Chauncey Billups Out With Ankle Tendinitis

His return to the court only three games old, Chauncey Billups was back on the sidelines last night, as he nursed a bum left ankle. Per the LA Daily News: “After scoring 22 points on 5-for-15 shooting and adding seven assists in 60 minutes in his first three games of the season, veteran guard Chauncey Billups had to sit out Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. Billups said his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon was fine, but he’s suffering from peroneal tendinitis in his left ankle. His ankle was so inflamed and weak he couldn’t jump or change directions adequately during the Clippers’ victory Monday over the Utah Jazz. The two injuries are unrelated, Billups added. ‘It’s something I’ve been dealing with for a couple of weeks, actually even before I played my first game,’ he said. ‘It was something I really wanted to get checked out because I just feel like I’ve worked way too hard to get back to play hurt, you know what I’m saying? Honestly, in that Utah game it was really painful. I couldn’t really push off my left foot. It was just really weak. I couldn’t explode off it. I couldn’t cut. So, everything I was doing I was just getting through it. I should be better than this.’ Billups underwent a battery of tests, including an MRI exam Tuesday, which revealed the ankle injury. Willie Green started in place of Billups at shooting guard against the Mavericks. Green started the Clippers’ first 14 games but then didn’t play a second in the next three.”