Chauncey Billups News: Pro Sports Daily

Billups expands role to boost playmaking

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November 1

Denver Post

"The last time Chauncey Billups played extensively at two-guard was in 2000, when he started at the position in Minnesota alongside point guard Terrell Brandon. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons. "It's not something that I liked," Billups said. "I never liked playing two-guard. Especially if that's the position I'm playing the whole time." This time around it's a bit different as the veteran has been asked to reprise the role. Billups has played shooting guard in portions of the Nuggets' first two games. His assessment? "It's cool," Billups said. Nuggets coach George Karl has played speedy rookie Ty Lawson and the heady Billups together in order to get more playmakers on the ..."

Billups, Nuggets begin quest for NBA title

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October 28

Denver Post

"The team huddled around its quarterback, a long drive on the horizon. After Tuesday's Nuggets practice, Chauncey Billups spoke softly about the quest that begins tonight: the team's elusive search for an NBA title, beginning with a home game against Utah. If Denver is to return to the Western Conference finals — and stone-sling the Goliaths that are the Lakers en route to the NBA Finals — it will undoubtedly be because of Billups, rising to the occasion much like an Elway. Entering his second season in his second go-round with Denver, Billups said he knows his teammates' tendencies even better, he knows how to better motivate and he knows what the Nuggets did to blow winnable games that ..."

Nuggets rookie Lawson ready to intern behind Billups, Carter

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September 28

Denver Post

"Ty Lawson plans to be patient as he begins his NBA career. Minutes early in the season will likely be hard to come by for the Nuggets guard, selected 18th in this year's NBA draft. And while that won't sit well with fans who have a Christmas Eve-type expectation of seeing the North Carolina product on the court, it will be coach George Karl's decision on when Lawson is ready for a significant role. "I'm sure you guys are going to have fun criticizing me on that one," Karl said. "I still love (Anthony Carter). I think A.C. is a big part of why we've been successful here. But the kid's good. The kid's had a very good summer, and he's had a very good September in our gym." According to ..."

Billups believes best yet to come for Nuggets

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May 30

Denver Post

"Chauncey Billups slapped hands with fans, even as he smarted on the inside. He walked off the court for the last time this season after the Nuggets' Game 6 loss to the Lakers, the book closed on a feel-good story no one is soon to forget. The final chapter was a downer, written in quicksand script. Billups' last four quarters of the series read as such: 2-for-7 from the field, 10 points. A team he was on lost in the conference finals for the fourth consecutive season. The Nuggets, a team he believed could get a shot at all the marbles, fell short. In time, the end of the story will fade away and what Billups meant to the team, and what returning to Denver meant to him, will be the enduring ..."

Ripple effect of Billups trade continues in NBA

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May 24

Detroit Free Press

"The Pistons need a point guard, and that's the equivalent of tossing a bucket of gasoline on an already roaring fire. This is when the self-anointed curbside basketball geniuses proclaim -- for the millionth time -- that the Pistons never should've traded Chauncey Billups. Somehow, watching Billups lead Denver to that city's first conference championship series in a generation fosters the notion that the Pistons would've earned a seventh straight Eastern Conference finals appearance simply by keeping Billups. But nobody can say who would've played the role of dynamic scoring small forward Carmelo Anthony on the Pistons this season. Or who had Kenyon Martin's defensive intensity, for that ..."

All-NBA honors for Chauncey, Carmelo

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May 14

Denver Post

"For the first time in Nuggets history, two players were named to an all-NBA team in the same season. Guard Chauncey Billups and forward Carmelo Anthony were named to the third team Wednesday, the third time each player made an all-NBA team. "It's the honor in the league," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "Making all-NBA is the status of acceptance, the status of 'you've arrived.' " Billups became the sixth Nuggets player to make an all-NBA team, joining Anthony, David Thompson, Alex English, Fat Lever and Antonio McDyess, one of Billups' closest friends in basketball. On the all-NBA first team, Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki was joined by fellow forward LeBron James of Cleveland, guards Kobe ..."

Nuggets' Billups comfortable as closer

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May 13

Denver Post

"The slam of the rosin bag onto the bullpen mound, and a wafting puff of brown dust. The opening of the bullpen gate and the confident gait of the jogging giant. The manager's ritual of giving him the baseball and giving him a glare that says: Don't blow it. There are few positions in sports more dramatic and pressurized than baseball's closer. But here's something sometimes overlooked: Basketball has closers, too: team leaders who can close out a playoff series. Denver point guard Chauncey Billups has all the ingredients: his wisdom, his inner confidence and if you will, clutchness. And finally, his experience. The dude just closes games out. Twenty times, Billups played a game to close ..."

Chauncey Billups, the disposable superstar

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May 11

InDenverTimes.com

"One of Chauncey Billups' ex-teammates - and there are about a hundred of them - has his nose pressed against a TV set. The Denver Nuggets have just called time, in the middle of a tight playoff game, and the ex-teammate can't help but notice Chauncey rounding up all the players, all the misfits and flakes, and poking a finger in their chests. If only these Nuggets understood the history behind this - because there are pieces of Billups strewn all over the league. He might have just rescued George Karl's job and Carmelo Anthony's résumé, but don't be fooled: Billups was once a mystery himself. His eyes are wiser now, and his scars are healed, but no elite player in these NBA playoffs has ..."

"Smooth" smooths out choppy game

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May 10

Denver Post

"Every good ending has to have a path that gets to the crowning moment. Saturday, Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups paved that way. He took two shots and scored zero points in the first quarter. Billups said he knew if the Nuggets were going to win, he'd have to increase his scoring load. "The game was a little choppy with all of the foul trouble and our guys in and out of the lineup," Billups said. "I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. I think I might have taken one or two shots in the first quarter; I didn't score at all. I knew for us to have a chance at winning the game, I had to have an effect on the game scoring-wise." Billups ended up scoring 32 points in three quarters, 23 in ..."

Howard hobbled again, thanks to Billups collision

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May 4

Denver Post

"After Game 1 of the Nuggets-Mavericks series, the visiting quarters at the Pepsi Center looked more like a MASH unit than a locker room. On one side of the area, Mavs center Erick Dampier hobbled from his space to the shower area, each halting step looking more painful than the first. But an even bigger hurt - both in the here and now and perhaps for the rest of the Western Conference semifinal series - belonged to Mavs forward Josh Howard. After missing 30 games during the regular season, many because of an injured left ankle, Howard almost literally didn't have a good leg to stand on after Sunday's 109-95 loss. A second-quarter collision with Denver's Chauncey Billups left Howard ..."

Billups, Kidd worth exclamation points

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May 3

Denver Post

columnist Dave Krieger

"The hottest point guards in the NBA's Western Conference are Deron Williams, 24, and Chris Paul, who turns 24 on Wednesday. Everybody says so. So why will the two of them be watching the rest of the playoffs on television while Jason Kidd, 36, and Chauncey Billups, 32, face off in the conference semifinals beginning this afternoon? "There aren't many point guards under 30 (still) playing," Nuggets coach George Karl said Saturday. "Derek Fisher and Chauncey and Jason are kind of proud, older, veteran guys, and they're still pretty good when it counts. I think young players get a lot of attention, and most of it is earned, but some of it is given to them, in my opinion." Kidd and Billups ..."

Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups kick it old school

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May 3

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"The NBA is a world of sizzle and glamour and bling. And yet, the Dallas Mavericks' Western Conference semifinals match with Denver will feature two point guards who couldn't care less about behind-the-back glitz. Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups are old-school warriors. Forget sizzle. They are grade-A, superior-quality point guards for whom winning is the only meaty issue. "This series," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Saturday, "will be a better-basketball DVD on how to play the point." The young, flashy point guards of the "now" NBA are Chris Paul and Deron Williams. They're also on vacation. Kidd and Billups? They represent the best of the vintage point guards left playing. "It's two ..."

Billups wins NBA sportsmanship honor

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April 28

Denver Post

"Chauncey Billups is a Joe Dumars disciple, if you will, a guard who plays the game the way Dumars played, and also a protégé of Dumars for six years in Detroit, when "Joe D" ran the organization and "C-Bill" ran the offense. The Nuggets' Billups won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award today and was given the Joe Dumars trophy. The award was voted for by NBA players, given to a player who reflects the ideals of sportsmanship - ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. "Obviously, it's an unbelievable honor for me," Billups said Tuesday afternoon. "This trophy, amongst all the other trophies I have, this is going to be one that's very special and dear to me, because of what I believe in, how I ..."

Billups has Hornets' attention

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April 25

Denver Post

"Chauncey Billups is now officially in the cross hairs. The New Orleans Hornets have sat back and watched the show in the first two games, and what they've seen has made them sick. As a result, how they deal with Billups was a main topic in a Friday morning film session at their practice facility. And it is really the only defensive alteration New Orleans plans to make. "We got to make Chauncey a little more uncomfortable," forward David West said. "We were pleased with the way we defended (Carmelo Anthony) the first couple of games, but Chauncey is just too comfortable. He's not playing under duress at any point in the game. There will be a few changes in terms of how we're going to deal ..."

Billups tries not to add pressure

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April 24

Denver Post

"A lot has been made of the Nuggets' defense as the main reason they're 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since the 1985 conference semifinals against Utah. Another huge reason is point guard Chauncey Billups taking care of the ball like it's the Hope Diamond. In two playoff games, over 69 minutes and 38 seconds, Billups has committed zero turnovers. That's zilch. As in niente, nada, not even one. Karl, one of the Yodas of NBA coaching, couldn't remember the last time he'd seen that. "Probably not," he said after the team's film sessions today. "I'm sure there have been but not one who has the ball in his hands as much as Chauncey does. I have a feeling (John) Stockton might've ..."

Billups: Two games, no turnovers

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April 24

Denver Post

"A lot has been made of the Nuggets' defense as a major reason they are 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since the 1985 conference semifinals against Utah. Another huge reason is point guard Chauncey Billups taking care of the ball like it's the Hope Diamond. In two playoff games, over 69 minutes and 38 seconds, Billups has committed zero turnovers. Nada. Coach George Karl, one of the Yodas of NBA coaching, couldn't remember seeing that in his career. "Probably not," Karl said after the team's film sessions Thursday. "I'm sure there have been, but not one who has the ball in his hands as much as Chauncey does. I have a feeling (John) Stockton might've done it, or Magic (Johnson). ..."

Billups intent on helping Nuggets bury the past

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April 21

InDenverTimes.com

"As a long-distance observer, Denver native Chauncey Billups watched his hometown team reach the playoffs five years in a row, only to bow out meekly in the first round each time. Now playing alongside many of the same players he watched from afar, Billups sees no reason to bring up the past. "I think we're a whole different team and it doesn't really matter. It's about creating something new, creating your own new legacy with new guys,'' he said Monday. "We're a lot different of a ballclub than I think they were last year, and I don't think they have really good memories about that, so they probably don't want to hear about it anyway. I just like where we're at right now; hopefully we can ..."

Commissioner full of praise for Melo, Billups

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April 20

Denver Post

"Carmelo Anthony has played the best basketball of his career this season and has increasingly picked up praise for his improvement. Sunday, NBA commissioner David Stern added his name to that list. "We've had a number of conversations over the years, in a positive way," Stern said. "I find him to be an engaging young man. At some point I told him he's got to run out of cousins eventually. But I enjoy him, I enjoyed his Olympic experience, I enjoy what he's doing for the team now and the place he's taking." Anthony averaged 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists during the season. He wasn't the only Nuggets player Stern has had his eye on. "Chauncey Billups has always been a favorite of ..."

No chance without Chauncey

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April 20

Denver Post

columnist Jim Armstrong

"Notes from the second-season lid-lifter. . . . We all know how the Chauncey Billups trade turned out. But what if it had never happened? What if Pistons GM Joe Dumars hadn't picked up the phone that day and told the Nuggets that he would settle for Allen Iverson instead of Carmelo Anthony? I'll tell you what would have happened. If Dumars hadn't called, the Nuggets would have been watching the first round of the playoffs Sunday night, not playing in them. There was no Plan B, no bailout deal, no trade on the table involving another veteran point guard of Billups' stature. Not one who would have changed the culture in the Nuggets' locker room and transformed them into a playoff team, much ..."

Call it a slam dunk

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April 6

Denver Post

"This season, we thought we had seen it all with these Nuggets - the franchise's best record after 78 games, the maturation of Carmelo Anthony, the emergence of J.R. Smith and the resurgence of Chris Andersen. But in the third quarter of Sunday's 110-87 victory over Minnesota, something unbelievable happened - Chauncey Billups dunked. "My kids had been talking stuff to me - they didn't think I could dunk anymore," the 32-year-old Billups said of his two-handed transition jam, his first dunk of the season. "I was sitting there thinking, 'I hope my little girls were watching this game. If they're not, they might not see it again.' " The dunk was the last basket of the third quarter, giving ..."

Billups wins divisional award for sportsmanship

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April 2

InDenverTimes.com

"Chauncey Billups always talks about how much he wants to win. But the Denver Nuggets guard believes in doing it fairly. The NBA announced Thursday that Billups is one of six divisional winners for the 2008-09 NBA Sportsmanship Award, having been tabbed for the Northwest. The overall winner, which will be decided by a vote of NBA players, will be announced after the April 15 conclusion of the regular season. The award honors a player who best represents ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court. Other divisional winners are Boston's Ray Allen (Atlantic), Detroit's Antonio McDyess (Central), Golden State's Ronny Turiaf (Pacific), San Antonio's Michael Finley (Southwest)and ..."

Billups engineers third-quarter blitz

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February 19

Denver Post

"For a half, the Nuggets looked to still be on the beach, back with the family or at the All-Star Game. Which is to say, anywhere but the Wachovia Center. But the rusty Nuggets found their groove Wednesday night in the second half. Behind Carmelo Anthony's ninth double-double of the season and a monster third quarter from Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets overwhelmed the 76ers 101-89. The win was their fifth in six games on the current eight-game road trip. "We were flat," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We haven't played in a while and brought some bad habits back on the court in the first half. I thought it was a pretty courageous win here in the second half." The Sixers' problem holding as ..."

Billups plays modest role as West romps

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February 16

Denver Post

"Chauncey Billups and the Western Conference all-stars were sardined on bleachers, 50 minutes before Sunday's tipoff, posing for photo after photo with wide-eyed NBA corporate sponsors, each player's smile forced like a shot-clock buzzer-beater. After the final team picture, the photographer then orchestrated photos of small groupings - teammates Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol or Amar'e Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal, for instance. Then Billups, Denver's all-star, was joined by fellow point guards Tony Parker - also an NBA Finals MVP - and Chris Paul, the floor general of Team USA. And this time, Billups' smile was genuine, flashing like the photographer's light bulb. "I've got to get a copy of ..."

Billups an NBA all-star, Melo shut out

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January 30

Denver Post

"Denver guard Chauncey Billups was selected to the Western Conference all-star team as a reserve Thursday. But forward Carmelo Anthony was shut out. Billups, a Denver native, is averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 assists and has changed the culture of the Nuggets this season. The Nuggets are 29-13 since acquiring Billups. Reserves are selected by the NBA's head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for players on their own team."

Billups shines with stars

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January 30

Denver Post

"According to Chauncey Billups, the first time he appeared on an NBA all-star ballot was in his first go-round with the Nuggets in the late 1990s. And he was thrilled. "I took that ballot, and I almost framed it," Billups said. "I was like, 'One day, I'm going to be able to tell people I was on the ballot.' " Years later, Billups has done more than just appear on the ballot. Thursday he made his fourth consecutive All- Star Game. He is one of seven reserves for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix. "Other than my first one, which was super special just because it was my first one and there were four people from our team (Detroit), this is probably the most special one because I'm home," Billups ..."

Nuggets' Billups an NBA all-star

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January 29

Denver Post

"Denver guard Chauncey Billups will be on the Western Conference all-star team as a reserve, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Thursday afternoon. The official announcement will be made tonight on TNT at 5 p.m. Billups, a Denver native, is averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 assists and has changed the culture of the Nuggets this season. The Nuggets are 29-13 since acquiring Billups. Reserves are selected by the NBA's head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Seven players will be added to each roster. Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, as well as Billups, finished among the top vote-getters. Anthony finished fifth among Western Conference forwards, while ..."

Billups reaches to past to help kids

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January 27

Rocky Mountain News

columnist Dave Krieger

"Chauncey Billups and Terrance Roberts were born the same year and grew up within a block of each other in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood, just south of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Roberts caught the school bus in front of Billups' house. The neighborhood kids would play king of the hill on the mountain of snow the city plows left there in the winter. Roberts still thinks Billups' "King of the Hill" tattoo might refer to those battles and not to Park Hill. By the time the two boys were 12, they were going in dramatically different directions. Billups was already an exceptional athlete, on the way to becoming a pro basketball star and local hero. Roberts was a gang banger in training, on ..."

Nuggets top Suns in overtime

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January 16

Rocky Mountain News

"Nuggets fans have caught Chauncey Billups fever. But Billups had a fever of another kind Thursday. The guard who has led the Nuggets to the Northwest Division lead came down with the flu and was sent home from the morning shootaround. But Billups played through it at night, scoring 26 points to lead the Nuggets to a 119-113 overtime win against Phoenix at the Pepsi Center. Billups shot only 6-of-18, including 1-of-10 on three-pointers. But he was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. "I'm not sure he felt real good,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said of Billups. "I felt it a little bit but once the game starts you've got to do what you've got to do," said Billups, who said the flu has been ..."

Nuggets work late for win

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January 16

Denver Post

"On Thursday morning, seemingly eons before Thursday night's Pepsi Center thriller, Denver coach George Karl talked about the "freedom" he has given his big men, on occasion, to launch the 3-pointer. It's a risk, of course, but Karl is a big karma guy - and also believes that veterans develop a smoother touch as they age. And that night, there stood 6-foot-9 ballhandler Kenyon Martin near the top of the key, with 29.6 seconds left and Denver ahead of Phoenix by three - in overtime. Why not? Martin's big shot splashed, doubling the lead, and Phoenix never recovered, losing 119-113 to the Nuggets. "I've got confidence in my shot - I've been in the gym working," Martin said. "It was a crucial ..."

Billups worthy to join stars

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January 16

Denver Post

"How can Chauncey Billups be an MVP candidate if he's not even deemed worthy to play in the NBA All-Star Game? That would be so very wrong. If the stars come out in the Arizona desert next month, and Billups isn't there to shine? Are there words to describe what a joke it would be? Travesty. Crazy. Injustice. "I want to know how you guys are going to get him in the All-Star Game," Nuggets coach George Karl said Thursday night, reversing roles on reporters and posing the tough dilemma. "That's what I want to know." Hey, hate to break this to you, George. You're lobbying the wrong people. As much as Billups deserves a trip to Phoenix for the All-Star Game, the press has absolutely zero power ..."

A.I., Billups rise to occasion; Prince seals win over Denver Nuggets

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January 11

Detroit Free Press

"All the hype was surrounding Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups going into Friday's Nuggets-Pistons game, but it was Tayshaun Prince who rose up to grab the spotlight. His running hook in the lane with 20.6 seconds left capped off a 19-point night and his defense cooled off Billups in the fourth quarter as the Pistons grabbed a thrilling 93-90 victory at a sold-out and loud Pepsi Center. "It's a situation where we had a lot of movement on the play and I knew if I just got the ball off some movement I would get a good look," said Prince, who finished 7-for-15 from the field. "We got so many guys banged up and guys trying to play hurt, so this is a good grind-out win for us, especially ..."

Billups the star early in Denver

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January 10

Detroit News

"Antonio McDyess had it right. He knew his buddy Chauncey Billups was going to come out with a little extra fire Friday, playing against the Pistons for the first time since the Nov. 3 trade, and he was right. Billups took his protégé Rodney Stuckey to school in the first quarter, scoring nine points, including two blow-by layups. In the second quarter, he let Arron Afflalo know he couldn't guard him either. Billups scored 11 points in the second quarter, beating Afflalo off the dribble and with step-back jumpers. It was quite a clinic. Billups finished the half with 20 points, helping his Nuggets to a 48-38 lead. As for McDyess, apparently he's public enemy No. 1 in Denver. He was part ..."

Not just another game for Billups

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January 9

Detroit News

"What bothered him the most about being traded, other than the general turbulence that comes with uprooting his family and leaving teammates and fans he's loved and been through the wars with for six years, is that Chauncey Billups honestly thought there was one more championship run left in that old Pistons team. "Oh yeah," Billups said Thursday. "I definitely feel like had we stayed the same all year, we had the pieces in place to make another run. I felt last year had I not been hurt with the hamstring that we could have won the championship last year." Pistons president Joe Dumars obviously didn't feel as confident in that, which is why when the Pistons take the court at the Pepsi ..."

Billups deal smooth one for Nuggets

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December 16

Houston Chronicle

"You watch Chauncey Billups move up and down the court, and it’s easy to figure a more appropriate uniform would be a pair of silk pajamas and a velvet lounging jacket. Smooth. He appears to move slow even when he’s hustling in the middle of a breakneck fast break. Chill. Now, the coolest dude to walk into any gym has the Denver Nuggets cooking as one of the hottest teams in the NBA as they face the Rockets tonight. After their 98-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, the team that squeaked into the playoffs last season as the No. 8 seed trails only the L.A. Lakers with the second-best record in the Western Conference at 17-7. One could point to Carmelo Anthony’s growth, Kenyon ..."

Billups scores 28 points in win

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December 1

Denver Post

"This trade seems to be working out. One night after he scored a season-high 27 points, Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups scored 28 on Sunday. This time he complemented it with 10 assists in Denver's 104-94 home win against the Houston Rockets, one of the better teams in the Western Conference. The Nuggets are 12-6, tied for first in the Northwest Division, 11-3 since Billups entered the lineup. The Nuggets won the game despite losing Carmelo Anthony with 2:13 left in the second quarter. The all-star has been bothered by a lingering elbow injury the past two weeks and had played through the pain. But on Sunday, he didn't return to the court, nursing a right-elbow contusion. He logged just 13 ..."

Billups' efficiency keeps team on track

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November 30

Denver Post

"Nuggets coach George Karl measures his team's success in chunks. A 10-win month. A 20-game evaluation. The Nuggets, after their 106-97 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night at the Target Center, are just 17 games in, but some things stand out to Karl. First, his team is a tad better than he thought it might be. Second, it's going to take more months like November, in which the Nuggets (11-6) have won 10 games with one left, for them to stay relevant in the Northwest Division. "You can predict before the season, but you never know," Karl said. "Some teams you think are going to be good turn out to be bad. Some teams you think are going to be bad turn out to be good. But in general, to ..."

Billups is chosen Player of Week in Western Conference

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November 18

Rocky Mountain News

"The Nuggets aren't the only ones benefiting from Chauncey Billups' return to his hometown. The George Washington High and University of Colorado product on Monday was chosen the Western Conference's Player of the Week (Nov. 10-16) for averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.25 steals in four games last week. Denver went 3-1 in those games. It's the first time a Nuggets player has won the Western Conference award since Allen Iverson on April 14, 2008. It's the fourth time Billups has been chosen conference player of the week, though the first time in the West. Since obtaining Billups from the Detroit Pistons in trade for Iverson on Nov. 3, the Nuggets have compiled a 5-1 ..."

Billups Ball is changing the Nuggets

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November 17

Rocky Mountain News

columnist Dave Krieger

"A month ago, as the Nuggets were preparing for the new season, coach George Karl found himself looking for ways to make his notoriously erratic team smarter. "In training camp, I asked myself, 'What are drills to help basketball IQ?' " he recalled Sunday. "The answer is Chauncey Billups. It's turned out to be." For those keeping score at home, the Nuggets are now 5-1 with Billups at quarterback, although Sunday's nail-biter over the 1-8 Timberwolves didn't have quite the shine of Friday's victory in Boston. Remarkably, the Nuggets have scored more than 100 points in just one of those five wins - the first one. Billups is rapidly changing their very identity. "We won a game playing ..."

Melo, Billups lead Nuggets to win

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November 9

Denver Post

"The homecoming king walked slowly toward the free-throw line, the chants filling the Pepsi Center with each step: "Chaun-cey! Chaun-cey!" Then, with 17.5 seconds left, the Nuggets' Chauncey Billups abruptly pulled the needle on the spinning record, missing the first free throw. But he hit the second, giving Denver a 104-102 lead, and the Nuggets held on in the waning seconds, a breathtaking finish on a memorable night. The Nuggets defeated Dallas 108-105 in Denver's first game this season with Chauncey Billups, four days after the Nuggets dealt Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups, Antonio McDy-ess and Cheikh Samb. "It felt great - I was just glad to get that first one out of the way," ..."

Billups eventually will be steady hand Nuggets need

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November 8

Rocky Mountain News

columnist Dave Krieger

"Two days before Christmas 2006, Allen Iverson's arrival on the Pepsi Center floor was pure Hollywood - all cameras flashing and fans screaming his name. A.I.'s star power obliterated dispassionate basketball evaluation. For fans, the math was simple: Two stars were better than one. For a while, this calculation seemed true, too. The NBA is about winning, of course, but it is also about entertainment, and A.I. is nothing if not an entertainer. Not quite two years later, Chauncey Billups' arrival on the same floor as Iverson's replacement was less Hollywood and more high school reunion. The greeting was warmer and less hysterical, a town welcoming home its own. Even in his hometown, Billups ..."

Billups will be in Nuggets' starting lineup

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November 7

Rocky Mountain News

"Chauncey Billups will be in the starting lineup Friday night when he makes his debut with the Nuggets. Coach George Karl said after the Nuggets' shootaround Friday morning that Billups will be in the starting lineup at point guard. Karl had been uncertain what role the Denver native would play in his first appearance since being traded from Detroit to Denver on Monday with Antonio McDyess and Cheik Samb for Allen Iverson. Billups will be paired in the backcourt with 6-foot-6 Dahntay Jones against the Dallas Mavericks. Karl wants Jones in the starting lineup because of the defensive presence he offers. Karl said that doesn't rule out J.R. Smith as a starter at some point. The coach said he ..."

Billups seems at ease with his position

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November 7

Rocky Mountain News

"This time isn't quite like the last time for Chauncey Billups. "Same person, different player," the Nuggets' newly acquired point guard said. The first time, Billups was a 22-year-old playing for his third team in his first two NBA seasons, a player seeking to validate that he belonged as a point guard. Thursday, when Billups met with the media at the Pepsi Center after passing his physical and partaking in his first practice, the 32-year-old Denver native returned as an NBA champion, a three-time All-Star and one widely regarded among the best at his position - point guard. He even acquired a nickname along the way that encapsulated his six seasons in Detroit - "Mr. Big Shot." "When I ..."

To some in Denver, Billups never left

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November 7

Rocky Mountain News

"In a span of 48 hours, Tony Wells saw two things he never thought possible. A black man elected to the White House and Chauncey Billups back in a Nuggets uniform. "Both of them are on the same level," said Wells, a longtime youth basketball and track coach, with a laugh. "I give (the edge) to Barack because he's a little older." For Wells and the Hiawatha Davis Rec Center regulars, Monday's news that Billups was returning to his native Denver momentarily upstaged Barack Obama's bid for the presidency. "They was dancing and partying," Wells said between pinochle hands. "This is Chauncey's home, man. This is his house." Nearly 25 years after taking the court at Hiawatha Davis - formerly ..."

Hamilton feels sense of loss from Billups trade

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November 7

Detroit Free Press

"Rip Hamilton couldn't hide it. It was in his face. And it was definitely in his voice as he spoke for the first time about the trade that sent his backcourt partner since 2002, Chauncey Billups, to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. Hamilton said he is looking forward to playing with Iverson, but he had come to view Billups as family. "I lost a brother, and when you come to a team like we did ... we pretty much came in as nothing when we first got to Detroit," Hamilton said Thursday after a team workout. "When you win a championship with somebody ... it's just like the situation when we lost Ben (Wallace). ... You lose a brother. You lose a guy you've been in the trenches with. You ..."

Nuggets have high hopes for Billups

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November 7

Detroit News

"The Mile High City is so close to Chauncey Billups' heart that he will wear the town's ultimate sports number over it as proof. No. 7. Yep. The numeral John Elway made synonymous with his face, and with athletic excellence, in Denver, one of only two orange-and-blue numbers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will now be worn by Billups, who bleeds anything related to the city. Talk about pressure. Nuggets coach George Karl held the jersey with Billups at the guard's introductory news conference Thursday afternoon and talked about offseason smack talk. "He hangs out with us in the summertime and gives us all types of grief about not winning championships," Karl said. "So now we give you ..."

Billups takes part in first practice with Nuggets

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November 6

Rocky Mountain News

"He wore a white practice jersey bearing his new No. 7, making official Chauncey Billups' return to the Nuggets. The trade with the Detroit Pistons went down Monday but didn't become official until Thursday when Billups passed is physical with the Nuggets. Denver obtained Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb from Detroit in exchange for guard Allen Iverson, and while Billups and Samb practiced Thursday, it still looks likely the Nuggets will buy out the remainder of McDyess' contract. Billups was one of the last players to leave the court as he went through a full workout under the tutelage of coach George Karl. "They threw a lot of things at him, so hopefully he retains some of it," ..."

Similar plays give Billups easy transition

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November 6

Denver Post

"Today is the day all of Denver has awaited - yep, today's the first Nuggets practice for Cheikh Samb. Also, Chauncey Billups will practice. "I have a feeling he'll pick up our offense pretty quick," Nuggets coach George Karl said, whose team practices today in Denver, leading up to Friday's game against Dallas. "Some of the stuff that Detroit runs, we run. So we'll be able to run those plays pretty consistently, in a pattern. You just want enough, eight, nine, 10 plays." Billups and Samb, acquired Monday from Detroit, arrived in Denver on Wednesday, Antonio McDyess did not. McDyess' camp has requested a buyout, and the plan is to do just that, waiving the former Nugget, which would help ..."

Billups billboards on the way

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November 6

Denver Post

"He didn't know whether to scream "Oh!" or "Uh-oh!" Either would have sufficed. Kurt Schwartzkopf is the chief marketing officer for the Nuggets, so basically, he's the guy behind A.I., the guy who promotes the Nuggets' stars in advertisements. On Monday, Iverson was everywhere in Denver - on banners, billboards, on the sides of buses - really, everywhere except in Denver. That day, the Nuggets traded their all-star guard to Detroit in exchange for another all-star, Denver native Chauncey Billups. For Schwartzkopf, Manic Monday was also Panic Monday. He was giddy that Denver acquired "a marketer's dream" in Billups, but first he had to unmarket Iverson. "Yeah," Schwartzkopf deadpanned, ..."

Billups in today; Melo wants 44 tonight

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November 5

Denver Post

"Nuggets coach George Karl said newly acquired guard Chauncey Billups is expected to arrive in Denver in the afternoon today, and it's possible he won't complete his physical - the final step to finalize Monday's trade - by the time the the Pistons tipoff tonight.

Thus, this could affect whether or not former Nugget Allen Iverson makes his Pistons debut tonight.

Also, Karl said that Dahntay Jones will start at shooting guard for Denver in tonight's game against Golden State.

At the Nuggets' shootaround, there was a post-election buzz. Carmelo Anthony smiled and said "I'm going to try to score 44 tonight," in honor of president-elect Barack Obama, who was elected Tuesday as ..."

Flip Saunders says Billups was 'glue' of the Pistons

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November 5

Detroit Free Press

"Former Pistons coach Flip Saunders, fired after last season, told the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press that he plans to coach again, has been talking hoops with Michigan State boss Tom Izzo and found this week's Chauncey Billups-for-Allen Iverson trade "interesting." Here is a portion of Charley Walters' story: Saunders said he will coach again. "Probably more so the NBA; college would have to be the right situation," he said. This fall, Saunders has spoken at college basketball clinics, including Illinois, Michigan State and Villanova, and watched practices. ... Saunders described the Pistons' big trade of Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson this week as "interesting.""