CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and the Detroit Pistons concluded a wild day by beating the Charlotte Bobcats 101-83 Monday night, ensuring Allen Iverson will join an unbeaten team.

Playing short-handed hours after acquiring Iverson in a blockbuster deal with Denver, the balanced Pistons toyed with former coach Larry Brown's new team, improving to 3-0 and perhaps showing Iverson that he'll have plenty of scoring options when he takes over at point guard.

Rasheed Wallace added 15 points and four other players scored in double figures. Rodney Stuckey replaced the departed Chauncey Billups and had nine points and three assists filling in at the point for Detroit, which shot 50 percent.

Shannon Brown came off the bench to score 16 points, and Gerald Wallace had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, which couldn't build off Saturday's win over Miami in the beginning of a week of reunions for the well-traveled Brown.

The Brown-Pistons matchup lost much of its luster thanks to a deal that reshaped the Eastern Conference power.

The Pistons arrived in Charlotte on Sunday while president of basketball operations Joe Dumars worked into the night on a trade he felt would give his team a different way to win games "other than the same predictable way we've been doing it for quite some time."

Informed they were headed to Denver early Monday, Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb left town before the morning shootaround. It left Detroit with 12 players — and Stuckey starting at point guard — against their former coach.

Stuckey, wearing No. 3 in perhaps a precursor to the Iverson era, had only one turnover and Detroit showed its depth, inside play, rebounding prowess and steady outside shooting to overwhelm Browns' Bobcats.

Brown, who led the Pistons to the NBA title in 2004, has his own problems with Charlotte. And the Bobcats proved no match, even with Iverson not scheduled to join the team until Wednesday in Toronto.

Hamilton, who agreed to a three-year contract extension Monday in the midst of the Iverson trade, scored 11 points in the third quarter when the Pistons pulled away. His 3-pointer and mid-range jumper on consecutive possessions made it 76-60.

Playing again without forward Sean May, who is struggling with his weight and conditioning following knee surgery, the Bobcats couldn't recover with their undersized lineup that included 6-foot-7 Jared Dudley at power forward. Held most of the time to one shot, the Bobcats were outrebounded 42-31.

Charlotte did recover from a 12-point first-half deficit, but faded in the second half as Jason Richardson was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Before the game, Brown chatted with some of his former players and team officials, even though he had an ugly departure from Detroit in 2005. There will likely not be such a friendly greeting on Wednesday when Brown and the Bobcats visit New York, where Brown went 23-59 in one season before getting fired in 2006.

Notes: Stuckey wouldn't say whether he'll give up his No. 3 jersey to Iverson. "We're going to have to talk about that, I guess," Stuckey said. ... More than 2› hours before tipoff, May was on the floor doing conditioning drills. Brown said May will remain on the inactive list until he gets into game shape following microfracture knee surgery. "It's not any punishment," Brown said. "It's what's best for him right now." ... Referee Bennett Salvatore hit Rasheed Wallace with a technical foul in the third quarter.