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| Chauncey Billups will not be hanging up the shoes. (Getty Images) |
Chauncey Billups is kind of perplexed why everyone thought he was done. There was talk after Billups tore his Achilles tendon in February that the 35-year-old point guard could call it a career. Billups immediately refuted that, and now that he's about halfway done with recovery, he's reasserting that.
Billups told the Denver Post in an interview that he "Never. Never, never" considered retirement. When asked about his impending free agency, Billups revealed he's interested in returning to the Clippers, but will ask around. One place he will not be going back to is Denver. From the Post:
And though his heart is in Denver, there will be no return to the Nuggets, a team that has traded him twice already in his career.
"I'll say this: Me and (team president) Josh (Kroenke) are cool," Billups said. "I'm good with everybody. But I can't see me, basketball-wise, playing in Denver again. What do you want me to do? They traded me two times. Want me to give them a third opportunity? My years there were great. We accomplished some great things. And they are looking good. ... I had some great years there, and I'm always going to live there, but I can't see that."
via Chauncey Billups talks rehab, won't return to play for the Nuggets - The Denver Post.
Billups had big plans for his free agency before the Clippers claimed him off the amnesty wire, a development he was initially resistant to. Both the Lakers and Heat were on his list. You'd have to imagine those two teams would return to his list. One thing will be certain, Billups will want iron-clad promises from teams that he will not be traded. He didn't want to be traded from Denver either time, didn't want to be traded from Detroit, didn't want to be traded by New York before they used the amnesty clause on him.
Billups will have offers. The Lakers will likely have interest. Several contenders will be in the talks. Billups finally has power over where he goes. And he's not done, not by a mile.
