Before Mike D’Antoni was Mike D’Antoni, and before Chauncey Billups was Chauncey Billups, they were Denver’s budding coach and guard a decade ago, both finding themselves, while finding themselves near the cellar.
“Back then, (Billups) was just trying to get his feet on the ground,” said the current Knicks coach D’Antoni, who coached Denver that lone season in 1998-99, before thriving in Phoenix. “He lacked experience. He came out (of college) early and he had always been a two guard and was trying to play point guard. And just trying to get settled into the NBA. There was a lot of hype around him, so he was dealing with a lot of issues. But he was good for us. I liked him. I always liked him.”
The last time Billups was in Denver, the hype was about his hype — a local product lathered in promise. But Denver was his third stop in just two NBA seasons, and that strike-shortened year he averaged 13.9 points for the 14-36 Nuggets.
That’s not a bad total, but to consider where he was then, compared to where he is now, Billups shot 36.2 percent from 3-point range — his fourth-worst career total — and tallied just 3.8 assists. Today, the new Nugget is among the league’s top 3-point shooters and passers, a decade wiser.
“I really wasn’t established as a player at that point,” said Billups, whose Nuggets host the Grizzlies tonight at Pepsi Center. “I was trying to find myself. I’ve conquered that — I know who I am as a player. And I’m married with kids now. It’s totally different on and off the court.”
Current Denver coach George Karl calls Billups’ ascension “rare.” Here’s a guy who played for four teams in his first four seasons and didn’t seem to improve. Then he joined the Pistons, and he’s now among the all-time Motor City greats, be it Kaline or Sanders, Yzerman or Nugent.
“I know there were a lot of people saying he wasn’t going to make it,” the veteran coach Karl said. “I think Chauncey is a great statement to the game of basketball, because early in his career, you can say he was struggling, waffling a little bit. It’s a compliment to him that he fought through a period of time where people were maybe trashing him a little bit. I think his time in Minnesota (2000-2002) was the beginning of his confidence. He always had point guard skills, but now he’s a point guard.”
D’Antoni said Billups was “definitely a combo guard back then.” It took those early years for him to evolve, to learn about corralling his energy and utilizing his patience. And now, the same team that struggled with Billups could very well reap the benefits of Billups.
Martin gives back.
Kenyon Martin said with a wry smile: “I’m a little rambunctious, bad mouth, bad temper, all that. But that’s who I am on the court.”
Off the court, the power forward declares, “I have a big heart.”
Often outgoing in the community, Martin has taken one giant step, creating The Kenyon Martin Foundation through The Giving Back Fund.
“I was given an opportunity to earn a wonderful living doing what I love,” Martin said. “I hope to give other children opportunities to do what they love.”
The goal is to provide life-changing opportunities for underprivileged youth in Denver, as well as Martin’s hometown of Dallas and Cincinnati, where he played college basketball.
“Just seeing what I went through as a child,” he said, “and knowing people who grew up without fathers, and a lot of people aren’t here these days, or they’re locked up or on drugs, so for me to see those people and what they’re going through, I know that could have been myself. I was able to overcome that, so for me to give back to kids without fathers, and help (people dealing with) early pregnancy and (overcoming) teen violence, it’s a great honor.”
Said Marc Pollick, the president of The Giving Back Fund: “You have a real treasure here in Denver, something uncommon in professional sports.”
Spotlight on …
Mario Chalmers, guard, Miami
It’s probably too early to call the Heat’s Chalmers the steal of the draft, but maybe so, if he keeps up his steals.
The second-rounder notched a franchise-high nine steals this week in Wednesday’s win against Philadelphia. Starting at point guard for the upstart Heat, Chalmers entered the weekend leading the NBA with 3.75 steals per game. It’s hard to imagine a player who played more meaningful back-to-back games than Chalmers: He hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the NCAA title game for Kansas, and then, in his NBA debut, he tallied 17 points with seven rebounds and eight assists Oct. 29.
But his smothering defense has defined him as a pro so far. Rookie Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has preached defense to his troops with the same hoarse intensity as Nuggets coach George Karl. In fact, this week Spoelstra held a particularly intense defensive practice “to remind us who we are and what our identity is,” he told reporters in Miami. “We are not an offensive team first. As well as it looked the other night against Sacramento, that was created by our activity and energy and intensity on the defensive end.”
The Heat, it seems, should be worth the price of admission. Yes, it’s unclear how good the young team might be, but with a healthy Dwyane Wade, the versatile Shawn Marion and No. 2 overall draft pick Michael Beasley, there should be some entertainment. And then there’s Chalmers, sticky fingers on defense.
