Injury to Billups is a gut check to Clippers
The recent injury to Chauncey Billups could easily pass as an excuse to a disappointing Clippers season. Since joining Los Angeles on December 12th, he has been a central part of this team even though the spotlight doesn’t say so. He not only brought production (14.9 points and 4 assists per game), he also brought a veteran leadership that worked wonders for a young Clippers team.
“He’s the best guard I’ve ever started with in the backcourt since I’ve been in the NBA” said Chris Paul. “I trust him with everything, and that’s not just on the court. We need him, no question.”
When it was confirmed that he tore his Achilles tendon and would miss the rest of the 2012 season, I immediately thought ahead to the end of the season and what could come out of this. There are two ways the team can go from here: either they lose focus as a result of Billups’ leadership on the court or this is used as motivation, Randy Foye picks up the slack (with some help from Mo Williams, and the Clips keep rolling.
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