Plenty of nutty things can happen between now and Feb. 23. The one thing Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe can predict with certainty is what happens Feb. 24, when the NBA’s trade deadline has passed: The rumors will cease.
“Just about every GM would like that,” Vandeweghe said Tuesday after reiterating that his team had little cooking on the trade front.
His insistence aside, rumors continue to circulate about a possible trade involving the Nuggets, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic that would send point guard Steve Francis to Denver. On Tuesday the New York Daily News introduced Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin’s name into the mix and mentioned that Denver has talked with Chicago about Martin, too. At this point, any deal for Francis would almost have to include Martin for financial reasons.
“I hear it every day,” Martin said of the speculation. “Ain’t nothing new. … I don’t spend time worrying about stuff I can’t control. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
One trade scenario has Martin and Earl Watson headed to New York with Francis and the Knicks’ Channing Frye going to Denver and the Magic receiving New York guard Anfernee Hardaway in a salary dump. At least that one works under league salary cap rules. Rumored deals that involved the Knicks’ Jamal Crawford instead of Hardaway or Frye do not.
More realistically, New York would likely expect Denver to take back a hefty contract belonging to Maurice Taylor, Jerome James or newly acquired Jalen Rose for Martin. But Frye could remain a sticking point on the Nuggets’ end.
Nuggets coach George Karl welcomes the day when his players won’t have to worry. He said: “We’re human beings, and of course it affects you. You don’t want to be talked about not being wanted or somebody wants to trade you.”
Karl predicted his staff would be “more demanding” once the trade deadline passes. While his team, which has lost five of six, continues to explore external solutions to its problems, he hopes to find some internal ones sooner.
During the six-game stretch, the Nuggets have been outperformed by an average of 12.5 points and 10 rebounds.
“We’re doing some good stuff, but we’re not rotating well enough to the 3-point line (on defense),” Karl said. “The nature of our offense, when we sacrifice, we play well. When we’re selfish, we play badly. That’s not only the nature of our game. That’s the nature of probably every NBA team that is having some struggles.
“But if we don’t commit to each other and commit to the pass and playing as a team, we will probably be what we are right now. Last year when I came on to this team, you probably were writing about the same things. It’s still there.”
The Nuggets’ struggles peaked in the third quarter of their 122-114 loss Monday at Golden State when the Warriors went on a 24-1 run.
“We’re giving a lot of 30-point quarters up,” point guard Andre Miller said. “Teams are shooting high percentages, getting a lot of easy baskets on us.”
Watson, the subject of trade rumors for weeks, preached calm.
“Two weeks ago, everybody was talking about how we’re one of the best teams in the NBA,” said the guard, who is slumping along with his team. “It’s amazing what a couple of games can do. At the same time, we know what our potential is.”
It should be easier for the players to know their roster’s potential when they know once and for all who is on it.
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
