Chauncey Billups Appears In Court For Status Update Hearing

While the Trail Blazers are moving forward with their head coaching search, former coach Chauncey Billups is seeking an end to his legal troubles.

Billups appeared in court on Thursday, along with 30 co-defendants, to attend a scheduled status update hearing for the federal gambling investigation he was arrested in conjunction with, Sean Highkin reports for the Rose Garden Report (subscriber link).

Billups has maintained his innocence, which his lawyer, Mark Mukasey, confirmed when asked by a reporter heading into the courthouse. Mukasey also told the judge, Ramon Reyes, that he and his client “loved” the proposed start date of November 2 for the trial. As Highkin writes, that’s a strong signal that Billups is not looking to accept a plea deal and will instead continue to try to fight to clear his name.

Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, one of Billups’ co-defendants, pleaded guilty to his charges in April after initially pleading not guilty, saying, “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.”

A Blazers spokesperson declined to provide Highkin with a comment on Thursday and said the team wouldn’t discuss the situation while the case remains open.

Billups’ ongoing case makes it unclear whether the next coach the Blazers hire will be an acting head coach or the club’s permanent head coach. Highkin notes that should Billups plead – or be found – guilty, the team would have grounds to fire him for cause and void his contract. However, the team could face a challenge from the National Basketball Coaches’ Association if they try to void his contract and he’s eventually acquitted.

Assuming he doesn’t accept a plea deal, the uncertainty around his case could cause his contractual situation to linger over the team for months, if not years, despite it appearing incredibly unlikely that Billups ever coaches in the NBA again.