Jun
30th
Tue
30th
before
Collecting thoughts about the 2008-09 Pistons so I sound like I know what I'm talking about at the sports bar.
QotD: Which free agent said he wouldn’t sign with Detroit if Curry was still coaching? Joey D is ice cold.
— jeskeets
Towards the end of the season, the team was much better with Kwame on the floor. They defended better, rebounded better, and played much more physical.
—
- Some bullshit morning show
At first I thought these guys were idiots. I mean, Kwame is terrible. Can’t finish, isn’t assertive, and really only good as a big body. The only reason they may have been better is that he was at least willing to stay down low. But then I realized that I couldn’t think of any evidence beyond those stereotypes. I was too busy being sad over the Pistons’ demise that I didn’t really notice anyone playing well.
if detroit commits more than $7 or $8m a year to ben gordon, i am banning them from any conversation in which i participate. just kill me
Jun
11th
Thu
11th
Really?
Gigglefest
May
14th
Thu
14th
And his name is Chauncey. He was not the most famous guard on the floor Wednesday night. That distinction belonged to a guy named Kobe. You know Kobe? Best player in the NBA these days? Speaks Italian? Scores 40 points the way Sergei Fedorov skates a circle? Kobe was the famous one, the richer one, the Chosen One. He came out of high school and has been with one team ever since, the L.A. Lakers, winning three championship rings by his 24th birthday. Chauncey, by his 24th birthday, had been with five teams. Now, at 26, he’s with his sixth, the Pistons and he signed as a free agent. Rings? He’s still waiting. On paper then, this was not a fair fight. But games are not won on paper. They are won on heart and desire and sweat. So here were the Pistons, in a tight game with the Lakers, and the fourth quarter came, and look at this: Kobe, the Chosen One, was left watching time after time, as Chauncey, the Disregarded One, threw dagger after dagger in the heart of the NBA champions.
— Mitch Albom - March 13, 2003
Chauncey Billups is an absolute basketball deity. I’m sorry for fawning, but the way this man turns the ridiculous and the way-too-hard into something simple, efficient, and often-too-easy just boggles the mind. It’s such a pleasure to have watched him over the last seven years, working his way into the conference finals. He just turns this game on its ear, he’s the consummate winner, and my respect for this guy knows no bounds. I just wish he were afforded Detroit teammates who declined to break plays in May, from 2006 to 2008.
—
You know what, this might seem crazy, but I am so very happy for Chauncey. His Finals MVP has been constantly referenced to validate him but I feel like before this season, it wasn’t well respected. The 2004 championship could certainly be seen as a bit of a fluke and the MVP trophy could well have gone to another Piston. He’s been either ignored or possibly disrespected often by the big name media types. I had even questioned whether he was the most critical piece of the 2004-8 squad.
But here he is, for all the world to see, absolutely owning the court. He’s playing as he always has, possibly a little tighter, but the media cogs have aligned to focus on him. With Lebron and Kobe doing exactly what is expected of them and their destined matchup making all of this just foreplay, the Nuggets are the only source of drama left before the finals. And Chauncey is the Obi-Wan Kenobe, the Dorothy, the Rand Al’Thor, the fucking Master Chief. The only hope. The task ahead of him is daunting but if you’ve ever believed in an underdog, you’ve got to pulling for Denver.
All of this makes me realize how tragic this could have been if Chauncey hadn’t been traded. With him as the ‘constant’, the Pistons certainly wouldn’t have been the 8th seed. They wouldn’t have had to face LeBron in the first round. They wouldn’t have spent a season wobbling around like one of those blow up clowns that are so fun to punch. Sheed wouldn’t have become so lazy, Rip so frustrated, Tay so sad, and most importantly, Curry so clueless. McDyess wouldn’t have to make any sacrifices. Stuckey would have more time to evolve, as we’ve all seen might be necessary. You wouldn’t have heard the term ‘small ball’ once. And maybe this blog’s name would be unfit.
Well, I guess maybe it was a tragedy that he left. With KG out, you never know, the Pistons probably would have faced LeBron in the Conference Finals. But here’s my point, there is no question that we would have been beaten by the Cavaliers. It would have been just one more frustrating end to a successful season and if we thought the clamor for change was loud last May, imagine how it would have been this summer with Sheed coming off the books.
So Chauncey Billups is now paired with ‘the best scorer in the league’ in his hometown with a fantastic shot against a not-as-good-as-you-think Lakers squad. Chauncey doesn’t depend on his athleticism as much so he may have quite a few years left in him. But he’s certainly in the afternoon of his career and he has a chance to solidify himself as a Legend, something that couldn’t have happened in Detroit. I am happy for him.
May
12th
Tue
12th
Pistons players fail to get single vote for Most Improved
No surprise, I just like the venomous title.
