Chauncey Billups is a Denver native happily getting to play out the end of his career in his hometown. Well, either that or the swamps of Jersey (and maybe Brooklyn in a couple of years).
Billups has been swept up in the momentum of the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors — he would be moved to the Nets as the deal is currently constructed. Partially because Anthony is demanding some quality players come East with him, partially because if they are rebuilding the Nuggets will not want Billups’ contract on the books for the next couple years.
Billups is a big boy; he gets the business end of the NBA. But he doesn’t want to leave, he is a veteran with a family established in Denver and told Chris Tomasson of FanHouse (on twitter) that was his big concern.
Billups most worried about possibly moving family if dealt. “I’d be able to play basketball on the moon if they had a flight there.”
Somebody forgot to tell Billups all those moon landings were staged by the government and were done on a soundstage. Still it has to be a tempting thought because in the light gravity of the moon Billups could leap like Blake Griffin.
Billups agent said that if traded the player would seek a buyout of his deal — which sounds a lot more like an agent negotiating for an extension, but it’s out there.
I asked Chauncey Billups if he’d seek buyout right away or summer if dealt to NJ. “That’s something that we’ll talk about later,” he said.
As for ‘Melo saying “tell Chauncey I’m sorry for sucking him into this little bit of hell” (not an exact quote, for the record), Billups responded:
“I really respect him and appreciate the fact that Melo is concerned with my future.”
If this deal goes down, Billups is on the move one way or the other. To New Jersey or the moon. You know, it is about time for Space Jam II.
