Jun

18

Billups Out Of USA Basketball Equation

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main 

One less point guard will be considered for the United States Olympic basketball team as according to ESPN, Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups – due to family issues – will not be a part of the team that will participate in the Olympics in Beijing this summer.? Specifically, Billups informed USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo on Tuesday.? Billups clarified his decision as he told ESPN, “It’s a matter of what you want to do and what you need to do.? Winning a gold medal is the one thing that I haven’t accomplished, and I was looking forward to standing up on that big stage.? That’s what I really wanted.? But I was taught family comes first, above anything else.”

Billups and fellow Pistons teammate Tayshaun Prince were being considered for the Olympic team, which will be announced on Monday.? Billups had stiff competition getting a roster spot at point guard, including Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.? Billups added that his family situation would either distract him in Beijing or force him to return to the States early; he further added that he was confident that he would’ve made the team but didn’t want to take up a roster spot if he couldn’t be fully committed.? While all of that may in fact be true, something tells me that the aforementioned 3 point guards (Kidd, Paul and Williams) would’ve made the Olympic squad and they wouldn’t carry 4 point guards.


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