Good morning, Mr. Big Shot hangs them up

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

GOOD NIGHT, MR. BIG SHOT: Chauncey Billups is retiring. Best basketball player ever from the state of Colorado. Jon Abrams did a wonderful profile of Billups a couple years ago.

OKAY, GORAN: Slovenian star Goran Dragic called Spain the World Cup favorite. Team USA ran Slovenia off the floor with a 43-point quarterfinal win. We’ll see. Klay Thompson finished with 20 and -- brace yourself -- Derrick Rose had a good game. Lithuania beat Turkey, so Team USA and Lithuania will meet in the Los Cuatros Finalistas. (I’m not sure we’re ready for their fans’ handshakes.) Two more wins earns gold for the Americans.

HAWKS SAGA UPDATE: The Hawks do not intend to punish Danny Ferry further.

I think he’s on his way out regardless. Kelly Dwyer agrees. That, as always, makes me feel better about my prediction.

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls for everyone’s heads.

Albert Burneko on why the Levenson email was indeed racist.

But the most important news from Tuesday was Luol Deng’s pitch-perfect statement, which I’ll excerpt:

“I’m proud to say I actually have a lot of African in me, not just ‘a little’. For my entire life, my identity has been a source of pride and strength. Among my family and friends, in my country of South Sudan and across the broader continent of Africa, I can think of no greater privilege than to do what I love for a living while also representing my heritage on the highest stage.”

Meanwhile, Dominique Wilkins wants to buy the team. That would be great!

SPEAKING OF PROUD AFRICAN HERITAGE ... Awesome Woj piece on Serge Ibaka’s efforts to reshape the continent.

PLAYER-COACH VINO: Byron Scott says he will sit Kobe some games and treat him like an assistant coach. Approve.

BEST GAMES LIVE: SB Nation NBA writers wrote about the best basketball games they’ve ever attended as fans.Some great essays in there.

WE’RE TALKIN’ ABOUT COURT DESIGN: Zach Lowe ranks all 30 court designs in the NBA.

COACH CAL FOREVER: John Calipari is going to hold a two-day scouting combine in Lexington so NBA folks can check out his recruits ... in October.

DINGED: Greg Monroe suspended two games for a DUI.

ZORAN: Stein says the Suns, Pacers and Kings are chasing Zoran Dragic.

IN THE FUTURE: ESPN’s Insider crew has their latest Future Power Rankings. In a stunner, the Sacramento Kings are not No. 1.

AGENT MONEY: How agents are boosting their bottom lines by getting second-rounders a little more than the league minimum.

Happy Wednesday. See you next time.