duncan228
11-18-2008, 01:09 AM
Denver's No. 7: Billups as Elway (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Denvers_No_7_Billups_as_Elway.html)
Mike Monroe
When Chauncey Billups finally arrived in Denver after the trade that reunited him with the Nuggets, the No. 1 he had worn for 61/2 seasons in Detroit already was in use.
J.R. Smith, who figures to benefit tremendously from Billups' move from Detroit to Denver, took No. 1 when the Bulls traded him to Denver in the summer of 2006.
Billups had an easy alternative. He grew up in Denver's diverse Park Hill neighborhood, where his athletic joys were dominating the best pick-up games in town before he had become a teenager and cheering for the Broncos.
During Billups' formative years, John Elway was in his prime as the Broncos' quarterback, and now you know why Billups will wear No. 7 when the Nuggets play the Spurs on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center. It is the most revered number in Denver pro sports history.
It is Billups' job now to run the Nuggets the same way
Elway once quarterbacked the Broncos: forcefully and physically.
If he can emulate what Elway did for the Broncos, the Nuggets will have to put Billups' number in their ring of fame, just as the Broncos have done with Elway's.
Thus far, he is doing it well. If Spurs rookie George Hill wants to know what a 6-foot-3 point guard with long arms can become, he should pay attention to everything Billups does when he goes up against him for the first time.
The NBA on Monday named Billups the Western Conference Player of the Week. This was no big deal for Mr. Big Shot, except that it was. He'd won the award three times, but never as a member of a Western team.
He thought his hometown would be his permanent place in the NBA when the Raptors traded him to the Nuggets in 1999, and he didn't want to leave when they sent him to Orlando a year later.
Billups wanted to show his new fans he appreciated being home. Monday's honor proved it. He wants Denver to be his last NBA stop.
“Without a doubt, that's a fair thing to say,” Billups said. “I would love that, and hopefully, end it up strong.”
If it does end strong, it will be because Billups was the piece the Nuggets lacked. But an NBA Finals MVP is wise enough to guard against unreasonable expectations.
“I don't know if I'm the final piece, but I think I can be a huge one. You've seen great teams there (in San Antonio), and I know what greatness is, too, and what good is. So I don't think I'm a final piece, but a big one to speed up the process.”
Since he first suited up for the Nuggets, Denver is 4-1 and looking like a team no Western foe will want to meet in April. Carmelo Anthony has won more regular-season games than LeBron James since the two came into the league, hyped as a latter-day Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. James, though, has 26 playoff wins since joining the Cavaliers; Anthony only four.
Now that Billups is setting things up for the Nuggets, Anthony finally has a shot at postseason success.
Billups chose Elway's No. 7 as his new number, but he would have chosen No. 25 if Anthony Carter hadn't already had that one, too. Billups' cousin, LenDale White, wears 25 for the undefeated Tennessee Titans.
And who is having the better season thus far?
“That's easy,” Billups said. “LenDale's undefeated.”
The two talk each week, and Billups, the Broncos fan that he is, easily admits that should his hometown team meet the Titans in an AFC playoff game, his support will be with White.
“Family's always first,” he said. “But it wouldn't hurt my feelings if it went the other way.”
Mike Monroe
When Chauncey Billups finally arrived in Denver after the trade that reunited him with the Nuggets, the No. 1 he had worn for 61/2 seasons in Detroit already was in use.
J.R. Smith, who figures to benefit tremendously from Billups' move from Detroit to Denver, took No. 1 when the Bulls traded him to Denver in the summer of 2006.
Billups had an easy alternative. He grew up in Denver's diverse Park Hill neighborhood, where his athletic joys were dominating the best pick-up games in town before he had become a teenager and cheering for the Broncos.
During Billups' formative years, John Elway was in his prime as the Broncos' quarterback, and now you know why Billups will wear No. 7 when the Nuggets play the Spurs on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center. It is the most revered number in Denver pro sports history.
It is Billups' job now to run the Nuggets the same way
Elway once quarterbacked the Broncos: forcefully and physically.
If he can emulate what Elway did for the Broncos, the Nuggets will have to put Billups' number in their ring of fame, just as the Broncos have done with Elway's.
Thus far, he is doing it well. If Spurs rookie George Hill wants to know what a 6-foot-3 point guard with long arms can become, he should pay attention to everything Billups does when he goes up against him for the first time.
The NBA on Monday named Billups the Western Conference Player of the Week. This was no big deal for Mr. Big Shot, except that it was. He'd won the award three times, but never as a member of a Western team.
He thought his hometown would be his permanent place in the NBA when the Raptors traded him to the Nuggets in 1999, and he didn't want to leave when they sent him to Orlando a year later.
Billups wanted to show his new fans he appreciated being home. Monday's honor proved it. He wants Denver to be his last NBA stop.
“Without a doubt, that's a fair thing to say,” Billups said. “I would love that, and hopefully, end it up strong.”
If it does end strong, it will be because Billups was the piece the Nuggets lacked. But an NBA Finals MVP is wise enough to guard against unreasonable expectations.
“I don't know if I'm the final piece, but I think I can be a huge one. You've seen great teams there (in San Antonio), and I know what greatness is, too, and what good is. So I don't think I'm a final piece, but a big one to speed up the process.”
Since he first suited up for the Nuggets, Denver is 4-1 and looking like a team no Western foe will want to meet in April. Carmelo Anthony has won more regular-season games than LeBron James since the two came into the league, hyped as a latter-day Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. James, though, has 26 playoff wins since joining the Cavaliers; Anthony only four.
Now that Billups is setting things up for the Nuggets, Anthony finally has a shot at postseason success.
Billups chose Elway's No. 7 as his new number, but he would have chosen No. 25 if Anthony Carter hadn't already had that one, too. Billups' cousin, LenDale White, wears 25 for the undefeated Tennessee Titans.
And who is having the better season thus far?
“That's easy,” Billups said. “LenDale's undefeated.”
The two talk each week, and Billups, the Broncos fan that he is, easily admits that should his hometown team meet the Titans in an AFC playoff game, his support will be with White.
“Family's always first,” he said. “But it wouldn't hurt my feelings if it went the other way.”