Yes sir, our former Mr. Big Shot back in the conference finals for a league-leading seventh season in a row! We sure miss him, right? Curse Joe Dumars for trading our beloved point guard, right?

Wrong. Chauncey Billups may be in the spotlight again, but that doesn’t mean we should have kept him.

I say this with due respect for Chauncey. He was a superb leader and floor general. But it was his time to leave Detroit. His passion for the Pistons had all but faded. Only a shell of his former 2004 Finals MVP figure remained.

According to the majority of what I’ve read across the sports blogosphere, it seems like Chauncey rising to the near-top was all it took to bring back countless memories and sob stories of days past when Billups donned #1. From what I can see, these emotions stem from confusion, denial, and…dare I say…jealousy.

I’ve said it many times: Chauncey’s shipment to Denver was ultimately a wake-up call for him, in my opinion. Along the lines of “Holy crap, I just got traded, maybe I do need to step up my game.” And step up his game he did. Would we ever have seen this kind of Chauncey Billups again in Detroit? No, we would have continued to see the Chauncey that settles for long jumpers, misses too many fast break threes, and can’t find an open man like he used to.

Instead, we are now emotionally tortured by Chauncey the Nugget who plays like he’s fresh out of college again.

However, the key point that most naysayers continue to overlook is the long haul. Sure, this season was a farce, but thanks to the absence of Billups’ contract, who knows who the Pistons will be able to reel in either this summer or the next. Wait until we sign Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade (or someone along those lines), see how the Pistons do, and then we can decide if Chauncey’s trade was worth it or not.

Again, all of this comes with respect to Chauncey. This isn’t a Billups bash. I revered the guy as much as anyone, and it’s outstanding to see him succeed and compete at a ridiculous level in his hometown.

But he needed to go, and the Pistons’ benefits of the trade are yet to come.

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