DETROIT BASKETBALL! Whoops, Chauncey Billups is no longer dominating games with big-shot-making at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Billups still uses that high IQ as he coached the Portland Trail Blazers for the last four seasons. He's signed on for more, meaning the Phoenix Suns can't look his way anymore.
Billups wasn't extended before the season, and he seemed like a dead man walking. Coaches usually don't get extended when they play out the last year of their contract. When you turn a team around like the Hall of Fame player turned coach did, an extension was inevitable.
After a sluggish start, the Blazers went 23-18 since January 8, with Deni Avdija leading the pack. Portland's defense was fifth in the league in that span.
The Trail Blazers have stout defenders like Toumani Camara, Avdija, and rookie standout Donovan Clingan, but a top-five defense is the team buying into what Billups is preaching.
The Phoenix Suns desperately need some buy-in after their disappointing season. I can't think of more of a letdown from a team. Maybe the Nash-Dwight-Kobe Lakers, but they dealt with injuries all year.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant both played over 60 games. Unfortunately, they won't get to buy in for Billups, which says a lot.
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Talent is cool, but foundation is key — the Suns issues aren't on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker
We assume Coach Mike Budenholzer will be canned after this disastrous Suns season. Phoenix finished with the 27th-ranked defense, per Cleaning the Glass. They don't have the stoppers Portland has, but 27th is unacceptable.
With hall-of-fame lock Kevin Durant on the roster, your offense should be good enough to be your defense. A team with Book and Durant should be so deadly that teams do uncharacteristic things to offset the duo's brilliance as shot-makers.
Billups and the Blazers doubling down on their success in the second half of the season proves talent doesn't beat out hard work. Avdija went on a tear to end the year, putting up 27 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, shooting 46 percent from 3 on volume over the last 13 games.
He may not reach that sky-high threshold over the full season next year, but he displayed a lot he can continue to build on. He's not the star Booker or Durant are, but he's bought into the Billups system, and Portland doesn't have major roadblocks to improving the roster.
Many coaches would pogo stick at the opportunity to coach those galaxy stars in the desert. On the contrary, the job becomes less enticing once you realize Bradley Beal is on a max contract with a no-trade clause. The cards are in his hand; even if he's willing to go elsewhere, it won't be easy to trade a player on max contact who doesn't perform like one.
He and Booker are redundant, and the fit proved to be a no-go this year. But it's 2025. Beal probably isn't going too many places to be the lead guy anymore. Those days are over.
That's the part of the Sun's job that Billups and other candidates may look at and decide they should continue to see what else is out there. The Kings, Grizzles, and Nuggets jobs could all be on the table this summer. Not to mention the organizations that will overreact to an early playoff exit.
Billups stuck with what he's built in Portland, and other coaches could see the dysfunction in the Valley and pass.