One-Sheet Collections: 2003-04 Detroit Pistons
The One-Sheet Collections idea is a simple concept with infinite possibilities. Take a single nine-pocket sheet and a reasonable $100 budget, and build a nine-card collection with a unifying theme.
This week, I look back at a 2003-04 Detroit Pistons team that rode an elite defense to an unlikely NBA title over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, the guard tandem of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, and midseason trade pickup Rasheed Wallace, they went 54-28 and beat the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers before besting Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Ahead I’ve selected one card to highlight each of the nine players in Detroit’s primary rotation during the 2004 NBA playoffs.
1997-98 Bowman’s Best #116 Chauncey Billups RC ($8.00)
The No. 3 overall pick in the 1997 draft, Billups spent time with the Raptors, Celtics, Nuggets and Timberwolves before finally finding a home with the Pistons after signing with the club in free agency prior to the 2002-03 season. He averaged 16.9 points and 5.7 assists during the 2003-04 season, and he tallied 21.0 points per game against the Lakers in the NBA finals.
The five-time All-Star has 17 different Rookie Cards, and they are all relatively affordable with none carrying a book value above $10.
1999-00 SP Authentic #97 Richard Hamilton RC ($15.00)
A national champion at UConn and the No. 7 pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton spent the first three seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards before the Pistons acquired him in a six-player deal that sent Jerry Stackhouse the other way prior to the 2002-03 season. He tallied 17.6 points and 4.0 assists during the 2003-04 campaign.
The 1999-00 market was inundated with different products, and as one of the top picks in the class Hamilton has a staggering 37 different Rookie Cards. His SP Authentic rookie has a print run of just 1,500, but it’s still a reasonably priced option.
2002-03 SP Game Used #120 Tayshaun Prince RC ($10.00)
After playing just 10.4 minutes per game as a rookie, Prince moved into the starting lineup for the 2003-04 season and averaged 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 36.3 percent from beyond the arc. The lanky 6’9″ small forward also ranked second on the team with 69 blocks, and he was a terrific role player throughout his 14-year career.
The No. 23 overall pick in the 2002 draft out of Kentucky, he has 38 different Rookie Cards. His SP Game Used RC is serial numbered to 900.
1995-96 Finest #114 Rasheed Wallace RC ($12.00)
Wallace was acquired on Feb. 19, 2004, in a three-team, seven-player deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics that also included a pair of first-round picks, and he proved to be the missing piece in Detroit. He averaged 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22 games while replacing Mehmet Okur as the team’s starting power forward.
The UNC alum was the No. 4 pick in the 1995 draft and he has 15 different Rookie Cards scattered across 1995-96 products. His Finest rookie is the most valuable of the bunch by a wide margin. It was the definition of a high-end product in the mid-90s.
1996-97 Ultra Gold Medallion #G263 Ben Wallace ($5.00)
One of the greatest defensive players of his generation, Wallace went from undrafted free agent to Hall of Famer over the course of a 16-year career. He won Defensive Player of the Year four times, and he averaged 12.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.8 steals during the 2003-04 season while also chipping in 9.5 points per contest.
He spent three seasons in Washington and one in Orlando before he was acquired in the deal that sent Grant Hill to the Magic prior to the 2000-01 campaign. He has only five different Rookie Cards, and I’ve opted for the Gold Medallion parallel version of his Ultra rookie.
1993-94 Finest #184 Lindsey Hunter RC ($1.50)
Hunter spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Pistons after going No. 10 overall in the 1993 draft, then bounced around for three years before returning to Detroit for the 2003-04 season. The Pistons actually traded him away in the Rasheed Wallace deal, but the Boston Celtics waived him six days later and he found his way back to Detroit to finish the year. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.6 assists off the bench.
Most of his 10 different Rookie Cards can be found for pocket change, but his inclusion in the inaugural Finest set still commands a small premium relative to the other available options.
1995-96 Topps #244 Corliss Williamson RC ($0.75)
Acquired from the Raptors midway through the 2000-01 season, Williamson was a capable scorer off the bench for the Pistons. The 1995 first-round pick averaged 17.7 points per game at his peak with the Sacramento Kings, and he was good for 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per contest during the 2003-04 season.
The 6’9″ forward has 11 different Rookie Cards as part of the same rookie class as the aforementioned Rasheed Wallace.
2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition #JEMOK Mehmet Okur RC ($10.00)
The leading scorer on a Utah Jazz team that featured Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer later in his career, Okur began his NBA career with the Pistons. A second-round pick in 2001, he spent the 2001-02 season playing in Turkey before coming stateside. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds during the 2003-04 season, spending the first half of the year as the starting power forward before Rasheed Wallace was acquired.
He has 15 different Rookie Cards, several of which are patch cards, including two in 2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition Basketball.
1990-91 Fleer Update #U43 Elden Campbell RC ($0.50)
With 6’9″ Ben Wallace serving as the team’s starting center, it was beneficial to the Pistons to have a veteran with some size who could come off the bench and bang in the post. The 35-year-old Campbell was that guy, appearing in 65 games and averaging 5.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 13.7 minutes per game.
His only Rookie Card is part of the 1990-91 Fleer Update set that also features Gary Payton’s most sought after rookie.
Total: $62.75
