PistonsNationBlog.com - Detroit Pistons News & Views

Great vid.  Tearing up, not really, but still.

The Nuggets pulled even at a game a piece in their series with the Lakers and Chauncey had this heads up play at the expense of Kobe Braynt. 

” ‘Cause I’m already gone
And I’m feelin’ strong
I will sing this vict’ry song
woo, hoo,hoo,my my woo,hoo,hoo”

I understand the team was complacent.  I get that the money should help the the ‘Stonz for years to come.  But, damn it Joe, why’d you have to trade Chauncey!

I’ve officially become a member of the ‘Pile on Dumars Club’.  Frustration has set him like Varejoa’s perm highlights.

This season has been a disaster.  Allen Iverson was a joke.  We’re an eight seeded team being embarrassed by a division rival in the opening round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country OUR playoff hero is doing his thing for the for another team.  Chauncey is doing the Hornets like the LeBron is doing us.

Look at these numbers! Denver is where amazing is happening. Yeah, the critics were right. Chauncey has lost a step…

This is as painful as watching your long time girlfriend on the arm of another dude, and you never wanted to break it off in the first place.  Damn, she’s looking good.  Why couldn’t we just have made it work??

I’ve got roughly 127,000 things to do before tip tomorrow so I wanted to post something to serve as an open thread for any Pistons fans wanting show their love to the real #1 in place of a game preview.

Detroit Free Press: “I’m sure it will be emotional,” Billups said. “I had a lot of great years there. I’m sure it’s always going to be my home away from home. It will be pretty emotional, but it will be a lot of fun.”

Jamie Samuelson: I’m going to go to the game and monitor the crowd. Anyone who doesn’t get out of their seat and cheer Chauncey Billups when he’s introduced should be thrown out of the Palace.

Chauncey on what the Pistons season would be like had the Nov. 3rd trade not been made: “It wouldn’t be like this,” he answered when somebody asked him what the Pistons’ season would be like with him still at point guard. “We’d be the top one or two in the East and probably in basketball, like we always are.”

Excellent 24 pic CHAUNEY BILLUPS PHOTO GALLERY @ Pistons.com, and George Blaha has been eagerly anticipating Chancey’s hero welcome. (Do the right thing Mason)

ESPN’s Scoop Jackson asked all the NBA All-Stars if they be any other player who would it be?  Chauncey Billups’ answer put an ear-to-ear grin on my face:

“A.I. So I can get my Detroit No. 1 [jersey] back.”

Classic. Danm,  I miss Mr. Big shot.
(H/T: brgulker)

No Tayshaun, but I’m glad Mr. Big Shot got the recognition he deserves.

Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups was named a Western Conference reserve for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, the league announced today.

Billups was voted to the team by Western Conference coaches. Billups, whom the Nuggets acquired from Detroit via trade on Nov. 3, is averaging a career-best 18.8 ppg (including 19.0 ppg with Denver), 6.5 apg and 1.45 spg through 44 games this season. He is shooting .387 (89-230) from three-point range and .903 (262-290) from the free-throw line (seventh-best in the NBA).

The Denver-native and 2004 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player will be making his fourth NBA All-Star appearance and first as a member of the West. He has been selected as a reserve in each of the last four seasons. -Nuggets.com

Kinda missed this the other day, but it’s definitely worth going back to.   Found in the Rocky Mountain News; When asked about doing his signature introduction for Chauncey when the Nuggets play the Palace on March 3rd Pistons announcer John Mason replied:

“They won’t allow me to do it,” said Mason, who plans a regular announcement during lineup introductions but said nobody will hear him anyway because it will be so loud.
[...]
Mason’s call is right up there with what Billups misses about Detroit.”Yeah, I miss it,” Billups said. “That was sweet.”

I understand not doing it every time Chauncey returns to the Palace, but not doing it this first time is kinda bush league in my opinion.  Almost as bush league as letting Iverson wear #1.  Ok, so he’s no longer a Piston, but why the cold shoulder?  Mr. Big shot did more for this team and community than anyone the current roster and in recent memory.  A total class act.

Not only that, but the fans would want it.  I’m going to go out a teeny-tiny limb here and say there’s going to be just as many fans that night who’ll want to show their appreciation to Chauncey as there will be fans there to root on the home team.  This isn’t like when Ben Wallace left to pursue $greener$ pastures.  Chauncey wanted to retire in the Pistons red, white, and blue.

The Pistons are a better organization than that.  I don’t know who’s call this is but I hope they change their minds by the time this game rolls around.  Do it for the fans, and more importantly for Chauncey.

Nuggets coach George Karl talks about the Chauncey/Iverson trade on PTI.

(Link attributive: mLive)

The Nuggets are now 12-3 since trading for Chauncey back on the 3rd of November.  They’re yet to lose back-to-back games and are tied for first in the Northwest Division.

Mr. Big Shot was named Western Conference player of the week last week.  Chauncey’s averaging 18.9 ppg , 7.2assists, and 1.6 TO’s as a member of the Nuggets.

Last night Billups had a 24 point, 14 assist (1 turnover) double-double helping the Nuggs kill the Raptors 132-93.  And get this Chauncey had a freak’n +48 +/- stat!  I’d say Denver is definitely benefiting from the trade.

When Joe traded Chauncey for Iverson my immediate reaction was one of disappointment.  I’ve wanted to write something to that effect but decided to give this trade a little more time to meld.  Iverson no showing yesterday’s practice was just the nudge I needed.

Chauncey Billups was my favorite Piston.  He offered a cool and steady presence on the court (in addition to having one of the coolest names in sports).  Billups came to the Pistons with no hype or Iverson like celebrity.  All CB did was lead this team to a NBA Championship as well as championed community causes.  He’s was a big asset and actually still is, just now it’s for his home team Nuggets.

I’ve never been a fan of Allen Iverson’s game.  He reminds me of And1 style street ball which I’m also not a fan of.  I prefer a more efficient and prototypical point guard.  Even if they’re not exciting to most fans to watch.

I’ve always been of the opinion that AI’s teams never got over because of him.  He’s so unique on the court that he negates a lot of traditional thinking on offense.  He doesn’t run off screens or work with out the ball like a lot of two-guards.  He dribbles and weaves his way to the hoop while teammates just kind of look on.  He’s not a defender either.  He’s undersized and as quick as he is he can’t seem to stay in front of his defensive assignment, instead counts on others to just be there when he gets deked.

Iverson is statistically one of the greatest players ever.  But, he’s never found a way to use his brand of basketball to better his teammates like many of his contemporaries.  He needs a lot of minutes and a lot of touches to be effective and that’s not conducive to team success.

I’ve pretty much stayed on the fence about the trade.  I’d reveal some of my inner grumblings with Iverson when the Pistons suffered some of these ugly losses.  But, I’d thump my chest when they’d win.  Not because I’m fickle, but because I’m a fan of the Detroit Pistons.  Simple as that.  I want the team to succeed even if it’s with guys I didn’t care for when they played on other squads.

The trade hasn’t swayed  confidence in Joe Dumars though.  I know 9 out of 10 times you make this trade.  The money implications are too sweet to pass up with two solid free agent classes on the horizon.  The Pistons are Joe’s product.  He’s made them good and has to keep them good. Plus, it created a buzz around his product that a lot of people had grown bored with.  The only time you don’t make the trade is if you think the core four had a fighting shot at winning the title.  Joe must not have felt that they did.

It’s tough though because like Chauncey said, had he not gotten hurt in the second round against Orlando his name would probably still be on the back of the Pistons’ #1.

The team will still be a good team this season.  Will they be a serious contender?  Not the erratic way they’re playing.  They still need to find a way to get Rip back involved and definitely need work on team defense.

Even if they pull it together and get on the same page Piston fans shouldn’t get too attached to Allen Iverson.  Joe isn’t going to resign him.  What would be the point of the trade if he did??

The Denver Nuggets are 5-1 since acquiring Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.  They’re playing some good team ball, with noticeable betterment coming on both sides of the ball.  Yes, the Nuggets are now playing defense. Listening to the Nuggets it seems as if AI was the problem, not the answer:

“There are less bad plays, more solid plays,” Karl said. “I think the wasteful, cheap possessions that we used to have 10 to 15 a game, they don’t exist very much anymore.” [...] “We have contested-shot charts, bad-shot charts and cheap defensive possessions,” Karl said. “I would say that when A.I. was here, we had most games in the teens of contested, tough shots, sometimes in the 20s. And I don’t think we’ve had a double-digit one since (Billups has) been here.- Denver Post

AI is a special talent, but he’s never been a coach’s fave, so going from Iverson’s erratic play to Chauncey’s careful precision so you can understand why it seems George Karl is saying what he is here.

Kenyon Martin has benefited a great deal from C-Bills coming on board.  He’s getting back to the kind of game he had when teamed with Jason Kidd in New Jersey.

“We’ve got a great point guard now who gets his teammates involved, doesn’t mind passing the ball, and that’s what he’s done throughout his career. He’s a general on the court. He gets his teammates the ball, get his team in the offense quickly and gets the ball to his teammates in the right places.” -Hoops World

Take the quotes as you like, but it’s clear that the Nuggets are better and it’s a direct result of Mr. Big Shot. Carmelo Anthony and Nene’s numbers are also benefiting from Chauncey’s arrival.  I don’t think the Nuggs dislike Iverson, but I do think as they continue to thrive they’re realizing that Iverson wasn’t right for them.  Hopefully it’ll be different here.

Michael Rosenberg got a chance to talk to Chauncey Billups while he was in Cleveland yesterday. He reflects back on the trade that sent him to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson.

I’ve higlighted a few things from the article, but I STRONGLY recommend you click on over and check read the whole thing for yourself.

On whether he’d have signed his contract knowing then what he knows now: “No way,” he said. “No way. I don’t think anybody would. If anybody told you that if hindsight was 20/20 and they knew a year later they were going to get traded from the place that they signed, they wouldn’t sign.”

Seeing his jersey with Iverson’s name on the back: “I will admit, that shocked me,” he said. “It’s kind of surreal when you first get traded. But when I saw that No. 1 on TV with a different name, that’s when I said, ‘It’s official.’ ”

The results of the team’s discord with Flip Saunders: “I think that cost us at least one championship.”

What could have been: “I felt like if it’s not for my injury, (even) with Flip, we win the championship last year,” he said. “I think we win it all and that No. 1 has still got BILLUPS on the back of it.”

The timing of Rip’s extension announcement: “If Rip would have knew that this deal was going on, I just don’t know that he would have signed that extension,” Billups said. “It was kind of funny to me that they announced this trade the same day that he signed. I really don’t know. … It just seemed weird to me. He signed that extension three days before the trade. … I think it might have been a little different if all this was exposed early.”

The interview really drove home the human element of the trade.  While reading it I never thought to myself, “yeah, but what about the money we’ll save”.  Even with all the time this squad had to get it done it still feels like one more shot wouldn’t have been too much to ask.  But, I guess that’s maybe the one draw back of having management won’t settle for just being “good”.  Joe has a job to do.

Detroit Free Press: Chauncey Billups talk about the trade, Flip

A lot of practice talk lately.  Here’s a video via the Rocky mountain News from Chauncey’s (#7) first practice with the Nuggets.

The video itself would have been a lot better if not set to the cheesy studio music.

It’s gotta be weird feeling going from being “the man” to being the new guy trying to learn on the fly. You can also see lanky Cheikh (#35) in the vid.

You can check out Chauncey’s first game tomorrow at 10:30 est on ESPN when the Nuggets take on the Mavs. (HT: DBB)

(!)UPDATE: Video of Chauncey’s Nuggets’ presser where Billups says he ended up picking #7 because of Broncos great John Elway. Thanks to PN reader Dave for the heads up!

The revenge of Chauncey Billups?  Nah, I wouldn’t call it that.  Chauncey had to go from Charlotte to Detroit, then out to Denver.  Meanwhile the Nuggets are out in Oakland.  Pretty unfavorable logistics.

Newly acquired guard Allen Iverson may not play tonight when the Pistons take on the Raptors in Toronto. Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb, two of the Pistons dealt for Iverson, have yet to take their physicals for the Denver Nuggets. Under league rules, no one involved in a trade is allowed to play for his new team until all players involved are cleared to play. -Detroit Free Press

There’s technically still time but then again the Nuggets aren’t expecting to have Billups on the floor until Friday against Dallas so there’s not the same sense of urgency on their part. If the physicals don’t get done that would push Iverson’s Piston debut to Friday in New Jersey.

Here’s Chris McCosky’s less optimistic outlook than the Freep reported:

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters Wednesday morning that both Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb would not be in Denver until late Wednesday night and wouldn’t take their NBA-mandated physicals until Thursday morning

Also: It looks as if McDyess and the Nuggets are still hammering out a buyout, so his physical doesn’t figure in.

Chauncey will wear jersey #7 for the Nuggets.  J.R. Smith already wears #1.

	MIN	FGA	FG%	3PT%	FTA	FT%	REB	STL	AST	TO	PPG
	42.2	20.4	44.5%	32%	9.9	82%	3	2	7.2	3.6	27.2
	34.3	11.4	44%	37%	5.9	90%	3.1	1.3	7	2.1	17

Here’s a quick comparison of both Iverson and Chauncey’s pertinent numbers over the past two seasons.

You’ll notice most categories are favorable to Iverson.

The question for”The Answer” is how numbers like MPG and FGA will translate to the Pistons.

Minutes because of Stuckey and the organizations commitment to Rodney being the future. Especially since Allen is in the last year of his deal. If he’s not resigned that automatically moves Stuck to the starting PG so he’ll need his reps this year.

Field goal attempts because of how the Pistons offense has is best when the ball is shared. Richard Hamilton, who’s been the team’s top scorer over the past two seasons averaged 5 fewer shots than Iverson over the same period of time. So unless we change totally change the offense A.I. may need to make some consessions.

It’ll be interesting to see how this thing comes together.