NY Times: Billups’s Quiet Effectiveness
Posted by Justin Kubatko on March 7, 2011
I'm posting this a few days late because I was in Boston for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this past weekend:
Keeping Score: Billups’s Quiet Effectiveness
This appeared in last Friday's print edition as well.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:09 am
I love Chauncey Billups. Boston had him. Boston moved him. It would kill me if Boston hadn't cashed in with a title in 2008. He brings so much beyond the raw numbers on the court. GREAT pick up for the Knicks. Hopefully the old man can stay healthy.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Statistics do help to describe his impact. However, it seems that his real benefit is becomming the leader that this team needs and the mentor that the younger or more inexperienced players need. He may not be able to take this team to the championship, but I am confident that he will take it to the limit it is able to go. <>
There was a story... or stories of how he goes out with the team when they're on the road and essentially gets them to leave the bar at a designated time so everyone gets sleep. Guys could be having a great time out, Chauncey looks at his watch, whistles and everybody puts down their glass and they leave.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Is Billups THE point guard of the '00-'10 decade? Nash won 2 MVPs, but Billups won a Finals MVP, made the conference finals more often than not (and I guess lost the conference finals more often than not if you want to look at it that way), and wasn't a serious defensive liability. I don't think CP3 played enough seasons to be the PG of the decade.
March 7th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Great article. I haven't really looked at Billups as the best of the decade, but the numbers show an argument.
March 9th, 2011 at 3:57 am
You can actually make a pretty good case for billups as PG of the decade (I consider the decade to be 99-00 to 08-09). I plugged in some rough #s to fit billups totals in pts, rebounds, and assists during that span (rounding down) to see where he fell:
http://bkref.com/tiny/Gc7Hn
Nash and Billups are neck and neck in win shares. The 2 MVPs make nash pretty desirable, along with his edge in all NBA appearances (6 to billups' 3).
March 10th, 2011 at 7:47 am
Add in playoff WS, and Billups gains 10.4 WS on Nash.
Any extra weight for playoffs, and it's even more extreme.