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Chauncey Billups News & Rumors

Chauncey Billups vows to return from injury
February 8
Yahoo! Sports
 
"After a basketball life of comebacks upon comebacks, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups is determined to make the greatest of his career: a full recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. "I will be back," Billups told Yahoo! Sports by phone. "I'm not done. I'm not retiring. I will definitely be back. This has been the story of my career, coming back, fighting, scrapping and I will play again." Billups suffered the tear on Monday night in Orlando, crumpling to the floor without warning. No collision. No contact. Just like that. He hadn't felt any tenderness in the Achilles prior to the injury, he said. An MRI taken in Cleveland on Tuesday confirmed the tear."
Clippers' Vinny Del Negro takes this loss personally
February 8
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"It's a Vinny Del Negro I do not know. He's at a loss for cliches and coach-speak Tuesday over lunch, pausing to take a deep breath every time he mentions Chauncey Billups' name. The veteran guard has been active in a Los Angeles uniform for only 20 games, but Del Negro says, "People have no idea what he has meant to this group." Somewhere beyond the half-eaten bowl of soup, small talk and concern about how he might reenergize his team, Del Negro is now on the telephone talking to team trainer Jasen Powell."
Chauncey Billups is done for the season
February 8
Los Angeles Times
 
"Clippers guard Chauncey Billups realized his worst fears Tuesday when an MRI exam revealed he has a torn left Achilles' tendon that will end his first season with the team. But the 35-year-old Billups doesn't plan on retiring. "No, sir. There is no way I'm going to crawl out of the league," Billups said Tuesday. "I'm going to be back. Trust me." Billups was examined at the Cleveland Clinic and he will return to Los Angeles on Thursday for further evaluation. No date has been set for his surgery. But it is expected that Billups will be sidelined at least eight months while recovering from the injury. "I'll get it taken care of and get back the best way I can. That's exactly what I'm going"
Clippers' Chauncey Billups is out for the season
February 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"An MRI exam Tuesday revealed that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups has a torn left Achilles' tendon. Billups, who was injured in Monday's overtime victory over the Magic in Orlando, Fla., will be out at least eight months, ending his season. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro revealed Billups' status to Times columnist T.J. Simers during a lunch interview. Del Negro had gotten the news from Clippers trainer Jasen Powell by phone. Billups, 35, was a key figure in the Clippers' rise to second place in the NBA's Western Conference this season. He teamed with point guard Chris Paul to form an extremely talented backcourt for the Clippers, who are enjoying one of their most successful starts in"
Clippers win but also suffer a big loss: Chauncey Billups
February 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Clippers guard Chauncey Billups suffered a left Achilles' tendon injury Monday night, and there were concerns within the team it could be ruptured, which would end his season. "It felt like somebody kicked me, man," Billups said after the game as he made his way to the team bus with crutches under both arms and a walking boot on his foot. "I don't know if it's torn, but I know it's not good." There was a hush in the Clippers' locker room after their 107-102 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Chris Paul fought back tears when asked what Billups has meant to the team. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro kept shaking his head, repeatedly saying how bad he felt for Billups and"
Veteran Chauncey Billups is keeping up with young Clippers
February 2
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Dwyre
"With his name, Chauncey Billups should be leading Parliament, not fastbreaks. It turns out there is no mystery to the very British-sounding label placed on him at birth. "My mom just liked the sound of it," he says. Clippers fans do too. This is already the season of their dreams, with continuing fulfillment appearing likely."
Chauncey Billups still acts like a winner
January 30
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"The Nuggets needed a miracle in the final seconds Sunday night. But Chauncey Billups was playing for the other team. And Tim Tebow was sitting in the front row. Billups, Mr. Big Shot, wouldn't help the Nuggets in his comeback, and Mr. Big Play, Tebow, couldn't help the Nuggets come back. In his return home, Chauncey flopped. Literally. He should have majored in theater at George Washington High School. With time running down, the Nuggets, trailing the Clippers by two, got what seemed like the ideal situation — the 6-foot-11 Nene guarded by Billups, 8 inches shorter. The two old friends and new foes were isolated about 15 feet from the basket."
Clippers' Chauncey Billups gets warm welcome in Denver
January 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chauncey Billups was back home, back where he went to high school, in the same state where he went to college, at the University of Colorado, back facing the Denver Nuggets team that traded him twice. And he put on a show, scoring a season-high 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting, six for 12 from three-point range. Billups was a part of the Carmelo Anthony trade that sent them to the New York Knicks on Feb. 22, 2011, a deal that the 15-year veteran wasn't too happy about."
Chauncey Billups has reached out to Kenyon Martin
January 29
Los Angeles Times
 
"Kenyon Martin to the Clippers? Chauncey Billups would like to see that happen. In fact, the Clippers' veteran guard said Saturday that he has reached out to the free-agent forward, a former teammate of his in Denver, about signing with the Clippers. What are Martin's thoughts about doing so? "I'll let him tell y'all that," Billups said with a smile. Asked about reports that the Clippers are one of a handful of teams that have contacted Martin, Coach Vinny Del Negro declined to go into specifics. "Kenyon is an experienced guy that knows how to play, can play some [power forward], play some [center]," Del Negro said. "He brings a lot of athleticism …" Del Negro neither confirmed nor denied"
Chauncey Billups is the big shot in Clippers' 101-91 win
January 17
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Clippers were short-handed Monday, playing without maestro point guard Chris Paul and key reserve Mo Williams. They were playing the first in a series of back-to-back-to-back games, and the first of five games in seven days, knowing this was a taxing part of their schedule. So what do the Clippers do? They bolted out to an early 18-point lead against the lowly New Jersey Nets, only to see it sliced until it was a tie game in the fourth quarter, and relied on Chauncey Billups to deliver the big shot for the 101-91 victory Monday at Staples Center."
Clippers' Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups could be Olympic candidates
January 9
Los Angeles Times
 
"Is it possible that the Clippers could have three players on the U.S. Olympic basketball team? Well, yes, it's possible that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups all could represent the United States in the Olympics in London this summer. Paul said he has been in contact with Jerry Colangelo, director of USA Basketball, and that he hopes to be on the Olympic basketball team for the second time. Griffin said he was told by his agent that Colangelo wanted to speak with him about being a candidate to try out for the team. Griffin said he planned to call Colangelo this week to express his interest."
Chauncey Billups says he's ready
January 3
ESPN.com
 
"Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, who has missed the last two games with a strained right groin, practiced with the team for the second day in a row and said he would be in the starting lineup Wednesday night when the Clippers play the Houston Rockets. "I'm playing," Billups said. "I did it all; I did everything (in practice). I'm fine." Billups strained his right groin during practice last Thursday after the Clippers' game against the San Antonio Spurs and has missed the Clippers last two games against the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers."
Chauncey Billups too sore to play against Bulls
December 31
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chauncey Billups put his right thumb down when asked whether he was playing Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, his sore right groin too painful for the 35-year-old guard to play in the Clippers' home opener at Staples Center on Friday night. When the players were introduced, Billups limped onto the court wearing a suit. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said Billups "tweaked" his groin during the San Antonio game Wednesday night. Del Negro said Billups didn't practice much Thursday. Billups played in the first two games, averaging 16 points. "We want to be smart about it," Del Negro said. "It's a long season. We're just starting this. "We'd love to have him out there, but we have to be"
Billups sees Clippers as strange fit
December 25
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Chauncey Billups is expected to start at shooting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas night, and if you would have told him that two weeks ago, he wouldn't have been happy. Never mind that he gets the chance to play with All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Put on amnesty waivers by the New York Knicks, Billups warned teams not to claim him. His preference was to become a free agent and sign with either the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers ignored Billups' demands and claimed him anyway. The next day, they traded for Paul – another point guard – which angered Billups even more. "My whole thing was if they were pursuing C.P., why would they get in my way?""
Chauncey Billups says he's 'all in' with Clippers
December 17
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chauncey Billups, in a clear, baritone voice, assured the Clippers and their fans that he was no longer uncertain of where he wanted to play. "I'm all in," Billups said Friday at a news conference at the team's practice facility. Billups admitted he underwent some soul-searching before he came to grips with the fact that the Clippers would be his new home. He had been troubled by how New York treated him, how the Knicks used the new "amnesty" provision to waive the 35-year-old guard. He had been equally dismayed at the Clippers for placing a bid of a little more than $2 million in the waiver auction Monday to acquire him. Billups had threatened to retire if a team he didn't want to play"
Free-agent buzz: Clippers claim Billups
December 12
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Los Angeles Clippers claimed Chauncey Billups off amnesty waivers, just hours after they backed out of trade talks with the NBA for New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Billups, 35, gives the young Clippers another veteran leader. The team also signed forward Caron Butler to a three-year, $24 million contract in free agency. The New York Knicks had used their amnesty clause on Billups to clear salary-cap room to acquire Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler. Under terms of the league's amnesty police, any team under the salary cap can put bid on Billups. The bid will offset part of the $14.2 million the Knicks owe Billups in the final year of his"
Billups warns teams not to claim him off waivers
December 10
Yahoo! Sports
 
"As Chauncey Billups prepares to have his name entered into the NBA's amnesty waiver wire, he has a message for teams considering putting in a bid to secure him for the rest of the season: You'll regret it. He wants the freedom of free agency to choose a contender, Billups says. As one of the game's great leaders, and gentlemen, Billups warns that player will be a distant memory should a team claim him off the amnesty waiver wire. "I' m tired of being the good guy," Billups told Yahoo! Sports by phone on Saturday afternoon. "I'm tired of being viewed as the guy. After a while, you just kind of get taken advantage of in these situations. I've been known as a leader, and I am a leader, but a"
Rattled by Trade Rumor, Billups Wants to Stay Put
December 3
New York Times
 
"Chauncey Billups was yanked from his hometown and dropped into New York in February because of a superstar's discontent. Now another superstar's wanderlust could send him packing again. Ten months ago, it was Carmelo Anthony who spurred the relocation by forcing the Denver Nuggets into a blockbuster deal that sent Anthony and Billups to the Knicks. Now it is Chris Paul, the disenchanted New Orleans Hornets star, who is reportedly agitating for a trade to New York, at Billups's expense. Although a deal is only a remote possibility, it would surely involve Billups, who plays the same position (point guard) and who is one of the Knicks' few valued assets. "It wouldn't make me happy," Billups"
Knicks' 'Melo, Billups file lawsuit
November 16
New York Post
 
"It's Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups vs. the NBA. Attorneys for the locked-out players filed a 25-page federal anti-trust lawsuit last night in California setting off commissioner David Stern's worst nightmare. Star lead attorney David Boies ripped Stern last night in the Harlem offices of the disbanded union for "overplaying his hand'' and said he hopes the NBA will come to its senses and he won't have to "litigate this out.'' "There is one reason and one reason only the season is in jeopardy,'' Boies said. "The owners locked out the players.''"
Knicks' Billups says veterans willing to sacrifice season
November 4
New York Post
 
"Knicks guard Chauncey Billups has 14 million reasons for the NBA season to start. He says he's willing to give them all up. Billups told ESPN Radio he would endure the NBA lockout in order to ensure a fair collective bargaining agreement, even if that means sacrificing the entire season and his $14 million salary. "I could see a lot of players willing to do it," Billups said."
Is former Piston Chauncey Billups a Hall of Famer?
August 15
Detroit Free Press
 
"Former Piston Dennis Rodman was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Many consider this a "win" for role players and guys with resumes that wouldn't make them automatic for the Hall. Another ex-Piston may fit into that category. The 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, who got a community service award from the Hall of Fame last week, could be an interesting candidate when its time to vote. Yahoo!Sports' Marc Spears delved into this subject recently. He spoke with Hall of Fame president and CEO John L. Doleva, who doesn't think Billups makes a compelling case for enshrinement. "The body of work is very important," Doleva said. "To think that the voters just look at a"
Billups' goal: Prove he still can be productive
August 12
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups was walking without a limp last night at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, looking chipper as he accepted the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award. Billups also received a warm handshake from commissioner David Stern during the pre-dinner cocktail hour. Billups, whose left knee injury in Game 1 of the first-round series vs. the Celtics was a killer blow to the Knicks, might one day make it to Springfield for his basketball exploits. But for now, Billups, still not 100 percent, is just trying to prove he can be a productive, healthy, floor general for the Knicks in 2011-12, if the lockout does not cancel the season. "I think I got a lot to offer my team when the season"
Chauncey Billups: Mavericks like '04 Pistons
July 11
Detroit Free Press
 
"When Chauncey Billups was watching the NBA Finals, he might as well have been checking out a 2004 highlight video. Team beats talent. That's how many dubbed Dallas' triumph over star-studded Miami and how many saw Detroit's 2004 triumph over the Lakers, who featured Hall of Fame-bound Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton."
Lockout could be particularly harmful to veterans Amar'e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups
July 3
New York Daily News
 
"It was one year ago today that James Dolan was trying to convince LeBron James to sign with the Knicks. Today, Dolan is wondering when his team will get a chance to compete against LeBron again. The NBA lockout has every player, coach and team in limbo. There is no telling when or if basketball will be played again next season. I get the sense that once players begin missing paychecks – the first will be Nov. 15 – then things will get seriously again. I don't think the players have the will power to sit out an entire season. A repeat of 1999, when the season was just 50 games, is a strong possibility. And that wouldn't necessarily be such a good thing for the Knicks. The 50-game"
Billups' knee fine after MRI, upping his trade value
June 15
Bleacher Report
 
"According to Newsday's Knicks Beat Writer Alan Hahn, Chauncey Billups' knee is fine. A recent MRI showed no further damage. Not only is that good news for Chauncey Billups, that's also good news for the Knicks. Well, maybe I didn't have to tell you that, but the reason why it's good news is because Billups' trade value just got a lot better now that he can start training for the season right away. The Knicks are trying to put together their own Big Three and Chris Paul or Deron Williams is expected to join Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire next summer if they don't pull off a trade for them this upcoming year. Just as a dream scenario for the Knicks, imagine they don't have to trade"
Billups to undergoe MRI on left knee this week
May 31
Newsday
 (scroll down)
"Chauncey Billups is expected to have an MRI this week on his left knee, which he initially injured (strained tendon) in the second-to-last regular season game and then reinjured late in Game 1 of the first round playoff series against the Celtics. Billups had an MRI during the series, which confirmed the tendon injury."
Chauncey Billups to have another MRI
May 19
ESPN.com
 
"It's been exactly one month and a day since Chauncey Billups strained his left knee in Game 1 of the New York Knicks' first-round series against the Celtics, but he's still not feeling 100 percent. "I can't get on the court and really like grind, grind," said Billups, whose injury came while driving to the lane with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, and the score tied at 82. "I'm still not ready to do that, but I'm getting better though. At this point, I'm just kind of taking it easy, man.""
Chauncey Billups staying with the Knicks
April 28
Bergen Record
 
"The cost is high, but the alternatives were low, so Chauncey Billups will return to the Knicks. The 34-year-old point guard, plagued by injuries during his two months with the team, had his $14.2 million option for next season picked up Wednesday. That puts the Knicks over the current salary cap (almost certain to be altered by the upcoming labor agreement). It also means the Knicks have almost $51 million invested in three players next season, with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire both due to earn more than $18 million. But they now have a bridge to the summer of 2012, when point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams could become free agents. And if one hits the trade market next"
Knicks bring Billups back for $14.2 million
April 28
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups is back in the fold for the Knicks next season, but there is no guarantee he will finish the year with them. Yesterday's decision not to buy out Billups, despite his nightmarish, injury-wrecked playoffs, is a no-brainer on several levels. Billups' trade value could be significant next season if the Hornets put pending free agent Chris Paul on the block at the trade deadline or the Magic try to trade Dwight Howard before he reaches free agency next summer. The Knicks have a paltry amount of trade chips as it is. Billups will make $14.2 million next season, an expiring contract for a player still considered among the top 10 point guards in the NBA. In another scenario that"
Knicks pick up Chauncey Billups' $14.2 million option
April 28
New York Daily News
 
"The Knicks decision to retain Chauncey Billups at a steep price could be an indication that Donnie Walsh is starting to regain his power within the organization. Walsh, who is in talks with Garden chairman James Dolan about a contract extension, announced Wednesday that the club is picking up the option year on Billups' deal, worth $14.2 million. The Knicks had until Friday to decide whether to keep Billups or buy out his contract for approximately $4 million. The Daily News reported in February that Billups had received a verbal guarantee from the organization that it would keep him. "We have made a decision to keep Chauncey Billups for the upcoming 2011-12 season," Walsh, the Knicks"
Knicks will pick up option on Chauncey Billups; guard to return next season
April 27
New York Daily News
 
"The Knicks are bringing back Chauncey Billups. The Daily News has learned that the Knicks agreed Wednesday to pick up the one-year, $14.2 million option on the veteran point guard's deal. An official announcement is expected to be made sometime Wednesday afternoon. "We have made a decision to keep Chauncey Billups for the upcoming 2011-12 season," Knicks team president Donnie Walsh said in a statement. "Chauncey, Amar'e and Carmelo are a great nucleus, as we continue to look to improve our team going into the off-season. Chauncey is an extremely talented and experienced point guard - we are very happy to have him back." Billups' contract called for the Knicks to decide on his future within"
Knicks' Chauncey Billups is a wanted man
April 27
Bergen Record
 
"Amar'e Stoudemire was the first to endorse Chauncey Billups' return. Then Carmelo Anthony did, too, saying, "I'll be sad" if Billups isn't back. When the two faces of the Knicks' franchise – and the only members of the current team sure to return – say they want you back, that's a good sign Billups will be in New York next season. The Knicks' point-guard play in the last three games of the Celtics' sweep was another sign that they can't let Billups walk away. The Knicks have until Friday to pick up Billups' $14.2 million option for next season, or they owe him $3.7 million. Billups, 34, wants to stay, and made a case for why this team needs him running the point. "Quite frankly, I think"
Easy choice to keep Billups
April 26
New York Post
 columnist Peter Vecsey
"Logic decrees the vital judgments facing the Knicks by Friday regarding Chauncey Billups' 2011-12 salary option and whether to keep Mike D'Antoni on retainer for the final guaranteed year of his contract are Donnie Walsh's to make, if not entirely alone. If not, should the team president, whose bequeathed-by-James Dolan-autonomy upon arrival in New York three years ago was long since exposed as a crying sham, is told in the next few days he does not have the right to execute these verdicts, then that summarily settles his undecided situation. That would be an unequivocal vote of no-confidence. Meaning Walsh could not possibly accept remaining with the Knicks even should Dolan choose to"
Unfulfilled Billups eager for Knicks to take next step
April 26
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups is unsatisfied with how the Knicks' season ended. Not making it past the first round? Not coming close to a championship? That doesn't fulfill him. "Just getting swept in the first round, I don't do this. This is not fine with me," Billups said yesterday. "I don't come into the season saying, 'Man, I just want to make the playoffs.' I don't know when's the last time I thought like that. I go into the season saying, 'All right, so how are we going to win it? How are we going to win it?' "And obviously we've got to get a lot better before I can feel that way." It's a significant statement from Billups, who has excellent credibility, having been to 11 straight postseasons and"
Knicks must not drop guard
April 26
New York Daily News
 columnist Mitch Lawrence
"Memo to Melo and Amar'e: Fellas, you have it the other way around. You got swept. But if you listened to Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire Monday, you would have thought they had just swept Boston's Big Three and were gearing up for LeBron James and the Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs. You would also think that the Knicks were one minor tweaking away from bringing home the team's first title since 1973. "I think the time is near," Stoudemire said at clearout day in Greenburgh, a day after Boston closed out the Knicks with two easy wins at the Garden. "We're close. I can feel it. The franchise can feel it." Most teams would be feeling nothing but pain and agony the day"
Source: Donnie Walsh wants Chauncey Billups to remain with Knicks despite inflated price tag
April 26
New York Daily News
 
"Chauncey Billups wants his $14 million and the chance to run the Knicks for a full season, probably in that order. Amar'e Stoudemire endorsed the return of both Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni, while Carmelo Anthony sounded like he won't lose sleep worrying about the head coach. Monday, the Knicks entered the offseason the same way they began the previous nine: with zero playoff wins and an abundance of questions. Few answers were provided Monday as the Knicks made only three players - Stoudemire, Anthony and Billups - available to the media. The person with all the answers, Garden chairman James Dolan, was nowhere to be found Monday but he holds the key to the future. "WWJDD" or What Will"
Billups hoping to get second 'Chaunce'
April 25
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups is anxious to experience being part of the Knicks -- and seeing what they can do -- for a full season. Billups, who missed the final three-plus games of the Celtics series with a strained tendon in his left knee, said yesterday he hopes the Knicks pick up his $14 million option for next season. The veteran point guard also declared his 34-year-old body is still in superb condition. "Yeah, sure," Billups said when asked if he wanted to be back. "I would love the opportunity to really try it up with these guys and not, like, play 30 games after a trade. Like, really have a season. Have an opportunity to really get a fair shake with these guys. I would love to." With their"
Chauncey Billups may be done for series
April 23
Bergen Record
 
"Chauncey Billups knew Friday morning he couldn't go in Game 3, and not only doesn't know if he can play in Sunday's Game 4, but isn't certain he can return from his left knee injury however long the series goes. "I think it's maybe a chance, but I don't know that to be 100 percent true," he said before Friday's game. "I'm just praying for a miracle." Billups said he's still "hopeful" the cortisone shot kicks in that he got Wednesday when he also underwent an MRI that revealed a strained tendon in the knee he injured in Game 1. For now, he said: "I can't really load on it, can't push off, can't really jump. Walking around I'm fine now. But as you see in this series, there's not a lot of"
Billups remains on shelf
April 23
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups didn't play last night for the Knicks, and his availability for tomorrow's do-or-die Game 4 is in doubt, too. "Obviously if it was close, I would play," Billups said before the Knicks lost, 113-96, at the Garden last night to fall into a 3-0 hole to the Celtics in their first-round playoff series. Billups missed his second straight playoff game because of a strained tendon in his left knee. The veteran point guard wouldn't venture a guess on his odds to play tomorrow, and he couldn't promise he would be able to return even if the series went to seven games. "I think there's maybe a chance, but I don't know that to be 100 percent sure and true," Billups said. "But I can"
Knicks' Chauncey Billups still injured, chances of playing in Game 4 vs. Celtics at Garden very slim
April 23
New York Daily News
 
"Chauncey Billups is "praying for a miracle" that he'll be healthy enough to play again in the series. Billups, who missed his second straight game Friday night with a strained left knee, did not sound optimistic that he'll be ready in time for Game 4 Sunday. If the best-of-seven series goes the distance, Game 7 will be played a week from Sunday in Boston. Asked if that would be enough time for him to return, Billups said, "I think it's maybe a chance. But I don't know that to be 100% true. I'll just go day to day and hopefully the cortisone hasn't kicked in yet. But that's just me. I'm praying for a miracle." Billups had blood drained from his knee on Thursday and has not been able to run"
Stoudemire expected to start vs. Celtics, but Billups unlikely to play
April 22
New York Daily News
 
"Amar'e Stoudemire is expected to be in the starting lineup Friday night when the Knicks face the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their first round series. "I think he feels a lot better, naturally, right now," D'Antoni said. "He's in the pool. It's good, not to say it's perfect ... game time decision." Stoudemire, who suffering from a pulled back muscle, was with the team at its training facility Friday morning in Westchester."
Soreness lingers in Billups' knee
April 22
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups' left knee was improving but still sore yesterday, and the Knicks point guard doesn't know if he will be able to suit up tonight. "It's sore. [Wednesday's cortisone shot] made it probably a little sorer, more sore [than yesterday]. But that was to be expected," Billups said. "Hopefully, in the best-case scenario, it'll calm down [today]." Billups has a strained tendon in the knee, and the 34-year-old veteran hasn't played since the final minute of Game 1. Mike D'Antoni said he is "less optimistic" about Billups playing tonight than he is Amar'e Stoudemire, who is dealing with back woes. Billups said the issue surrounds both pain tolerance and the knee restricting the way"
Stoudemire, Billups in doubt
April 22
Boston Globe
 
"Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is an eternal optimist — almost to a fault, he acknowledges. Despite being down, two games to none, to the Celtics in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, D'Antoni says his team isn't panicking. They're actually entering tonight's game as confident as can be, even though they may be down two stars. "We're disappointed, but we're confident we can still get the job done,'' said D'Antoni. "We're definitely not having our heads down or whatever.'' D'Antoni is confident, even though the availability of Amar'e Stoudemire (back spasms) and Chauncey Billups (strained knee) is in question. "We think we can get the job done, no matter what,'' said the"
Injured Knicks point guard Chauncey Billups gets cortisone shot, aims to play Game 3 vs. Celtics
April 22
New York Daily News
 
"Chauncey Billups is doing everything in his power to play again in the series, sooner than later. The Daily News has learned that Billups, who missed Tuesday's Game 2 against Boston with a strained left knee, had fluid removed from his knee and received a cortisone shot in an attempt to play in Game 3 tomorrow. The Knicks are calling Billups questionable and privately feel he will need at least one week to recover from the injury he sustained in the final two minutes of Sunday's Game 1 loss. "He's doing everything he can to get back out there," a Knicks official said. "This is killing him. He feels they would have won both games if he was out there at the end." An MRI of Billups' left knee"
Stoudemire and Billups don't practice for Knicks
April 21
ESPN.com
 
"Amare Stoudemire missed practice Thursday and stayed home to receive treatment on his ailing back, which forced him to miss the second half of Game 2 in the New York Knicks-Boston Celtics Eastern Conference playoff series. The Knicks are now describing Stoudemire's ailment as a pulled muscle in his back, and he is listed as day to day. Chauncey Billups, who missed Game 2 with a strained left knee, attended practice Thursday but did not participate. He was listed as questionable for Game 3 of the first-round series Friday night, the first Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden in seven years."
Injuries leave rotation questions
April 21
New York Post
 
"It's unknown if either Amar'e Stoudemire or Chauncey Billups will return for Game 3 tomorrow, which means the Knicks could face rotation issues. In the Knicks' 96-93 Game 2 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, they played without Anthony or Stoudemire for the final 27:22. So coach Mike D'Antoni has a sample of how the Knicks looked and played without Stoudemire and Billups. The question is whether he will change his usage rotation for Game 3."
With Chauncey Billups, Amar'e Stoudemire injured, Knicks win over Celtics would have been a miracle
April 20
New York Daily News
 columnist Mitch Lawrence
"When this remarkable night was over at the new Boston Garden, Amar'e Stoudemire couldn't bend down and put on his pants. The Knicks star needed a ballboy to help him get dressed, as his grunts and groans could be heard nearby in a devastated locker room. Across the room there was Jared Jeffries, admitting that he should have shot the ball instead of throwing a dumb pass for a turnover in the final seconds that secured the Celtics' 96-93 victory. Around the corner from Jeffries was Toney Douglas, explaining what everyone saw, that he and no other Knick could stay in front of Rajon Rondo. Yes, the Knicks are in big trouble now and not just because they're down 2-0 to a veteran Celtic team"
Billups to undergo MRI exam on strained left knee
April 20
New York Post
 
"Chauncey Billups, who missed last night's Game 2 thriller to the Celtics with a strained left knee and said before tip-off he would have an MRI exam today in New York. Billups, 34, has not been ruled out of Game 3 Friday in New York, but it does not look very promising, as he was still hobbling in the locker room. "I don't know. I'll find out more [today]," Billups told The Post after the game. "Of course I'm concerned. It's feeling better today as far as walking and stuff. Hopefully it will continue to get better." And if he does return during the series, it would seem highly unlikely he will be close to 100 percent. Billups also has a $14 million option for next season that must be"
Billups doubtful for Knicks tonight in Game 2 of playoffs
April 19
Bergen Record
 
"Chauncey Billups is "doubtful" for the Game 2 of the Knicks' playoff series against the Celtics, according to coach Mike D'Antoni _ who with prodding eventually called him "very doubtful." The veteran point guard, who suffered what the team is calling a strained left knee when it buckled as he drove to the basket late in Game 1, did not participate in this morning's pre-game shootaround. He also did not speak to reporters, but was undergoing treatment while his teammates practiced. D'Antoni said he believes Billups could still play in Game 3 Friday night at Madison Square Garden."