Chauncey's Nuggets

In case anyone out there in NBA fandom hasn’t noticed, this is Chauncey Billups’ team. Now I know Kenyon Martin is the defensive backbone and Carmelo Anthony has been our franchise player for the last seven years, but Chauncey has taken the reigns. He has come back to Denver to win this city a championship and nothing will stand in his way this time.

Last year was a different story. Billups was traded to Denver right after the season had begun and had to adapt himself to the team. This year they are adapting to him and his intensity. Don’t get me wrong, The Nuggets played very well and went farther in the playoffs than they had in the last twenty years. Yet, I think part of their eventual undoing might have been a confusion as to who was the real leader of the team. This year there has been little doubt as to who is in control. Having a career year thus far, with his highest points average and an assist average higher than last year, Chauncey’s example has been hard to ignore for the other Nuggets.

This has translated into performances from the veteran which defy logic. At thirty three years of age, the gusto with which he plays the game and the numbers themselves have been more than staggering. He has saved his best performances for times when there weren’t any answers coming from the rest of the team in games that seemed lost. Last night’s game against the Warriors was a perfect example. Billups led the way in the beginning with his hot three point shooting and when the game was getting close in the fourth quarter, all but sealed the victory with an old fashioned three point play to push the lead back to nine points. Even in games like the one in Washington, Billups steps up his game and tries in vain to attain victory.

I have witnessed the transformation of the team dynamic first hand. Chauncey certainly coached the other players on the floor last year, but not to the extent he has during this season. In a stark contrast, he has even begun to call out his team in the press when he feels it is warranted. After the Washington game he was heard to comment about how it was obvious the Wizards wanted the game more than the Nuggets and how unacceptable it was. He was the only one in a position of superiority to do so, as he was the Nuggets’ leading scorer that night and seemed to be the only one with any sort of determined focus. Chauncey has been unafraid of what the others might think of his quips. He knows they can’t call him out for anything and it is necessary for a team leader to bring the others to task once in a while. In a league full of overpaid stars, it is hard for coaches making less than their players to command the kind of respect he has. In addition, it just isn’t healthy for a team to only hear criticism from their head coach. If no one else is echoing the same sentiments, the criticism begins to fall on deaf ears.

The change in attitude has recently seemed prophetic. With George Karl’s recent revelation of throat cancer, someone was going to have to fill in the gap. Adrian Dantley might be a good assistant coach with ex-star credibility and Tim Grgurich might be the Nuggets’ basketball “Yoda”, but advice holds more weight coming from a Finals MVP point guard who just happens to be raining down threes during the game. You could see Chauncey readying himself for the coming months sans Karl, being a floor coach in the last game against the Cavaliers. He changed a play in the huddle at the end of the game for Melo and called off a time out request by Karl at the end of regulation. With his influence over players like J.R. Smith unmatched and his ability to win games unquestioned, I look for this new role to grow exponentially.

So how is it the rest of the media keeps harping on Carmelo Anthony as being the team MVP? I suppose because Melo is our leading scorer and best offensive player overall, it is hard to give that honor to Billups. Still, if the Nuggets got as much press as the Lakers or the Cavs, I think there really wouldn’t be any debate on shows like Inside the NBA.

I hope tonight against the Pistons, Chauncey can overcome his last regular season hurdle. The Nuggets are zero for seven versus the Pistons with three of those losses having Chauncey on the roster for the last year and a half. It is the last team he has yet to beat while with the Nuggets. Not to say he hasn’t tried. He has had stellar performances in every game, but they always seem to get away from us. Coming off of a late night, fast paced game on the west coast, it will be extra difficult to put up a W at the Pepsi Center. We shall see if our floor coach can will the rest of his teammates to focus and aggression and close an unfinished chapter. GO CHAUNCEY!!!!!!!!!