Detroit Pistons All-Time list: Second-Team

Guard: Chauncey Billups

Career average: 15.2 points, 5.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals (six seasons with Pistons)

Along with Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups was the key to the Pistons’ success in the early to mid-2000s–and to Joe Dumars’ reputation as a good GM. Those two were among the top players at their positions, but, because Dumars had bought low and signed them to long-term deals before they had come close to their peaks, they were also among the league’s best bargains. That allowed the team to splurge on Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton.

His nickname, Mr. Big Shot, was a bit strange. Billups was a phenomenally bad shooter when trying to steal games from behind down the stretch. But he also iced a ton of them with Detroit leading and the opponent being forced to resort to intentional fouls.

The headliner of Billups’ resume will probably always be his 2004 Finals MVP, but the most impressive aspect to me is that the Pistons made the conference finals every year he was on the team (not counting the two games he played in 2008-09) and never have since Isiah Thomas without him. Likewise, three of Denver’s four best seasons in the last 25+ years were the three that he played there. While his stats were solid, they never told the whole story. When Billups was in his prime, he just flat out made teams a lot better.

Next: The Wizard