CHAUNCEY BILLUPS will be turning 32 next month. That's getting up there for a player who makes his money on his athleticism, but as many will point out, that's not how Smooth gets it done. Instead, Chauncey has a number of strengths not so prone to diminishment with age. In style, Billups is a half-court point guard. Rather than depending on speed and superior ball handling, he takes it up slow and orchestrates the offense that he wants to run. He is a tough match-up strength-wise for opposing point guards and for scoring he relies on clutch shooting, both with field goals and free throws. None of these skills is likely to diminish substantially in the next couple of years, and I expect Mr. Big Shot to be at least a solid point guard for the remaining 3 or 4 years (team option) of his contract. After all, though he's starting to show some wear, Jason Kidd is still a contributor on a very good Olympic team and was integral to that team just two years ago, at the age of 33.

RICHARD HAMILTON will be turning 31 near the end of this coming season. He is another player who doesn't get his points slashing and crashing in the lane. Like Billups, he is a good free throw shooter, with a career average of 0.853. While not exactly athletic, Rip is supremely well conditioned and prides himself on being able to out-run anyone on the court. This prowess will certainly diminish with age, but not necessarily in his early and mid-thirties, and probably not much. It is largely a result of his own effort at keeping in top shape. To me, Rip was the most consistent starter for the Pistons last year, and I don't see his determination or passion flagging one bit. His points per game and free throw attempts dropped a little last year, but so did his minutes, and his field goal percentage actually was up from both the prior season and from his average. That's because his mid-range jumper, his main weapon, is as good as ever. Hamilton will likely opt-out of his contract after this season, and then re-sign a fair, new contract with Detroit similar to the one Billups signed last year.

TAYSHAUN PRINCE just straight-up isn't old. He's 28 and won't be turning 29 until near the end of the season (his birthday comes two weeks after Rip's). He's currently locked up for three more seasons, by the end of which he will be 31 and will have been in the NBA for 9 seasons. For comparison, James Posey is currently 31 and Bruce Bowen turned 35 around the time San Antonio won their last championship. For some serious Tayshaun-love, see today's True Blue Pistons article.

ANTONIO MCDYESS and RASHEED WALLACE both turn 34 next month. Well, I'll admit, these guys are kind of getting old. There are mitigating factors though. While a 34 year-old Rasheed sounds old, he was one of our most consistent players last season behind Rip Hamilton. His numbers weren't always there but his defense and intensity were. He hasn't been banging much for awhile, and he's not too old to pop back to the three point line and hurl up a shot. I admit, it's not what we want to see from him on offense, but that's how the man's been playing for years now. As long as he holds up defensively, I don't see any major decline from 'Sheed this season.

Last season, Antonio McDyess did an admiral job, moving from the sixth man role he was so comfortable in to a slot in one of the league's best starting fives. He wasn't a force offensively, but he wasn't needed for that. Instead he was the team's top rebounder, while still being efficient on offense and being a strong defensive presence in the post. His mid-range shot, strength, and good attitude aren't likely to decline overly much in the next couple of years. He won't be any better this season than last, but he may not be any worse. As with Rasheed Wallace, I see a more gradual decline in output as likely.

In fact, the Pistons starter most likely to feel the effects of age, was the one that signed elsewhere before the start of the 2006-07 season. Besides for the loss of Ben Wallace, two years ago to the Chicago Bulls (now with the Cleveland Cavaliers...strange), the Pistons vets are much as they were back in the 2004-05 season, when they were the reigning champs. This season, the hope is that the promising new core of young players being developed is ready to push those not-too-old reigning champs back over the top. In the next installment of this article, I'll be looking at those key young guys, including Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, and Cheikh Samb.

Name	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	FG %	FT %	3PT %
Williams	17.2	3.5	6.3	1.18	.15	.480	.856	.385
Billups	17.0	2.7	6.8	1.29	.22	.448	.918	.401

That's gotta bring a smile to your face.

The quote is from an article on BrewHoop, the article wasn't about Mo Williams or a comparison to Billups (so I didn't link to it), just a short point on how productive Williams was and that the new starter (likely Ridnour, maybe Sessions) will have a hard time supplying that production. The only reason I'm quoting this specific part, the stats, is because I found it delightful.

It's amazing just how close the two players are in each category.