Julius Hodge marveled at how often his brother Steve has been right about him – from his tough love on the courts of Harlem to his hunch that the Nuggets would take the North Carolina State guard Tuesday in the first round of the NBA draft.
When Hodge was a boy, Steve, 11 years older, would push him into fences, onto the ground, even punch his brother in the ribs when he whined about foul calls in one-on-one games.
“He definitely made me tougher and I love him for it, because it’s paid off,” Hodge said of the family member who decided he should be named after Julius Erving.
The Nuggets started the night quietly enough by putting a smile on Hodge’s face with the 20th pick. But general manager Kiki Vandeweghe followed with his third draft-night trade of a first-round pick in four years. He selected Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack at No. 22 and shipped him to Portland for the Trail Blazers’ first-round pick at No. 27 and second-rounder at No. 35.
With those two picks, Denver took two sleepers, Missouri forward Linas Kleiza and prep forward Ricky Sanchez. The Nuggets finished by selecting Belgian forward Axel Hervelle.
“They’re all very hard workers, very serious players, very angry, intense players – with talent,” coach George Karl said. “Hodge was one of the more competitive guys that I saw work out, as was Kleiza.”
Vandeweghe found himself faced with a choice of two prime two-guards with Denver’s first pick. He opted for Hodge, a 6-foot-7 senior and four-year starter, over Louisville’s Francisco Garcia, who ended up with Sacramento at No. 23.
The GM cited Hodge’s versatility, saying the team now might not need to carry another point guard behind Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. He also compared him to former Milwaukee great Sidney Moncrief, while Karl likened him to Nate McMillan.
“He’s a multiple-position player, very good defender, very, very good open-court player, and obviously the one thing that he wants to work on and we want him to work on is his outside shooting, which I think is much better than people think,” Vandeweghe said.
Asked about landing on a team with an admitted need for help at shooting guard, Hodge said, “I think it’s a great situation. They’re looking for a two, and I’m a jack of all trades. I can play one, two or three, so I think I’ll fit right in. They play tough defensively and they have two guys, especially, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin.
“I think I’ll be able to fit in with the toughness quota of the team. I’m a guy that’s willing to do whatever I have to do to win.”
Hodge is the only one of Denver’s picks likely to crack the rotation. Karl, with a reputation for favoring veterans over rookies, admitted he could play Hodge, though he said he hoped he wouldn’t feel forced to.
Still, Karl said, “I’m changing my ways, coaching younger players.”
As for the trade, Vandeweghe said, “If we didn’t have somebody that we were absolutely in love with right at that time, (it) was the right move to do.
“We really wanted a mid-30s pick. That was important to us for Sanchez. I have to say Kleiza came in here and surprised us all. He was a sleeper in the draft, somebody who lost 20 pounds. I can say Stan Kroenke’s son (Josh) played with him at Missouri, so we had a little insight there, which factored in. He was somebody we thought we could get at 27.”
Karl likened Kleiza to Nugget Eduardo Najera, while Vande- weghe said Kleiza reminded him of Utah’s Matt Harpring. Considering Denver’s depth up front, it will be hard for Kleiza to crack the lineup immediately.
“I like the up-and-down tempo,” Kleiza said. “They’ve got a lot of good players. I’m going to have to start from the bottom to work my way up.”
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
