False Report? Billups to resign w/the Pistons

[MoSpur]

Link coming shortly

[MoSpur]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2925200

[T Park]

yeah, so far what was predicted of this summer is going to a T.

Hopefully they predicted Spurs getting Nocioni :lol

[MoSpur]

Its supposedly five years around $60 mil.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Doesn't anyone else realize that this guy is just going to get worse and worse more and more for the rest of his career? Slow point guards can only pick up the ball and travel for layups and jumpers so many times before it becomes impossible in this league.

If parker did his travelling at billups-speed, even i'd scoff him.

[T Park]

apparently his agent says this is all "speculative BS"

[King]

Yeah - it's on ESPN right now saying 'no deal is imminent"

[Behrooz24]

http://i15.tinypic.com/4ygmzjq.jpg

[mowgli]

Stevie Wonder could see this coming. He IS getting slower, and his "Mr. Big Shot" moniker is undeserved. After years of bouncing around, he finally found a spot in Detroit where the system and the other pieces played to his strengths. Where else would he go and not be exposed as an older guard?

[mowgli]

http://i15.tinypic.com/4ygmzjq.jpg
Haha. Still, I say it happens.

[Marklar MM]

The good thing for Detroit is that Billups doesn't use speed.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

He's smart and hella crafty, plays to his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. Gotta give him props but he's only going to get worse from this point on IMO.

[Obstructed_View]

ESPN's reporting that Billups is denying that this is true.

EDIT: And apparently everyone knows this already. :)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Chauncey Billups' agent refuted media reports that his client had agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract.

"This is a vicious rumor," Andy Miller, Billups' agent, told The Detroit Free Press. "It's entirely untrue. We have not reached an agreement. I don't know what stage we're at. We're having ongoing discussions, and I don't believe that we're on the verge of signing an agreement anytime today by any stretch of the imagination."


You gotta admit, you don't call it a "vicious" rumor if things are going well.

[Marklar MM]

I would think Miller is just mad that he will have to try harder to squeeze some more pennies from Billups contract.

[Pistons < Spurs]

At about 4 p.m. today, I reported on Detnews.com and WDFN that the Pistons and Chauncey Billups had agreed structurally to a five-year, $60 million offer. That has not changed, despite a lot of other media outlets' attempts to discredit that report. That's how this sickening business works sometimes.

I never said the deal was done. No deal can be officially done until Billups signs, and he can't do that until July 11. Andy Miller, Billups' agent, is furious with me and that bothers me. I have had a great working relationship with Andy and Chauncey and I want that to continue. I wasn't trying to do harm to anybody. Announcing the structure of a five-year, $60 million deal didn't sound to me like bad news for either one of them. It's a great offer -- by average annual salary the richest in Pistons' history.

But Andy feels like the Pistons were trying to pressure him into a deal. That's not remotely the case, but that's how he feels. He was also angry that the news got out before he could talk to Chauncey. He tore into me and then categorically denied agreeing to any part of any kind of deal. That's fine. Except, the structure of the deal is still in place and Billups has no other offer even close to bid against it. Are there important details to clean up? Of course. Are any of those details potentially deal-breaking? Don't think so.

Listen, this is a great offer for Billups. Are we really at a point where giving a 30-year-old point guard a five-year deal that averages $12 million per is considered a low-ball offer? Are you kidding me? Just because Orlando gave Rashard Lewis (a 6-10 wing player) a ridiculous $15 million to start doesn't mean the Pistons have to be stupid. You know, the Magic once shelled out almost $200 million one summer for Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady and never even won one playoff round with them.

The Pistons are bidding against themselves for Billups. On Tuesday, they could have told Miller to go ahead and seek your best offer. The best he would have come back with, most likely, would have been a $9 million per year starting salary with the Bucks. But the Pistons didn't do that. They made an offer that reflects both what he has done for the franchise the past five years and for what he means to the team going forward. Nothing about a five-year, $60 million offer is insulting. Nothing. And at the end of the day, Chauncey will happily sign it.

In the old days, before ESPN, the internet and blogs, a reporter didn't have to rush to print every step of a contract negotiation. You laid out the parameters for both sides, you reported whatever propaganda each side wanted to spew and you waited for the final deal. We can't do that any more. Any blip of information, however preliminary or non-binding, has to be put out there immediately. So, you are going to have days like this, when a normal step of a negotiation process gets diced and sliced by various media outlets until you can't remember what the original piece of news was. The news is this -- the basic structure of a deal is in place for Billups to return to the Pistons for the next five years.

http://info.detnews.com/pistonsblog/index.cfm

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Stevie Wonder could see this coming. He IS getting slower, and his "Mr. Big Shot" moniker is undeserved. After years of bouncing around, he finally found a spot in Detroit where the system and the other pieces played to his strengths. Where else would he go and not be exposed as an older guard?

Clearly you don't no crap about basketball. Billups game is smarts and good shooting also being strong and backing people down. His game is going to age slowly.

[Pistonfan1]

Clearly you don't no crap about basketball. Billups game is smarts and good shooting also being strong and backing people down. His game is going to age slowly.

Yet where the fuck has "mr big shot" been the past 2 postseasons? 2 shitty playoff performances and we reward his 31 year old ass with a bigass contract. It is a shame we couldnt let this son of a bitch walk. Blowing up this team is the best thing to do but Joe thinks keeping a broken roster will magically get fixed. :pctoss :pctoss

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Yet where the fuck has "mr big shot" been the past 2 postseasons? 2 shitty playoff performances and we reward his 31 year old ass with a bigass contract. It is a shame we couldnt let this son of a bitch walk. Blowing up this team is the best thing to do but Joe thinks keeping a broken roster will magically get fixed. :pctoss :pctoss

Good plan let are all star point guard walk. Hello Lottery! :drunk

[Ken Loomis]

Good plan let our 31 year old MIA the past 2 postseasons all star point guard walk. Hello Lottery! :drunk

Fixed it for ya. Pistons are fucked just like the spurs. :elephant :elephant :elephant

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Fixed it for ya. Pistons are fucked just like the spurs. :elephant :elephant :elephant

LMAO Dallas fan talking about a star being MIA. :lol :lol :lol You team is the biggest group of chokers in the NBA :lol

[ShoogarBear]

http://info.detnews.com/pistonsblog/index.cfmhttp://detnews.com/graphics/columnistmugs/chrismccosky.jpg

This is what happens when you get your news from Randy Quaid.

[justanotherspursfan]

Fixed it for ya. Pistons are fucked just like the spurs. :elephant :elephant :elephant

No, see advancing in the playoffs is actually a good thing.

I realize that might be confusing to Mav fans this year.

:rolleyes

[exstatic]

Its supposedly five years around $60 mil.
That's a horrible contract to give a 30 something PG.

[Pistons < Spurs]

That's a horrible contract to give a 30 something PG.
Supposedly, it's really a 4 year deal for 46 million. The 5th year would be for 14 million....but It'd be a non guaranteed, team option.

[JamStone]

That's a horrible contract to give a 30 something PG.


If it's 5 years for $60, it's a great deal for the Pistons, even for a 30 something PG. I have a feeling it will be more than that. Billups' effectiveness isn't predicated on athleticism or quickness. So, even if he starts to decline, it won't be as drastic as say a player like Ben Wallace or Desmond Mason who really rely on their athleticism.

And, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd have already proven that point guards can be effective into their mid 30s and can absolutely earn a huge salary despite getting older.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Pistons close in on deal with Billups

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News



AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons on Tuesday felt they were close to having an agreement that would pay Chauncey Billups $60 million over five years.

While the Pistons maintain that the structure is solid, Billups' agent, Andy Miller, does not.

"The deal is not done," Miller said. "We have not agreed in principle to anything. The discussions are ongoing. I wouldn't say they were positive or negative. There are still a lot of hurdles that haven't been addressed to our satisfaction or theirs."

The basic premise of the deal is believed to be solid -- five years and $60 million. What needs to be worked out, apparently, is the language of the fifth year. That fifth year might not be entirely guaranteed, or, the bulk of the $60 million will be paid over the first four years.

Billups, 30, who has led the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals the last five years and was the MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals, cannot sign until July 11.

Miller would not comment on whether any other team was bidding on Billups' services. But it is unlikely.

Billups was the top-ranked point guard on the free agent market, but he lost some negotiating leverage on draft night last Thursday when potential bidders Charlotte and Memphis went in different directions -- the Bobcats taking on Jason Richardson and his $51 million salary and the Grizzlies drafting point guard Mike Conley, Jr.

Billups lost additional leverage on Monday when Orlando, a third potential bidder, agreed to sign Rashard Lewis to a maximum contract.

Still, agent Miller has been able to work a lucrative deal. Billups contract would be richer than one signed two years ago by Steve Nash and not nearly as exorbitant as Jason Kidd's $103 million deal.

The Pistons now have the mid-level exception -- worth roughly $6 million for next season -- to re-sign Amir Johnson and sign another free agent (potentially Grant Hill). The Pistons would like to split that $6 million between those two players.

Hill was in discussions with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.