Chauncey “MR. Big Shot” Billups back?

With the signing of Josh Smith the Detroit Pistons have taken care of the small forward position and now looks to bring in quality depth at the guard position. In my opinion it’s simple bring back Chauncey “Mr. Big Shot” Billups. He would provide team leadership, clutch shooting, mentoring to young guards, championship pedigree, and is still very beloved in Detroit. We will look at what Chauncey role could be in Detroit and a hypothesis on exactly where the Pistons could be with Mr. Big Shot on the roster.

Bio and Background

Chauncey Billups was born in Denver Colorado on September 25, 1976 and attended George Washington High School in Denver where he was named all state all four years and won Colorado Mr. Basketball three consecutive times. Chauncey attended the University of Colorado for two seasons averaging 18.5 ppg in those two seasons. Chauncey decided to forego his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the NBA draft.

The Journeyman

The Boston Celtics selected Chauncey Billups with the third overall pick in 1997 NBA draft. He was traded numerous times early on and played on 5 teams in 5 years at the beginning of his career and was considered a bust by most draft experts. Billups had a breakout year for the Minnesota Timberwolves and became an unrestricted free agent in 2002 when he signed with the Detroit Pistons. Chauncey was a main stay and a central cog for the Detroit Pistons from 2002-2008 and was essential for the 2004 NBA championship team. Chauncey get his nickname for his propensity to make shots in closing moments of game or under pressure situations. He was a NBA Finals MVP in 2004 and led Detroit to 6 consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearances which is every year he was in Detroit. Chauncey has since played for Denver, New York, and Los Angeles the last two seasons and is a career 15.4ppg and a .894% free throw percentage shows he is as close to money in the bank on the free throw line.

Bottom Line

What Mr. Big Shot would bring is a mentor who could work with the young guards especially Brandon Knight because he has been in those same shoes as a NBA player who many considered a shooting guard early on in his career and he has played the position the last two seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups would also lend a helping hand running the point guard in clutch situations and being a floor general with such a young roster. Signing Chauncey will be contingent on how good he thinks this roster can be and what role he would play. His cost is actually fairly cheap for an NBA veteran with a NBA finals MVP trophy. If the Pistons can sign Mr. Big Shot and he is healthy I can see the Pistons contending for the 5 or 6 seed in the Playoffs and making noise depending on how much the young core progress throughout the season. The Pistons need veteran experience in the backcourt who can play about 18-30 minutes a game and play either guard position and who would you rather have than Chauncey ” Mr. Big Shot” Billups.