Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups to Have Numbers Retired by Detroit Pistons
Two former NBA champions with the Detroit Pistons will have their numbers retired by the club, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace will receive separate game-night ceremonies sometime during the 2015-16 season, per Ellis.
Billups, a guard who played for Detroit from 2002 to 2009, and then again briefly during the 2013-14 season before retiring, averaged 16.9 points, 5.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game during the Pistons' championship season.
Wallace also had two stints with the Pistons (2000 to 2006 and 2009 to 2012), was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounds during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Even though Detroit has not officially announced its plans, the ceremonies are no secret, as the Free Press tweeted out its support of the two players:
Derek James of HardwoodParoxysm.com summed up what made Wallace an effective defensive player:
"It’s not as if Wallace was just a swatting machine the Pistons kept in the lane. No, Wallace changed the way teams played offensively. The 2002 Eastern Conference playoffs are a great example of this. Teams would bring the ball up, drive the lane, and have to pull up abruptly in fear of getting demoralized by a Ben Wallace block. Not only would Wallace block your shot, always tried to keep it in-bounds, or terrifyingly enough, catch it as he blocked it.
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Billups shined on the offensive side of the ball for Detroit. He was known as Mr. Big Shot because of his clutch performances for the team. His .397 three-point shooting percentage while in Detroit was a big indicator of that. Billups played 17 seasons in the NBA, eight with the Pistons, and finished with career averages in the Motor City of 16.5 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Wallace played 16 seasons, nine with Detroit, and retired after the 2011-12 campaign. His 6.6 points per game while in Detroit were nothing but a bonus, because the the 6'9'' big man hauled in 11.1 boards per game and swatted 2.3 shots per contest as well.
The duo is deserving of having the numbers retired, especially for the players' roles on both sides of the ball during Detroit's only championship season in the past 25 years. Wallace and Billups will join seven other players, as well as former coach Chuck Daly, who have had their numbers retired by the Pistons.
