INDIANAPOLIS — It will come as no surprise to Denver Nuggets fans to learn that Jalen Rose didn’t play last season with full enthusiasm.
Nor will it be a shock to find out Reggie Williams is content to be out of Denver and on a roster that last season advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
It was evident by the end of the 1995-96 season neither player was enjoying his time with the Nuggets. Now members of the Indiana Pacers, both are looking for fresh starts.
“The situation I was in, I didn’t play with the same enthusiasm and emotion that I’m accustomed to playing with,” Rose said yesterday. “I don’t know if it’s because we never found the chemistry or I was a young player …”
The newest Pacers came from Denver in a trade that sent guards Mark Jackson and Ricky Pierce to the Nuggets, along with Indiana’s pick at No. 23 in next week’s draft for Denver’s No. 10 pick.
The 6-foot-7 Williams, a nine-year NBA veteran, played in only 52 games with a career-low 4.6 average, and made no secret he wanted to leave Denver.
“I asked to be traded, plus it’s to a contending team, so I’m very happy,” Williams said. “I just wanted to leave. I didn’t like the way things were going.”
The fact that it was to a team that has won 52 games each of the past two seasons made it even sweeter, he said. “This was my ninth year in the league and I wanted to go out being a winner,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to start all over again. So I think it’s a good opportunity for me to help an already good team.”
Rose, a 6-8 point guard, was a first-round draft pick by the Nuggets in 1994.
“This summer is going to be a big summer for me,” he said. “I’m going to work very hard, and to those that doubt the abilities that I have, they’re going to be believers once they see the Jalen Rose I plan on being this season.”
Rose is expected to battle 5-11 Travis Best, the Pacers’ first pick last year, for a starting spot. Size alone may work in Rose’s favor.
“The thing I am is a point guard, because my ability is to distribute and lead,” Rose said. “My size enables me to do other things, for versatility reasons …
“I like having the ball in my hands. I like getting other people involved. I like pushing the ball up the floor, making things happen,” Rose said.
Rose started 37 games last season and averaged 10 points and 6.2 assists. He led the Nuggets in assists for the second straight year.
