Last week, Nuggets guard Earl Watson sat in a courtside chair, across from the bench his old Memphis Grizzlies team will be sitting in tonight at the Pepsi Center. At that time, the prospects of playing a minute against Memphis seemed dim in Watson’s eyes.
The first-year Nugget expressed no anger or strong frustration about his lack of playing time. Life experience and tragedy have taught Watson there are things much worse than sitting on the bench with a five-year contract worth $29 million in hand.
“It’s weird. I’m way stronger than what I thought,” said Watson, who grew up poor in Kansas City, Kan. “When you get tested as far as different phases in life, you’ll be surprised if you have a positive mind-set.
“All this is God. I’ve been through a lot of things in my life. Compared to my life period, this is the easiest thing in my life.
“Losing my little brother (Eric Vargas), 17 years old, to a car wreck (last year). Seeing him lying down in the middle of the street tossed from a car from 30 feet. Viewing that, being on the scene. That’s made me tremendously a better person and made me appreciate everything: family, friends, relationships.”
Watson has racked up seven DNP’s because of coach’s decisions and had one appearance in eight games going into the Nov. 16 game at New Orleans-Oklahoma City. Media and Nuggets fans questioned why the Nuggets had signed the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder to be a third-string point guard.
But Watson showed his worth by recording 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes in a win against the Hornets. He had four points in 18 minutes in a win against New York on Friday and started the second half.
And just that quickly, Watson went from bench player to role player for Denver.
Even so, the fifth-year NBA veteran isn’t getting too excited.
“I’m not going to read into it any different,” Watson said.
Watson averaged a career-high 7.7 points, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals for Memphis last season. After being drafted in the second round out of Seattle in 2001, it was in Memphis the past three seasons that he made a name for himself.
“My heart was basically molded there,” Watson said. “My game as an NBA player was defined by (former Memphis coach) Hubie Brown. Long summers with (general manager and NBA legend) Jerry West, with just me and him in the gym. Shane Battier, Brian Cardinal, Stromile Swift. There was so many good people on that team, so my foundation was set there.”
Former teammate Bonzi Wells, now with Sacramento, said: “Earl’s a monster. He’s tenacious on defense. He really worked on his game. He’s a good dude, too. Earl’s real quiet, but he’s a good person. … He used to always keep me going. He would say, ‘Come on, man, let’s go get ’em.’ I liked his energy and his attitude toward the game.”
Once he became a free agent last summer, Watson said that there were “tug-of-war” contract talks with the Grizzlies but “no hardcore number” was offered. The Grizzlies traded for reserve point guard Bobby Jackson on Aug. 2. Three days later, they signed free-agent point guard Damon Stoudamire. Those two acquisitions made re-signing Watson unnecessary.
“Who knows if we would have done some of the other things,” Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello told The (Memphis) Commercial-Appeal. “You can’t have Damon, Bobby and Earl on the roster. That doesn’t make sense. He’s in the same situation now.”
Wells said Fratello wanted him, Watson, Swift, Jason Williams and James Posey out of Memphis. Individually, Watson didn’t believe that to be true.
Fratello scoffed at Wells’ remarks.
“That was not the case,” Fratello said. “But you can’t go around changing everybody’s opinion. Earl did a great job here. He had a very difficult job at times and he performed it well.”
Watson said there was a negative vibe in the air between himself and Fratello last offseason. Just before signing with Denver on Sept. 6, Watson called Fratello to clear the air.
“After they signed Bobby Jackson and Stoudamire, I had a great talk with Fratello just to let him know that there was a lot of gossip going back and forth, and if he didn’t hear it from me, don’t listen to it. Vice versa,” Watson said.
Considering Denver already had two durable point guards – Andre Miller and Earl Boykins, who both played in all 82 games last season – it was surprising that Watson was signed. And when Fratello talked to Watson, he expressed his concern.
“The only thing I said is, ‘Have you thought everything out? Is this the right place for you?”‘ Fratello said.
Nuggets coach George Karl said he told Watson that his role would not be defined.
“We talked about it before we signed him, too,” Karl said. “We didn’t say, ‘Hey, this could be, it might not be, it might be.’ We talked about the scenario of ‘Hey, this is not the easiest thing to figure out. It may take time to figure out.”‘
Watson’s emergence has played a role in the Nuggets earning their first two-game win streak of the season, reaching the .500 mark at 5-5 and will likely get him minutes against Memphis.
“I do respect him tremendously,” Karl said. “His professionalism is enlightening and it has lifted our team a little bit.”
MEMPHIS AT DENVER
7 p.m., Altitude, KKFN 950 AM
SPOTLIGHT ON PAU GASOL
The Grizzlies never have had an NBA all-star since joining the league during the 1995-96 season. But Gasol might end up being the first because of his solid statistics and more aggressive play this season. “He’s attacking,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “He’s much more aggressive. Much more into demanding defenses cover him. He shoots a lot of free throws.”
NOTEBOOK
FOOTNOTES: Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin is expected to miss his third straight game tonight with left knee tendinitis. The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder’s ailing knee is improving, he will continue to increase activity and he went through practice Saturday. “I felt better, did more than the previous day,” Martin said. … Nene will have right knee surgery Monday and has regained full range of motion. … Earl Boykins had a mild increase of swelling in his sprained right ankle after Friday’s game against New York. Despite sitting out Saturday’s practice, he is probable for tonight’s game. … Eduardo Najera had some increased soreness in his sprained right foot after the New York game and rested Saturday but is probable for tonight. … Memphis forward Brian Cardinal is out because of left knee rehabilitation. … The Nuggets were 4-0 against Memphis last season and have won the past 15 in Denver.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
