Tag: Chauncey Billups

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Bledsoe for Starting PG

My name is Mike Murray and I approved this message.

I love Chris Paul and, of course, I’d like him to re-sign. However, I’m not willing to have Chauncey Billups on board for another two years. I think Chauncey is a cool dude, but his play doesn’t warrant two more years. He’s played 42 out of 148 games since signing with the Clippers. Compare that to Eric Bledsoe who, while also injured, played 116 of 148.

Assuming Vinny Del Negro doesn’t return, Bledsoe should blossom under a new coach. If CP3 were willing to play alongside Bledsoe (instead of Billups), I wouldn’t have a problem. However, CP3 seems hell-bent on getting rid of Bledsoe and playing alongside Billups.

One only has to look at the Brooklyn Nets and ask themselves is it worth $21 million annually to have a diva PG. Veterans are OK and necessary. However, veterans need to produce and not be hanging around to provide comfort and solace to a veteran PG.

Paul’s post-series press conference and exit interview were understandable in one respect. However, he is not beyond responsibility for how the season turned out. If he wants to go somewhere else where he thinks he can “win”, then he should go ahead and go there. I’m pretty proficient with travel arrangements; I can help him out.

I know almost everyone will disagree, but I need to see more from Paul before I’ll feel comfortable about his continued presence.

And so it goes.

Ciao for now!
Mike

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Intra-City Blues

NEW YORK (Mikeylito.com) — I’ve spent a good part of the day bouncing around between sports radio in New York and sports radio in Los Angeles listening to the fussing and feuding of sports fans of intra-city rivalries in both cities.

In New York, the dismal performance of both NFL teams have set up a do-or-die NFL contest this coming Saturday, Christmas Eve, at MetLife Stadium. For fans of the New York Jets and the New York Giants, one will get a good Christmas present; the other will get a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the machinations of the National Basketball Association have placed Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler in the locker room of the Los Angeles Clippers, Lamar Odom in Dallas and the fans of the Los Angeles Lakers in a schizophrenic funk.

It’s just the latest example of how sometimes we take our sports just a little too fanatically.

The most hilarious comments of the day have come out of L.A. where I’ve been listening to Laker fans on ESPN Los Angeles (KSPN 710) going positively hysterical because Clipper fans are boasting that they have the better team in town. LakerNation has been pulling out all the stops talking about 16 years of championships and the championship banners and so on. While all of that is true, the vast majority of the Clippers’ players haven’t been around to witness any of that. In other words, it’s history. As Chris Paul alluded to last Friday, this current brand of Clippers is looking to make its own history.

You have to start somewhere.

In New York, both local football teams were dismal on Sunday and now both are fighting for their playoff lives. The reality, though, is despite whomever wins on Saturday, probably neither team will go very far in the playoffs, if they even qualify.

However, that won’t stop the fans of the Giants or the fans of the Jets warring over which is the better football team this Saturday and beyond. Just like whatever happens in tonight’s preseason contest in Staples Center won’t stop fans of the Lakers or fans of the Clippers from having the same discussion.

To quote a comedian of some note…

…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And so it goes.