Again I say: Fuck Chauncey Billups.

He is the Pistons kryptonite. Not Rasheed. Ever since the 2004 championship, Chauncey has played arrogantly and carried himself with a cockyness that should be reserved for players like LeBron and Kobe. Last week, the Pistons held a 50th Anniversary ceremony at the Palace where the named the top 30 Pistons of all-time. After the players were named, a player from each era gave a speech: Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, and Chauncey Billups. To make a long story short, the question of which team (the Bad Boys or the current Pistons) is better was raised. Chauncey had the nerve to say his team. Seriously? The Bad Boys would never allow a player like LeBron James to get to the hole at will. They would put him on his ass. The Bad Boys would never play down to their opponents level. The Bad Boys won when they were supposed to.

The current Pistons have won 50+ games 6 years in a row. They've made it to the Eastern Conference Finals 5 years in a row. All they have to show for all that regular season success is 1 championship and too many early playoff exits. 1 championship in 6 years, and this guy walks around with a swag that the San Antonio Spurs SHOULD have.

In all of our early playoff exits, he has played "questionably." He forces bad shots, hoping to draw a foul, then looks like an asshole when no contact is made. Why not just shoot the ball? He misses free throws down the stretch, something he never did in the "Mr Big Shot" days when the Pistons were still hungry for a title. He takes plays off. He misses layoffs. He makes uncharacteristic mistakes. Then, after it's all said and done. He walks around with a smug smile on his face and goes "We'll be all right."

Fuck that. As long as he's running the team now, we WON'T be all right. He doesn't care. He thinks that he, and the rest of this team, is so good that the championship should be handed to them every year. A truly great player would be ANGRY after losing to a team like Philly in the playoff home opener. He would be MAD that we've exited the playoffs early in the past 2 years and, as a true leader, would rally the troops and lead us back strong. He wouldn't merely shrug it off and go "We'll be fine." If the Lakers lost to a vastly inferior team, do you think Kobe would shrug it off? Can any of you ever hear Kobe going "We'll be fine" after a humiliating loss as if he doesn't care? I can't imagine it.

As far as I'm concerned, if we exit the playoffs any time before the NBA Finals, I want Billups out of here. He can take Rip with him too. Those two have let the comparison between them and Isiah/Joe D go to their heads. On their best day, they're not half the men, or players, that Isiah and Joe D are. They are no longer competitors. They are no longer hungry. No matter what Rasheed does, can you question his heart? He played hard from the opening tap in Game 1, then took responsibility for the loss because of one missed shot while Chauncey and Rip sat quietly after their piss-poor performances. If the Pistons don't win the next 4, they should be ashamed of themselves.