston Rockets
The Rockets sit at 2-0 after two impressive victories to star the season. The combination of Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming already has other teams shaking in their boots. Houston made a lot of changes over the summer but if they can get some chemistry, they definitely have the wherewithal to go all the way.

5) Detroit Pistons
The Pistons started off their year with a win and they promise to once again be a formidable opponent in the Eastern Conference. The only big change this season is Amir Johnson starting in place of Antonio McDyess. Other than that, this is basically the same team that has had much playoff success over the last half decade.

Check out this video as correspondent Elie Seckbach talks to members of the Lakers about Kobe Bryant: