If one person can relate to George Karl these days, it’s probably Jeff Bzdelik.
Karl might as well have channeled the former Nuggets coach when discussing his team’s inconsistent running game Friday. Karl said assistant coach Doug Moe has been yelling at him to get his team to run more.
Karl said he replied, “Doug, when the (heck) have I said not to run? When have I said to hold it up?”‘ He added, “It doesn’t happen.”
Running does happen for the Nuggets. Sometimes. At no particular interval. They lead the league with 21.5 fast-break points per game, but several admit they still are not at their optimal speed.
“It can get better,” point guard Andre Miller conceded. “If we can be able to rebound and get stops, we can get up the court a lot better, but right now it’s been inconsistent.”
Added small forward Carmelo Anthony, “There’s some things that we’ve got to get right, some injuries. People have got to get back, but we’re getting there.”
The result is a 13-14 record and games with wildly varying outcomes, an unpredictability that recalls the last days of Bzdelik, who was fired last Dec. 28 with a 13-15 record.
Karl is in no danger, of course, and says nothing is “drastically broken” or “crazily wrong.”
Still, he said he could find fault with each position on the team when it comes to forcing a faster tempo.
“I think our wings can run more consistent,” Karl said. “I think our bigs can get ahead of the ball. I think our bigs concede to Carmelo way too much in taking the middle lane. We have a middle lane and Carmelo’s great at it, but that doesn’t mean that Kenyon (Martin) can’t go get it. It’s free of charge. You can go anytime you want to go. … I still think our point guards are, in league terms, probably just above average in our penetrations, and I think the best time to penetrate the ball is in transition.”
Against a Houston Rockets team that may be the only one in the NBA more injury-depleted than Denver, the Nuggets took a step in the right direction, scoring 20 fast-break points Friday. Guard Earl Watson said it wasn’t hard to pinpoint why the team was making extra passes, which led to 32 assists.
“It’s just concentration, just focus,” Watson said. “The thing is we know we can do it. We have the talent and we have the guys to do it. We just have to make a consistent effort to do it.”
But Karl said it still is not at the level he wants. He remains concerned about his team’s ability to finish games when it slows down.
He wasn’t there for Denver’s start last year, but Miller was, and he wasn’t prepared to draw a full comparison yet.
“We were a lot slower last year,” he said. “At least we are playing a little bit better defense than we did last year at the beginning of the year. It’s just going to take time.”
Footnotes
Despite the right thigh contusion he suffered against Houston, Martin is listed as probable for Denver’s game Monday at Golden State. But his minutes and his game continue to be limited as he recovers from offseason surgery to his left knee.
Asked if he would consider resting for a week, Martin said, “I don’t even know yet. Like I told you guys before, it’s still day-to-day.”
The Nuggets are listing guard Earl Boykins (strained left hamstring) as questionable for Monday.
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or at athompson@denverpost.com.
