Chauncey Billups Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Rumors: Griffin, Paul, Young, Williams

May 22nd, 2012 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We already rounded up a series of Tuesday morning Lakers updates, so let's take a look at what's going on with Los Angeles' other team. Here's the latest on the Clippers….

2:35pm:

Although Mo Williams has expressed a preference to pick up his 2012/13 player option and remain in Los Angeles, GM Neil Olshey isn't ready to take that as gospel yet. "Guys say a lot of things right after the season but I’m sure that [agent] Mark Bartelstein hasn’t really explored all his options yet," Olshey told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. "But once those are on the table, Mo will make an informed decision."
The Clippers wouldn't mind adding a two guard with some size, and a floor-spacing power forward, or "stretch four."
Olshey isn't worried about being able to bring in additional talent: "We’ve got trade exceptions, we’ve got one-year contracts, we’ve got draft picks we can move and the most exciting thing is now we’re a destination."
While the Clippers don't figure to have Chauncey Billups' Bird rights, since they claimed him off amnesty waivers, Non-Bird rights will be more than enough if they want to re-sign him — amnesty rules allow the Clips to offer up to 120% total salary, including the amount the Knicks are paying, rather than just 120% of the $2MM+ he's earning in L.A.

NBPA Releases Statement On Bird Rights Issues

May 15th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA players' association, released a statement this evening addressing free agency issues involving J.J. Hickson, Chauncey Billups, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust (via Twitter). All four players are hoping that an arbitrator will allow them to keep valuable rights as they hit free agency this summer.

“Bird and Early Bird rights are among the most valuable rights that players have by a player to select a team through free agency. We will ask the arbitrator to resolve this dispute on an expedited basis and prior to the commencement of free agency."

By allowing these players Bird and Early Bird rights, teams will be able to go above the salary cap to retain their own players. This directly impacts the Trail Blazers (Hickson), Clippers (Billups) and Knicks (Lin and Novak). Hoops Rumors writer Chuck Myron broke down the situation in great detail earlier this week.

Union Seeks Ruling On Bird Rights, Waiver Claims

May 14th, 2012 at 5:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The player's union is challenging the NBA's declaration earlier this year that players who are claimed off waivers lose their Bird rights, Howard Beck of The New York Times reports. The union is seeking an arbitrator's ruling by July 1, which would have significant impact for several free agents and their teams.

If the union is successful with their challenge, it will be easier for many of the teams who claimed players off waivers this year to re-sign their players. The most prominent examples are the Knicks with Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, the Clippers and Chauncey Billups, and the Blazers and J.J. Hickson. All of those players were claimed off waivers this season and are at the end of their contracts. If the union's challenge is successful, the teams will be allowed to retain those players using either Early Bird, in the case of Lin and Novak, or full Bird rights, as with Billups and Hickson. There were an unusually high number of players claimed off waivers this year, but the other four players on that list were either waived for a second time this season without being claimed, or have contracts in place for next year.

The league clarified its interpretation of the rule earlier this year, shortly after Lin became a sensation for the Knicks. It cited a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that said players lose their Bird rights when they're waived, regardless of whether a team claims them. The union contends that because everything else about a player's contract remains intact if he's claimed off waivers, the Bird rights should remain as well. Bird rights are tied to the number of years a player spends with a team. He must have finished at least two seasons with a team to have Early Bird rights and three for full Bird rights. Beck says that the union's case also compares a waiver transfer to a trade, arguing that because Bird rights are retained in trades, when players are sent to another team against their will, the same should be true when they're waived and claimed, also against their will.

The union and the league must select an arbitrator before the matter can proceed. Since, as Beck writes, much of the union's case centers around the spirit of the law, and the league is going off specific language in the CBA, it seems unlikely the arbitrator will rule in the union's favor. Still, it will be interesting to see how the pending case will affect teams as they prepare for the draft, which takes place three days before the date by which the arbitrator has been asked to rule.

Pistons Notes: Knight, Stuckey

February 18th, 2012 at 5:35pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Pistons have won six of their last eight games after starting the season with a 4-20 record. They'll head back home on Sunday looking to make it three in a row against a Celtics squad that sits four games behind the 76ers in the Atlantic Division. Here's a look at some Pistons news before the first of two Saturday night games gets underway:

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brandon Knight became the first rookie to record a 20-point, 10-assist game without a turnover since Steve Francis pulled the feat in 1999 with the Rockets. Knight's effort came Friday evening in a Detroit victory over the Kings. The 20-year-old former Kentucky Wildcat is currently averaging 12.4 PPG and 3.6 APG in his inaugural campaign.
The Pistons hold big hopes for a brighter future thanks to strong guard play from Knight and Rodney Stuckey, writes beat writer David Mayo. While his PPG are down slightly (14.7 as compared to a career-high 16.6 PPG two seasons ago), Mayo suggests Stuckey is more comfortable in sharing the spotlight with Knight and may be beginning to enjoy himself in Detroit. Stuckey's future promise was a major reason why the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets prior to the start of the 2008/2009 season.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Stevenson, Bargnani

February 10th, 2012 at 10:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jeremy Lin's bandwagon is getting mighty crowded after the Harvard grad outscored Kobe Bryant 38-34 in a 92-85 win for the Knicks over the Lakers tonight. HoopsWorld writer Alex Kennedy tweets that the locker room chatter suggests Lin, a restricted free-agent at season's end, could get a contract on par with Wesley Matthews, who inked a five-year, $34MM contract with the Blazers after his impressive rookie season in Utah. But as Brian Cronin of KnickerBlogger.net points out, Lin will be limited to receiving the full mid-level exception. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the mid-level exception is four years, starting at $5MM a year with annual raises of 4.5%.

Notes from elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post delved into the past to reveal how the Nets nearly drafted Bryant in 1996.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni believes Lin and Carmelo Anthony will fit together just fine when Melo returns from injury, reports Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday. The coach believes it will be similar to the way Chauncey Billups and Anthony meshed with both the Nuggets and the Knicks.
The Nets made a $12,000 investment in DeShawn Stevenson's knees. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that the team paid for Stevenson to get the same blood-spinning treatment Kobe Bryant received. Stephenson, who paid for the other half of the $24,000 procedure, says his arthritic knees feel as healthy as they have since 2004. Stephenson also said that Knicks point guard Baron Davis had the same treatment as well.
Brook Lopez, who's been out since training camp with a broken foot, is on his way back for the Nets. He's set to practice this week, Andy Vasquez writes on NorthJersey.com.
James Johnson tells Raptors announcer Matt Devlin that the absense of Andrea Bargnani, who could be out until after the All-Star Break, is affecting the play of the rest of the team. His comments are at the four-minute mark of this video on Raptors.com.

Clippers Looking To Replace The Injured Billups

February 9th, 2012 at 6:21pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Eric Pincus of Hoopsworld.com reports the Los Angeles Clippers are looking to replaced injured guard Chauncey Billups, who is out for the season with a torn achilles tendon.

"Billups, more so than point guard Chris Paul, has that crucial championship experience that the Clippers will need as they head into what could be an unprecedented postseason run. The Clippers will be able to replace Chauncey’s production, to an extent, throughout the regular season but having an NBA Finals MVP on the floor in the closing moments of vital playoff games?

That’s tough to overcome."

Combo guard Mo Williams and Randy Foye should be able to replace the 15 points and four assists Billups was contributing per night. And while Billups' veteran leadership will be missed on the court, Chris Paul is an old hand at leading teams through tough situations.

Billups' injury doe little to change the Clippers priorities. With the acquisition of Kenyon Martin to shore up the frontcourt, the Clippers most glaring need was athletic size on the wings where veterans Caron Butler and Ryan Gomes are the onlyl swingmen with ideal size, if not athleticism.

J.R. Smith should return from China soon, and remains an intriguing option as firepower off the bench, though he may command more than the minimum contract the Clippers can offer.

The Clippers are also armed with a $3.93MM and $2.85MM trade exception remaining from the Chris Paul trade, though their lack of a first round pick in this draft might leave options limited. With the team built around Paul and Blake Griffin, however, this depth is more luxury than necessity this first season.

Odds & Ends: Dampier, Lin, Weems, Heat, Varejao

February 9th, 2012 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's take a look at a few links from around the league as we await tonight's renewal of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry in Boston….

In a blog entry for NBA.com, Scott Howard-Cooper discusses Seattle's push for an NBA team, the Warriors' potential trade options, and Chauncey Billups' future.
Hawks coach Larry Drew conceded to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Erick Dampier isn't in great shape (Twitter link). Atlanta signed Dampier to a 10-day contract to add frontcourt depth.
As Jeremy Lin dominates headlines in New York, teams that could've signed and kept him look back on a missed opportunity. Donnie Nelson talked about the Mavericks' failed attempt to sign Lin (Dallas Morning News link), while Houston GM Daryl Morey tweeted that he should have held on to Lin when he was a Rocket.
Sonny Weems won't be returning to the NBA this season, his agent tells Sportando.
Talking to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Oscar Robertson said the Heat need a center who can consistently record 12 points and 10 boards if they're going to win championships. With respect to the Hall-of-Famer, I think the Heat are talented enough to win a title without a strong presence in the middle.
The Cavaliers won't actively place Anderson Varejao on the trade market, since they likely wouldn't get fair value for him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

Odds & Ends: Billups, Alston, Prince, Mavs

February 8th, 2012 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

On this day seven years ago, Smush Parker was waived by the Suns, and it looked like his NBA career may be nearing an end. Parker bounced back though, signing with the Lakers and starting nearly every game for Los Angeles in 2005/06 and '06/07. Parker has been out of the NBA since 2008, but he's still playing professional basketball, having signed today with Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara (hat tip to Sportando). Here are a few more of today's odds and ends…

Following his season-ending achilles injury, Chauncey Billups told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that he'd like to return to the Clippers next season to take care of "unfinished business."
Rafer Alston, who recently signed with the NBA's D-League, spoke to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv about his comeback attempt. Alston on the possibility of playing for his hometown Knicks: "If it happens, trust me, I’ll be like a kid in a candy story. I’ll feel like I won the lottery if I get an chance to play at home."
Tayshaun Prince has no regrets about signing a long-term deal to stay with the Pistons, says Terry Foster of the Detroit News.
Don't expect the Grizzlies to sign or trade for anyone in the next few weeks, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, noting that the team still needs to get below the tax line.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News would be surprised to see the Mavericks make a move at the trade deadline, but says they'll have plenty of money to spend this summer.
Greg Stiemsma, whose contract was guaranteed yesterday by the Celtics, has taken an unusual road to Boston, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explains the Heat's decisions on players with non-guaranteed contracts.

Clippers Notes: Billups, Trade Exceptions, Williams

February 7th, 2012 at 9:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, the Clippers learned that they will be without guard Chauncey Billups for the remainder of the season after the veteran suffered a torn Achilles' tendon last night against the Magic. Here's a look at the potential fallout from the injury and what's next for Billups..

With Billups out for the year, Larry Coon of ESPN.com (via Twitter) points out that the Clippers have two trade exceptions: one for $3.831MM and the other for $2.756MM. The exceptions came from dealing Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu, respectively.
Despite speculation that Billups might be forced to call it a career after his Achilles injury, the guard says that he still has some "good years left to play," tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
This offseason the Knicks used their amnesty clause on Billups as they feared that he would be a health risk, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. The decision to reappropriate that money towards signing Tyson Chandler seems even smarter in hindsight, Berman adds.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets that the Clippers were hearing a noise from fans and media early in the season about trading Mo Williams for a backup big man, but they're glad to have that guard depth now.
It sounds as though Billups is determined to continue playing beyond this season and Ben Wallace says that he'll talk to his former teammate about his future tonight, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.

Chauncey Billups Out For Season

February 7th, 2012 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

6:29pm: Billups told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that he plans to continue playing.

5:03pm: Clippers guard Chauncey Billups will miss the remainder of the season with a torn left Achilles’ tendon, coach Vinny Del Negro told T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times (report by Mike James). While history isn't on the 35-year-old's side, it's premature to assume that this will mark the end of his career, a source close to the guard told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

The guard suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter of last night's overtime victory against the Magic. Billups had been starting in the backcourt alongside Chris Paul, averaging 15.0 PPG and 4.0 APG.

The 15-7 Clippers will promote Randy Foye to the starting two-guard spot in place of Billups, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today. General Manager Neil Olshey & Co. will likely explore outside help and could ramp up their pursuit of J.R. Smith, who will soon return to the NBA after a stint in China. Clippers officials may also take a short drive to check out Gilbert Arenas' open workout later this week or look to the trade market where guards such as Anthony Morrow could be made available.

As Luke Adams outlined earlier today, the Clippers won't be able to use their disabled player exception to replace Billups. The new CBA only allows teams to apply for the exception between July 1st and January 15th, regardless of when the injury occurs.