http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/langlois_061008.html


Billups’ free agency unlikely to play out like Big Ben’s: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/images/permanent_art/9084_256.jpg
Keith Langlois

Given the way Ben Wallace’s free agency played out, this figures to be a disquieting winter in Pistons Nation, one of those La Nina winters when the chill sets in your bones in late November and takes up residence as permanently as a cockroach.

Who worried a year ago that Big Ben would really leave? He had become the face of the franchise. The town loved him, the team loved him and he seemed to love both right back. That whole “Goin’ to Work” marketing theme that fit this team like a glove? It all started with Big Ben. When he took that sledgehammer to the other team’s logo on the PalaceVision board in the pulsating chaos before every tipoff, it looked like that’s what he was born to do.

Swing a sledgehammer.

In Detroit.

He’ll instead be swinging it in Chicago, city of broad shoulders. Detroit’s posture took on a little slouch when Big Ben took the Amtrak west out of town, but the city would positively curl up into the fetal position if another icon leaves next summer.

Chauncey Billups becomes the face of the franchise now. He’d pretty much muscled his way into equal billing on the Pistons’ marquee with Big Ben, anyhow.

It was Billups who established himself as an MVP candidate early last season and maintained the pace throughout, after all. It was Billups the city had embraced as “Mr. Big Shot.” It is Billups who remains as captain of a team that’s pushed itself to the conference finals four years running – a stretch that coincides with Joe Dumars’ prescient signing of the heretofore vagabond point guard.

And it is Billups whose contract situation hangs like a mushroom cloud over Detroit.

“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,” Billups said before training camp opened. “That’s nothing I’m really thinking about right now. I’m just thinking about trying to lead this team.”

Pressed on it when camp opened, he held his ground: “Right now my focus is not on my next contract. I’m just trying to duplicate what we did last year and get better at the end as a team. I’m not really going to be talking about that all year. It’s really a non-issue for me.”

And it should be for you, too.

I am here to tell you: Relax. This one is not going the way Big Ben’s did. For a lot of reasons.

Start with the fact that free agents who command the type of money Wallace got and Billups will get don’t switch teams all that often. In any given summer, there might be three or four teams who can squeeze those outsized contracts under their salary caps. And they’re usually really bad teams.

Last year Chicago was the only viable alternative for Wallace, unless he wanted to go back near his Alabama roots to play for an Atlanta franchise in tatters, or closer to his college ties to Virginia to play for a Carolina franchise owned by a notoriously tight-fisted owner.

This year’s Chicago is Orlando. The Magic will have gobs of cap room. Ironically enough, they’ll have cap room largely because the contract of Grant Hill – whose departure from Detroit was supposed to be the final nail in the Pistons’ coffin – finally comes off the books.

Beyond cap room, the Magic have a bright future. With Dwight Howard emerging as the dominant big man of his generation, Orlando could make a real playoff push this season and move into title contention not too far down the road, with the series of right complementary moves.

But Orlando has something else, too: A young point guard the franchise really likes, Jameer Nelson. Would Chauncey Billups be an upgrade? A big one. But Orlando has larger needs.

Besides, the Pistons want Billups back, and it’s always more lucrative to sign with your existing franchise, all else being equal. For everything the Pistons and Ben Wallace meant to each other, there were clear signs that the relationship had become strained, and the suddenness of Wallace’s signing with Chicago strongly suggests that both sides felt it in their best interests to move on.

There are no such signs with Billups. So the only real suspense will be in the delicate work of contract negotiations when Billups can exercise his right to opt out of a contract that calls for him to earn $6.8 million for the 2007-08 season and become a free agent, as he is virtually certain to do.

What might a reasonable contract offer entail?

Let’s look for a relevant example. Hmmm. A 30-year-old point guard who factors in the MVP discussion?

How about Steve Nash? That’s how old Nash was two years ago when he hit free agency and Dallas balked at giving him what Phoenix offered – a six-year deal worth $63 million. But the final year at roughly $13 million is at the team’s option, so it’s essentially a five-year, $50 million contract.

Adjust that for the NBA’s rate of inflation and you’ll have something in the five-year, $60 million range.

That seems an eminently fair offer to take to Billups. And as Dumars proved two summers ago, when the Pistons were the only viable option for then-free agent Rasheed Wallace, Dumars is eminently fair.

So that’s the end of that story. Looks like an El Nino winter in Detroit, after all.

But Orlando has something else, too: A young point guard the franchise really likes, Jameer Nelson. Would Chauncey Billups be an upgrade? A big one. But Orlando has larger needs.

aside from a veteran PG.....what bigger needs does Orlando have? they've got plenty of role player forwards and a very young, athletic core of bigmen in Dwight and Darko.

if Ben left Detroit, Chauncey can certainly leave, too.

I'm sure you considered the source of this article, or his employer, at least.

I'm expecting all kinds of shiny-happy-rosy articles from Mr. Langlois this season.

i thought all the writers 'round here got the paychecks from the same organization ;)

btw, Keith Langlois looks like he should be the Piston's CPA.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/images/permanent_art/9084_256.jpg
"I can do your taxes, Chauncey."

Nothing was bolded, didn't read.

Nothing was bolded, didn't read.


So that’s the end of that story. Looks like an El Nino winter in Detroit, after all.

http://www.gitgan.com/blogger/blog_graphics/farley-elnino.jpg

Chauncey is the the org's love child. He says all the right things, and in return, they market the crap out of him.

They brought in his coach (Flip), his buddy (Dice) and this season, they will market him as the MVP because if you're not going to win a title, you might as well win the regular season with the MVP.

Whatever.

this year's Chicago is not Orlando, it will be Memphis, according to hoopshype they have only 40 mil committed in salary next year, they could throw a max type deal at Chauncey, if Gay is any good a lineup of Gasol, Warrick, Gay, Miller and Chauncey( and a high draft pick in 07, cause of Gasols injury) could be decent

right. its way more than orl. memphis, toronto, and charlotte are also close.

and teams can dump $ too (there is no rule in the CBA that you need to be leading the league in wins to dump payroll. bad teams are alloud to sacrifice the season too).

then theres the sign and trade, which imo, is what will happen. just wondering how this orginization is going to stab chauncy in the back. blame the flip hiring on him? that could be a good one.

Billups is going to go to whoever offers the most money. If that's not the Pistons, he ain't coming back.

We damn well better offer the most. "Fair" offer be damned. Fuck Bill D if he doesn't.

Let's see if he maintains his status as an elite player. The one thing Billups didn't have last year, that he's had in past years, was a prolonged mid-season funk where you're wondering what the fuck his deal is. Does he become more consistent? Have we heard anything about what Chauncey wants to add to his game? We always hear about what Rip wants to add to the table...

yea, he saved that funk for the playoffs.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-061015smith,1,2377983.column?co%20ll=cs-bulls-utility


The free agent to watch next summer is Chauncey Billups, who will opt out of his contract and expects to be offered more than the Pistons offered Wallace.


EDIT: Oops, I forgot the traditional Sam Smith disclaimer. This is a Sam Smith quote.

that of course was printed to get wallace hyper for the bulls vs the pistons.

Of course he'll expect more.

MVP candidate and if he breaks an ankle he can still be a spot up shooter.

What could Ben do if he broke his ankle? Fucking your salary cap is not a good answer.

I've just found another reason that I hope Ben has a shitty year in Chicago...So CBill will see that the grass isn't always greener.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nba/article/0,2777,DRMN_23922_5086980,00.html


After the game, Pistons guard Chauncey Billups, a Denver native, visited the Nuggets locker room. Will Billups, likely to opt out of his contract next summer, consider Denver? "I'm not talking about free agency," he said.

Denver?!?!

Anyone who seriously believes he is a threat to go Denver should stop and think about this. The only possible way this happens is he demands to go home, and Denver is willing to pony up a max-deal. Denver I believe is around the luxery tax threshold, and have so much money committed to their front-court. They won't be able to afford another Max deal. And they already have Andre Miller.

While Billups brings them the outside shooting they so desperately need, they're better off trying to nab a shooting guard for far less dollars than Billups will command.

Orlando and Memphis maybe.

He was already in Denver and IIRC, it ended badly-- but that was under old ownership. I think he'd have to be sold on Denver on their own merits, not just because it's home.

Denver?!?!

Anyone who seriously believes he is a threat to go Denver should stop and think about this. The only possible way this happens is he demands to go home, and Denver is willing to pony up a max-deal. Denver I believe is around the luxery tax threshold, and have so much money committed to their front-court. They won't be able to afford another Max deal. And they already have Andre Miller.

While Billups brings them the outside shooting they so desperately need, they're better off trying to nab a shooting guard for far less dollars than Billups will command.

Orlando and Memphis maybe.

Milwaukee's a more realistic option than either one of those teams IMO. They'll be about $13 million under the cap and will need a PG.

IMO CB's fair market value is 9-10 first year... if he was younger I'd say more...
Also factor in his matador defense... it was a joke when he got 2nd team all defense... he shoulda just put that in Ben's trophy case.
If he would take advantage of his post up abilty more he could increase his value considerably.
So what's the limit on his next contract?
Gotta consider Mr. D's history.

Blakely


And on another side note, and I'm not going to waste a lot of time talking about it because, frankly, it's not even worth it.

I'm sure a number of you saw the story in the Boston Globe over the weekend about a "friend" of Chauncey Billups saying that he liked the Milwaukee Bucks and alluded to Billups giving them serious consideration when he opts out of his contract at the end of this season.

I've talked to Chauncey, and I've talked with people who actually deal with and interact with Chauncey on a daily basis. They all had the same reaction when they heard about the story -- laughter!

Here's the situation, in a nutshell. A team would have to come at Chauncey with Ben Wallace-like dollars (average $15 million a year) to just get his attention. You can overpay for a big man, but teams rarely overpay for a 30-year-old point guard. The team to worry about, I believe, is Orlando. Jameer Nelson has done a great job down there, but they'll be far enough under the cap to take a run at him.

I know, I know. They got a ton of point guards as it is right now.

But if they chose to move Carlos Arroyo, they wouldn't have much of a problem with 07-08 being the final year of his contract.

Still, when the dust is settled, I expect Chauncey's contract with Detroit to be slightly better than the five-year, $65 million deal signed by two-time MVP Steve Nash.

I expect Chauncey's deal to start around $11-12 million, and be worth close to $70 million. Based on where he ranks among the game's top point guards, that contract seems like it would work for both sides. But as we all saw with Ben Wallace, you never know .

i think chauncey can stay valuable to the team, longer than Ben can. therefore, i don't mind paying overpaying for him. i see chauncey like a stronger Sam Cassell, who can stay effective for many years by spotting up from the outside, posting up smaller guards, and being a veteran floor leader. plus, he doesn't have a history of injuries.

if we don't resign Chauncey, i think we go into rebuilding mode.

I didn't want to make my own thread for this, so I'll just ask it here. I see Dice has a player option year next year for 6.4M. I can't imagine he won't take it, but if someone with a better scope of the market can weigh in, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Sat, Nov 4, 2006 at 1:18 PM
Chris McCosky
Billups and bucks (http://info.detnews.com/pistonsblog/index.cfm)

And so it starts. The Boston Globe, using an unnamed "friend" of Chauncey Billups as its source (weak), says Billups is interested in perhaps playing for the Milwaukee Bucks after he opts out of his final year with the Pistons in July. Listen, Billups, or at least his agent, Andy Miller, is going to be interested in any team that is as far under the salary cap ($14 million) as the Bucks can be next summer. It's called leverage. That doesn't mean Billups is counting down the days before he can leave Detroit and run the floor with Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut.

As for the friend, Billups has more friends in the NBA than anybody I have ever known. He's the Mayor of the league, for crying out loud. Each and every one of them no doubt has their story about where Chauncey will end up next year. Save yourself some time. Just list all the teams that could be at least $8 million to $10 million under the cap next summer and there's your list of teams Billups will be intrigued by. He needs those teams to push the price up in Detroit, which can pay him more than any other team. It's all part of the game.

Billups, himself -- I chose to deal directly with him and not his myriad friends, call me crazy -- said he wants to be a Piston the rest of his career. Now I know Grant Hill and Ben Wallace and others have said that and left. I am not naive. Anything can happen. But until I see evidence, real evidence, that something has changed, either from the Pistons end or Billups', I think Billups will stay. He loves being the face and voice of this franchise. He and his family are real comfortable here. He and Dumars are incredibly close (sometimes I think they have the same DNA). I am not going to over react to every unnamed source who says Billups is thinking about leaving.

if billups left, IF (which i think won't happen) then IMO mo williams shoots to the top of the list of potential replacements.

Loyalty is OUT the door in the NBA.

Is it the teams fault or the players going for money? Who the fuck knows?

if billups left, IF (which i think won't happen) then IMO mo williams shoots to the top of the list of potential replacements.

I'm hoping we get somewhere around the 12th or 13th pick in the draft with Orlando's pick, and no question, we take our future point guard with this pick, let's just hope it doesn't turn out to be like Lindsay Hunter did back in the Grant Hill era, althought I love Hunter, I'm hoping we can grab more of a true point.

but you can't say that. this draft doesn't look to be particularly strong at the PG position. in fact it will very likely be horribly WEAK at the PG position.

but it will be VERY strong at the swingman position and both positions up front.

so pretty much every position except PG. so you can't take a PG just because you need one. you HAVE TO take the best player available.

plus, we do have will blalock. not that he can step in billups' shoes but he is a very promising young kid and IMO he would be better than any PG we could draft at #12 or 13 next year.

we have to take the BPA with our pick because we desperately need young athletic talent.

The signs are pointing to Billups leaving. McCoskey is asleep at the wheel again.

nah, mccosky already has his story written if billups leaves... the nba rules make it illigal to play offense so it makes no sense to give an aging chauncy that kind of money.

I will be shocked if Billups comes back. He will be in Denver next year.

I will be shocked if Billups comes back. He will be in Denver next year.


?

Better chance he takes a russian rocket to the moon.

Did anyone else here on WDFN that Joe Dumars supposedly turned down a trade offer for Allen Iverson for Chauncey? I think Mitch Lawrence reported it? i heard it from a friend who heard it on WDFN, so i'm not sure of the details (and of course the legitimacy of the trade rumor).

just something to talk about. would you have done it?

before the season, probably not. Then again I had optimism that we wouldn't suck ass at defense and would actually be good. If the trade came up later this year and we are hovering at 55% or whatever, then hells yeah.

Did anyone else here on WDFN that Joe Dumars supposedly turned down a trade offer for Allen Iverson for Chauncey? I think Mitch Lawrence reported it? i heard it from a friend who heard it on WDFN, so i'm not sure of the details (and of course the legitimacy of the trade rumor).

just something to talk about. would you have done it?
Where does the ~$10 million of trade ballast to make that trade work cap-wise come from?

ballast?

i'd have done it, and i'd still do it.

iverson=barry sanders. and hell, if we could keep everyone but billups (dyess and davis filling out the trade), it might actually get us another championship.

i bet pennypincher vetoed this one.

Did anyone else here on WDFN that Joe Dumars supposedly turned down a trade offer for Allen Iverson for Chauncey? I think Mitch Lawrence reported it? i heard it from a friend who heard it on WDFN, so i'm not sure of the details (and of course the legitimacy of the trade rumor).

just something to talk about. would you have done it?


The offer was made around the time of draft and early FA, but the Pistons never ended up with a TE to make the trade work. There was more to the deal but it was basically a deal that was based on Detroit being commited to Ben but fell short in the end thus we S&T him to get a TE.

iverson would have definitely solved our lack of guys who attack the rim. i love chauncey and would be real sad if he bolts, but iverson would have been fun as HELL to watch. AI's definitely one of my favorite players in the NBA to watch. with Rip and AI running all day, that would have been an exciting backcourt. who knows how far AI could take a team into the playoffs that has as much talent as Detroit?

I don't own any jerseys. I would have imediately gone out and bought a red Iverson one.

Did anyone else here on WDFN that Joe Dumars supposedly turned down a trade offer for Allen Iverson for Chauncey? I think Mitch Lawrence reported it? i heard it from a friend who heard it on WDFN, so i'm not sure of the details (and of course the legitimacy of the trade rumor).

just something to talk about. would you have done it?
Yeah it was reported in the NY Daily... Joe's response was "we're not going to trade Chauncey"... I'll take him at his word... although I'm not excited about paying a PG big $'s who looks slower everyday.

I say trade Chauncey's a$$. We got burned by Ben and I don't want it to happen again.

I wonder what Sharp is basing this on? (see bold text)

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061119/SPORTS21/611190642/1089/COL08&template=printart


DREW SHARP: Trading Billups could spark rebuilding
November 19, 2006

There's no panic on Five Championship Drive. They'll let the "Goin' to Work" era of Pistons basketball run its natural course -- but understand that history is working against them.

The Eastern Conference remains a jumbled mass of mediocrity, but it's still quite a leap to believe that the Pistons have enough gas in the tank for a fifth straight trip to the Eastern finals.

Radical change is a year away.

There's an increasing suspicion that point guard Chauncey Billups is playing his last season in Detroit. He'll opt out of his contract, seeking a maximum deal. But Billups' real value to the Pistons is a sign-and-trade chip that could bring in a couple of younger pieces next season.

Do they turn Billups into another Grant Hill? Apply the Larry Bird exception to give Billups the most money possible and then ship him. That scenario works out best for both parties. The player gets his big bucks and the team gets better compensation than just a draft pick if they moved Billups before the trading deadline.

It's obvious they miss Ben Wallace's weak-side defensive presence. He was always there covering up Billups' and guard Richard Hamilton's defensive liabilities. There's no cohesion because there's no familiarity. They can't count on Nazr Mohammed yet because he's the new guy in the classroom.

The Pistons won't acknowledge it, but this is a transitional period. But everyone should brace themselves, because the real change is a year away.

Wanna bet that Chauncey is focusing on that Orlando pick more than any of us? We land a good slot, he gets a great young player to dish to. We don't, and...?

lol, i cant see chauncy basing the biggest decision of his life on some other team's draft pick. but who knows.

Well, not necessarily just that pick, but I have to believe "will he be presiding over a funeral" has entered into his mind.

Did anyone just hear Joe D on 1270AM?

I did not, but someone on MLive is claiming that Joe just said this:


Dumars just said:
"WE WILL SIGN CHAUNCEY. WE WILL MAX HIM OUT IF NECESSARY."

Can anyone confirm this?

Yes, i listened to the interview. He didn't say that he'd max him out. He was asked if he would max him out and Dumars said "money will not be an issue with Chauncey."

They finally posted the interview on 1270 (http://www.wxyt.com/)

(Right side, second heading.)


Valenti: "Are you willing to max out Chauncey, if that's what it takes?"

Dumars: <Pause> "Um. Probably so. Probably so. We're not gonna lose Chauncey. I'll put it like this. I don't think we're gonna lose Chauncey because of money."

They finally posted the interview on 1270 (http://www.wxyt.com/)

(Right side, second heading.)


Valenti: "Are you willing to max out Chauncey, if that's what it takes?"

Dumars: <Pause> "Um. Probably so. Probably so. We're not gonna lose Chauncey. I'll put it like this. I don't think we're gonna lose Chauncey because of money."

THAT WHAT IM FUCKING TALK AOBUT[smilie=llama_banan: [smilie=llama_banan: [smilie=bigshot.gif]

AMERICA FUCK YEAH[smilie=paca.gif]

did you know that Chauncey Billups is averaging a career best 0.3 blocks per game this season? who said defense is gone in the Motor City??

give that man the max!

"I don't think we're gonna lose Chauncey because of money."

I listened to the interview as well, and as positive and upbeat as Joe sounded, a lot can be read into the quote that I posted above as well.

If you are one to believe that Joe chooses his words carefully, as I am, is he hinting that there may be other forces besides the Pistons offer that cause Chauncey to leave? (home to Denver, no income taxes in Florida, Flip? etc)

Do you think Dumars chooses all his words carefully or just the ones you point out because if you think he picks all his words carefully there are other statements that he made that deal with issues like "home to Denver" and the like. Also, how are income tax issues not money issues?

I think he always chooses his words carefully.

I took a bit of a leap with the tax part, I was thinking that Joe might use that as an excuse if the Pistons offered an identical deal as a Florida team and he still bolted because of the income tax relief.

While technically income tax = money, Joe could spin it as "hey, we offered just as much as they did, so it wasn't a money issue".

I told you it was a leap, thanks for calling me on it. At least I know that you are reading my posts for a change.

To me, Billups is worth changing the coach over, because Flip is very expendable.

we're talking about a maximum contract for a 10 year pro starting with 14 mil, right?5 year or 6 year deal? so i guess Chauncey will definitly make 70 mil minimum, not bad...but i wouldn't pay him max that could be sth like 100 mil/6years

Maybe I don't get it. Everyone is complaining that the team is playing like shit and yet we all want to re-sign Chauncey. I don't think that he is going to get any better so the question is do we risk him leaving and get nothing in return? I say that we see what we can get for him and do a quick rebuild. We have a good core and have the ability to trade away Chauncey, Dyess, Sheed, and DD. Play Nazr until he fouls out and see what kind of numbers he can put up, then decide if we want to keep him. That would leave us with:

Prince
Rip
Flip (a steal at for what we pay him)
Maxiell
Amir
Lindsey (although he could go)
Delfino
Dupree (who could also go)
Blaylock
our 1st
Orl 1st
Whatever we get for
Billups
Davis
Dyess
Sheed

So I say that if Chauncey won't commit to us now, we shop him and think about the rebuild. It should be a very quick rebuild judging by what we ahve and can get!!!!!

1) Its illegal for Chauncey to re-commit to the Pistons before he ops out to begin with.

2) No matter how bad you think the team is, Billups isn't the problem with it.

3) Its well understood that Flip is opting out after this year, so "since he won't commit to us now" I guess we should count his as traded too.

4) I'm guessing B-diddy loves your "plan".

1) Its illegal for Chauncey to re-commit to the Pistons before he ops out to begin with.

2) No matter how bad you think the team is, Billups isn't the problem with it.

3) Its well understood that Flip is opting out after this year, so "since he won't commit to us now" I guess we should count his as traded too.

4) I'm guessing B-diddy loves your "plan".

1) Chauncey could "commit" in a way simply by what he says. He is not giving me or a lot of other people the feeling that he will re-sign.

2) I don't think that the team is that bad but they would be far worse if Chauncey left for nothing.

3) Keep Flip, trade Flip, it doesn't matter. I don't see him as being a key to the future anyways.

4) My "plan" is to make this team a championship contender for years to come. That was Joe D's plan until Ben left. Our guys should make the playoffs but I don't consider them a contender right now.

Either way, Go Pistons!!!

Personally I would consider trading Billups and rebuilding after this year.

Nazr isn't a championship level C, and we aren't going to be able to get one until this group breaks up. So trade either Billups alone, or Billups and Sheed for some high end picks and big men. Fuck, trade our team for Dwight Howard, and just try to build around him, most impressive big man I've seen since young Shaq(more than KG, and Amare I didn't see that much pre injuries).

So, if we could get more solid players for Sheed and Billups (say I have no idea, but a good PG, and good PF, who aren't as good but are younger, and backups, and maybe picks), and rebuild with new guy/Rip/Tay/new guy or Sheed/Nazr or pick with picks, Max, Amir, and all those guys on the bench.

This is a few weeks old, but noteworthy.

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/nuggets/archives/2006/12/the_buzz_on_the.html

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/images/tomasson.jpg


Q: Do the Nuggets have any chance/desire to sign Chauncey Billups in the off-season? With Joe Smith's expiring $6.8 million contract and Earl Boykins probably opting out of his $3 million contract, couldn't this bring Chauncey home? Billups and Andre Miller (if he isn't traded) would be a nice combo at the point.

Thanks for stopping by, Jim. I asked Chauncey in October if he had any interest in joining the Nuggets, and he declined comment. But Pistons executive Joe Dumars recently went on the radio in Detroit and indicated the team might just step up with a maximum contract for Billups.

The only way the Nuggets could get Billups would be in a sign-and-trade. But I question whether they would want to give a point guard who will be 31 at the start of the 2007-08 season a maximum deal, especially with their salary-cap problems.

And I wonder if Billups really would want to return to Denver. He talked to me a few years ago about the difficulties and pressures of playing in his hometown while with the Nuggets from 1998-2000.

Bolded appreciated (I had forgetten about that bit).

I thought the AI trade pretty much killed that possibility. What teams have cap room this summer? If I recall, the Bucks do, but who else?

Charlotte is the only other team with enough cap room to worry about (they have enough to sign him for the max straight out).

If Chaunce would be willing to sell out for a max deal from the bobcats, I wouldn't want him here anymore anyways.

Mark, Madison: Any chance the bucks will pay to resign Mo Williams? He's had a great year so far

SportsNation John Hollinger: Sure ... if Chauncey Billups turns them down. But you can rest assured that their first call is to Chauncey.

If Chaunce would be willing to sell out for a max deal from the bobcats, I wouldn't want him here anymore anyways.

Yep, Ben Who replay.

the bucks, cats, grizzlies, and magic are all potential suitors. i dont much see the cats getting him, but everyone else maybe. a s& t with the magic for nelson would work (and make sense for both teams). and if the grizz trade pau to chicago for pj and the knick pick, they potentially could have enough young talent to bring chauncy in (even though theyd still be years away from being competitive.

im nt feeling the bucks, either.

Yep, Ben Who replay.

Not even so much that, at least Ben went to a contender.

Wasn't looking at it from that angle, but I did re-read your post and see what you were saying.

For me its just looking for some loyalty to Detroit, JoeD and the team (I won't hold my breath).

Though Billups’ bargaining power is high, all signs point to him remaining a Piston

Staying Put?

:langlois:
by Keith Langlois

Friday, February 2, 2007

Joe Dumars didn’t need any reminders of how critical Chauncey Billups remains to the Pistons. But if the rest of the league did, his eight-game absence with an injured calf muscle over 18 agonizing days provided them. Eastern Conference coaches voted him to the All-Star team, revealed Thursday night, despite the fact that he’d missed nearly 20 percent of the schedule at the time the votes were due.

The fact that Billups is a pending free agent isn’t stirring up much angst among Piston Nation, nor should it. But it is a tad surprising that there isn’t more hand-wringing going on considering that a year ago at this time, 100 percent of Pistons Nation was 99 percent certain that Ben Wallace would forever wear Pistons blue – and a headband, too.

Maybe it’s because there has been too much else going on this season – the furor over the “zero tolerance” policy early in the season, the new ball, the inconsistent play and sudden vulnerability to mediocre teams and home-court losses, the disciplinary action taken when Rasheed Wallace turned up late to practice, the signing of Chris Webber.

All in all, that’s a normal NBA season – a little injury, a little inconsistency, a little unrest and a little roster tinkering. But so much went so right during last year’s regular season – too right, as it turned out – that there wasn’t anything else to rivet anyone’s attention except winning streaks and Wallace’s contract status.

But it’s worth remembering that Chauncey Billups has the contractual right to opt out of the final year of his contract on July 1, and – barring any catastrophic health issues – he surely will. Perhaps we should all be gun shy given the Wallace experience, but the odds remain great – despite what’s happened over the past month to augment Billups’ bargaining position – that Joe D’s handpicked point guard isn’t going anywhere.

In retrospect, Wallace’s signing wasn’t much of a shocker. Even before last season started to fragment – before Big Ben’s sit-down strike in Orlando late in the regular season, before his loud sniping at Saunders and the direction the team was headed during the playoffs, before the ignominious end in the Eastern Conference finals – there were indications that the Pistons and Ben Wallace were growing apart, the team grasping the need to exploit rules that catered to offense, their emotional fulcrum insisting that to admit as much was a betrayal of the core values that delivered them to championship status.

There are not only no such indications regarding the Pistons and Chauncey Billups, there is not – at present, at least – an environment that would foster those possibilities. It’s his team, he’s simpatico with his coach and – most critically – he’s in lockstep with Joe Dumars on where the Pistons are and where they’re headed.

Chauncey Billups is Joe Dumars’ most trusted sounding board on the state of the team. They talk frequently. Billups understands how pieces fit and personalities matter. They’ve agreed to not talk publicly about his next contract, and they probably talk very little even privately about the details or even the framework.

But know this: Joe Dumars doesn’t see any downside to bringing Chauncey Billups back, and Chauncey Billups doesn’t see any upside to leaving. Do the math. Unless somebody blows the Pistons out of the water contractually, he’ll retire a Piston.

Now, OK, somebody might open their checkbook and offer Chauncey Billups the maximum contract, which would put the ball first in Joe D’s court – can he afford to go six years on a point guard who will be 31 when training camp opens in October? – and then into his point guard’s court.

There is, after all, this similarity between Wallace and Billups: Joe D found them both at a point in their careers when, by NBA standards, they could be cheaply had. Both quickly outperformed those contracts. And both will have come to free agency at an age that makes investors a little nervous, both players in part motivated by the certainty that this will be the last significant contract they’ll ever sign.

Wallace was not going to lure many attractive suitors last summer and Billups won’t, either, simply because not many teams have the salary-cap room to shop in the main showroom, and those that do are usually franchises spinning their wheels.

The two teams that bear monitoring in this equation – bearing in mind that much can change between now and July, what’s being hailed as an incredibly deep draft among the factors – are Milwaukee and Orlando.

What will be the Bucks’ interest? Maybe it’s cooled since the season started and Maurice Williams has had a breakout year. Then again, Williams is himself coming up on free agency. Maybe he’ll want out. Maybe the Bucks will make him their focus instead of Billups. Too early to tell.

Orlando has Grant Hill’s enormous contract coming off the books. (Pistons fans probably would not appreciate the irony if Hill’s expiring contract – the one he signed in July 2000, jilting the Pistons and his one-time mentor, Joe Dumars, a month into his new job – is the opening that allows Chauncey Billups to wiggle away.) The Magic say they’re happy with Jameer Nelson and Travis Deiner at the point – Carlos Arroyo has effectively played his way out of another team’s rotation – but if the season plays out badly perhaps the Magic will re-evaluate.

Conventional wisdom is that the contract Joe D will offer Billups will be modeled after the one Phoenix gave to Steve Nash three years ago, given the fact that both would have been 30 as they arrived at free agency and both had two recent All-Star appearances on their resume. Adjust that contract for inflation and you’re probably looking at five years and $70 million.

The 3-5 record the Pistons put up in his absence – one I conservatively believe would have been no worse than 6-2 with Billups – and the fact Eastern Conference coaches voted him to the All-Star team despite his time away certainly bolster Billups’ bargaining position.

Maybe by a million here or a million there. The strong hunch is that won’t be enough to break the bonds between Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons. The fact Ben Wallace’s transition to another team has been a long way from seamless isn’t lost on him, either. So you’re right: Spend your time fretting about Chris Webber’s assimilation or how the Pistons manage to regain their home-court invincibility. Let Joe Dumars and Chauncey Billups handle the other stuff.

Reports out today that Rashard Lewis plans to opt out and become an UFA.
Only Orlando and Charlotte (and Seattle) can afford him, so that might limit some more options for Billups.

So does a team need to have cap space to sign him? If a team is willing to go into the luxury tax, can they sign him regardless of cap room? Or is there some rule about that?

The only reason I'm asking is that during some of the trade deadline articles, the Cavs owner told them luxury tax wasn't an issue (when trying to get Bibby).

Naaa, You can't go over the cap to sign a free agent even if you are willing to pay the luxury tax. (Aside from the MLE Of course)

A team would have to have the capspace to sign him

So does a team need to have cap space to sign him? If a team is willing to go into the luxury tax, can they sign him regardless of cap room? Or is there some rule about that?

The only reason I'm asking is that during some of the trade deadline articles, the Cavs owner told them luxury tax wasn't an issue (when trying to get Bibby).

That's because they would have traded for his rights, allowing them to go over the cap to resign him. To sign a FA, you have to have the cap space (or the MLE, which will not get you Billups).

Has anyone else noticed that Billups looks alot like past US Sprinter Michael Johnson?

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j186/jpusta/Michael-Johnson-Advised-Marion-Jone.jpg http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j186/jpusta/Chauncey20BillupsWTrophies01.jpg

good call.

Pistons All-Star guard Chauncey Billups acknowledged he would consider Memphis as a free-agent destination in the offseason. Billups is expected to exercise a player option on a contract paying $6.9 million next season.

He'll likely enter the summer as the top-rated player available. And the Grizzlies are positioned as serious shoppers for the first time.

Memphis is expected to have at least $10 million in salary cap room , and has already decided to target a big-time point guard.

Billups fits the bill with his offensive prowess and defensive ability, and interest.

"I would be lying if I said with 20-something games left until the playoffs that I wasn't thinking about my future," Billups said. "When the time comes, I've got to consider all of my options. I know this is one team with a lot of money that's looking to get a point guard. I'm going to have to consider this option when the time comes. But right now, my focus is trying to win a championship with my team."

WTf? this team isn't even contending and don't have a set coach for next year.

If Orlando resign Darko to a big deal, and Milwaukee resigns Mo Williams, Memphis and Charlotte are the only teams with significant cap space...and Charlotte has a young good PG with Felton already...so that leaves Memphis as the only real possibility if Joe D decides to play hardball

If Orlando resign Darko to a big deal, and Milwaukee resigns Mo Williams, Memphis and Charlotte are the only teams with significant cap space...and Charlotte has a young good PG with Felton already...so that leaves Memphis as the only real possibility if Joe D decides to play hardball

I don't think the Magic will sign CB, or even look at him. They already have Nelson and I'm sure they aren't going to bench him or even use him as a 2 guard.

If I were the Bucks, I'd look at signing CB ahead of Mo.

If the CB was serious about winning and still getting big money, I don't see why he has other options than Detroit

Memphis landing Oden or Durant along with having Gasol, Mike MIller, and Rudy Gay but that team has no chance of winning, especially in the West.

If we lose Chauncey ( and we might judging by the way he won't STFU ) then what? Do we blow up the team?

If we lose Chauncey ( and we might judging by the way he won't STFU ) then what? Do we blow up the team?

If that means losing Sheed/C-Webb, then probably. Maybe Rip too.

the solution is to offer him significantly more money than Memphis, period. We'll see if Davidson is willing to.

well RIP and Tay are locked up...But they will need to get a PG first...Maybe we might be able to see Amir get some run instead of killing the NBDL

If we lose Chauncey ( and we might judging by the way he won't STFU ) then what? Do we blow up the team?
You act like he's saying this in every interview.

Shit's normal. Dude got asked a question and he answered it.

Stop spinning.

You act like he's saying this in every interview.

Shit's normal. Dude got asked a question and he answered it.

Stop spinning.

First of all, it isn't spinning because he's said it on multiple occasions. I think that Ben leaving after last season shocked alot of fans and it is a possibility that Billups could do the same.

I didn't start the thread but i'm curious as to what people think that the Pistons should if Chauncey doesn't re-sign with us.

I didn't start the thread but i'm curious as to what people think that the Pistons should if Chauncey doesn't re-sign with us.


Trade for Chris Paul, duh.

Billups needs to shut his fucking pie hole.

You can't go into the preseason taking the high road and say you aren't going to talk about your next contract this year because it will be a distraction and then all of a sudden start dropping innuendo and whatnot just as we are in the home stretch.

The captain of the fucking team should know better.

He's either playing a fucking game, or he's hinting that he's not happy that Flip might be going to the U of Minnesota.

Not cool in either case, IMO.

or maybe he's really really really excited about the $$$. im wondering how many times he puts his ass in harms way here on out. keep in mind, chauncy has made, what, 40, 45 million. not a ton in endorsements. this contract is going to change his life bigtime.

btw, i still consider memph, mil, orl, charl as viable candidates to land chauncy.

Trade for Chris Paul, duh.
Do you think Chauncey and our two firsts would be enough for Chris Paul, or worth our doing? I can't imagine the Hornets trading him.

sarcasm.

Doh! I should've noticed that. I have this dream of our trading for Chris Paul, which led me down a path of silliness. :)

Do you think Chauncey and our two firsts would be enough for Chris Paul, or worth our doing? I can't imagine the Hornets trading him.

I'd do a Billups, Delfino and OUR first for cp3 .

but we know cp3 is untouchable:(

or maybe he's really really really excited about the $$$. im wondering how many times he puts his ass in harms way here on out. keep in mind, chauncy has made, what, 40, 45 million. not a ton in endorsements. this contract is going to change his life bigtime.

btw, i still consider memph, mil, orl, charl as viable candidates to land chauncy.

That's basically it. At his age this is probably his last major contract, so it's time to make his money. He seemed very sympathetic with Big Ben's situation in public comments, and I think it's because he's feeling like a similar situation.

I think if we make sure to go over anybody else's highest offer, he's ours, but I don't for a second think he'd be considering any kind of pay cut to stay with us.

It's possible that this is just his ego needing a boost.

His name hasn't been mentioned much because most of the media types think he's close to a lock to re-up in Detroit.

If he drops a few hints that he's on the market, suddenly he's a topic again. Maybe he was hurt that he wasn't getting talked about much?

Of course, he's probably just acting on advice from his agent in an attempt to drive his asking price up on Davidson.

I still think the timing of this sucks.

:mccosky:


Go Concordia
Folks, I am checking out for a week. My oldest son Ryan is a senior outfielder at Ann Arbor's Concordia University and I am heading to Pensacola to watch him play. My son is a college senior -- how the heck did that happen? Anyway, it's his last Florida baseball trip and I am going to enjoy every second of it.

I leave the Pistons in the very capable hands of colleagues Angelique Chengelis and Joanne Gerstner -- so keep coming back to detnews.com for all things Pistons.

Before I go, though, please don't sweat Chauncey Billups' comments to the Memphis Commercial Appeal Saturday night. He said that he would have to consider the Grizzlies as a possible destination this summer after he becomes a free agent. This is part of the game. Memphis is going to have about $10 million in cap space in the summer. So, of course, Billups will consider them. Just like he will consider Milwaukee, Orlando or any other team that has enough flexibility to offer him a max contract. It's a leverage thing. It doesn't mean he wants to leave or that he plans to leave. Nothing has changed. If the Pistons pony up a contract at or close to maximum levels -- which Joe Dumars has said he planned to do -- Billups won't leave. Plain and simple.

Talk to you in a week.

Over the past few months, I learned a lot about rumors coming from a local level that made me realize that local guys are 90% BS, National guys get the stories that matter.

What I mean by that is whenever team A this case Detroit plays team B, team B's media looks at the other teams roster ask a few question, speculates then write a story based om nothing. Most of the time the rumor dies after the other teams leaves town. In this case Memphis sees a key FA and the fact that they will have cap room, the season is over and they need to sell papers. There is nothing more to this rumor than fluff.

Do your own experiment pick a team's local paper and watch the stories that they write for two weeks, as the team plays new teams new angles and rumors pop up out of nowhere.

When I was doing the Rumor Mill I saw how rumors were 90 % of the time linked directly to the last or next team the home team played.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_5390442


Billups' dues to pay off

By Mark Kiszla
Denver Post Staff Columnist
Article Last Updated: 03/09/2007 01:38:39 AM MST

When you're the No. 1 free agent on the NBA market, the recruiting pitches start early, in earnest, from everywhere.

If the Pistons aren't real careful, they are going to lose all-star guard Chauncey Billups after this season. And smart, worried folks in Detroit know it.

"People have been killing me," said Billups, who must chuckle whenever loyalty is mentioned in regard to pro sports. "Teachers are coming up to my wife at school and asking: 'Are you going to leave town? You can't leave the Pistons!"'

OK, let's get one thing straight.

Billups, most valuable player of the 2004 NBA Finals, loves Detroit.

But Billups would be a bull-headed, naïve fool not to leave the Motor City, if it made more dollars and sense for a basketball vagabond who has bounced through six league towns to settle down with the team of his choice at age 30.

"Look, when the time comes, I'm going to have to consider my options," Billups said Thursday during a telephone conversation on the eve of a game in Denver. "Of course I think about my future in the league. It's my future. Why wouldn't I think about it?"

What better choice for Billups to make his permanent basketball home than Denver, where he was born?

Billups would be receptive to the idea of a sign-and-trade deal that could land him with the Nuggets, according to agent Andy Miller, who represents the 10th-year veteran.

It's an interesting proposition a Denver team struggling to find both dependable shooting from the perimeter and reliable leadership in the locker room might want to consider in the summer.

Granted, it would be an extremely difficult deal for the Nuggets to get done. The raise sought by Billups, an NBA bargain at $6.36 million in the final year of his contract of Detroit, would almost certainly force Denver to trade center Marcus Camby or forward Nene to acquire the all-star guard.

But know what's so intriguing about Billups?

His strength and versatility could make him compatible in a Denver backcourt alongside the unconventional Allen Iverson. With a well-deserved reputation of Mr. Big Shot, Billups could at long last give the Nuggets a legitimate offensive threat from 3-point range. And the return of Billups would erase the bad karma from one of the worst days in franchise history, when Dan Issel sent the local hero packing in February 2000 with a panic-driven trade that haunted the team for years.

"Of all my tough times in basketball, that was for real my darkest day in the NBA. To get traded from my hometown, that hurt my heart," said Billups, who recently put down new roots in Colorado by starting an investment company with his brother.

With many teams, including Denver, bound by salary cap restrictions and hesitant to pay luxury tax, this year shapes up as a buyer's market for free agents. That's good news for Detroit and bad news for Billups, especially when the word on the street is Michael Jordan in Charlotte, one of the few clubs with money to burn, has the hots for Vince Carter, a renowned dunker in the final season of his deal with New Jersey.

"Vince Carter is an exciting player. I can't do all the high-wire stuff he does. That's not my game. He can get 30 points in his sleep. He's the sexy player on the free-agent market," Billups said. "But, if you ask me, the two most important positions in basketball are center and point guard. When you've got a chance to get one of the best point guards in the league, I hope some people will take a look at that."

While eternally grateful to Pistons executive Joe Dumars for taking a chance on a homeless player and 100 percent committed to winning another championship for Detroit, Billups knows better than most that the NBA is a business of cold cash and colder decisions, having been cast aside early in his career by Boston, Toronto, Denver, Orlando and Minnesota.

Under the bright lights of Las Vegas at the All-Star Game last month, Billups contemplated his crooked path to fame, filled with one step forward for every two steps in a pothole, and smiled.

"I looked at all those star players in Vegas from my seat on the bench," Billups said, "and thought to myself: 'Nobody else did it my way. Nobody got here down the path I did, going from the No. 3 pick in the draft to the bottom, traded from here to there to there, and back to the top."'

Here to there to there? Seeing how the road map of his career looks something like a toddler's crayon doodling on a living-room wall, hadn't Billups failed to connect a few dots in his story?

"Yeah. I left out a few here and theres," he said, laughing. "There have been a whole lot of theres in my career."

All there is really left for Billups in his career is to discover if his happily-ever-after will be found in Detroit ... or Memphis ... or Denver ... or over the next hill.

Stupid article. Why would we trade Billups to them for Nene or Camby? S&T's are used when a team wants to pay more than they are allowed to (but the current team can pay more) OR if they want to get rid of something they have as well. Why would we do a S&T with them when they can't even sign him without that? That writer is an idiot. He says Billups would be receptive and provides no quotes to support that. Is that just the writer's opinion that Billups woulr be receptive?

Billups would be receptive to the idea of a sign-and-trade deal that could land him with the Nuggets, according to agent Andy Miller, who represents the 10th-year veteran.
What was the actual direct quote from Andy Miller?

Read post #97 authored by JS.

Nailed it.

horrible article, i wouldnt trade billups for anyone on that roster, AI makes like 20 mil a year, Camby is a walking injury, Nene is way overpayed, Melo-no comment-and the rest are just scrubs

There's not really anything new in that article. All of it is based upon the premise of "Billups would go if it made dollar sense", which I think everybody acknowledges. I'm sure nobody is stupid or naive to think that Billups would take a pay cut to stay here. Even in a possible S&T scenario, Billups would be going because he'd be getting top dollar.
The only thing of any interest is that by signalling he'd be open to a S&T, it opens up the possibilities to more than just "teams with cap space" - remember some people were saying the Pistons wouldn't have to offer him a huge contract b/c the few cap-space teams wouldn't be able or willing to get him.

Offer him the most money - he stays. Don't, - he leaves. That the simplest and most accurate way to look at it.

03/11/07 @ LA Clippers
03/13/07 @ Seattle Supersonics
03/14/07 @ Portland Trailblazers
03/16/07 @ Phoenix Suns

There's the rest of the road trip.

Anybody want to take a guess at which players from each team the local beat writers will claim are headed to Detroit in a Billups sign & trade?

Chauncey is probably reading his Zagat's guide for LA, Seattle, Portland & Phoenix to brush up on local landmarks to include in his press quotes.

:lathamjahnke:


It seems plausible that the sudden rise in free agency talk surrounding Billups could be a distraction. Recent reports have predicted Billups will show interest in Memphis and Denver this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

But Billups thinks the reports are overblown, and he said the entire issue is "not really" on his mind at all.

"But I think people are blowing it out of proportion. Everybody knows I love Detroit and I want to be in and, barring anything crazy, hopefully that's how it works out," he said. "But one thing I know is you never know in this business."

With Cassel being old and Livingston's knee, the Clippers will need a PG. Where is my Chauncey signing with the Clips rumor?? Waiting.............waiting......

If he promises to never take another three pointer, I say give him the max.

When Chauncey's shooting around 40%, as he has historically with us and until February, I don't mind him taking that three.

When Chauncey's shooting near-20%, as he has since February (12-62 from 3P in 16 games) when he was named to the All Star team, I do.

Blakely


Dumars also addressed the many stories regarding Chauncey Billups' impending free agency. Dumars and Billups talked about this recently, and Billups apparently expressed to Dumars how he doesn't want those type of stories to come up every time he plays on the road.

"If you allow that to continue on, it’ll continue to go like that," Dumars said he told Billups. "It’ll only go on if you allow it to."

The conversation ended with Dumars telling Billups that "we'll take care of July 1, when July 1 gets here."

That's the first day of free agency.

Dumars went on to talk a little bit more about Billups.

"He knows we’re committed to keeping him here," Dumars said. "We’re absolutely committed to keeping him here. We have no intentions of letting Chauncey Billups get away from here."

Dumars didn't reveal any numbers because, frankly, he doesn't have to. The only way to secure Billups is to offer him a near-max deal, something I believe the Pistons are more than willing to do. Billups is arguably the second-best point guard in the league right now (Steve Nash is tops), so a deal putting him in the same neighborhood as the five-year, $65 million deal Nash signed a couple years ago, is a given.

Billups needs to take the LB approach and say he only wants to be in Detroit, regardless of how he feels.

http://www.detnews.com/graphics/columnistmugs/RobParker.jpg


Billups is not going anywhere

Chauncey Billups is a keeper. Believe it.

Despite recent stories Billups could play elsewhere next season, rest assured Pistons president Joe Dumars will do everything in his power to keep Billups, the team's starting point guard, in the fold.

Don't expect this to end like the Ben Wallace negotiations last summer when Wallace signed a free-agent deal with the Bulls. That won't happen for a couple of reasons.

It's easier to see Billups' worth than it was to see Wallace's. Big Ben did a lot of things that didn't show up in the box score. But his offensive game left a lot to be desired, and he had trouble making free throws -- a killer if you're trying to win down the stretch.

In Billups' case, however, the Pistons clearly are a better team -- championship level -- with him in place. Whenever the Pistons struggle, it usually means Billups isn't playing well. That's not to say they're a one-man team, but Billups has a huge impact on how well this team performs.

When the Pistons recently lost three of four -- including back-to-back games at The Palace -- Billups shot 27 percent (11-for-40). That included 1-for-16 from 3-point range.

Last season when the Pistons lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, Billups struggled, shooting 39 percent.

And when the Pistons won the title in 2004 over the Lakers, it was Billups who was named Finals MVP. He averaged 21 points, 5.2 assists and, basically, took apart Gary Payton.

For Billups, it would be difficult to leave Detroit, where he finally found a home. That's important. When you have been with as many teams as Billups -- six in 10 seasons -- the last thing you want to do is pick up and move again.

Don't expect the Pistons to try to low-ball him. He will get paid what he deserves.

When a player of Billups' caliber becomes available, like such as Memphis or Denver, his hometown, take their shots.

In the end, however, they'll all be disappointed.

I know this is Rob Parker and I expect it, but what was the point of this article? What did he actually say? More mindless drivel from Parker.

I agree, he's the master of saying something and saying nothing at the same time.

McCoskey is his apprentice.

well, i dusted off the abicus again, and heres the latest projetions for salaries.

rasheed, rip, tay, nazr, hunter, delfino, maxiell, and dupree are on the books, for next year. it sounds like dyess and flip will be exercising their PO's and my guess is we'll exercise our TO on blalock. that puts our number at ~51.5 million. figure a lux tax of 65, and we arent looking good. 2 first rounders are going to cost ~ 3 million. 54.5. a second round pick hurts us even more.

10 million is pretty much what we'll have to resign chuancy, webber, and amir johnson. dale davis leaves.

its pretty likely webber is leaving regardless, but we simply wont be able to afford him unless he wants to give us a huge discount... im thinking he'll want the MLE, and probably LA's. but we can let him walk, and we can let amir walk, and we're still not resigning chauncy and staying under the tax.

joes fucking awful offseason last year is the problem. 2.5 million for hunter?!?! 2 million for flip? 5 for nazr? a 2 year deal for dupree? talk about a whole bunch of wasted money. this is like ~10 million on our books this summer that we'd be better off without. hunter should have gotten ~1 million, nazr should have gotten 1/2 of what we gave him, and dupree should have been signed to a 1 year deal. i cant hate on the flip deal too much, im shocked he's talking about staying. what would be great is if we give him alot of pt down the stretch, he showcases himself, and he positions himself to be a marketable FA this summer and he opts out.

anyway, my guess is we should all enjoy this title run, beause we'll probably look quite different next year.

Hunter is going to retire...his salary will come off

I'm guessing Nazr or Dyess would have to be gone for Webber to come back. That would require a forced opt out by Dyess, or trading Nazr. I'm not saying I am for or against any of those, but I doubt we have Webber here with Sheed, Dyess, Nazr, and Max too, regardless of what Billups does.

hmm, wasnt there talk, Cweb could only earn half on the MLE next year, cause Philly is still paying or sth...so full MLE and he only gets 2,5? perhaps there is a possibilty we can sign him for the vet minimum 1,x for one year? he wont get more playing time and a more important role anywhere else

Well, like B-Diddy said. If we pay Billups 10-13 mil, we are already probably at the tax mark. If we sign Webber we'll be paying taxes on him. I'm doubt Davidson will want that. I think Nazr or Dyess has to be gone if we want Webber.

I'm a little concerned that Joe will make a tax saving deal with one of our 1st rounders... something like Nazr & our 20+ pick to a team below the cap for some low paying scrub...
Mr. D has avoided the tax at every opportunity.

I'm a little concerned that Joe will make a tax saving deal with one of our 1st rounders... something like Nazr & our 20+ pick to a team below the cap for some low paying scrub...
Mr. D has avoided the tax at every opportunity.
it wouldn't surprise me, but I bet he does it with a future first because this draft is stocked and he knows with Webber and Chauncey's futures in flux and the lack of bench scoring he needs to add that in the draft. He can't afford to add that in FA because it will cost him MLE money instead of first round pink money.

:langlois:


Destination TBA
by Keith Langlois
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Another day, another speculative Chauncey Billups story. This one was interesting because it came out of Orlando, which takes us full circle. When last summer’s wave of free agents washed up on different shores and before training camps broke in October, the first lists of 2007’s premier free agents and the teams expected to have the means to pursue them began appearing.

Chauncey Billups was No. 1 on pretty much everybody’s list. And Orlando was the team first expected to become his most ardent pursuer. Then it was Milwaukee. And then Memphis. And perhaps his native Denver, once the Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony experiment went sideways. Now Orlando again, back where we started, with GM Otis Smith putting a good chunk of the blame for a disappointing season squarely on the shoulders of point guard Jameer Nelson.

The speculation is irresistible, I suppose, but it’s also pretty meaningless at this point. Because everybody’s going to wait to see what cards the Pistons are holding and that hand has yet to be dealt. Joe Dumars first is going to see if he wins the pot still on the table with the cards he’s currently holding.

That’s a long way of saying this: Tell me how the playoffs unfold. Then I’ll have a better idea of the viability of a long-term relationship with the Pistons and Chauncey Billups.

We can guess that the Pistons are going to have a pretty successful playoff run, if health stays on their side. They remain the safest bet to represent the East in the NBA Finals and – as evidenced by their 5-0 West Coast trip that concluded with a romp at Phoenix accomplished largely without Billups, followed by a narrow home loss to Dallas played completely without him – only a fool would write off their chances against whoever emerges from the West.

If the Pistons win it all, then it would be difficult to envision a scenario that has Billups leaving Detroit. If they get to the Finals and lose in a competitive series, the odds of a reunion would drop only slightly. But if it’s something short of either outcome, who knows? Maybe both sides decide to move on.

The number of zeroes on today’s contracts and the existence of the salary cap have all but eliminated sentimentality from the negotiating equation. You simply can’t afford to be wrong when signing someone to maximum or near-maximum dollars without throwing an NBA franchise into competitive bankruptcy. So even though Chauncey Billups will inarguably be the best point guard on the free-agent market this summer, it’s conceivable that Joe Dumars will evaluate the Pistons at that moment – after the playoffs and the draft, remember – and decide his dollars would be best allocated on other resources.

Conceivable, but unlikely. I expect that Billups’ value to the Pistons will be as great or greater than it will be to pretty much anyone else in the league with a fighting chance to interest him. It’s possible another team will determine his value to them is greater than where Dumars sets his threshold, at which point Billups will have to decide how many dollars he can afford to leave on the table to return to the Pistons. What’s the value of not uprooting his family and establishing the likelihood that he could retire as a Piston – and likely as an icon in Detroit, which treats its sports icons more reverentially than most cities? Even Billups won’t know until he’s presented with concrete offers.

But let’s explore the aftermath of the worst-case scenario: Billups leaves. I’ve said before I think it’s 80-20 he stays, and Dumars is on the record as saying he’s committed to doing whatever it takes to retain him, but put that aside for the moment.

Life goes on. Well-run franchises find opportunity in disaster. Two examples couldn’t be more relevant to this case, because one involves the Pistons and the other involves the franchise that recently saw the game’s pre-eminent point guard defect.


The Pistons lost Grant Hill from a fringe playoff team and used it as the first building block in what, four years later, would produce the franchise’s third NBA title, taking Ben Wallace back in a sign-and-trade.



The Dallas Mavericks three summers ago decided the bidding for Steve Nash had reached a level that would put their ability to field a competitive team around him at risk, letting him walk to Phoenix. Nash has won two MVP trophies since and might be on his way to a third, but it would be hard to argue that the Mavs made a mistake – they’ve been to one NBA Finals and might become only the second team in NBA history to post 70 wins this season.


Nash figures to be Billups’ best friend when it comes time to negotiate a contract, because history isn’t kind to point guards who’ve passed 30. Nash helps break that stereotype.

Yet Nash didn’t command anything near a maximum contract. Billups has been vague on what he’ll demand, saying he thinks there are only a handful of players who really deserve maximum deals, yet noting that several others hold them. It won’t help his bargaining position that he missed eight games with a calf injury and is now idle with a groin pull – neither injury provoked by a collision, which might lead cautious GMs to wonder what it portends for his injury future – yet it might not hurt much given his durability since coming to Detroit.

If the Pistons get to the Finals, the odds are pretty good that it will be one of those two teams – Dallas or Phoenix – awaiting them, though San Antonio is charging hard on the outside. Wouldn’t that be ironic? The point guard whose contract will set the precedent for Billups’ negotiations or the franchise that proved there’s life after losing a star guard could have a stake in deciding the fate of this summer’s most coveted free agent.

good read, thanks.

:hollinger:


1. Chauncey Billups, Pistons ($6.4 million)
This was, quite simply, the greatest midlevel exception signing of all time. Billups has made two All-Star teams and won a Finals MVP while becoming the key crunch-time shot-maker on one of the league's most successful teams.

Not bad for a vagabond who had been a backup in Minnesota the year before he came to Detroit. But the gravy train is about to end for the Pistons -- Billups will be this summer's most coveted free agent.

:lathamjahnke:


The Pistons' point guard will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has missed 10 games this season with injuries, more than any other season in Detroit.

Is Dumars worried at all that Billups showed the first signs of breaking down, and how will his season impact negotiations this summer?

"I don't think he's breaking down, not even remotely. But that type of wear-and-tear on your body, and you've got the ball in your hands all the time, it's going to catch up with you at some point. He had a few nicks this year, but breaking down to me is having some major injuries. Chauncey's far from that. He's (a) durable, strong, big tough guard, and those are the type of guards who can play well into their 30s.

"I'll say this about his season and free agency: in my eyesight, he had a great season and we will re-sign Chauncey Billups. I promise. We'll sign Chauncey. Unless something's wrong with his hands that he can't sign, no, we're committed to keeping him here."

So did Billups cost himself some money by his play in the ECF? Will Joe still give him a max deal? Are other teams ready to give him a max deal.

I think if he's hell-bent on staying in Detroit, he may have cost himself some dough with the Pistons. Or this could be Ben Wallace re-do? He may walk for more dough or years with another team.

Thoughts?

I don't think that he will outright walk but I would say that him remaining a Piston is now 50/50. I see a S&T being a real possibility since he will want more than the Pistons are willing to pay. We are now going to have to "fix" the team to keep up with the Bulls and the Cavs.

re:fix Unfortunately I don't see an offseason fix. I think it will take longer. JoeD might be able to pull it off, but a LOT of things would have to fall in place. The right players will have to be available, teams willing to trade, etc.

If Billups walks and Sheed goes, we get behind Clev, but stay ahead of Chicago.

I don't think he ever had max money in his future. Max money is 18 mil for Billups. How many teams have 18 mil in cap space? The Bucks and Bobcats are it I think. So unless the Bucks let Williams walk and make a run at Billups there is zero chance of max money anyway. I think Billups gets 12-13 mil starting for 4 years.

i doubt he cost himself anymoney. someone will break that bank for him. i just dont want it to be us anymore. if im joe d, i say "its not you. its me." then i ask him not to call me anymore.

Nobody can break the bank for him. Unless we offer a S & T, which we might be able to get a lot back. Most S & T situations (Hill/Wallace) invlove teams with cap space to sign a guy anyway, just for slightly less. If a team really wanted him bad we could get decent return. But, Billups said he wants to be here.

My bad Glenn. I thought you started one and I actually looked for it.

i doubt he cost himself anymoney. someone will break that bank for him. i just dont want it to be us anymore. if im joe d, i say "its not you. its me." then i ask him not to call me anymore.

i'd say "look. Chaunce. It's been real babe, but i'm just not into you like that anymore. hit the road"

i'd say "look. Chaunce. It's been real babe, but i'm just not into you like that anymore. hit the road"

Yea, we had better tell him it's some sort of trade situation where he's just getting too old and forgetting things.

What do you guys think about trading a re-signed Billups to Sacto for Bibby and then, in a separate deal, Nazr for SAR?

Billups/Nazr for Bibby/SAR

What do you guys think about trading a re-signed Billups to Sacto for Bibby and then, in a separate deal, Nazr for SAR?

Billups/Nazr for Bibby/SAR
No and no.

okthanksbye

I'd much rather have Billups than Bibby. Billups may be on the verge of declining. Bibby has declined.

Yeah, I realize that Billups>Bibby, which is why the second part of the deal exists. Rahim can score, and score in the post, and Nazr, is well, Nazr.

We'd get two rotation players in exchange for one, which I think are the kind of deals that Joe needs to make to add the depth we need.

You said they were seperate deals. I'm not sure about trading Nazr for SAR. Nazr sits on our bench while Shareef could actually get some minutes and be of value, from what I've heard, but I really don't know much about him. Maybe it would be great and he could bring us some depth that we need.

Yeah, I realize that Billups>Bibby, which is why the second part of the deal exists. Rahim can score, and score in the post, and Nazr, is well, Nazr.

We'd get two rotation players in exchange for one, which I think are the kind of deals that Joe needs to make to add the depth we need.

I wouldn't do it. I would trade them Billups for Bibby and their pick maybe. SAR isn't an upgrade over Dyess really IMO, and will just take PT from Max too.

Then we can just draft Law with their pick.

Nah, Glenn. I only S&T Chauncey for youth, not to get even further on the wrong sides of prime.

"Chauncey to Milwaukee is not happening. They do not want to pay what his asking price cwill be when they can re-sign Mo Williams at a fraction of Chauncey's number."


from the chat(Sheridan)

I guess to keep this thread up to date I'll add JoeD said that signing CBill is a priority this summer.

3 teams have space for him. The bucks, bobcats and magic. The bucks will probably resign mo cheap as mentioned, the bobcats have Felton. The magic have Jameer and need to sign a forward to play with Howard (possibly Darko, possbly Lewis). The bobcats probably want VC to take some scoring load of their young guys. I don't see any of them throwing 13 mil at Billups when he is not their primary need.

So basically its sign-and-trade or he's stuck here for him.

I think so. That or the Bucks can make a push for him too. They don't have to resign Mo if they think Billups is a significant upgrade. They could also do a S&T with mo to another team with their #6 pick for a great player, and then run at Billups. They have some options, so I wouldn't rule them out completely.

If I'm the Bucks I take Brewer or Julian Wright to play SF, move Simmons back to the bench, let Skinner go, and resign Mo Williams and sign a guy like Corliss to backup PF and give you some bench points.

PG Mo/Boykins
SG Redd/Bell
SF Brewer/Simmons
PF Vilenueva/Corliss
C Bogut/Gazuric


Not a bad lineup IMO.

I'm convinced I'm in the twilight zone. Everyone seems to think you can sign-and-trade a player in a combo package with other picks or players...

I'm convinced I'm in the twilight zone. Everyone seems to think you can sign-and-trade a player in a combo package with other picks or players...

I thought you could include picks in a S&T.

As long as Chauncey finally comes to the realization he's been trying to be something he's not (a natural PG), I'll forgive him.

I think so. That or the Bucks can make a push for him too. They don't have to resign Mo if they think Billups is a significant upgrade. They could also do a S&T with mo to another team with their #6 pick for a great player, and then run at Billups. They have some options, so I wouldn't rule them out completely.

If I'm the Bucks I take Brewer or Julian Wright to play SF, move Simmons back to the bench, let Skinner go, and resign Mo Williams and sign a guy like Corliss to backup PF and give you some bench points.

PG Mo/Boykins
SG Redd/Bell
SF Brewer/Simmons
PF Vilenueva/Corliss
C Bogut/Gazuric

Not a bad lineup IMO.

They will have to resign Bell too. I'm sure he won't ask for alot...

I don't think the Bucks go for CB.

However the Magic might make a push imo. Nelson was a disappointment to everyone. I heard some nelson rumors, but not specifically to any team.

I just hope that Joe doesn't bid against himself like he did with Sheed... are these young teams gonna throw a max deal at a guy playing for them at 31 (first year)?
... this max talk is a little unsettling... it's being throw out too casually by media & locals. Unless Cuban buys the team this is a future comitment we're stuck with... he is not a max type talent... didn't he just get out played for a full playoff series by a 2nd rounder?
Joe really screwed himself by saying Chauncey won't get away... translation Chauncey you can have whatever you want regardless of how you finish the season.
Flash to 09/10... we can't sign our young talent (due to C.B.'s boat anchor contract)... can't add a MLE (C.B. again)... and we have a lead footed combo guard that can't defend Mr. D coming down the lane.
He'll be sitting in his new mansion in Bloomfield (his maxi-pad)... telling ne1 that will listen that he's the best PG in the bidness.... the new slogan will be "teal for real"

I just hope that Joe doesn't bid against himself like he did with Sheed... are these young teams gonna throw a max deal at a guy playing for them at 31 (first year)?
... this max talk is a little unsettling... it's being throw out too casually by media & locals. Unless Cuban buys the team this is a future comitment we're stuck with... he is not a max type talent... didn't he just get out played for a full playoff series by a 2nd rounder?
Joe really screwed himself by saying Chauncey won't get away... translation Chauncey you can have whatever you want regardless of how you finish the season.
Flash to 09/10... we can't sign our young talent (due to C.B.'s boat anchor contract)... can't add a MLE (C.B. again)... and we have a lead footed combo guard that can't defend Mr. D coming down the lane.
He'll be sitting in his new mansion in Bloomfield (his maxi-pad)... telling ne1 that will listen that he's the best PG in the bidness.... the new slogan will be "teal for real"

Exactly why I want to sign and trade him to someone willing to pay his deal.

S&T Chauncey for Darko

SOLD!

Joe won't offer a max deal. My guess is 13 mil.

With Sheed, it was as much a "respect" thing as anything. Had we snagged Sheed for less, would he have felt disrespected and slacked off until we were forced to trade him? It's hard to say. I don't think we'll have those issues with Chauncey. I expect he'll have a Sam Cassell level of play. He's been underpaid for a few years, so we'll overpay for a few years, but not badly.

I do think Chauncey's breaking down and could use a real backup, though. He shot ~81% from the FT line after March. For Chauncey, that's a pretty steep slide. He's had sucky stretches at the FT line starting in April ever since he stopped having a Chucky or MJ-level backup, someone who could truly hold the fort at his position. To me, that's not a coincidence.

MJ = Mike James everyone.

MJ = Mike James everyone.

[smilie=jackson.gif]

http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?blogid=24


BILLUPS’ RUMOR STAYS ALIVE

The Chauncey Billups-to-the-Bucks’ rumor just won’t fade away.

The Boston Globe reported back in November Billups had interest in signing with the Bucks as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Then, at the All-Star Game in Las Vegas in February, I asked the Detroit Pistons veteran about the possibility of him signing with the Bucks. Billups said he didn’t want to discuss his future but didn’t make any attempt to squelch it, either.

But late in the regular season Pistons general manager Joe Dumars publicly vowed to re-sign Billups, seemingly putting to rest any notion of Billups leaving Detroit.

But now, only two weeks before the commencement of free agency, the Billups-to-Milwaukee rumor has resurfaced yet again. The scuttlebutt is the Bucks, who are one of the few teams that could have the money to sign a high-profile free agent, want an established veteran to orchestrate their offense and alleviate the pressure on star shooting guard Michael Redd.

Thus, there have been whispers the Bucks are working on a lucrative offer for Billups and will try to lure him away from the Pistons.

Stay tuned.

Not buying it. I'm sure this is orchestrated by Chauncey's agent to make a more lucrative deal happen in Detroit. "See? Even though it's completely unlikely, other teams may actually want an incredibly frustrating PG who jacks up 3 pointers at the top of the key for no goddamn reason."

If they offer enough, I would take it. They have Mo Williams and the #5 to offer us. I'm not sure what package I would take, but Joe should definately listen.

If they offer enough, I would take it. They have Mo Williams and the #5 to offer us. I'm not sure what package I would take, but Joe should definately listen.
i always thought if we lose Chauncey, we're in rebuild mode......Mo Williams and the #5 pick would be a good place to start rebuilding.

Yeah, I'd immediately send Sheed to LA or NY for picks and young players as well if that happens.

the only thing is, the Bucks really have to reason to part with their loto pick, right? unless, Chauncey demands that they give it to us.

Well, technically Billups could just sign there and we get nothing. They do have the cap space. The problem is that they have to renounce Mo, Skinner and their other FA's in order to actually offer him a contract. So they'd have to be very sure he's going there. S&T just allows them to give him a better contract which helps us because if we offer 13 mil a year and winning, and they offer 15 mil and a team that hasn't proven anything...where would he pick? Ben took the money, but he also felt slighted here as well. And he also went to a playoff team. S&T allows them to throw a lot of money at Billups because we have his bird rights.

Has anyone done the math to figure out what the most amount of $ that Milwaukee could offer CB?

Has anyone done the math to figure out what the most amount of $ that Milwaukee could offer CB?

I believe 70 mil/ 5years is the max another team can offer, i think Hughes got that from Cleveland...but the Bucks only could pay 11,2 starting salary(11,2 is a number from the bucks board if they renounce the rights to all their freeagents and take a cap @56 i think)...so the max the bucks could offer with 8% raises each year should be
year 1: 11,2
year 2: 12,1
year 3: 13,1
year 4: 14,1
year 5: 15,2
so thats 65,7 total...well i could be totally wrong dunno

I honestly would not want to have Chauncey on the books for 15.2 in 5 years. He's going to be that big contract we all hate having around at that point. Does he seem worth it now? Yes. Will he still seem worth it then? Doubt it.

Keep in mind that everything goes up. The cap goes up 3-4 mil a year as well.

So if Vince Carter gets 4 years and $60m (avg $15m per) how do you guys think that effects Chauncey's price?

I think his agent will be all over that.

Opt-out is official.


Billups will become unrestricted free agent July 1
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com

Updated: June 25, 2007, 11:33 AM ET

Chauncey Billups officially opted out of his contract Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

"Chauncey's first intention is to come back to Detroit, and we'll continute to explore that as an option, but if we're unable to make a deal with the Pistons my obligation is to look at other possibilities that will provide long-term security for Chauncey and his family," agent Andy Miller told ESPN.com.

Billups was due to make $6,819,000 next season in the final year of his contract, which had an early termination option.

Pistons president Joe Dumars has consistently said he is confident the Pistons will be able to re-sign Billups, whose negotiating leverage will be impacted by the small number of teams with significant salary cap space.

Milwaukee and Memphis are two teams with cap space and a need for a point guard, but neither team is expected to have enough space to make a better offer than the one Billups will get from Detroit.

Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8581/nervousym3.gif

Billups officially a free agent

Posted by ablakely June 25, 2007 10:17AM

I just spoke with Chauncey Billups' agent, Andy Miller, a few minutes ago who confirmed that the paperwork for Billups to become a free agent on July 1 has been filed with the league office, and with the Pistons.

This comes as no surprise considering Billups' impending free agency has been talked about and discussed by all parties involved, as well as the media.

However, getting clarity on the paperwork being processed is no longer considered a no-brainer.

A clerical error by Anthony Carter's agent in 2003 led to him not picking up the option on a contract that would have paid him $4 million with the Miami Heat. He became a free agent, and wound up signing with the San Antonio Spurs for significantly less money.

And earlier this summer, there was a report that Seattle free-agent-to-be Rashard Lewis' agent had not filed the proper paperwork in time that would have made him a free agent.

His agent, Tony Dutt, and the Sonics have both said that is not the case, and that Lewis will indeed be a free agent on July 1.

Miller said Lewis' situation never was a concern.

Instead, he's focused on making sure Billups, the top free agent on the market this summer, gets fair market value.

And the first team Billups will deal with, Miller said, is the Pistons.

"His first priority is to re-sign with the Pistons," Miller said. "We'll see if we can get a deal done. And if that doesn't work out, then we'll have to explore other options available to us."

There are only a handful of teams that might be able to position themselves to have enough salary cap space to make a run at Billups. I anticipate Detroit's chief competitors for the 6-3 guard will be Orlando and Milwaukee, although the Magic seem to be more enamored with Lewis which would take them out of the running for Billups.

Well it would have been nice if we could have got an extension in place a couple of years ago or maybe its just best to let this thing run its course. I guess Joe had his hands full with Tay, Ben etc in prior years.

He couldn't have gotten as much as he's worth via extension -- same problem with Ben Wallace. Just imagine how everyone would've felt after Chauncey's groin pull if he had a bunch more years on his contract.

Right, this last year was his tenth. That's a new category as far as max raises go in the CBA.

you can only extend at something like 1.5 x current K.

and yea, 10 yr vets are eligible for 1/4 the cap, i believe. which will be ~17 million.

BILLUPS UPDATE: Andy Miller, the agent for free-agent in-waiting point guard Chauncey Billups told me Tuesday that Detroit will be given every opportunity to re-sign his client.

But Miler (sic) also added that “we’d be foolish’’ not to listen to any offer from Milwaukee. Miller added that Billups likes the make-up of the Bucks’ roster and the fact they should get a quality player with the sixth overall pick.
http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?blogid=24

if the bucks grab him are they better than us? probably.

Yes. Bogut still developing, Redd, Simmons is solid when he's healthy, they'll get someone good at 6, and they've got a few good role players. They could do very well for themselves this summer.

Question...

Where was Chauncey at midnight, and who was he with?

An answer?


Early word as free agency opens
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Updated: July 1, 2007

The first bits of information to dribble into Stein Line HQ, courtesy of various sources throughout the league, after the buzzer sounded at midnight Saturday on Free Agency Season:

There was some immediate evidence to suggest that Chauncey Billups re-signing in Detroit is the lock everyone says it is: Milwaukee did not rush to register interest in Billups in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Bucks are the one team with salary-cap room (if they renounced the rights to Mo Williams and Ruben Patterson) that was thought for much of the season to have a shot at signing Billups away from the Pistons.

But the Bucks' priority -- besides convincing Chinese draftee Yi Jianlian that he's going to absolutely love Wisconsin in the winter when he finds out he can start as a rookie -- is getting Williams re-signed. Those are the two things they're working on this weekend.

The Chicago Bulls, remember, put an all-out rush on Ben Wallace when free agency commenced a year ago to lure the face (and hair) of the Pistons' franchise out of Motown. It's looking unlikely that Wallace's heir to that mantle is going to be courted with a similar fervor by any team outside of Detroit.

It's a rough morning for Mrs. Jahnke.

She wrote a brutal piece for the Freep, just brutal.

-4 cred points for her

This one?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/SPORTS03/707010598/1051

Yeah, that was wretched.

Horrid, mistakes all around.

Gerald Wallace is less of a big name than Hill? I just don't see it. Wallace is going to command a lot more money than Grant, and there is no way we'll be able to sign him. Hill is looking to be a solid backup for someone. Wallace is looking to be a solid STARTER for someone. If we don't get Hill, we're going to be looking at guys like Matt Barnes and MoPete, not Gerald Wallace.

gerald wallace gets more money, but grant hill will forever be the bigger name.

i liked the article. what was the problem?

i think chauncy really screwed himself over w/ reverting to rookie level play in the last two playoffs.

Pistons, Billups off to slow start

July 2, 2007
BY KRISTA JAHNKE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

As other NBA free agents such as Vince Carter and Jason Kapono came to quick agreements, the courtship of point guard Chauncey Billups got off to a slower start when the negotiation period began Sunday.

By Sunday evening, despite a lack of other suitors, the Pistons weren't close to finalizing a deal with their star point guard, who is an unrestricted free agent.

According to ESPN.com, the Milwaukee Bucks, the only team with enough salary cap space that expressed interest in signing a point guard, made no early move to talk with Billups. Instead, the Bucks chose to focus on re-signing their own point guard, Maurice Williams.

The Journal Times (Racine, Wis.) also reported the Bucks had offered Williams a deal worth about $40 million for five years. The same paper reported that the Pistons' initial offer for Billups stood at four years, $52 million, an average of $13 million per season.

But a person with knowledge of the negotiations wouldn't confirm that report, saying the numbers are fluctuating and the sides haven't settled on a four- or five-year contract.

When we sign him for an average of 14 million, because that's fair market value, I can't wait for the overpaid crowd to come out of the woodwork. Same crowd who cried when we gave Rip and Tay and Sheed their deals, all of which are today considered relative values.

Rip and Tay are steals, who bitched about those deals?

The only team that can really drive Billups price up now is Orlando, IMO, especially if they renounce Darko (which is rumored).

If you are a Billups fan, you want to see Rashard Lewis go to Orlando right quick.

I think $14m sounds about right (market wise) for Billups.

4 years is the optimal length without a doubt.

Rip and Tay are steals, who bitched about those deals?




We were posting at different places when Rip signed, but the message board I was at was flooded with folks screaming we gave Rip a huge deal for so long when he had proven nothing. "Wasn't this the reason we traded Stack?"

And a LOT of people called Tay overpaid when he finally agreed, saying it was way over market, until Dunleavy signed for the same later that day. I had moved to RGM by that time and remember 30+ pages on whether or not Joe got taken to the cleaners (despite my arguements it was a hometown deal) and all the sweet S&Ts we could have pulled off.

Fact of the matter is as the cap grows, so does the dollar total that stars command. Ten million was a lot of cash in 2002, damn near a max deal, but today that's what Mo Williams is asking for.

What did Howard "I'm only partially obsessed with Tayshaun" end up signing?

I'm hoping a deal gets done today or tomorrow.

I really hope its 4 year. A 4 year, ~14million per year deal is pretty much perfect.

5 years is best for both sides.

1. Chauncey gets more money.

2. We get to pay him 2.5 million less the first year, giving us more room under the luxury tax.

^^ Get the hell off this site, Bill Davidson. You're not well liked around here.

alsoifyou'renotdavidsonmyapologies

4 year is better because then we won't be stuck paying a 35-36 year old PG 16-17million$

The over-35 rules may complicate 5 year deals.

:mccosky:


No news yet

The lines of communication are closing -- at least between Joe Dumars, Chauncey Billups' agent Andy Miller and the media. Dumars and Miller are communicating constantly, but that's as far as the information has travelled as of right now. That's not a sign of anything good or bad. It's just the way negotiations go sometimes. Miller is a very meticulous agent and he's not going to rush anything. Also, neither Dumars nor Miller wants to negotiate through the media. There is too much mutual respect to do that. So we wait. And wait. And wait. As soon as more info is dispersed, we will pass it along.

This is the most important thread going in the NBA so I'd pin this sombitch. Just a suggest.

Vince 4 years, 60 mil - 15 per year
Lewis 5 years, 75 mil -15 per yer
Kapono 4 years, 24 mil -6 per year
Walton 6 yaers, 30 mil, 5 per year

if i would be chauncey's agent i would want 15 a year for chauncey too, you know fair market value [smilie=rolleyes2.g:

The longer it goes, the less teams can make him an offer, the lower his salary.

How low do you guys think Joe can drive Billup's new salary the longer this drags out and the fewer teams are left in play?

Wait, I forgot that Joe is a "nice guy".

Just read some garbage about Sacramento possibly being interested in a S&T for Chauncey.

Didn't sound legit, just more websites mutually referring to each other as sources back and forth, all based off one line of speculation from the Sac Bee.

we dont want to push his salary too low, or with his ego, he'd sign and be all unhappy and pouty. LIkely it wouldn't be a big deal, more of a quiet resentment. I'd be fine with 12 million a year starting.

I'd just as soon have him take exactly the same deal Big Ben got with the Bulls.

no new news.

:mccosky:

http://info.detnews.com/pistonsblog/index.cfm



As far as the Billups negotiations -- brace yourself. Nothing new. Orlando is out of the mix now, as you know. Seattle could get involved, now that Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen are off their books. But it is doubtful that the Sonics, who are struggling mightily as a franchise and may soon be moving out of Seattle, would pony up a max salary for Billups. It still seems to be the Pistons and the Pistons alone bidding for Chauncey. The Pistons seem to have made a fair and lucrative offer -- a deal worth more than Steve Nash's but less than Jason Kidd's. But agent Andy Miller will take all the time he needs to find whatever leverage he can to squeeze as many dollars as possible out of the Pistons. That's just business. As of right now, there is no snag and no reason to think that Billups won't be back with the Pistons.


Dumars still talking (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/SPORTS0102/707030343/1127)

Negotiations continue with agent for Billups, four- or five-year deal believed to be offered.

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- No news isn't necessarily bad news.

Pistons president Joe Dumars continued negotiations with Andy Miller, representative for free agent Chauncey Billups, on Monday. And although no deal is imminent, there don't appear to be any major snags.

By NBA rules, Dumars cannot comment on negotiations, and Miller has said he would not negotiate through the media.

But the Pistons are believed to be offering Billups a choice of a four-year or a five-year deal. The four-year offer could be worth as much as $55 million; the five-year as much as $60 million.

As of Monday, there didn't appear to be any other team competing against the Pistons. That, however, could change.

The Magic have the financial wherewithal to bid on Billups, but were wining and dining free agent Rashard Lewis on Monday. If Lewis decides to go elsewhere -- he is the most sought-after free agent -- the Magic could turn their attention to Billups.

per WDFN.

5 years, $60 million. Expect an announcement soon.

His next order of business will be to try and split the MLE between Amir and Grant Hill.

very reasonable. i think he must have cost himself some $$$ w/ the last 2 year's playoff performances.

good and reasonable price.

good job Joe D. things worked out well for the pistons, given the lack non-piston interest in chauncey.

thanks for the news, kstat.

per WDFN.

5 years, $60 million. Expect an announcement soon.

His next order of business will be to try and split the MLE between Amir and Grant Hill.

i thought GHill would command the full MLE, but if Joe D can split the MLE between Amir and GHill, i'll be very happy.

along with the reasonable chauncey contract, billy D should be sleeping well at night.

CB didn't really have any choice but to take a reasonable contract.

This is good news for everybody, including Davidson.

So anyone know what that starts as and how big the raises are each year? I'm guessing it starts around 11$. Then it would be 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13 each year. Sounds about right to me, but I don't know exactly how that stuff works....

hopefully, this can get the ball rolling on getting GHill back in Detroit. i'm sure GHill was waiting to see chauncey's situation would pan out.

Stuckey, GHill, Maxiell, Amir, and Dice off the bench sounds good to me.

more like 10, with either 10% or 12% (used to be 12, now not sure) raised. 10 is easy though.

10
11
12
13
14

60

cool

Hold the phone...


Despite report, Billups' agent says deal not done

Posted by Justin Rogers July 03, 2007 16:26PM

Chauncey Billups has agreed to a 5-year, $60-million according to Chris McCosky, reporting on WDFN-AM, but MLive.com's A. Sherrod Blakely just got off the phone with Billups' agent, Andy Miller, and Miller says the deal is still far from done. Please stay tune to both ASB's blog and MLive.com for further updates.

I love these beat writer duels.

very reasonable. i think he must have cost himself some $$$ w/ the last 2 year's playoff performances.

I couldn't agree more. If he would have tore it up and we would have won 1 of these years, This might not be a starting point for negotiations.

McCoskey said they were hammering out final details, but the years and number were agreed upon.

Either ASB or McCoskey are blowing something out or proportion.

They both hate each other, so neither would surprise me. One of them can't leave a period out of place without the other pointing it out in an article.

I love it, Blakely fires a shot across the bow at McCosky.

McCosky's rep takes another well-timed hit.

:mccosky:


Pistons, Billups agree to deal

Chris McCosky
The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Free-agent guard Chauncey Billups agreed Tuesday in principle to a five-year, $60-million deal to remain with the Pistons.

Billups, who will be 31 next season, became a free agent Sunday. He will be the highest-paid Piston next season. There apparently were no other serious bidders for Billups.

I love it, Blakely fires a shot across the bow at McCosky.

McCosky's rep takes another well-timed hit.

What you're missing is that ASB was telling people today that no deal was close to being done, and McCoskey comes in a few hours later and says a deal is done.

An Arrow is being fired here, we just don't know where it's heading.

I do recall McCoskey one-upping ASB on Arroyo, when ASB was saying there was no chance Utah would ever deal him to us.

What you're missing is that ASB was telling people today that no deal was close to being done, and McCoskey comes in a few hours later and says a deal is done.

An Arrow is being fired here, we just don't know where it's heading.

I agree, but perception is reality and now the lasting impression won't necessarily be that McCosky got the scoop it might be he went too early with the story and then got lucky that it panned out.

A little catty, but a nice move by ASB.

I agree, but perception is reality and now the lasting impression won't necessarily be that McCosky got the scoop it might be he went too early with the story and then got lucky that it panned out.

A little catty, but a nice move by ASB.

Disagree.

McCockey writes for the Detroit News.

ASB writes for the freaking Oakland Press.

Nobody outside of hardcore Pistons fans will even read ASB's tidbit unless more substance comes out of it.

If Chauncey makes it official july 11, nobody cares.

ASB needs to start breaking stories if he wants to move on to bigger and better things. Taking pot-shots at other beat writers isn't taking him anywhere.

I agree, but perception is reality and now the lasting impression won't necessarily be that McCosky got the scoop it might be he went too early with the story and then got lucky that it panned out.

A little catty, but a nice move by ASB.

eh, depends on who you hate more. you could perceive it as ASB's desperate attempt to steal the lime light and his embarassment that he got out-scooped.

whatever, i'm glad chauncey's back.

Disagree.

McCockey writes for the Detroit News.

ASB writes for the freaking Oakland Press.

Nobody outside of hardcore Pistons fans will even read ASB's tidbit unless more substance comes out of it.

If Chauncey makes it official july 11, nobody cares.

ASB writes for all of the Booth Newspapers, including MLive.com

That's


Ann Arbor News | Bay City Times | Flint Journal
Grand Rapids Press | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Kalamazoo Gazette | Muskegon Chronicle | Saginaw News

I'd have to do some checking, but if you add up the circulation of those papers it's probably larger than the News, and then you have MLive which one of the most heaviliy visited Michigan-based websites period, let alone media sites.

But I agree, it's a minor issue.

I'm glad Chauncey is back, even if he sucked in the playoffs.

ASB writes for all of the Booth Newspapers, including MLive.com

The point is, nobody reads his columns except the hardcore piston fan. the Detroit News is a totally different animal.

At any rate, I would hope that Billups has a decreasing deal (13, 12.5,12, etc.) as it would help the team in the long run. It might mean a few dollars in luxury tax money but Bill D. is a businessman and knows that it would benefit his organization in the long run.

WDFN just reported that "there was a conflicting report by another beat writer," but McCoskey reiterated his point on a follow-up call, saying he talked with Andy Miller personally, and he's sticking by his story: the deal is done.

BTW,WDFN reported that the AP is also running with the same story, but from a completely different source.

ASB just got bitch-slapped.

McCoskey's back on WDFN.

Basically, Andy Miller called him and cussed him out for breaking the story before he could even inform his own client, hence all the denials.

He said Andy told him Chauncey himself did not know a deal was reached until he turned on WDFN.

That's fucked up.

McClueless said that he will become the highest paid Piston next year, so he has to make more than Rasheed, so it must be front loaded contract.

I'd much prefer he was getting a frontloaded deal. It makes sense for everyone involved, unless pennypincher has a problem with it.

It helps 5 years from now, but that means Chauncey gets paid 2-3 mil more this year. That 2-3 mil per year could be the difference between pennypincher saying yes or no to Amir.

McCoskey's back on WDFN.

Basically, Andy Miller called him and cussed him out for breaking the story before he could even inform his own client, hence all the denials.

He said Andy told him Chauncey himself did not know a deal was reached until he turned on WDFN.

That's fucked up.

WTF, why would Andy Miller tell McCosky before Chauncey? How long does it take Andy Miller to pick up his cell and call Chauncey? I can't imagine it would take any longer than McCosky calling up WDFN and clearing the story to go on air.

Weird story.

Anyways, glad Chauncey's still a Piston for a decent contract. Given Chauncey's game (slower, spot up shooter, uses his strength), i think he can be effective for a long time. He doesn't have a history of injuries (like a Sam Cassell), so he could stay productive for a while.

I hope CBill doesn't have a no-trade clause so when he has a couple of bad games next year we can all call for him to be traded along with all the 'fun with trades' talk.

in honor of Chauncey resigning:

ncL6xBPWpew

[smilie=bigshot.gif][smilie=bigshot.gif][smilie=bigshot.gif]

At about 4 p.m. today, I reported on Detnews.com and WDFN that the Pistons and Chauncey Billups had agreed structurally to a five-year, $60 million offer. That has not changed, despite a lot of other media outlets' attempts to discredit that report. That's how this sickening business works sometimes.

I never said the deal was done. No deal can be officially done until Billups signs, and he can't do that until July 11. Andy Miller, Billups' agent, is furious with me and that bothers me. I have had a great working relationship with Andy and Chauncey and I want that to continue. I wasn't trying to do harm to anybody. Announcing the structure of a five-year, $60 million deal didn't sound to me like bad news for either one of them. It's a great offer -- by average annual salary the richest in Pistons' history.

But Andy feels like the Pistons were trying to pressure him into a deal. That's not remotely the case, but that's how he feels. He was also angry that the news got out before he could talk to Chauncey. He tore into me and then categorically denied agreeing to any part of any kind of deal. That's fine. Except, the structure of the deal is still in place and Billups has no other offer even close to bid against it. Are there important details to clean up? Of course. Are any of those details potentially deal-breaking? Don't think so.

Listen, this is a great offer for Billups. Are we really at a point where giving a 30-year-old point guard a five-year deal that averages $12 million per is considered a low-ball offer? Are you kidding me? Just because Orlando gave Rashard Lewis (a 6-10 wing player) a ridiculous $15 million to start doesn't mean the Pistons have to be stupid. You know, the Magic once shelled out almost $200 million one summer for Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady and never even won one playoff round with them.

The Pistons are bidding against themselves for Billups. On Tuesday, they could have told Miller to go ahead and seek your best offer. The best he would have come back with, most likely, would have been a $9 million per year starting salary with the Bucks. But the Pistons didn't do that. They made an offer that reflects both what he has done for the franchise the past five years and for what he means to the team going forward. Nothing about a five-year, $60 million offer is insulting. Nothing. And at the end of the day, Chauncey will happily sign it.

In the old days, before ESPN, the internet and blogs, a reporter didn't have to rush to print every step of a contract negotiation. You laid out the parameters for both sides, you reported whatever propaganda each side wanted to spew and you waited for the final deal. We can't do that any more. Any blip of information, however preliminary or non-binding, has to be put out there immediately. So, you are going to have days like this, when a normal step of a negotiation process gets diced and sliced by various media outlets until you can't remember what the original piece of news was. The news is this -- the basic structure of a deal is in place for Billups to return to the Pistons for the next five years.

ESPN Radio keeps referring to this as an "erroneous report" and Andy Miller is saying that this is a "total fabrication".

Anybody still think this was a scoop for McCosky?

Anyone else think that Chauncey Billups is going to have Andy Miller as an agent after this, no matter how things turn out?

What a mess. It'd be funny (while being seroiusly not funny) if the deal got torpedoed by billups and miller because of McCoskey opening his mouth too soon.

Anyways, what is that, 12 million per year? is probably a backloaded contract. Either way, that's fair I think. Hopefully its legit, and we can move on to getting Amir and a SF.

Hopefully this fucker won't take 9 shots when we need him in a game 6 again.

in honor of Chauncey resigning:

ncL6xBPWpew

[smilie=bigshot.gif][smilie=bigshot.gif][smilie=bigshot.gif]

And actually, I think this song fits Darko more.

ESPN Radio keeps referring to this as an "erroneous report" and Andy Miller is saying that this is a "total fabrication".

Anybody still think this was a scoop for McCosky?

Actually, yeah.

This is just Miller trying to save face. McCoskey was only doing his job.

Here's the deal: 4 years and $46-million guaranteed, and the Pistons have an option for a fifth year for $14-million more.

sounds like joe d got him by the balls on this deal? any clause involving him dressing up in drag and playing for the shock in the playoffs?

ps: how did chris mccosky insert himself as the main subject of the chauncy billups signing?

BILLUPS UPDATE: It was a quiet holiday on the Pistons' and free agent Chauncey Billups' front.

Talks between the two sides are ongoing. Calls were placed to Billups' agent, Andy Miller, and Dumars, but were not returned On Tuesday, Miller denied media reports that stated Billups had reached an agreement in principle to sign a five-year deal with the Pistons. Another person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed Miller's statement that the deal was not done nor agreed to and said the two sides are still talking. The person requested anonymity because free agents can't officially sign deals until July 11.

The Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, reported Billups and the Pistons agreed on a deal worth $46 million guaranteed over four years, with the Pistons having an option to bring back Billups for a fifth year at $14 million.

Looks like the agent isn't the only one saying the deal is not done.

I wonder how hard Miller will push to make sure this thing doesn't end up at 5/60? You know he wants McCosky's jump the gun report to be wrong. The Pistons probably want it to end up wrong too, because if it is not, then they have somebody with loose lips in the front office.

I suspect the 5th year is huge. If no guaranteed 5th year, he wants more for the first 4 years, and that's big. Of course, no one else can really talk with him at $10 million+/year without waiving some key assets or otherwise being stupid enough to where Chauncey probably wouldn't want to go there.

:mccosky:

Elsewhere, there was no movement in the negotiations between the Pistons and Chauncey Billups. A five-year, $60 million structure is still on the table, awaiting Billups' final approval or a workable counteroffer.