Back in the day, when Nene was talking breakout season and Kenyon Martin was going to prove he was worth the money, Kiki Vandeweghe had a vision. He wanted to use his two power forwards on the same front line with Marcus Camby.
“Our three big guys are all flexible enough to play together in the front line,” Vandeweghe said. “We certainly wanted to experiment with it so we could move Carmelo to the backcourt. But we haven’t been able to realize that.”
Now is his chance.
Vandeweghe not only has an opportunity to move Carmelo Anthony to the backcourt, he can significantly upgrade the Nuggets’ defense in the same instant. All he has to do is risk every bit of team chemistry he has spent years trying to nurture. All he has to do is risk polarizing a fan base that isn’t exactly breaking down the doors of the Pepsi Center for tickets.
All he has to do is trade for Ron Artest.
Sounds easy, trading for a player the Pacers want to unload, but nothing is ever easy with Artest. Even if the Nuggets can swing the deal – Nene and Earl Watson would be part of the package – there’s the little matter of Artest’s baggage.
Did I say little matter? The guy has more baggage than Imelda Marcos.
Depending on your point of view, Artest is at the top or bottom of the bad-boy food chain. Yao Ming is a foot taller, but Artest makes for a much better lightning rod.
Why in the world would the Nuggets even consider dealing for Artest? You’re right, it doesn’t make any sense. The Nuggets would be asking for trouble. They would be begging for dissension among their ranks. It could turn out to be the NBA version of the Eagles-Terrell Owens nightmare.
Yeah, but.
The Nuggets are already in survival mode, to use Vandeweghe’s term. Twenty-five games into things, they’re below .500. What, Artest’s presence might raise a few eyebrows in the locker room? A few outraged fans might boycott games? It’s not like the team they’ve got is creating a buzz. They’ve had one sellout – on opening night.
Sure, the Nuggets have had injuries, major ones. They all but hauled out the fife and drum the other night at Atlanta. But here’s the thing about injuries: You can’t let them be an excuse. And above all, you can’t let them hide your real issues.
Granted, the Nuggets don’t have some issues other NBA teams do. They don’t need two basketballs on the court. They don’t have any undercurrents of tension in the locker room. They don’t have any Shaq and Kobe “he said, he said” soap operas playing out in the papers.
No, the Nuggets’ only issue is talent. They don’t have enough of it. They’re bound to improve on their 12-13 record, what with eight of their next nine games at home, but there are telltale signs that Vandeweghe and George Karl don’t believe the current cast is the answer.
“Both of us feel that, talent-wise, this is a very good basketball team,” Vandeweghe said.
“We’ve had circumstances early in the season that haven’t allowed us to emerge as a good basketball team. Ask Houston how difficult it was to play without Tracy McGrady. Ask Utah how difficult it was to play without Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko.”
Vandeweghe walked away a few moments later, presumably to start working the phones again. Even before all the injuries, he was talking trades with other clubs. Paul Pierce, Steve Francis and Al Harrington are just three of the names he has pursued.
Now comes Artest. Forget those heart-to-hearts with teammates about wanting to rescind his trade demand. The Pacers’ front office wants to deal him, and the Nuggets are interested enough to have initiated trade talks.
Anthony is more than interested. If he can hook up with a 20-point scorer who doubles as the NBA’s best perimeter defender, he’ll do it and ask questions later.
“He’s got a clean slate if he comes here,” Anthony said. “If we can get a guy like that, I don’t really care about his baggage as long as I know what he’s going to give me out there on the court, and it’s self-explanatory what he’s going to give me.
“He’s going to go to war with you every night.”
Anthony’s willingness to accept him is just one reason the Nuggets should take a chance on Artest. Fact is, they’re unique among the 20 teams that have inquired about his price tag.
For one thing, they have a general manager whose future is anything but certain. With his contract expiring in August and no extension talks in the works, there’s no next year for Vandeweghe. He needs to make a bold move, right here and now.
Then there’s Karl, who has a long history of getting the most out of troubled players. Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Anthony Mason, World B. Free. The list goes on and on. Artest would be Karl’s biggest challenge yet, but it beats the heck out of scuffling along near the .500 mark.
Go ahead, call any notion of acquiring Artest a panic move by a troubled team. Maybe it is. Then again, such a desperate move could turn out to be a stroke of genius.
In this great unknown, the Nuggets could have everything to gain. We already know they have nothing to lose.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
