Billups Poised to Lead Pistons

Discussion in 'Detroit Pistons' started by Big D, Sep 23, 2003.

  1. Big D

    Big D JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Billups has all the makings of Pistons' leader

    By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

    AUBURN HILLS -- Here's a question to ponder as we wait another 11 days for the Pistons to open training camp: Whose team is it? Who is going to grab the reins of leadership?

    Michael Curry and Cliff Robinson, the two guys credited with fostering and maintaining a mostly harmonious room the last two seasons, are gone.

    Who steps into the void?

    The team's richest player and leading scorer, Richard Hamilton, is just 25 years old. The oldest and most experienced player, Elden Campbell, is new to the team. Lindsey Hunter? No. He can flash his championship ring, but he has been away too long and isn't expected to play a large enough role to command a leadership position.

    Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur will be key players on the court, but both are still too young to be leaders off it.

    Corliss Williamson? He is a consummate professional, a well-respected and steadying locker-room presence who leads by example on the court. But it isn't really his nature to be an out-front, hands-on leader. Same for Ben Wallace. Without question, Wallace is the team's rock. It is his work ethic, his physical and mental strength and his selfless and relentless pursuit of success that have defined this team the last two years.

    From that standpoint, Wallace is undeniably a leader. He is the face -- shoot, he's the heart and soul -- of this team. But in terms of keeping the locker room tight, in terms of being the front guy to face the media in times of crisis, in terms of getting in player's faces or patting them on the backsides when they need it, in terms of being the players' conduit to the coaching staff -- that's not really Wallace's thing.

    No, it seems to me there is only one guy on this roster who completely fits the job description -- Chauncey Billups.

    Ready or not, like or not, it's time for Billups, the offensive leader and go-to guy a year ago, to assume total control of this team. Wait. I hear you. You say, well, with a coach as respected as Larry Brown, a guy who is in the Hall of Fame, a guy who has dealt with every kind of dysfunction imaginable in the game of basketball, how important is locker-room leadership?

    Extremely. Especially with an exacting, exasperating, perfectionist such as Brown. He has to have somebody in that locker room who understands and buys into his system and his methods and is willing to communicate them to the rest of the team when things bog down.

    Listen, if Brown didn't have the leadership of Eric Snow and Aaron McKie in Philadelphia, he would never have lasted six years with Allen Iverson, let alone get the team to the NBA Finals. He will need the same kind of support and leadership here. And Billups, because of his age (26), his position and his personality, is the logical guy to provide it.

    But it's going to be a rocky relationship, I can tell you that right now. Brown, a former point guard, is brutally demanding of his point guards. He will micromanage every move and decision Billups makes. Billups, who grew frustrated by the constraints Rick Carlisle put on him, will have to thicken his skin. He will have to trust Brown. He will have to be patient while Brown spends 20 minutes in practice going over the correct angle on a screen. He will have to be patient and endure the tedious repetition of drills. He will have to learn exactly when Brown expects him to shoot, when to pass, when to play off the ball, when to play on it.

    He will have to put up with constant scrutiny.

    But if he does, the payoff will be great. As Snow found out, there is a method to Brown's madness. If you follow his teaching, the game will become easier to play. You find yourself in perfect harmony with your teammates, the offense flows and the shots are suddenly more open than ever.

    But it won't always be so smooth, especially at first. It will be frustrating for both the players and coaches, and both sides will have to make concessions.

    Brown, for example, is not a fan of the three-point shot. He is especially not fond of the three-point shot early in the shot clock. One of the strengths of Billups' game is the three-pointer, and he has been known to let it fly whenever he feels comfortable. It might be in Brown's best interest not to completely delete the three-pointer from Billups' arsenal. But, mostly, it will be Billups' task to stay strong, stay patient and place his trust in the system. If he, the guy entrusted to run the show, can do that, the rest of the team should fall in line.

    That's what a leader is. That's what a leader does. That's who Chauncey Billups has to be.

    Quick hits

    Congratulations to Robinson, who was married here in Detroit on Friday.

    ... Reason No. 250 the Pistons believe Okur is going to be a star real soon: He was a dominant force during the European Championships, leading Turkey with 18.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots.

    ... The Pistons worked out three former NBA players last week -- shooting guard Dan Langhi, and forwards Bobby Simmons and Terence Morris. None, though, is likely to be on the team's training-camp roster. All three are looking for guaranteed contracts and the Pistons aren't willing to give them one unless they made the team.

    ... Justin Hamilton, a rookie point guard from Florida who impressed the Pistons during the summer league, has been invited to training camp. </div>

    http://www.detnews.com/2003/pistons/0309/23/c05-276670.htm
     

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