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Reaction: Hoops Habit’s 25 best Detroit Pistons snubs Chauncey Billups

By David Topham

Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chauncey Billups gives a speech during his halftime retirement ceremony in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chauncey Billups gives a speech during his halftime retirement ceremony in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Hoops Habit just released their list of the 25 best Pistons of all time, and I’ve got a bone to pick with them for putting Chauncey Billups in the number four slot.

Over on Hoops Habit, Editor-in-Chief Phil Watson has been doing a terrific series where he’s ranking the top 25 best players to play for each NBA franchise. Watson is also the Editorial Director for FanSided’s NBA division, so he’s technically my boss, but I’m going to have to go ahead and disagree with him anyway.

Last week, Watson released the Detroit Pistons edition of that series, and he ranked Chauncey Billups fourth. I have no qualms with Isiah Thomas taking the top spot on said list, but I do take issue with slating Ben Wallace (No. 2) and Grant Hill (No. 3) over Mr. Big Shot.

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First, let’s start with Hill, whom the Pistons drafted third overall in the 1994 NBA Draft. Hill played his first six seasons in Detroit and immediately became a superstar. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1994, made five All-Star teams, four All-NBA second teams, and one All-NBA first team.

Hill’s averages over those six seasons: 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists,  and 1.6 steals per game in 39.1 minutes per game on .476/.256/.746 shooting. Wow.

Billups also (conveniently) played six seasons in Detroit in his prime; he also played two games in 2008-2009 before being traded, and 19 games in his final season back in 2013-2014. He made three All-Star teams, two All-Defensive second teams, one All-NBA third team, one All-NBA second team, and won the 2004 NBA Finals MVP.

His numbers in those seven seasons and two games: 16.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals in 33.8 minutes per game on .422/.397/.892 shooting.

So, advantage Hill, right? Not in my book. His statistics and accolades dwarf those of Billups, to be sure, but let’s look at how the franchise did during their primes.

  • Pistons’ record from 1994-2000 with Hill: 236-224 (.513) | 4 playoff appearances | 0 playoff series wins
  • Pistons’ record from 2002-2008 with Billups: 334-158 (.678) | 6 playoff appearances | 15 playoff series wins | 2 Finals appearances | 1 title

Detroit undoubtedly surrounded Billups with more talent than they did Hill, but that’s also the reason why Billups’ stats aren’t as impressive. He sacrificed and got others involved to bring about that team success. Plus, I’d contend that Billups had more to do with that success than any of his other Piston teammates.

Which brings us to Wallace, the longest-tenured Piston of the bunch with nine seasons under his belt. Although, those are split into two separate stints between 2000-2006 and 2009-2012. He averaged 6.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.3 blocks in 32.6 minutes per game for Detroit.

Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons Ben Wallace smiles after the game against the Golden State Warriors at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons Ben Wallace smiles after the game against the Golden State Warriors at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Wallace perfectly embodied the “Goin’ to Work” attitude of those 2000s Piston teams. He was the defensive anchor for the team that prided itself on unrelenting defense, and he’s got the hardware to back it up.

Wallace won four Defensive Player of the Year awards and made five-straight All-Defensive first teams. He also made four All-Star teams, two All-NBA third teams, and three All-NBA second teams. This all came in his six early seasons in Detroit.

However, let’s not forget that Wallace left the Pistons in free agency of 2006. He missed out on the last two Eastern Conference Finals during Detroit’s record run of six straight. Billups didn’t; six years, six ECFs for him.

For me, Big Ben was more of a role player type. I don’t mean that with any negative connotation, I’m just saying that the franchise needed him to do very specific things, so that’s what he did.

Don’t get me wrong, the Pistons would have never reached the heights that they did without him, I just think that those heights aren’t even attainable without Billups.

What Wallace was to the defense, Billups was to the offense. He was the commander-in-chief, always making sure that the team was under control. He got everybody involved, but took over when the team needed it most.

Steadiness. Confidence. Reliability. Accountability. Calmness. Leadership. These are the things that Billups brought every day. And there are no statistics to measure them — his greatness transcended stats.

But if you want numbers, that’s fine too. Here’s one that tells you all you need to know: only once in his 17-year career did Billups attempt over 13 shots a game (with Denver in 2009-2010). He wasn’t out to get his. He only wanted four other great players to get theirs while making sure his team got the W.

Hill can have his superstar statistics. I’ll take the team success Billups led the Pistons to any day of the week. Wallace, his defense hardware. I’ll take Mr. Big Shot’s more-rounded game and leadership.

Next: Detroit Pistons player profile: Ish Smith

Chauncey Billups is number two on my list of all-time Detroit Pistons, and it’s going to take quite the player to knock him from that spot.

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