NBA Update: Chauncey Billups to stay in New York
The New York Knicks revealed to reporters on Wednesday that they have decided to retain the services of veteran point guard Chauncey Billups for the coming year.
Chauncey was part of the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks halfway through the season. Viewed as a leader on the court and an inspirational
player, the Knicks have decided that Chauncey is a vital component and his experience would be invaluable in building a side that can compete for the NBA world championship, next season.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh reaffirmed franchise’s trust in the player, "Chauncey is an extremely talented and experienced point guard - we are very happy to have
him back."
The aging point guard will be 35 in September, leading to rumors that New York would waive him off for $3.7 million rather than keep him. Chauncey will now earn $14.2
million in the next year.
The five time All-Star looked upbeat about next season and indicated that he would be looking to reduce his weight from 215 to 210 next season in order to stay fit
and be comfortable in the up tempo game that New York have played under coach Mike D’Antoni.
He dismissed concerns about his age, "My body has been great," Billups said. "I'm 34, not 39. My first five years I didn't play that much anyway, unfortunately, but
my body is fine."
Billups has averaged 17.5 points per game since being traded from the Nuggets. He proved to be a clutch performer and hit big shots down the stretch in many crucial
games for the Knicks as the season closed. In fact, many experts of the game believe that his injury in the first game greatly damaged the Knicks chances in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics. Knicks badly missed Billups in that series and
went on to lose it 4-0.
The veteran guard already has a championship ring under his belt. He was part of the NBA championship winning side in 2004 when the Detroit Pistons knocked down the
mighty Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the finals. Detroit were considered underdogs against the star studded Lakers who had the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton on their side. But it was Billups’ brilliance, which carried the
proverbial ‘bad boys’ of the league to the ultimate milestone. He was consequently crowned as the finals’ MVP.
New York brought him to the franchise with that kind of pedigree and will be hoping he can marshal the Knicks stars to championship glory next season.
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