The Detroit Pistons have had a tough few years in the Eastern conference and after making a splash in free agency with the signing of Josh Smith, the team has done it again with one of their legends, as point guard Chauncey Billups has returned.
According to ESPN.com, the 36-year-old point guard is thrilled to be back with the team and he says that he will mentor Brandon Knight and that he also feels that he could start if needed. Last season he played 22 games for the Clippers and dealt with an injury and now he is back on a two-year deal for $2.5 million a season.
Billups won MVP during the finals for the Pistons, but the team has been awful since then and has gone just 148-244 since trading Billups to the Nuggets. The team has made a number of moves this offseason, including signing forward Josh Smith and Italian star Luigi Datome and they also have been mentioned in various trade talks, including in deals involving Knight, Rajon Rondo as well as ones with the Bucks and Brandon Jennings. Billups averaged 15.4 and 5.5 assists over 16 seasons and now he will get the chance with the Pistons again.
The Pistons have been mentioned in a number of rumors this summer, including in a deal for Rudy Gay that was explored that would have been for the contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva, as they are both expiring. Those talks did not get past the exploratory stages and now it appears that Dumars will keep both players on the roster as the team tries to rebound. The Villanueva and Ben Gordon deals of a few years ago look foolish now and while many feel the team just did the same with Smith, Dumars feels that the franchise is now heading in the right direction.
Dumars has now said that he won't use the amnesty clause on Villanueva's $8.58 million contract and now the team will try to build with Brandon Knight, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond and Smith, unless one of those players get dealt in one of the rumored trades. The team has been mentioned in talks with both Brandon Jennings and Rajon Rondo, although those deals have also been denied by both sides. Knight is rumored to be involved in the deals and according to the Detroit Free Press, the point guard may feel like the team is pushing him out in the hopes to get Rondo eventually.
Smith is a pure scorer and will give the team a big presence in the paint and while he hit over 50 percent from the field last season, he hit a career low from long range. The team ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring and defense and now they will get the chance to try and improve and get one of the final playoff spots in the East.
