Denver Post sports writer Adam Thompson posts his Nuggets Mailbag every other Tuesday during the 2005-06 NBA season on DenverPost.com. The next installment is slated for Nov. 29.
To drop a question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Is there a reason why Julius Hodge hasn’t suited up for the Nuggets this season?
— Jose Trujillo, Montbello
Jose – The simple answer is numbers. The Nuggets have a ton of established guards already, and most of them aren’t getting as much time as they’re used to already. Combine that with Julius’ inexperience and the fact that he had offseason knee surgery, and the odds are stacked against him. Denver’s brass often talks about him as more of a point guard eventually, but the Nuggets currently have three ahead of Hodge there. Don’t be surprised if they ship him to the development league to get some minutes and work on the kink in his shot.
Thanks for the great Nuggets Mailbag, Adam! Can you please explain the signing of Earl Watson? I know that he’s a good point guard, but to sign another decent point guard for $29 MILLION when you already have a solid duo with Andre Miller and Earl Boykins doesn’t make any sense to me.
— Eric, Alexandria, Va.
Eric – Thanks very much. Watson is a very good point guard. But you’re right; it is more than a little strange to pay someone $29 million not to play, and it doesn’t look right now like things are going to change for Watson, barring an injury. Luis Flores could have done what Watson does at a fraction of the price. That being the case, it’s fair to guess that the Nuggets had a trade in mind in the late summer involving one of the other point guards, and it failed to materialize.
The party line has been that the Nuggets wanted to add a commodity with their mid-level exception, even if it was a redundant commodity. Keep an eye on Dec. 15. That’s when teams can trade players they signed during the offseason. If nothing changes, there’s got to be some other team out there in need of a point guard who can help the Nuggets fill a hole elsewhere.
The Nuggets need some defensive help since the Nene injury. Who do you think will get a look, and is it possible it could be “The Worm” (one of the best defensive forwards ever)? He is wanting a come back, and Denver could be a good fit.
— Michael, Colorado
Michael – The Worm (or, Dennis Rodman, as he’s known on his home planet) is 44 years old. He’s playing in one-game stints in Finland and for an ABA team in Tijuana. Shouldn’t that say something about his standing around the NBA right now? The Nuggets did more than most teams would have by giving him a chance to try out last season. It didn’t work. However, if the Nuggets are interested in consultations on wife-carrying contests, Rodman’s their guy.
Growing up with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey, it was hard watching the Blazers losing by nearly 40 points – even harder to see the apathy. I would like to see what you think about Theo Ratliff coming here for maybe one of our guards? Maybe even for Nene? I think that Theo is a good, hard-working player (even though Melo did throw that nasty dunk on him.)
— Jeremiah, Denver
Jeremiah – I feel your pain. is the kind of loss teams talk about years after the fact. Part of Portland’s trouble, and that team does have a lot of trouble, is a contract like Ratliff’s. He is a hard-worker, but few would argue he is worth $35 million over the next three years. I’d have a hard time thinking the Nuggets would even entertain the notion of bringing him in, considering the big bucks they’re already sending to big men Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby. I still think Ratliff has a better chance of playing here than Rodman, though.
Hey, Adam. Just talking about the “Nene” thing: Here in Brazil, all pro athletes are recognized by only one name. That is why Nene adopted it – to improve his popularity in Brazil. Just look at our players: Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Romario, Dunga, Oscar (basketball legend), Guga (Gustavo Kuerten, three-time French Open champion), etc. And also he definitely feels more comfortable with only “Nene.” Just wanted to make that clear. Greetings.
— Luciano Falkowski, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
Luciano – Thanks for the help. For those of you puzzling over this note, it’s in reference to the previous mailbag, when a fan asked why Nene felt he’d earned “one-name status” as a sports celebrity. Incidentally, I wanted to write all my stories this year as just Adam, but my editors wouldn’t let me.
Adam Thompson is a native of New York City, where he spent his senior season in high school as the last man off the bench on a basketball team that won three games. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
