One of the well-known analysts for ESPN went out of his way to personally endorse Chauncey Billups for a vacant position with the Detroit Pistons.
On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith openly praised Chauncey Billups and believes he should be the next President of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons.
Since retirement, Billups has become one of Smith’s co-workers at ESPN. He’s been an NBA analyst for a few years and has grown his role since joining their broadcast team.
The case for Chauncey Billups
Smith mentioned the Pistons should consider Billups for numerous reasons. One of the biggest is simply his basketball IQ. It’s hard to argue with that.
Billups was quietly one of the best point guards in the NBA for a period of time. He was the definition of a floor general. The Pistons operated under his control on the court.
Smith also mentions that his name was floating around an executive job with the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer. So, why shouldn’t owner Tom Gores try and bring Mr. Big Shot back to the motor city?
Here’s a video to help build a case for Billups. He’s personally defending the city of Detroit. Why wouldn’t you want a guy working in your front office that is openly passionate about the city?
The case against Billups
The biggest reason why I see a lot of fans fighting the idea of Billups being the next President of basketball operations for the Pistons is that he simply doesn’t have the experience for the job.
There’s no proven track record for him in this position. This isn’t a job that would be considered entry level in almost all cases. The Detroit Pistons would be taking a chance at naming Billups to this position.
With the organization already sitting on the fence on which direction they are going in, it would seem to be more ideal to bring in someone who has experience at the position.
My take
Look, it’s a results-oriented business. Bringing in Billups would be a giant risk and the Pistons shouldn’t be taking a lot of risks in their current position.
Who cares? Billups is known for his results on the basketball court!
You can’t argue that he doesn’t know the game. You can’t argue that he doesn’t know how the game has evolved.
Above all else, you can’t argue the passion that he has for the Detroit Pistons organization. He won a title in Detroit and I’m willing to bet that he’d do just about anything to bring another one back in a management role.
For the past decade, the conventional way of doing things hasn’t exactly worked for the Detroit Pistons. Who’s ready for a breath of fresh air?
Next: Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson’s interview with Jerry Stackhouse