Latest news with #Billups
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
WATCH: Clearwater officer rescues missing girl with autism found near water
CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — Clearwater police released video of an officer rescuing a missing girl with autism. The 8-year-old got lost while visiting the area with her family earlier this month. Fire Chief urges caution after woman pulled from water at Treasure Island Beach Officer Billups found her in a construction area behind a hotel, standing on large rocks at the water's edge. Body camera video shows him pulling her to safety. 'We're grateful for his quick response and dedication to keeping our community safe,' Clearwater police said in a Facebook post. Police said that if she fell into the water, it was likely the girl would have drowned in the dangerous current. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two Finals MVPs Make Appearance at Pistons vs. Knicks Game 4 in Detroit
On Sunday, the Detroit Pistons will look to defend their home court and even up their first-round series against the New York Knicks. Detroit almost roared back in Game 3 to win the first game at Little Caesars Arena, although the more experienced Knicks held on. Defensive stopper Isaiah Stewart will miss his third game in a row with a nagging knee injury. The Pistons entered the game as 1.5-point underdogs. Advertisement Two NBA Hall of Famers and Pistons' legends were in attendance for the game. Mar 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff during the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome.© Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Since the Goin' to Work era of Pistons basketball ended in the late 2000s, there hasn't been much reason to celebrate the team. In Game 2, the Pistons earned their first postseason win since 2008, and, finally, the Pistons look like a team on the rise. Chauncey Billups and Isiah Thomas were spotted at Game 4. Billups won Finals MVP in 2004, and Thomas won the honors in 1990. Both are in the Hall of Fame and have since had coaching stints in their post-playing careers. Billups is currently the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and signed a contract extension to begin this offseason. Thomas has been the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Florida International University Panthers, although he has not found the same penchant for coaching as Billups. Advertisement Both are considered two of the best players to ever don the Pistons' jersey, and both of their numbers have long since been retired. Billups joined Thomas in the Hall of Fame in 2024, and both are waiting, however patiently, for the Pistons to once again be real contenders in the Eastern Conference. Check out the All Pistons homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: Final Injury Report For Knicks-Pistons Game 4, Will Isaiah Stewart Play? Related: Carmelo Anthony Has Suggestion, Offer For Cade Cunningham
NBC Sports
13-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Portland bets on continuity, extends Chauncey Billups as head coach
PORTLAND — The Trail Blazers have chosen continuity. That is no small thing for a team about to miss out on the postseason, especially in an NBA where two teams in the top four of the league (at least at the time) fired their coach in recent weeks (and Denver threw out the GM as well). Portland has signed coach Chauncey Billups to a contract extension, just days after GM Joe Cronin got an extension as well. This move is a vote of confidence in the team's improvement in recent months. 'For us to be sitting here and saying, 'All right, we're moving on. Let's keep going.' It just literally means to me that Jody [Allen, team Chair] and Bert [Kolde, Vice Chair] see a lot of promise in us,' Billups said. 'The rest of the league, and most of the league, is moving and shaking and going where they're going, we're sitting here saying, 'All right, we're in this spot. Let's just kind of keep going on this, on this progress.'' Billups took over a very different job when he was first hired — he was brought into a win-now situation with Damian Lillard. After Lillard was traded to Milwaukee, the job shifted into a rebuild and Billups has been open about that being a transition for him, and that he had a lot to learn about building a team and a culture. That has started to pay off of late. The Trail Blazers are 21-22 in 2025 and have the fourth-ranked defense in the NBA since the All-Star break. Cronin and Billups said that what matters as much as the wins is how they are winning, how they are building a defense-first roster. How did that turnaround happen? 'I kind of got to a point with our squad where I just told them all, I didn't really care who it was, the name on the back of the jersey and salary and whatever, I didn't care. We were sinking. We were sinking pretty bad. I'm gonna play the guys that are gonna compete, play defense,' Billups said of a 'come-to-Jesus' meeting with the players. 'If you don't do that, I don't care. You're not playing. And I meant that, and they felt that, and they really brought us together to be honest with you.' 'For us to be the third best defense in the league this second half of the season, that's meaningful, substantive, and that's what we've been trying to do,' Cronin said. This team is not complete. Portland does have promising young players on its roster, including Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. However, the team lacks a natural No. 1 option, but Cronin and Billups feel good about what is being built. 'You gotta have top-flight guys. But to me, I think we're raising that,' Billups said. 'I think we're growing that. I look at, like, OKC traded for Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. He wasn't a star yet. Now he's probably going to be the MVP of the league. Joker [Nikola Jokic] wasn't a star when he got to Denver, they raised him into that. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] wasn't a star when he got to Milwaukee, they raised him into that.' Whether Portland has a guy they can raise to that level is up for debate, but Cronin and Billups will get the chance to show they can take this team to the next level. Cronin called making the postseason next year a reasonable goal. That becomes the benchmark, and not an easy one to reach in the West (ask Phoenix). But the Blazers like the path they are on, so they bet on continuity.
Associated Press
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Blazers sign coach Chauncey Billups to a multi-year extension
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Coach Chauncey Billups has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers did not release terms of the deal, announced before the regular-season finale against the Lakers on Sunday. In his fourth year with the Blazers, Billups has guided the team to a 35-46 record this season. While Portland missed out on the postseason for the fourth straight year, the team performed better than expected with young stars like Scott Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija. 'I'm just so happy, with what we've done and where I think we can go,' Billups said. 'So much promise here. I'm pumped about it.' Billups has helped the Blazers forge an identity, especially over the last 40 games when Portland had the league's third-best defensive rating. The second youngest team in the league went on a run in late January-early February when they won 10 of 11 games. 'The defensive improvement that we've seen, for us to be the third-best defense in the league in the second half of the season. That's meaningful and substantive,' said general manager Joe Cronin, who signed his own extension earlier this week. 'And that's what we've been trying to build. And that's a what we're going to point to moving forward, this is who we are.' There were other teams reported to be interested in Billups, including the Phoenix Suns. 'The core of Chauncey's leadership is his ability to build a collaborative culture and growth mindset for our young team,' Blazers chair Jody Allen said in a statement. 'We're very happy to extend his contract as head coach, and excited to see his continued work developing our players and transforming this team into one capable of long-term success.' Billups, 48, who had an NBA playing career that spanned 17 seasons, won a championship with Detroit in 2004 and was named the finals MVP. A five-time All-Star, he was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in October. 'I just feel very good about where we're at, and now I understand how long it takes to build a culture. I feel like we've done that,' Billups said. 'I think the tell tale of that, for any coaches, is if at some point when your team kind of takes on your personality and how you believe the game should be played, I think you've gotten there.' ___ AP NBA:
Reuters
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups agrees to multi-year extension
April 13 - Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Sunday morning. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed for Billups, who is concluding the final guaranteed year of his contract. The move comes six days after the Trail Blazers reached a multi-year extension with general manager Joe Cronin. "I want to thank (Trail Blazers chair) Jody Allen, (vice chair) Bert Kolde and Joe Cronin for their belief in me as we all progress on this journey of creating a sustained winner for years to come," Billups said. "We are building this team the right way with a defensive-minded, hard-nosed, competitive culture. I look forward to continuing to give Rip City fans a product on the court that they can be proud of and cheer for every night." Billups has guided Portland to a 35-46 record entering its season finale against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon. The Trail Blazers won just 21 games last season. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Billups owns a 116-211 record during his four seasons as the coach of the Trail Blazers. He replaced Terry Stotts, who took the Blazers to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons as the coach. "The core of Chauncey's leadership is his ability to build a collaborative culture and growth mindset for our young team," Allen said. "We're very happy to extend his contract as head coach, and excited to see his continued work developing our players and transforming this team into one capable of long-term success." Billups, 48, was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 while helping the Detroit Pistons to the league title. He was a five-time All-Star during his career with the Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, spanning from 1997-2014.
