duncan228
11-24-2009, 01:45 PM
Chauncey Billups Q&A: Continuity Helps Make Nuggets a Title Contender (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-chaunceybillupsqampa&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
When Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver a year ago, he helped transform the team into a contender, eventually reaching the conference finals. Now, the Nuggets have much of the same group back, and for Billups, that means another deep playoff run is expected. Sporting News’ Sean Deveney caught up with Billups to talk about this season, Carmelo Anthony and the importance of getting to the free throw line.
Sporting News: Where do you see your team at this point, in relation to last year?
Chauncey Billups: I think we got a really good team. If we can win the games when we don’t play great, that is what is going to separate us. That’s big in the NBA. There are nights when we come out great and we are playing great and we can beat anybody. All teams have those nights, when everything is going right. But squeaking it out on the nights when you are not playing your "A" game, that is what makes a really good team. We can do that.
SN: You got to the West finals last year. How do you make sure the team doesn’t get complacent? How do you make sure they look at a year as 82 games and not focus on the playoff run you had last year?
CB: That makes a big difference. I was just talking about that with some of the guys, how you have to look at it as, all right, we are playing well, but we have to find a thing to work on—pick-and-roll defense or transition, all of that. And once we get that, we have to find another thing to work on. You have to look at a season as a chance to get better, night by night. It’s not automatic that we’re going to be good because we were good last year.
SN: Do you consider this a championship contender?
CB: Yes. I know a lot of people are talking about other teams and other moves that teams made, but we’ve got a year together now under our belt and that is going to make a big difference. And when it comes down to the playoffs and all of that, there is a lot of luck involved, who is injured, stuff like that. Some of it is just going to be, who gets the luck at the end of the year?
SN: There are a lot of good young point guards in the league now. You had a couple of matchups, earlier in the year, against two of the better young point guards, Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings. What was your impression of them?
CB: Rose is so quick, and he is such a good passer, you can look at him and see that despite his age, he knows how to run a team. You know he is in charge out there. Jennings, too, I like his game. You can see that he is going to be a really, really good point guard in this league. He is very shifty, he moves very well. And him and Derrick both have a toughness around them that is impressive.
SN: How about the young guy on your team, Ty Lawson?
CB: Very mature, and very talented. He was a steal in the draft. He has already been big for us.
SN: One of the things you do especially well is draw fouls and get to the line. How did you develop a knack for that?
CB: Well, it’s not like I try to get to the line. I just try to be aggressive and get layups. I don’t like to settle. If you are going to get layups, you’ve got to go to the rim. Obviously that is going to put pressure on defenses.
SN: Why do you suppose more guys don’t do that?
CB: I don’t know. I mean, one thing about it is being smart. Knowing the rules, knowing when you’re in the bonus, knowing your defender. It does surprise me that more guys don’t take advantage of that. I know how to attack, how to get the bigs to step out and foul. It’s experience.
SN: What do you make of the way Carmelo Anthony has started the season?
CB: Melo has played like an MVP, on every level this year. It’s great to see. He can score, but he is taking a responsibility for the team, too. He is showing that he is a natural-born leader.
SportingNews
When Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver a year ago, he helped transform the team into a contender, eventually reaching the conference finals. Now, the Nuggets have much of the same group back, and for Billups, that means another deep playoff run is expected. Sporting News’ Sean Deveney caught up with Billups to talk about this season, Carmelo Anthony and the importance of getting to the free throw line.
Sporting News: Where do you see your team at this point, in relation to last year?
Chauncey Billups: I think we got a really good team. If we can win the games when we don’t play great, that is what is going to separate us. That’s big in the NBA. There are nights when we come out great and we are playing great and we can beat anybody. All teams have those nights, when everything is going right. But squeaking it out on the nights when you are not playing your "A" game, that is what makes a really good team. We can do that.
SN: You got to the West finals last year. How do you make sure the team doesn’t get complacent? How do you make sure they look at a year as 82 games and not focus on the playoff run you had last year?
CB: That makes a big difference. I was just talking about that with some of the guys, how you have to look at it as, all right, we are playing well, but we have to find a thing to work on—pick-and-roll defense or transition, all of that. And once we get that, we have to find another thing to work on. You have to look at a season as a chance to get better, night by night. It’s not automatic that we’re going to be good because we were good last year.
SN: Do you consider this a championship contender?
CB: Yes. I know a lot of people are talking about other teams and other moves that teams made, but we’ve got a year together now under our belt and that is going to make a big difference. And when it comes down to the playoffs and all of that, there is a lot of luck involved, who is injured, stuff like that. Some of it is just going to be, who gets the luck at the end of the year?
SN: There are a lot of good young point guards in the league now. You had a couple of matchups, earlier in the year, against two of the better young point guards, Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings. What was your impression of them?
CB: Rose is so quick, and he is such a good passer, you can look at him and see that despite his age, he knows how to run a team. You know he is in charge out there. Jennings, too, I like his game. You can see that he is going to be a really, really good point guard in this league. He is very shifty, he moves very well. And him and Derrick both have a toughness around them that is impressive.
SN: How about the young guy on your team, Ty Lawson?
CB: Very mature, and very talented. He was a steal in the draft. He has already been big for us.
SN: One of the things you do especially well is draw fouls and get to the line. How did you develop a knack for that?
CB: Well, it’s not like I try to get to the line. I just try to be aggressive and get layups. I don’t like to settle. If you are going to get layups, you’ve got to go to the rim. Obviously that is going to put pressure on defenses.
SN: Why do you suppose more guys don’t do that?
CB: I don’t know. I mean, one thing about it is being smart. Knowing the rules, knowing when you’re in the bonus, knowing your defender. It does surprise me that more guys don’t take advantage of that. I know how to attack, how to get the bigs to step out and foul. It’s experience.
SN: What do you make of the way Carmelo Anthony has started the season?
CB: Melo has played like an MVP, on every level this year. It’s great to see. He can score, but he is taking a responsibility for the team, too. He is showing that he is a natural-born leader.