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Sign up for E-newsChauncey Billups Q&A Transcript
Chauncey: Hey, everybody. How’s everybody doing? I want to thank everybody for their support, all the season-ticket holders and everybody supporting us every single night. We really appreciate you guys and hopefully we’re going to have a long, long postseason. God willing, if we can stay healthy, I’m looking forward to the things we can do.
Paul Bader (St. Louis, Mich.): What is it about playing for the Pistons that you like better than some of your former teams and what can we do, as fans, to attract other players like you?
Chauncey: One thing I love is the unity we have. Everybody here, we all just want to win. We all come from similar situations – being traded around, given up on by a couple of different teams. It’s kind of a common denominator for us and because of that we all bond and perform like it’s a family situation that’s easy to work in. It’s a conducive environment to work and everybody just comes and plays their part and does their job. I love that about this team more than any other team. The fans – our fans are great. We do a great job of marketing ourselves and marketing that family, close-knit type of team. Everybody that’s a free agent would love to play here.
Renee Lower (Troy): What are the similarities and differences that you see with this team and the 2004 championship team.
Chauncey: There are a lot of similarities in this team and the team the year we won in ’04. First of all, the record is kind of similar at this point of the season. The acquisition of Chris Webber is a lot like it was when we got Rasheed Wallace. Both of those guys were pretty much given up on by the team they were coming from and everybody pretty much thought it was over for them. But coming here and being able to play with a lot of other great players and not having pressure on them has made it easy for them. They’ve been able to come and fit in and play very good basketball. That’s the similarities. I just feel like now people are starting to wake up and say we’re probably one of the best teams. But in ’04 it was kind of similar. They talked about everybody else. When we can fly under the radar like that, we’re at our best.
Carol Niemann (Otsego): Could you comment on the rest of the regular season and where you feel the Pistons will be coming into the playoffs?
Chauncey: I feel like we’re playing good ball right now. Coming down the stretch, my whole thing is to keep everybody healthy and try to get wins. I think we’re going to be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and I think we’re going to have a long run.
Matt Schmidt (Sterling Heights): Do you feel you are a “max salary” player?
Chauncey: I can’t really answer that. I don’t really think so, because I think there are only about five or six max players in the league. But there are about 15 guys making that. So it depends. If it’s me, I say no. But if you’re paying guys the way you’re paying some guys that really don’t deserve it, then I think I’m definitely worthy.
Tracey Poteat (Livonia): How has having Chris Webber on the team improved the Pistons?
Chauncey: Chris Webber has come in and one of the biggest things he’s kind of revived is Sheed. Sheed has so much respect for him that he just loves being out there playing with him. He’s playing a lot harder. He’s playing a lot more aggressive. We brought somebody who wants to win a championship desperately. His individual skills have been well-documented. The way he passes the ball, the way he can still shoot and score around the basket. He’s come in with a humble attitude and he’s a great teammate.
Chuck Dettloff (Chesterfield): Is Chris Webber holding back some of his aggressive play and should we be expecting more of him come playoff time?
Chauncey: I don’t think so. Maybe the first week he was holding back a lot. Now he’s playing pretty much how he’s always played. When he gets the opportunity he takes advantage. I don’t know that he’s holding back too much. When you’ve got five great players on the floor at one time, all five of them have to sacrifice something. Could he be doing more? Probably so if he had more opportunities, but you could say the same for the other four starters, too.
Jeff Wygal (Eastpointe): You will be a free agent at season’s end. If I were to come and cut your grass and shovel your snow, do you promise not to leave us like Ben did?
Chauncey: That’s enticing, man. I need those services at my crib. But I love it here. I love you guys, I love our fans, I love everything about this city, and hopefully we’ll get it worked out where I don’t have to leave.
Nicholas Peterson, aka Nic Nac (Auburn Hills): Is Chauncey going to start a music label to help out local talent like many players in the NBA have done?
Chauncey: No, I’m just a fan of music. I’m not really into the record-label thing. I don’t know much about the business. If I’m going to do something to invest my time and money, I want to know from A to Z everything about it. I’ll just keep being a fan – good luck, though.
Vikas Relan (Grosse Pointe): Who were your heroes growing up, personal and athletic?
Chauncey: Personally, I always looked up to my mother and my father. They sacrificed so much to make sure I had the things I needed along with my sister and my brother, and my grandparents, too. Athletically, my favorite player, I loved Magic Johnson. My favorite backcourt was Joe and Isiah, and, of course, I loved Jordan.
Ron Ruks (Royal Oak) and Gino Tozzi (Sterling Heights): What lessons have you learned, based on your experiences from your playoff runs over the last few years, that will help you prepare for this year’s playoffs?
Chauncey: For our team, the main thing is this year we came into the season knowing you can’t win the championship in January or February. Last year we just blazed through the league and put too much emphasis on being the No. 1 seed. This year we have had some up and down times – not really focused on being the No. 1 seed, just really focused on being healthy and at full strength for the playoffs and seeing what happens. It doesn’t really matter. We’re a great home team and a great road team, so it’s kind of funny how it’s worked out. We’re still the No. 1 seed right now even though we haven’t pushed for that. This year we’ve developed our bench and we’ve got some new faces on the team playing really well, so I love where we’re at and I love where we’re going to be coming down the stretch.
Tony Girgenti (Fraser): How has Chris Webber helped your game since his arrival and how do you think Chris will match up against Shaq when we meet Miami?
Chauncey: C-Webb has been a blessing for me. He’s taken a lot of pressure off of me. I haven’t had to make every single play like I feel I have to do sometimes. My assists have gone down a lot because I give it to him and let him make plays. He’s taken some of the load off my shoulders and I think it will be good for us coming down the stretch. Against Shaq, on the defensive end, it doesn’t really matter who’s guarding Shaq – it’s going to be a tough night. But I like what we’ll be able to do with him on the offensive end – be able to put Shaq in pick and rolls. C-Webb is going to make him come out and play on the perimeter more. He has to guard him out there because he can shoot, make plays and pass. So I think it’s going to be a tough, tough night for Shaq when he has to guard C-Webb.
Alan Opra (Harrison Township): What is the most positive aspect of your life that makes you a good role model for children?
Chauncey: The most positive thing in my life is that I have kids, that I am a father, that I am a husband, and I take that very seriously. That’s the biggest thing about my life that people know but they don’t know serious I am about it. I have three daughters, I’ve been married for five years and I’ve been with my wife since high school, so my personal life is just that – it’s my personal life, and I take it very seriously.
Dan Markey (Sterling Heights): How would you feel about Flip Saunders using players deeper on the bench earlier in games after the appropriate lead is reached?
Chauncey: I think our rotation has been a little up and down all year. With Flip it’s a game-to-game situation. I don’t really question what he does. I know he thinks about what to do more than we do or any of the fans do. I know he knows what he’s doing. Sometimes he wants to leave the starters out there a little longer to increase the lead and sometimes he wants to get the reserves in. I don’t question that. I just let him do his job and let him coach and I just try to play.
Karen Fabbri (Pinckney): Are you surprised or even relieved that the front office didn’t make any moves by the trade deadline?
Chauncey: No, I’m not surprised at all and I’m actually happy we didn’t. I look at our team and I don’t really see what we need. I’m happy with what we’ve got. We have the best starting five in the league. Coming off the bench you’ve got Lindsey Hunter, who everybody in the league hates playing against. You’ve got Carlos Delfino, who is coming into this own. Jason Maxiell, who is a problem out there as well, McDyess, Nazr, Dale Davis, Flip Murray, who has been up and down, hasn’t played that much, but he has a lot of spark, too. So I look around, I don’t see what we need.
Toni Donadio (Shelby Township): When you are in the huddle with the Pistons after introductions, what do you say to each other to get motivated and do you say the same thing each game?
Chauncey: No, we don’t really say the same thing before every game. It’s a game-to-game thing. I just pretty much tell the guys we need to start off the game aggressive and try to impose our will on the team, whoever we’re playing against, but it’s different every game.
Jason LaFave (Sanford): What is your thought process going to be in the off-season when it comes to looking at whether to re-sign with the Pistons or move to another team?
Chauncey: First of all, hopefully I’ll be celebrating another championship. When that time comes, I definitely have to look at everything going on around me, but my No. 1 option – and No. 2 option – is to stay in Detroit. Hopefully, we can work it out, and that’s all I can really say about it right now.
Andrea Taylor (Battle Creek): An All-Star game question … How much fun is it to run up and down the court with players that are usually opponents and did it take some practice time for things to click or did they just come together right away?
Chauncey: It’s a lot of fun playing in those situations You’re used to battling and competing against these guys every night, all season long, and trying to figure out how to beat them, and to be out there for one game playing with them and running around having fun, you get to know guys on a different level, it was a lot of fun. We didn’t really practice, but they’re all great players that you just mesh and click and it didn’t take that long.
Stephanie Wren (Detroit): What is your opinion on the different levels of play between the East and the West? How do you think the East will fare against the West in the NBA Finals?
Chauncey: The Western Conference right now, they’ve got the better teams out there as far as 1-2-3. Their top four teams are all good teams. Out here, we’ve got us, Cleveland is having a pretty good season, Chicago … we’ve got a couple of teams, the records aren’t the same, but it’s all about style. The year we won the championship, it was pretty much the same thing. We won 54 games I think during the regular season and the Western champs won 60-something, but it was pretty much the same thing. People never gave the Eastern Conference a shot, whoever was representing the East. But it’s all about style. When you get to the Finals, if you get a team like us against a run-and-gun team like Phoenix or Dallas, whoever imposes their will as far as style is going to win that series.
Alexis Kufta (age 2, Chesterfield Township): Do you have any pets?
Chauncey: No, I don’t have any pets, sweetie, I’ve got kids.
Lori Yelland (Clarkston): What led you to a career in basketball?
Chauncey: Football was my first love, and the only reason I started playing basketball was to do something in the off-season. And as I started playing basketball, I started growing a little bit, and just started to like it. It was an indoor sport, I didn’t have to play in the snow, all my buddies liked it, and it was a game I could work on by myself. Unlike football, you need 10 guys to go play. I could just go to the park or my neighborhood gym by myself and practice and work and I just grew to love it. I stopped playing football and I just fell in love with basketball.
Mike Witkowski (Livonia): Over the last few years we’ve seen you grow into a team leader, a Finals MVP, an All-Star and a Team USA player. What has been the biggest influence in this development?
Chauncey: Just having an opportunity. Off the court, me as a person, I’ve never changed. I was the same guy when I was being traded around and dealing with adverse situations. On the court I’ve grown a lot. My game has developed, gotten a lot better, getting more consistent minutes. I always felt like if I got that opportunity to run the show that I would blossom and I would be one of the best players in the league at my position.
Martha Slaughter (Rochester Hills): We love Rasheed’s spirit and desire to play with such emotion, but we need Rasheed in the games and not suspended. As team leader, do you or other teammates attempt to talk to Rasheed about keeping his composure?
Chauncey: We talk to Sheed all the time, but Sheed is going to be Sheed. That’s probably the biggest reason he made it this far playing basketball. He is emotional and he carries his emotions on his sleeve. Sometimes that can be a disadvantage, but it’s hard to tell somebody to stop doing what they’ve been doing since they were 7, 8, 9 years old. But once it gets to the playoffs, he settles down because he knows the games mean a lot more.
Natalie Sitto (West Bloomfield): Many people have been comparing you and Rip with one of the greatest backcourts ever – Isiah and Joe Dumars. What is that like for you, especially considering your admiration for Joe?
Chauncey: It’s kind of crazy, kind of surreal to have people say that. I know myself and Rip, we’ve built a great bond and we’ve had some great years on the court together. But when you grow up and you watch Joe and Zeke playing, you look at them, they’re like 10 feet – superhuman. It’s weird that people look at us in that same light. If I had to pick who was going to win, I’d probably pick Zeke and Joe every day, but it’s a wonderful honor that people do think that.
James Williams (West Bloomfield): Do you feel the Pistons have a good enough defense to take them to the championship?
Chauncey: I do. I like our defense. With Ben not being back there, we don’t have the shot-blocking we had before. But we’ve learned how to change defenses. We play a little zone, play man to man, change up our schemes. It’s been effective.
Fred Blickle (Plymouth): In the area of motivation and top-level performance, I know a high school athlete who is clearly capable of performing at a championship level, but for some reason he falls just short of winning what he should. What would you suggest to him to trigger his best performance?
Chauncey: Everything is about preparation and just practicing and continuing to stay consistent. Working before practice, after practice, extra shots, and when the time comes you’ve got to be ready. That’s the only advice I can give you – if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. You’ve got to be ready at all times.
John Alexander (Novi): What are the major coaching differences between Flip Saunders and Larry Brown?
Chauncey: There are a lot of differences between Flip and LB. Flip is an offensive guru, really. That’s what his focus is on. He likes zone defenses – that’s another difference. LB was more a defensive-minded coach. He likes more half-court than Flip offensively. He wants to slow the ball down, walk it up the court and call plays. Flip, he likes half-court execution but he likes to get out in transition. There are a lot of differences.
Robert Bonds (Albion): What can you do as a team leader to get more players active in the paint?
Chauncey: With C-Webb we probably score more in the paint. We go to him and he likes scoring around the basket. We don’t have too many players who are back-to-the-basket players. Rasheed can score down there at times. I try to post a little bit, Tay can play in the post – other than that, we have a lot of jump shooters. We have a jump-shooting offense. That’s how they set the team up.
Dave Skiff (Rochester): What do you want to do when you retire?
Chauncey: I want to stay in the game. I like what Joe Dumars does and hopefully I’ll have the chance to do that.
Richard Burr (Pleasant Ridge): Flip Saunders has urged you to be more aggressive about finding your shot early in games. I know you want to get teammates involved, but how do you decide when to distribute or shoot first?
Chauncey: I always feel like I’ve got a mismatch, but I come into games and I want to establish a tempo. I want to make sure all the other guys get in their sweet spots and get their shots early. I always feel I can take the game over at any time. It doesn’t happen that way all the time, but I always feel that way. It’s a game-to-game thing. Sometimes I have to take it over a little earlier, sometimes if other guys get going I can sit back and orchestrate a little bit.
A few questions were submitted anonymously. Here they are:
What has been your favorite moment, college or pro, in your career?
Chauncey: Winning a championship. Easy. Not even close.
If you had to give a young athlete words of advice for reaching their dream, what would they be?
Chauncey: The only advice I could give would be to stay on it. If you believe it, you’ve got to continue to chase it. Everything is not always going to be good, but you’ve got to continue down that path and never sway.
Who is your favorite team to play against and why?
Chauncey: My favorite team to play against is always the team that won the championship. Somebody you want to knock off of that pedestal. This year it’s Miami. Last year it was San Antonio. The Lakers. All the teams that are supposed to be the best teams in the league.
What has been your greatest accomplishment in life?
Chauncey: My greatest accomplishment has been becoming a dad, a dad that’s at the school and going to the parent meetings and things like that – being a good husband, those are my greatest accomplishments.
How do you decide who shoots free throws when you’re awarded a technical foul? It seems like the first half you let Rip take them and the second half you take them, but that’s not ironclad.
Chauncey: Honestly, we both feel like we’re always going to make them. We don’t all the time, but it’s like whoever is closest. When they call it, whoever’s closest to the line. I’ll look at him or he’ll look at me and I’ll be like, “I’ve got it” or he’ll be like, “I’ve got it.” There’s really no method to the madness, to be honest. It’s whoever’s closest.
Tie game with a minute left – who’s taking it?
Chauncey: Me.
