Veteran Billups leads young team

At 33 years old, Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups is the senior member on the U.S. basketball roster.

It's a role that Jason Kidd, then 34, occupied in 2007 as the Americans tried to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

But the difference now, Billups said, is the team is less mature and depends much more on the old man for guidance.

"I look around and it's like daddy day care," Billups said after Thursday's workout at Cox Pavilion, where the U.S. team is preparing for the world championships, which begin Aug. 28 in Turkey. "The biggest difference is these guys are so young. You've got guys who are 21, 22 -- they're supposed to be in college. That's not a slight at them, but the difference is things you've got to teach with this team, you didn't have to with the other team because of the experience.

"We have to pressure, play up-tempo. We don't have the physical presence we had last time with Dwight (Howard). We got to play fast, space the court and shoot the ball."

In some regards, Billups said, his role with the U.S. team is similar to his role with Denver.

"These guys look at me as a leader, and they'll ask me, 'What should we do here?' or 'Where do you want us to go there?' so it's not much different from my regular team."

A 14-year NBA veteran, Billups averaged a career-best 19.5 points last season.

But it was a trying season, as the Nuggets coped with coach George Karl's battle with neck and throat cancer. Karl, 59, took a leave of absence in mid-February to undergo treatment and missed the rest of the season.

"Personally, you've got a guy who had become a very close friend, not just business-wise, but personally," Billups said. "You see him struggle with it, it's just tough.

"When he told me he was going to be fine, it helped me cope. I told him, 'Coach, you'll be in my prayers, and I'll try and handle my business,' which is what I know he wanted me to do."

Billups, one of five point guards in the Las Vegas minicamp, said he's trying to mesh his skills with the other talented players.

"We've been mixing and matching, so we're getting to know each other," he said. "You've got me, (Rajon) Rondo, Russell (Westbrook), Derrick Rose and Steph Curry. All of us play well together. But as a point guard, you're used to controlling the ball, so naturally, all of us will have to play off the ball."

Billups' experience could be key when facing different styles of play in international competition and figures to earn him a roster spot for the worlds.

"He has equity with us, but he's also a heck of a basketball player," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "He's a leader, and with such a young team, you need his kind of experience."

Family matters prevented Billups from going to Beijing with the gold medal-winning U.S. team, but he thinks he helped the squad get ready for the Games.

"I felt like I was part of it, but there's nothing like being there," he said. "It wasn't hard to watch, but I knew I missed out on a great opportunity. ... It's one of those things I need to scratch off my (to-do) list."

■ NOTES -- Tyreke Evans and Danny Granger were held out of Thursday's practice with ankle injuries. Evans has not practiced since Tuesday. Both are day to day. … National team members Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul worked out privately before Thursday's practice and watched most of it before leaving.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.