Chauncey Billups had always wanted to retire as a Detroit Piston.
He arrived to Auburn Hills in 2002 as a basketball vagabond; a new city every 1-2 years, a new set of teammates to learn, a new coach to frustrate by way of his immense talent, but inability to find a real foothold in the league.
Becoming a Piston changed the life and career of Chauncey Billups. He was finally able to settle down. For the first time in the NBA, he was given the keys to his own team and entrusted to take them the distance.
The ride had its bumps at the beginning.
Rick Carlisle coached in a very regimented way, which meant Billups was seated for long stretches in the fourth quarter while Chucky Atkins ran the show. Piston fans always enjoyed Chucky and his bowlegged three-point shot, but even his biggest supporters knew he was no Chauncey.
Eric Snow pulled the old “slip my foot underneath when you come down from a jump shot” routine, hobbling Billups, leading to a sweep at the hands of the Nets.
In year two, everything came together. Larry Brown came on to replace Carlisle, Rasheed Wallace was acquired to be the new Cliff Robinson, and Billups was never better.
The Pistons captured the NBA Championship, clubbing the Los Angeles Lakers in five mostly non-competitive games. Mr. Big Shot was the star and earned series MVP honors, placing him in elite company alongside Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars as the only Pistons to receive the award.
The team and its point guard continued to flourish for the next handful of years. Four more trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, which meant that Billups had taken his squad to the NBA’s Final Four in each of his six seasons in Detroit.
It was all setting up for a rare fairy tale ending in the merry-go-round world of professional sports; wandering player finally finds a home, brings them a title, finishes his career, and eventually watches as his jersey is raised to the rafters.
But somewhere along the way, Dumars, the man in charge, changed his tune. Long a believer in slogans such as “Goin’ to Work” and “Every Night,” Joe D woke up one morning in the autumn of 2008 armed with a brand new set of values. Character and teamwork were thrown out the window; something unrecognizable took its place.
After a 2-0 start to the season, Dumars stunned the basketball world by pulling the rug out from underneath Billups, trading the team’s backbone for the league’s most poisonous personality, Allen Iverson. Was this real? How could it be?
Joe Dumars was the consummate pro during his playing career. He was quiet and humble. His talent was abundant, but it was the way he carried himself that made him so beloved by the Detroit fans.
Yet here he was giving away our leader for an aging malcontent that might as well have just plastered “Me First” on the nameplate of his jersey. It was a disaster from every angle.
The team stumbled to a playoff berth as the final seed in the East. They were shredded in four straight by the Cavs, each loss coming by way of double digits (and then some). Iverson didn’t even suit up for the postseason. Down the stretch, he decided his bad back (clinical NBA term for “bruised ego”) was too much for him to handle. He didn’t even bother showing up for the games.
Billups simply went about his business in Denver. He took leadership over the team and directed the Nuggets to the Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years.
The Pistons cut ties with Iverson after one year and used the newfound cap space on similarly Iversonian players, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. Four seasons of brutal basketball followed. The Pistons had officially lost their identity.
But how to get it back, Dumars wondered? After years of player revolt, coaches being shown the door, and 50-loss seasons, how can a franchise even begin to try and find its footing once again?
The answer, it turns out, was to ask an old friend for forgiveness.
Dumars wanted Chauncey back in the red, white, and blue. The point guard wanted to end his career in Detroit.
But the protégé (Billups) first needed something from his onetime mentor (Dumars).
“I just needed to hear him apologize for how it went down. And he did that.”
For his part, Dumars added that he wished he could have had the trade back. If given a second chance, he never would have made the deal at all.
And so hear we stand, one week from opening night. The Pistons have several new pieces, most of which are more glamorous than the 37-year-old Billups.
Josh Smith brought his slew of gravity-defying highlights from Atlanta. Brandon Jennings came from Milwaukee with the ability to score 30 on any given night. Luigi Datome arrived from Italy, out to convince Pistons nation that he is more than just a warmed-over version of Walter Herrmann.
But as the pre-season progresses and the real games inch closer on the calendar, you can see the writing on the wall; Chauncey Billups might be the most important new addition of all.
In last night’s victory over Washington, the ageless wonder logged 32 productive minutes, collecting 12 points and six assists. His pair of fourth quarter triples with the game in doubt brought back a wave of memories. Fans were reminded of better days gone by, while hoping against hope that there might still be a little magic left in those creaky legs.
The Pistons will be improved this year. They should finally make a return to the playoffs. There is new blood all around, and a new man carrying the clipboard (Maurice Cheeks).
But for many in Detroit, it will be nice just to see Chauncey Billups back where he belongs.
He took the Pistons to the mountaintop, and after six years, was told to find his own way down. Feelings were hurt and loyalties were questioned. But not all grudges last forever.
Dumars admitted his mistake. Chauncey accepted the apology.
And Mr. Big Shot finally got his team back.
