Latest news with #Billups
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sixers' Jabari Walker reveals lessons from Blazers coach Chauncey Billups
CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers brought in a solid big man in free agency in the form of Jabari Walker. The Sixers brought him in on a two-way deal which is insane value for a player who can step in and play right away. The No. 57 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Walker spent three years with the Portland Trail Blazers averaging 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 188 total games. He took a big step forward as a 3-point shooter in 2024-25 as he shot 38.9% from deep in an effort to expand his game. Per Cleaning the Glass, he shot 53% on corner 3s. He took a big leap forward in the 3-point shooting department and was able to take steps forward in the pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop game as well. Walker played for a rebuilding team in Portland, but he was coached by Chauncey Billups who had a ton of success during his playing career including winning finals MVP in 2004. Billups helped Walker take steps forward and the newest Sixer revealed the biggest lesson he took from his former coach. "Keep the main thing the main thing," Walker said. "I think what separates guys is knowing what they bring and being able to do that at a high level, and obviously, working on things to bring that at some point. I think I've learned my role and the things that I do at a high level here that'll always keep me on the floor. Then there's times like during the summer right now where I'm working on things that nobody knows I really have so that when the time comes, I can show that.' The biggest step forward Walker took under the tutelage of Billups and his staff was as a 3-point shooter. As mentioned, he shot a respectable percentage in 2024-25, but that was after he shot only 28.6% as a rookie and 29.5% in his second season in the league. He only attempted 1.2 triples per game in his final season in Portland, but the work he put in was important. "First off, it would be very important in a situation like this," Walker said of his 3-point shooting. "Just relieving pressure off the main guys. We have some great ball-handlers and creators and they attract a lot of attention so what's needed is that 3-point shot. I think putting a lot of time into it has helped me a lot." Obviously, it took some time, but that time with the Blazers allowed Walker to steps forward and grow into who he is currently as a player. "It took me a year or two just to get adjusted to the 3-point line," Walker explained. "I don't think my legs had enough to comprehend the game and then being efficient from the line so I took a summer just strictly shooting, changed some things about my form to make a little bit more fluid, and it's been effective. It showed that with the limited shots." The Sixers will hope that Walker's time with Billups will help him in this new situation in Philadelphia.
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Deandre Ayton displayed concerning behavior with the Trail Blazers
A considerable number of people are feeling bullish about Deandre Ayton coming to the Los Angeles Lakers. He reportedly agreed to sign with the team for two years and $16.6 million, and he will give them their first legitimate true starting center in years. While he is an outstanding rim-running lob threat, as well as a productive rebounder, he hasn't been a rim protector in his seven seasons in the NBA. Plenty have also criticized his overall defense and accused him of not caring enough about his play on that end of the floor. Then there is the matter of his attitude over the past couple of seasons as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Jason Quick of The Athletic wrote a revealing piece that detailed how concerning Ayton's behavior was and how it annoyed Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. "See, the Blazers could live with Ayton missing shots or his man scoring on him," Quick wrote. "They could even live with him being limited by injuries to 55 and 40 games in his two seasons in Portland. "But in the end, they couldn't live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort." Even worse, when Ayton first came to Portland two summers ago, he hyped himself up big time and failed to live up to his own hype. "In his first news conference in Portland, he referred to himself as 'Domin-Ayton.' During the 95 times he played in Portland, he was maybe dominant in a handful of games. He once said he has nothing to prove because 'I'm a max (contract) player and I'll continue to be a max player.' But in both Phoenix and Portland, he chaffed his coaches with inconsistent effort. In Game 7 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, Suns coach Monty Williams benched him in the second half, prompting a heated argument. In a December game against Utah in Portland, Billups called a timeout two minutes into the second half and benched Ayton for the rest of the game. "After the 141-99 loss to the [Utah] Jazz, in which Ayton was minus-29 in his 17 minutes, Billups said, 'I didn't like his spirit in the game.'" Portland hasn't exactly been in a winning situation over the last two years, so one has to wonder if part of Ayton's unacceptable behavior had to do with being in that type of situation. When he was with the Phoenix Suns for the first five years of his pro career, he played well and put up better numbers. In fact, during the 2019-20 season, he averaged a decent 1.5 blocks a game, albeit in 38 contests. He was a major contributor to the Suns' trip to the 2021 NBA Finals, and he averaged 15.8 points, 11.8 boards and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting a sizzling 65.8% from the field. The hope is that with a winning team such as the Lakers and alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Ayton, the former No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, will be on his best behavior and play closer to the top of his potential.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
WATCH: Clearwater officer rescues missing girl with autism found near water
CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — Clearwater police released video of an officer rescuing a missing girl with autism. The 8-year-old got lost while visiting the area with her family earlier this month. Fire Chief urges caution after woman pulled from water at Treasure Island Beach Officer Billups found her in a construction area behind a hotel, standing on large rocks at the water's edge. Body camera video shows him pulling her to safety. 'We're grateful for his quick response and dedication to keeping our community safe,' Clearwater police said in a Facebook post. Police said that if she fell into the water, it was likely the girl would have drowned in the dangerous current. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two Finals MVPs Make Appearance at Pistons vs. Knicks Game 4 in Detroit
On Sunday, the Detroit Pistons will look to defend their home court and even up their first-round series against the New York Knicks. Detroit almost roared back in Game 3 to win the first game at Little Caesars Arena, although the more experienced Knicks held on. Defensive stopper Isaiah Stewart will miss his third game in a row with a nagging knee injury. The Pistons entered the game as 1.5-point underdogs. Advertisement Two NBA Hall of Famers and Pistons' legends were in attendance for the game. Mar 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff during the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome.© Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Since the Goin' to Work era of Pistons basketball ended in the late 2000s, there hasn't been much reason to celebrate the team. In Game 2, the Pistons earned their first postseason win since 2008, and, finally, the Pistons look like a team on the rise. Chauncey Billups and Isiah Thomas were spotted at Game 4. Billups won Finals MVP in 2004, and Thomas won the honors in 1990. Both are in the Hall of Fame and have since had coaching stints in their post-playing careers. Billups is currently the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and signed a contract extension to begin this offseason. Thomas has been the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Florida International University Panthers, although he has not found the same penchant for coaching as Billups. Advertisement Both are considered two of the best players to ever don the Pistons' jersey, and both of their numbers have long since been retired. Billups joined Thomas in the Hall of Fame in 2024, and both are waiting, however patiently, for the Pistons to once again be real contenders in the Eastern Conference. Check out the All Pistons homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: Final Injury Report For Knicks-Pistons Game 4, Will Isaiah Stewart Play? Related: Carmelo Anthony Has Suggestion, Offer For Cade Cunningham
NBC Sports
13-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Portland bets on continuity, extends Chauncey Billups as head coach
PORTLAND — The Trail Blazers have chosen continuity. That is no small thing for a team about to miss out on the postseason, especially in an NBA where two teams in the top four of the league (at least at the time) fired their coach in recent weeks (and Denver threw out the GM as well). Portland has signed coach Chauncey Billups to a contract extension, just days after GM Joe Cronin got an extension as well. This move is a vote of confidence in the team's improvement in recent months. 'For us to be sitting here and saying, 'All right, we're moving on. Let's keep going.' It just literally means to me that Jody [Allen, team Chair] and Bert [Kolde, Vice Chair] see a lot of promise in us,' Billups said. 'The rest of the league, and most of the league, is moving and shaking and going where they're going, we're sitting here saying, 'All right, we're in this spot. Let's just kind of keep going on this, on this progress.'' Billups took over a very different job when he was first hired — he was brought into a win-now situation with Damian Lillard. After Lillard was traded to Milwaukee, the job shifted into a rebuild and Billups has been open about that being a transition for him, and that he had a lot to learn about building a team and a culture. That has started to pay off of late. The Trail Blazers are 21-22 in 2025 and have the fourth-ranked defense in the NBA since the All-Star break. Cronin and Billups said that what matters as much as the wins is how they are winning, how they are building a defense-first roster. How did that turnaround happen? 'I kind of got to a point with our squad where I just told them all, I didn't really care who it was, the name on the back of the jersey and salary and whatever, I didn't care. We were sinking. We were sinking pretty bad. I'm gonna play the guys that are gonna compete, play defense,' Billups said of a 'come-to-Jesus' meeting with the players. 'If you don't do that, I don't care. You're not playing. And I meant that, and they felt that, and they really brought us together to be honest with you.' 'For us to be the third best defense in the league this second half of the season, that's meaningful, substantive, and that's what we've been trying to do,' Cronin said. This team is not complete. Portland does have promising young players on its roster, including Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. However, the team lacks a natural No. 1 option, but Cronin and Billups feel good about what is being built. 'You gotta have top-flight guys. But to me, I think we're raising that,' Billups said. 'I think we're growing that. I look at, like, OKC traded for Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. He wasn't a star yet. Now he's probably going to be the MVP of the league. Joker [Nikola Jokic] wasn't a star when he got to Denver, they raised him into that. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] wasn't a star when he got to Milwaukee, they raised him into that.' Whether Portland has a guy they can raise to that level is up for debate, but Cronin and Billups will get the chance to show they can take this team to the next level. Cronin called making the postseason next year a reasonable goal. That becomes the benchmark, and not an easy one to reach in the West (ask Phoenix). But the Blazers like the path they are on, so they bet on continuity.
