Billups' gift of presence

Nuggets guard realizes how blessed he is to spend the holiday with 'my whole big family'

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 24, 2008 at 6:38 p.m.

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Photo by Chris Schneider / The Rocky

Five-year-old Jess Cooper talks with Chauncey Billups during a holiday celebration in which the Nuggets point guard gave Christmas gifts to 26 families last week at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center in Park Hill.

Chauncey Billups said his last Christmas in Denver turned out fine. That's when he was sitting around in 1999, waiting for season-ending shoulder surgery.

With that in mind, imagine how good this Christmas figures to be.

The Denver native said he got his gift early when he was traded Nov. 3 from Detroit to his hometown Nuggets. Today, Billups will have time to reflect on it.

"It's definitely a gift for me to be home and to be playing well with the team," Billups said.

Billups' previous Christmas in Denver came shortly after he had suffered the injury Dec. 16, 1999, against Sacramento during his 1998-2000 stint with the Nuggets. He would undergo surgery the next month before being traded to Orlando on Feb. 1, 2000.

"It was tough," Billups said. "But I was around family, and everything was cool. I was a little banged up, but on Christmas you don't feel no pain, no matter what's going on."

This Christmas, Billups rarely has felt better. The Nuggets are tied with Portland for first place in the Northwest Division, at 18-11, and have gone 17-8 since he first suited up after the trade.

Answered the skeptics

Nuggets coach George Karl said there were some who wondered whether Billups, 32, had lost a step. But nobody has seen that in Denver, for which the point guard is averaging 18.7 points and 6.7 assists.

"It's going to be great," Billups said of the holiday. "It's the first time in a long time I've been able to spend Christmas at home and be with my family - my whole big family. I've always been able to spend it with my wife and kids, but having all my family is going to be great."

Billups' wife, Piper, and three daughters, Cydney, 11, Ciara, 8, and Cenaiya, 2, recently joined him in the move to Denver. The family has celebrated the past six Christmases in the Detroit area, where they often were joined by Billups' parents, Ray and Faye.

Today, about 15 relatives will descend upon the south suburban home Billups has owned since early this decade.

"It will be good," Ray Billups said. "The whole family is here. It's a good feeling. He's home, and he doesn't have to go far to do anything."

Billups got a holiday head start Dec. 17, when he gave away Christmas gifts to 26 families from Steadman Elementary School at Park Hill's Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, where Billups grew up playing. He purchased $3,000 in gifts for the youngsters, and the families got $100 King Soopers gift cards.

Billups was joined at the event by his brother, Rodney, who played at the University of Denver and was given a summer league look by the Pistons in 2006.

"It's a blessing, especially at this time in my life, to have Chauncey come back home and representing our family the way he is now with the Nuggets winning," Rodney Billups said. "I can't remember the last time we were all together for Christmas. I was in school when he played for the Nuggets the first time, so it was kind of distant. It's been a long time."

Time of thanks

The family already has had Thanksgiving together, which Billups cherished. During a Nuggets home game last month, a taped segment called "This or That" was shown on the videoboard, and Billups was asked whether he prefers Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The winner was Thanksgiving, which Billups prefers because it's "about giving thanks and spending time with loved ones" while at Christmas, "people are more excited about material things."

But don't think for a picosecond Billups doesn't also love Christmas.

"It's a great day," said Billups, acquired from Detroit with Cheikh Samb and since-bought-out Antonio Mc-

Dyess for Allen Iverson. "It's a great time. It's a joyous occasion every time you get the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones. . . . It's a great day, no matter what's going on with your life. Whether you're up or down, depressed or happy, Christmas, you can kind of get away from everything."

In 1999, Billups got away from his shoulder injury for the day.

He was asked if there's anything today he's seeking to get away from, and he had nothing to offer. Not even that the Nuggets have lost four of their past five games.

"I don't look at the negative," Billups said. "We're tied for the lead in our division. I don't look at it as we've lost four of five.

"We're all right. We're right where we need to be at. If, at the start of the season, we said Christmas break we'd be tied for the division lead, everybody would be happy."

Karl sure is. Even though the Nuggets lost 101-92 on Tuesday at Portland, Karl said afterward, "Thank you, Santa," for their current position.

At first, Karl called the team's record his "best Christmas present." But then he stopped to amend that perhaps acquiring Billups was his most cherished gift.

The Nuggets hope it's a gift that keeps giving. After this season, Billups has three years left on his contract.

He hopes that translates into at least the next three Christmases in Denver.

It's not always about family

Chauncey Billups enjoys his time off the court on Christmas Day, but he also has enjoyed his time on the court in the three games in which he has played on the holiday, averaging 16.7 points in helping the Pistons to a 2-1 record.

Brad Byler contributed to this report.

• December 25, 2008

  5:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Buffs writes:

  As a fellow CU Basketball alum, it makes me proud to see Chauncey come back home and play in front of his friends and family. Have watched him since GW and he had class even as a teenager. The man had a well grounded upbringing with solid parental guidance and it's awesome to have him as a positive role model on and off the court.

  GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK CHAUNCEY!!!!

• December 26, 2008

  10:54 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  lsider writes:

  amen to that!

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