Chauncey Billups is good in his role as an NBA analyst for ESPN. It’s also no secret around the league he’d like to step into an NBA front office one day, and spend just a few minutes talking to Billups and you start to think he would be good at that, too.
Billups the NBA assistant coach? He’d be good at that, too. Which is why the Orlando Magic, with new coach Frank Vogel, made a run at him (after they lost assistant coach Adrian Griffin to Oklahoma City). However, Billups turned the offer down, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.The Magic were prepared to make Billups one of the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coaches, an opportunity to which Billups gave serious consideration before deciding to stay in his role as a network television analyst, league sources said.
Billups has designs on a front-office career and could decide to make the leap in the future.
Being an NBA assistant coach is a lifestyle commitment — it is long hours, a lot of time watching film, and a lot of time on the road. You have to love coaching to do it, even if you are getting paid well. Billups likely realized the time commitment was not for him.
Not that NBA front office people don’t put in a lot of hours — they do, and most for less money than the Magic just threw at Billups — but there is less travel and disruption of lifestyle. Billups will be in a front office when he’s ready, but right ow he’s got a comfortable gig with ESPN.
