I think Billups' presence has been golden for Toney. Working with a seasoned all-star veteran point guard is what he has needed. With Billups' continued guidance I believe Toney will be a solid back-up PG or even a starter...
Douglas will benefit the most from the billups trade. Even when we played against the nuggets before the trade, billups was giving douglas some tips and encouragement.
this little tidbit passed me by the other day, but I thought it was still worth sharing today?
Accoridng to the team?s official website,
Chauncey Billups had a few words of encouragement for Toney Douglas when the Nuggets were in town last week.
?Toney Douglas has already received some valuable advice from his veteran teammates and NFL brother throughout his rookie season with the Knicks.
But what he probably never would have expected was getting some tips from an opposing player during last week?s victory over the Denver Nuggets.
?All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups pointed out mistakes made by Douglas and told him things he could improve on as the two were matched up against each other. It was the latest sign that Douglas is earning respect from some of the best players in the game with his impressive play recently.
?He was in the same position I was in when he was a rookie,? Douglas told MSG. ?So he was just helping me out.?
It?s nice to see that TD is being treated with some respect on the court. This is not to say that Billups is an up and coming mentor, but rookies do not necessarily get the benefit of the doubt from visiting veterans, so it?s great to see that TD is held in high enough regard.
To me, this means Douglas carries himself well and gives off a vibe of knowing where he is in this league and respecting those who have come before him. Given Billups? career, I can;?t imagine him offering friendly words of advice to anybody who he felt might not know his role.
Too bad Dino didn?t make any mistakes for Melo to correct him on after that game?
http://www.theknicksblog.com/2010/03/30/billups-offers-douglas-advice-encouragement/
And now that billups has the chance to teach young douglas up close and personal, he's taking advantage of it...
"I talked to him this morning," Billups said of Douglas. "I told him, 'Try not to defer so much to the guys. When you call a plan, just run it no matter what people say or what you might feel. Be in command out there. '
"And I know it's probably tough for him as a young player playing with those studs like that, guys that are alpha males. So I know it's a difficult position for him, but I told him, 'Be confident in what you do.' "
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...ony_toney_douglas_lead_kni.html#ixzz1G1E4zF3r