For Chauncey Billups, Minnesota was a turning point in his Hall of Fame career

Former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Sam Mitchell is ecstatic that Chauncey Billups is entering Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Mitchell also had some strong words for those who “almost ruined that man’s career” before he blossomed into an NBA All-Star and champion.

“When they fail you, they will blame it on you,” Mitchell told Andscape. “All the coaches, until Chauncey got to Minnesota, in my opinion, failed him. And then they turned around and instead of saying, ‘We failed him,’ they said, ‘He can’t play.’ Explain to me how somebody who is the third pick of the draft can’t play but now is getting ready to go into the Hall of Fame? Explain that one to me, because I know the truth. I was there. I know what Chauncey told me. I saw what happened in Boston. I saw what happened in Orlando.

“So, explain to me how a failure who can’t play the position is now going into the Hall of Fame? … I would love to hear what they got to say because I’m sick and tired of y’all writing about all these great [expletive] coaches that failed people. And then these guys turned out to be good. And nobody says a word. They almost ruined that man career by saying that.”

While the springboard would come from the Timberwolves, Billups’ Hall of Fame bio is highlighted with his time with the Detroit Pistons. The five-time NBA All-Star was the point guard who propelled the franchise to five-straight conference finals, two NBA Finals appearances and one championship with the aid of fellow Hall of Famer Ben Wallace. The 2004 NBA Finals MVP also earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” in Detroit for making clutch shots and became an all-league defender. The Pistons also retired his No. 1 jersey in 2016.

But before landing in Detroit, Billups went from being a third pick in the 1997 NBA draft to a perceived bust in only three seasons. The former University of Colorado star was traded by the Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors and his hometown Denver Nuggets in his first three seasons. He never played for the Orlando Magic after being traded there during the 1999-2000 season due to a season-ending shoulder injury. Billups averaged 11.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds during his first four seasons with no playoff appearances, far from what was predicted for him when he entered the NBA.

“You come in as a third pick with your aspirations,” said Billups, now the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. “If I ball out like I’m going to be an All-Star. I’m going to be next level. And then you fall all the way off like I did. I got to prove that I belong in this league …

“And I needed another chance to prove that I actually belong in this league. And then, once I do that I’m going to get back to my regular scheduled program. I’m going to show them. And so, after that little time in Orlando, I was a free agent, and I ended up signing in Minnesota.”

Billups was an unheralded unrestricted free agent in 2000 with the grieving Timberwolves and not many other teams. The Timberwolves needed a guard in 2000 due to the death of Malik Sealy.

Sealy averaged 10.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in the NBA from 1992 to 2000, including his last two seasons with Minnesota. The former St. John’s University star tragically died in the early morning of May 20, 2000, when his sports utility vehicle was struck by a drunken driver going the wrong way in a pickup truck.

Mitchell’s plans for an early golf outing immediately changed when Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders called him with the news of Sealy’s death.

“I will never forget it as long as I live,” Mitchell said. “I will never forget what time it was. When Flip called me that morning, I never forget what I was supposed to be doing. I never forget going over to the [Sealy] house because I’m the one that went to his house and told his wife with the police.”

The Timberwolves celebrated Sealy’s life during their 2000-01 home opener and retired his No. 2 jersey but the team needed to add another guard. Saunders and Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale were strongly considering signing Billups. But Mitchell said Saunders was worried rumors he heard about the free agent being too offensive-minded, not having the ability to play point guard and lacking a work ethic.

On the verge of signing Billups, Mitchell said, Saunders sought counsel from Timberwolves players such as Mitchell, point guard Terrell Brandon and All-Star Kevin Garnett. Mitchell, Brandon and Garnett were confident that the newcomer would do well in Minneapolis, and Billups and Garnett were close friends dating back to their AAU days. The Timberwolves signed Billups to a three-year contract for the salary cap exception, paying $2.25 million in the first year.

“Flip was like, ‘They say he’s selfish. They say he’s this, they say he’s that,’ ” Mitchell recalled. “And I said, ‘Flip, I don’t know him. But why don’t you give him a chance?’ So, when he got here, Chauncey told me that when he was in Boston, Toronto and Denver, they gave up on him as a point guard and they just told him just come in and try to score. So that’s what he did.

“And then when he came to Minnesota, I said, ‘Dude, if you really want to learn how to play the position, and if you really want to change how people think of you, you see that guy right there, Terrell Brandon, watch everything he does and talk to him. He’s a pure point guard …’ Chauncey told me, ‘I want to play the position. No one has ever taught me the position.’ ”

Andy Miller, who was Billups’ agent then, said Minnesota was his client’s main offer. Miller said Billups, at 24, was viewed as inconsistent and injury-plagued at the time (Billups played a combined 58 games the previous two seasons). Miller added that McHale and Saunders were interested in adding Billups as insurance if Brandon was hurt.

“Chauncey’s bounced around, obviously,” Miller said. “Prior to that he had shown a little glimmers, but not enough. And if he didn’t have the respect of the league because he was such a quality human being, he probably would’ve been a minimum guy at that point and floundering a little bit to find himself. He had a certain level of talent that had not been uncorked yet, and there was a level of respect when the Minnesota thing happened. It was really a conversation that Kevin McHale, Flip and I had where they were looking for a combo guard …

“They saw him as a safety valve that still can learn a position that keeps them young. And it really wasn’t because of the relationship that Garnett had with him. I don’t remember there ever being an issue with regard to selfishness or anything else. I thought it had more to do with his erratic play.”

Along with the pressure of joining yet another team, Billups had the pressure of replacing Sealy. Under the difficult circumstances, the Timberwolves needed Billups not just as a player but as a positive presence.

“I always loved Malik’s game mostly because he was one of those guys that everyone respected,” Billups said. “I knew it would be tough to fill his shoes on and off the court. So, the best thing I did was not try to.”

“We had a lot going on, man,” Mitchell said, “and when Chauncey joined our team after what happened with Malik and stuff, it was a blessing for us. Malik was such a good dude and such a good teammate. And then when Chauncey came, he almost fell right into that place being such a good guy, being funny. And KG, and all of us on that team, needed somebody else like that. It’s like God sent us Chauncey.”

Billups had a breakthrough healthy 2000-01 season with the Timberwolves, crediting much of his turnaround to Brandon and Mitchell. He continued to improve in the 2001-02 season, averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 assists in 54 games, while learning how to play point guard and figuring out the business of the NBA on and off the court.

“Those two dudes changed my life, man,” Billups said of Brandon and Mitchell. “Simply put, Terrell taught me how to be a point guard and everything about it. How to study my opponents, how to study my teammates, what to do myself, when to shoot, when to facilitate everything. And Sam taught me how to be a pro.”

Miller said that what propelled Billups as a free agent was his play during the 2001-02 playoffs for the Timberwolves. With Brandon sidelined, Billups averaged 22 points, 5.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in three games against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks swept the Timberwolves in the best-of-seven series, but Billups proved he was ready to be a starting NBA point guard.

“He was ready to start to be a real starting point guard with an impact in the league at that point. And we couldn’t take a half step backwards waiting for Terrell to either age out or to be traded,” Miller said.

The Timberwolves, Pistons and the Miami Heat were interested in Billups as a free agent. With the Timberwolves committed to Brandon at point guard, Billups yearned for an opportunity to start. Detroit was that place as he signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Pistons on July 17, 2002. Detroit was Billups’ sixth team in six years.

“When my time was over in Minnesota, I never looked back. I went to Detroit and then it was over,” Billups said.

Wallace and former Pistons coach Larry Brown, both Hall of Famers, will present Billups on stage Sunday night for his induction speech. Considering Billups’ success in Detroit, expect there to be plenty of Pistons talk. Also expect the Timberwolves to receive love, too, for setting the foundation for his road to the Hall of Fame.

“Minnesota put him on the right track,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think Minnesota is what made him a Hall of Famer. The years in Detroit made him a Hall of Famer. The years in Minnesota were more developing and learning the game and learning how to run a team and all those things.”

“I don’t know if you could cut up the pie into pieces,” Miller said, “but I’d say Minnesota was an enormous piece of Chauncey making it to the Hall of Fame because up until that point, there was no level of stability.”