Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been overhauled under the guidance of Interim GM Joe Cronin. It’s currently making this guy look incredibly wrong for what he’s written in the past. I still worry about him putting all his eggs in the basket of landing a superstar to pair with Damian Lillard. However, that is a topic for discussion on another day.
Right now, this Portland Trail Blazers team is resembling another championship-caliber team from a different era. I’m referring to the 2004 Detroit Pistons coached by Larry Brown and led by current Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. The NBA came out with their ranking of their 75th Anniversary Team. Unfortunately, not one member of that ’04 Pistons team is on the 75th Anniversary team.
It’s not surprising considering that team had no superstars on it. Instead, they were made up of many players maximizing their individual talents to be more than the sum of their parts. It ultimately culminated in beating the superstar-laden Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. Three of Detroit’s victories were by double digits. However, this is not why you are here or what you’re interested in reading. You are here because the Portland Trail Blazers team is currently being formed in an updated version of that Detroit team.
What we’re going to do is look at that previously mentioned Detroit team and see if the Portland Trail Blazers have a version of that player or if they still need to acquire him. We’re going to primarily focus on the players from that Detroit team that played in the playoffs as they’re the guys who get remembered. Their names are Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Corliss Williamson, Lindsey Hunter, Elden Campbell, Mehmet Okur, Mike James, Darvin Ham, and Darko Milicic.
So, let’s get the easy ones out of the way. First, Lillard is the Billups comparison. Then, you have Dame Time and Mr. Big Shot. I mean, both are clutch late in the game, especially with the game’s outcome hanging in the balance. Billups also was a very steady, consistent player, as is Lillard.
Next up is Anfernee Simons in the Richard Hamilton role. Like Simons is developing before our eyes, it also took Hamilton some time to develop. Now, Simons is developing a little quicker than Hamilton, and Simons is already a better three-point shooter than Hamilton was at this stage in their careers. Hamilton offered a little more defense than Simons does, but Simons takes better care of the ball. Needless to say, they have their pros and cons.
Finally, we get to Lindsey Hunter and Mike James. Quick side note, James didn’t get a lot of minutes as Detroit mostly ran with a three-guard rotation, and Hunter was the third guard. Most likely, CJ Elleby will be the James comparison even though Elleby could end up getting more run than James ever did. As of now, that is just speculation.
The best comparison to Hunter is the newest member of the Portland Trail Blazers, Josh Hart. Both players are known for their stout defense and ability to score. Hart is an elite rebounder for a guard. However, we can’t look directly at their stats for this comparison. As a Blazer, Hart is severely exceeding his expected offensive output. It is unlikely to maintain throughout the rest of the year and even more so once Lillard returns.
Now is when things start to get really interesting in terms of the comparisons. Detroit employed a wing defender who was capable of guarding multiple positions. That wing player is Tayshaun Prince. The Portland Trail Blazers version is Nassir Little. It’s most unfortunate that Little is out the rest of the year with an injury. However, in looking over Little’s current stat line compared to Prince’s stat line from the ’04 season, you will see that the two players are almost identical.
If you are not a fan of that comparison because Little is out with injury, have no fear as the Portland Trail Blazers can offer up another player, Justise Winslow. Again, if you look at Winslow’s career averages compared to Prince’s, you will find some strong similarities. In addition, Winslow’s game is versatile as he is an excellent passer and can play some at the power forward.
Finally, we come to the most shocking comparison of all, Ben Wallace and Trendon Watford. Were you expecting a different result? Ok, to be fair, this one may end being a bit of a stretch. For it to happen, Watford will need to max out his potential. Wallace was a fantastic undersized center and rebounder. Coincidentally, both players measure out the EXACT SAME. Both Wallace and Watford are 6’9″ and 240 lbs. Where’s that mind blow emoji?
A difference is Watford’s game is a little more modern, as it’s more face up and dribble drive. In comparison, Wallace was back to the basket on the low block. We won’t spend much time on Ham or Campbell for various reasons. For Ham, he’s like the James mentioned above, and there isn’t a comparison for Campbell.
We will temporarily skip the other Wallace comparison and move to the Mehmet Okur one. It’s a little bit of a stretch as Okur was more of a stretch center, and Jusuf Nurkic is, well, not. Nurkic’s three-point shot is still a work in progress. Oh, and nobody is thinking of Nurkic as a power forward either. In comparison, Okur could play some center or power forward. Now, another difference is that Nurkic is a better passer than Okur.
Up next is the Corliss Williamson comparison. If you like the Little comparison to Prince, then you can make the case that Winslow will be Williamson’s comparison. As previously mentioned, Winslow can play both the small and power forward, just like Williamson. However, it can be argued that Winslow is the better all-around player. In comparison, Williamson is the better scorer. Subsequently, this comparison is easier to make than the previously mentioned Okur and Nurkic one. Unfortunately, this is where the comparisons come to a crashing halt.
The Portland Trail Blazers don’t have anyone on the roster that can compare to Rasheed Wallace. Wallace was such a unique player as he could post you up on the block, step out and bury a three on you and then, on the other end, recycle your shot. He spent most of his career playing the power forward position but could be a center in a small-ball lineup. So it’s possible that someone on the Blazers roster could become the Wallace comparison. But that would mean someone’s game takes on a drastic change.
To quote the great Judge Smails, “Weeeeeell. We’re waiting.” While this is a cool comparison, what does it all mean? To be honest, I’m not sure what it means exactly. However, I do know that it would not shock me if the Portland Trail Blazers made a move, either in free agency with their vast cap space or trade to acquire their own Rasheed Wallace type. Two players that come to mind that could fit this mold are pending free agent Chris Boucher. And Atlanta’s starting power forward John Collins.
How about this for another comparison. Rasheed Wallace was initially traded from Portland to Atlanta, then soon after traded to Detroit. What if Cronin makes a trade to acquire malcontent, Collins. Collins’ game had vastly changed compared to what scouts thought when coming out of college. Collins would be the best comparison to Wallace and a great fit for the Portland Trail Blazers between the two guys mentioned.
Even if the Blazers get their Wallace-type player, I can’t say that they’ll pull off a 2004 Detroit Pistons type of season. But what I can say is I want to see the Blazers continue building this roster in comparison to that Detroit team. For me, it’ll be a lot of fun to watch that team play on a nightly basis. I’m not a fan of the isolation style of play that is pretty prominent in the NBA. I love the team-ball and ball movement of teams like San Antonio, Golden State, and the Detroit team mentioned previously.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.