San Antonio – The NBA playoffs are full of talented reserve big men. Nuggets center believes his team might have the best – Nene.
“He’s very important,” Camby said. “He’s a proven player in this league, a guy who can score, a guy who can defend and really set the tone for us on the defensive end. Without him, our core of big guys aren’t the same.”
Nene played a huge role in the Nuggets’ Game 1 win, scoring nine points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots in 17 minutes. That might mean more playing time tonight as Denver seeks to exploit its depth advantage in the front court against San Antonio.
Camby rates Nene, 6-feet-11, 260 pounds, on par with or above the likes of Miami’s Alonzo Mourning, Houston’s Dikembe Mutombo, Detroit’s Antonio McDyess and Indiana’s Jeff Foster as weapons off the bench in the playoffs.
“He is probably the best,” Camby said. “He has youth on his side. He’s aggressive, and he can score with his back to the basket.”
Nene averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23.9 minutes during the regular season, having lost his starting spot in the offseason when the Nuggets signed free-agent power forward .
He got 18 starts, mostly when Camby was out, and bumped his averages to 12.7 points on 57 percent shooting and 6.9 rebounds as a starter. “It was hard because I didn’t start,” said Nene, 22. “When I started, I played good. For me, it doesn’t matter now. Sometimes it’s better (to not start) because you can see the other players; you can see what he is doing.”
Nene said he is not at full strength, his left knee weak from an injury that sidelined him 13 games in the second half. He missed 10 other games to injury.
Camby and Martin are sympathetic to Nene’s plight.
“I know it’s been tough,” Camby said. “They bring in Kenyon, and he’s relegated to the bench. He gets hurt in training camp and is pretty much out of rhythm.”
Said Martin: “In the games he has started, he has played well. That probably makes it even more difficult.”
As for his future, Nene said, “Now, I can accept coming off the bench. Next season, I don’t know.”
The Nuggets are slated to pay Nene $3 million next season and can sign him to a contract extension this summer. If no extension is signed, he will be a restricted free agent in 2006.
“We definitely want to keep Nene,” general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. “I don’t think he’s scratched the surface of what he’s going to become.”
Finding a spot in the starting lineup is “a tough one to handle if everyone is healthy,” Vandeweghe said, but he mentioned the possibility of using a big lineup that has at shooting guard.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
