It may or may not turn out to be money well spent, but the five-year, $29 million contract the Nuggets forked over to acquire free-agent guard Earl Watson probably won’t show much in the way of an early return this season.
With Andre Miller entrenched as the starter and Earl Boykins now re-established as the backup, Watson is going to be used primarily as a defensive specialist, coach George Karl said Monday.
“Earl’s a very good basketball player, (but) it’s just playing time,” Karl said. “How much playing time do you have for three (point) guards? It’s very hard. You’ve got 48 minutes, and I think Andre’s got to be on the court for at least 30 of those minutes and Earl (Boykins), last year, was as good a bench player as there was in basketball. So how I figure that out, I think every game’s going to have a different pulse to it.”
Karl doesn’t see playing time as a huge issue, however, because he’ll use different combinations.
“Everybody knows I like playing Andre and Earl (Boykins) together,” he said. “I think everybody knows I like having guys that pass the ball and make basketball plays on the court together. So those are my options right now, and I’ve got Earl Watson sitting there who can give me a defensive dimension on the point guard. Last night (against the Hornets), we gave up probably 40 points at the point guard position, and I think we need to have better defensive focus in that area.”
Said Boykins, “Whether you’re the starter or you come off the bench, you still have a job to do, so my job is to go out there, play hard, and help the team win basketball games.”
Said Watson: “I came into this league playing defense, so it’s more natural for me. I’m still working on certain parts of my game and on this team, the point guard plays multiple positions.”
NBA teams are required to reduce their rosters to 15 by Oct. 31. Karl said he planned to meet with general manager Kiki Vandeweghe and that cuts and any allocations to the NBA’s developmental league probably would be announced soon.
For now, Karl is working on forming his regular rotation.
“My desire is not to change much of anything,” Karl said. “I’m just trying to get a little better, a little stronger, maybe have a few more concepts and philosophies better defined than last year. I think the team (as composed) has earned the right to play and see where it goes. I don’t know how many games that means. It might mean 20 games, it might mean 60 games, it might mean the whole season.”
Footnotes
Sports Illustrated picked the Nuggets to finish second in the Western Conference, joining a number of other preseason publications who are high on the team. “I think the team’s probably enjoying it,” Karl said. “I told them I hope they get tired of it, because expectations become a pain.” … Forward Bryon Russell had his left knee examined by doctors Monday, and results are expected to be revealed today. … The Nuggets play Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Pepsi Center in their final home exhibition game.
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
