ESPN: Chauncey Billups, the disposable superstar

And Chauncey had the weakest supporting cast

...
yep that's the reason there is only one, when we all thought they were good enough to have 3 or 4.....the joke was on them and us...

Agree.

it's interesting how fast people forget; forget how much CB frustrated fans with his running 3's, his attitude to take the last shot no matter what and his reluctance to drive and dish. Yes, he is one of the best PG's in the game. But he showed laziness, just remember the quote, when he said, he didn't take the exit too hard. Don't forget that he couldn't take the team over the hump, meaning realistic chances for a title. So Joe decided to gamble and secure the team's future instead of riding the same core til they retire with one ring. He seems to be a good fit in Denver though- but not with Det, no more.

.....

Indeed, but don't worry; not all of us have have forgotten.

I will be cheering on the Nuggets as much as I can in the Conference finals. I wonder if I will see him do that move where he jumps sideways into a defender on a 20 ft jumpshot trying to draw the foul, doesn't get the call, and bricks the jumper big-time. I think he has probably removed that gem from his repertoire.

So the leader of the team was following someone else?

Don't forget, Chauncey still hasn't surpassed the level that he led the Pistons to last year (2 wins in the Conference Finals).

The Lakers are in trouble. They may win the next one but they will get blown out in Den. Talk about relying in HC too much.

A few moments ago, I was reminded of what I said last week about how our likes and dislikes affect what we believe; and that we are all guilty of this at times.

Case in point. ESPN has a poll question right now who will win the series between Denver and the Lakers. Nationally, 60% of the fans believe the Lakers will win. In California, 77% of the state believes the Lakers will win. In Colorado, 77% of that state believes the Nuggets will win.

People don't vote honestly in those polls, so it doesn't represent what people believe.

The closest thing that you'll see on what people believe is betting action. And even that gets a home team bias because of all the recreational betters putting feel good bets on their teams.

I agree that there is a measure of untruthfulness in the stats. And whatever that percentage is, I bet its close for both places. I still think my point is legit, and that is people allow what they like to often influence what they believe. Everytime there is an extremely close call, charge or defensive, if it goes against the home team, the vast majority of the crowd throws a fit like its the dumbest call they have ever seen.

Worst trade ever!

Scoe, that pretty much sums up why you've seen me go on a post binge of late after not being seen or heard from for the last three or so months.

I got tired of reminding people, over and over, in multiple threads, that you cannot judge the Billups trade until Joe makes good on the cap space it provided, and in these financially challenging times, that cap space should prove to be priceless (hey, who knows what he will achieve, the point is that the reasoning is sound). That and the team was going NOWHERE with him anyway. No one took notice (although I have to assume that this was not news to some of the more thoughtful guys around here), and the majority of threads were as sour and as long as one of Rip's whiney hissy fits at Bernie Salvatore.

Fast forward three months and ESPN or the like report on how valuable cap space is these days, and that Detroit is one of the few teams with it, and suddenly everyone has jumped off the "why did we trade Billups for a bag of chips and Allen Iverson" bandwagon (well at least the whining subsided). Then this article pops up and everyone jumps back on board!

No sense fighting the "herd" mentality that goes hand in hand with internet forums on a daily basis.

What really sucks is the crap the sports writers put out to feed the herd. I quoted JHo (Hollinger) on an internet chat saying how he thought Dumars would "clean up this summer". Barely a few days later in an ESPN article he was all agnostic about Dumars moves and plans, and basically presented the views of the herd. Talk about No Balls Association. No wonder the herd exists in such strong numbers.

Originally Posted by roscoe36
I'm not free passing Joe at all. I'm just so so so tired of the internet absolutist paradigm. It is possible to have a nuanced position that says, "gee I was wrong about Billups, he does still have gas in the tank, but if he was here, I don't think we would see this performance", instead of

OMG JOE DUMARZ IS TEH WORST GM IN THE UNIVERSE. CHAUNCEY BILLUPS IS A HOFER. PISTONS ARE THE DUMBEST TEAM EVAR.



Roscoe. I think that most posters here would agree with your statements. I know that I do. People are just upset that we've fallen so far in just one season. Remember...Getting rid of Flip was supposed to be the answer to our prayers, not the beginning of the end. Joe just didn't restock the team in a timely manner to produce continued success. My concern is that we'll be stuck around .500 for the next 10 seasons.

Chauncey's Nuggz will not beat teh Lakeshow. Really. They won't. The refs will let LeBron have a chance into the finals even though the Magics have thoroughly outplayed the Cavakweers. The consummation of the ESPN VitaminWater LeBron/Kobe buttfest is about to go down, my friends. VitaminWater. Screw B Vitamins!

With the salary cap decreasing, don't the Pistons have less cap space available than the 20 million figure that was bandied about during the season?

Here is another reason to not just blow the thing up. Now what are they going to do?

Pistons' draft board gets a little smaller | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

This is the part that has always worried me. I believe that Chauncey was in need of the trade, but will JOE make the right moves...