Sometimes as basketball fans, we get so caught up in admiration of the guys who make their living above the rim, that we often overlook players who don’t possess those qualities in their game, but are equally as effective. To put a name with that description, look no further than Chauncey Billups. In his 14th year in the Association, Chauncey is the youngest 34 year old I have ever seen and is still getting it done with the Knicks. His production isn’t that far off from when he was in his prime and has been one of the most consistent players that have ever come around. As his career winds down in the next handful of seasons, it’s never to early to kick around the idea of his Hall of Fame worthiness because his candidacy will likely be judged based on what he has accomplished already as opposed to what lies ahead.
A journeyman early on in his career, it wasn’t until his 6th season that he finally landed in Detroit where he became a household name and earned the moniker “Mr. Big Shot.” Even while he was in Detroit, when people named the best Point Guards in the league, for some reason Chauncey was an after thought. I think that was primarily because it took him a while to finally settle in in the league, so people tended to forget about him. But the way he was able to resurrect his career with the Pistons was incredible.
Chauncey was the driving force behind the Pistons’ championship in 2004 on a team that was void of a superstar, but filled with blue collar guys who knew their roles. Billups had that team working like clockwork and it seemed as if they were in the Eastern Conference Finals every year. He has hit more clutch, big game shots than anyone in his era and earned Finals MVP honors from the ’04 run. When he finally hangs it up (which doesn’t look like anytime soon the way he’s still playing) Chauncey will go down as one of the more under appreciated and overlooked players from his generation. He is/was the epitome of a floor general and I don’t think he’s ever been out of control during a single play in his career. He is very savvy and methodical in his craft and is still one of my favorite Point Guards today.
Aside from leading Detroit to their first championship since GM Joe Dumars laced them up, we really saw Chauncey’s worth when he was dealt from Detroit to his hometown of Denver in the Allen Iverson deal. The Pistons instantly struggled right as the Nuggets became a legit contender in the West. His immediate impact in Denver showed many just how much of a difference maker he really was.
If he never dribbles a basketball again, I would say that he is a Hall of Famer based on what he’s accomplished so far, not to mention the fact that he’s still playing at an extremely high level. He has career averages of 15.5 points and 5.6 assists but while he was in Detroit, he posted numbers of 17 and 7. But his impact on a team far outweighs anything that shows up on the stat sheet. He may not be first ballot Hall of Famer but I think he should get in. Having said that and judging by the fact that Reggie Miller struck out in his first year of eligibility, I don’t think Chauncey will get in, but again, I think he should.
What do you think? Is Chauncey Billups is a Hall of Famer?
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
