[外電] All-Star is nice; NBA title is better
Source:
http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/nuggets/archives/2009/01/allstar_is_nice.html
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All-Star is nice; NBA title is better
January 30, 2009 3:42 PM / By Aaron J. Lopez
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Chauncey Billups didn't make a big deal out of being an All-Star, and Carmelo
Anthony didn't make a big deal out of being snubbed. Their reactions after
the NBA All-Star teams were filled out Thursday spoke volumes about where the
Nuggets' focus is as they go about the business of taking care of business in
the second half of the season.
Sure, Anthony probably deserved a spot on the Western Conference team, but it
was hard to argue against any of the other seven reserves selected ahead of
him. I'm inclined to agree with Nuggets vice-president of player personnel
Rex Chapman, who said Anthony clearly is one of the top 12 players in the
West. We're talking about a top-flight Olympian who played a key role in
helping Team USA win a gold medal last summer. But I also believe Chapman was
simply standing up for his guy. The All-Star selections aren't always about
the best players in the world. They are about who is playing the best over
the course of 40-45 games and who has been healthy for the better part of
that time span. Because of a two-game suspension, a sore elbow and a broken
bone in his right hand, Anthony has missed nearly one out of every three
games the Nuggets have played this season.
The real injustice would have been omitting Billups, who is the clear floor
leader the Nuggets have been lacking ever since Anthony arrived in the NBA
more than five years ago. Billups expressed his excitement about making his
fourth All-Star team and representing his hometown Nuggets for the first
time, but he also reminded everyone that he doesn't play for individual
recognition. He plays for championships.
Can the Nuggets compete for a title this season? A lot has to come together
over the next two months for me to call them a legitimate contender, but I
know this much: they are a lot closer than before Billups arrived, and their
attitude about individual recognition can only be a good thing as the try to
establish themselves among the NBA elite.
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