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Knicks president Donnie Walsh has been working in the NBA since the 1970s, so he’s been around long enough to know an easy decision when he sees one.

Wednesday Walsh—who is expected to sign a two-year extension of his own, according to multiple reports—decided to pick up the $14.2 million team option on point guard Chauncey Billups. The option included a $3.7 million buyout, but it doesn’t sound like that will play much of a factor.

"We have made a decision to keep Chauncey Billups for the upcoming 2011-2012 season," Walsh said in a statement. "Chauncey, Amar’e and Carmelo are a great nucleus, as we continue to look to improve our team going into the off-season. Chauncey is an extremely talented and experienced point guard—we are very lucky to have him back."

Billups’ season ended after he sustained an injury to his knee in the Knicks’ first-round series against the Celtics, but neither the player nor the team believe there are any health concerns going forward. Despite being 34 years old, Billups insists he can play several more seasons—a sentiment echoed by Walsh at various times since he acquired Billups from Denver in February. 

Giving someone in his mid 30s enough money to launch a space shuttle seems like a big decision, but it was probably an easy one given the dearth of point guards on the free agent market this summer. Had they not picked up Billups’ option, the Knicks could have made a run at unrestricted free agent J.J. Barea or hoped to overpay for a restricted free agent like Aaron Brooks or Goran Dragic.

And since Billups’ extension is only through next season, Walsh should still get his chance to bid on Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd and/or Steve Nash in the summer of 2012.

So what can Knicks fans expect from Billups in 2011-2012?

A lot depends on first-year swingman Landry Fields. If he can keep his 31 MPG average, New York will feature one of the bigger backcourts in the league. However, given Fields’ downward spiral following the Billups-Anthony trade, combo guard Toney Douglas might make more sense in the starting lineup. The former ACC Defensive Player of the Year could guard point guards on defense while deferring point guard duties to Billups on offense.

But while Billups’ days of defending elite point guards may be ending, his offensive game has withstood the test of time. This year over 25% of his offensive possessions ended with him picking up an assist. In fact, he’s been over 20% in that regard for the past eight seasons. Billups’ turnover rate (percentage of possessions that end with a turnover) reached a nine-year high this season (11.5), but that number is still respectable and probably had a lot to do with learning a new offense in New York.

Perhaps the greatest signs that Billups still has some offensive gas left in the tank are his shooting percentages from the 2010-2011 season: 40.2% from 3-point range and 91.6% at the free throw line.

Billups may be older, but he can still make teams pay behind the arc and at the line.

Who Is the Next Coach of the Golden State Warriors?

Now that Golden State has cut ties with Keith Smart, would they consider bringing back a former coach?

No, not the Don Nelson Trilogy. Rather, former Rockets, Blazers and Kings coach Rick Adelman—who also won 66 games as the Warriors coach in 1995-1996 and 1996-1997—might make sense.

In his 20 NBA seasons, Adelman has missed the playoffs only four times (including both seasons in Oakland), and he has a history of getting players to overachieve.

But he’s not the only experienced candidate with ties to the Warriors job.

Current Warriors GM Larry Riley spent the mid-to-late 1990s as director of player personnel for the Vancouver Grizzlies, where he worked with then head coach Brian Hill and then assistant coach Lawrence Frank.

Now Hill and Frank are assistants in Detroit and Boston respectively, but both could wind up as candidates for the Warriors head-coaching job. 

Other former coaches who could see some interest include Larry Brown, Kevin McHale, Eddie Jordan, Mike Fratello, Jeff Van Gundy (everyone tries to get him out of retirement), Sam Mitchell, Mike Woodson and Jim O’Brien. However, it should be noted that O’Brien didn’t exactly get a warm sendoff from the Pacers, and his chances of getting another head-coaching gig in the NBA seem less likely than the others.

But not every possible candidate is a former head coach. Lionel Hollins’ protégé Dave Joerger has helped engineer the Grizzlies’ late-season surge. And since Riley knows Hollins from their days in Vancouver, it shouldn’t be hard for Joerger to get a recommendation—not that he needs it.

Joerger has been credited with Memphis’ defensive strategy while putting together a 3-1 lead over the top-seeded Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Rockets are reportedly already interested in Joerger.

If Riley and assistant GM Bob Myers decide they want the Warriors to continue being a fast-paced team, Knicks assistant Phil Weber could become a candidate. Weber, who worked with Mike D’Antoni with the Suns and Knicks, is known as an offensive-minded coach who believes in pushing the tempo.

Elston Tuner, on the other hand, worked under Adelman for nine seasons and could offer a similar philosophy to the veteran coach, while bringing a younger voice (Turner is only 51).

Who do you think should be the next coach of the Golden State Warriors? Let us know in the comments section below.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Is Noah Dirty?

Following Tuesday’s season-ending defeat at the hands of the Bulls, Pacers forward Danny Granger accused Chicago’s Joakim Noah of being dirty, according to Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star.

Granger thought Noah gave Josh McRoberts a cheap shot during the game, but was prevented from approaching Noah after the 116-89 loss.

"Everybody saw what Josh did and he got ejected," Granger said, referring to the McRoberts’ elbow which got him ejected from Game 5. "Nobody caught what happened first. It’s always the second man. [Noah] was playing dirty the whole game. My teammates got caught with it and nothing happened."

McRoberts said he was responding to an elbow that Noah threw at his throat.

League Speaks With Maloofs, Anaheim Officials

After picking through the corporate pledges Sacramento put together in an effort to keep the Kings in California’s capital, the league is now focused on Anaheim’s pledge, according to Randy Youngman of The Orange County Register.

Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who serves as the chairman of the relocation committee, had a conference call with the Maloof brothers, the owners of the Kings, and Anaheim Arena Management, which runs the Honda center, on Wednesday.

The committee is scheduled to finish its fact-finding mission by Monday, but it’s been delayed before so there really is no guarantee when anyone will get an answer.

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