Source: http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/nuggets/archives/2009/01/allstar_is_nice.html ********************************************************************* All-Star is nice; NBA title is better January 30, 2009 3:42 PM / By Aaron J. Lopez ********************************************************************* 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. ********************************************************************* -- Only the strong survive- Iverson ⊕ ═█┘ ⊕ ●╱ 　　　 Ｗ ● ●︵ ● ●)) ３╯ <３\ /３⊕ ／３﹚ ３ \\ />⊕ >/ ⊕ ╲> >> ========= http://www.wretch.cc/blog/AWEI3 ========= --

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