The Page 2 notes. Often imitated, never duplicated. …
Wondering whether Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe is in a hurry to trade Kenyon Martin? You won’t be after you read the next few paragraphs.
Vandeweghe was asked a fill-in-the- blank question Wednesday: When healthy, Martin is among the (fill in the blank) best power forwards in the league?
“Top couple, absolutely,” Vandeweghe said. “He’s a unique player. What he does generally doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. … He does a lot of the dirty work. He’s definitely the fastest power forward in the league, and probably the quickest. And he may be the most versatile as far as guarding people.
“What he brings to a good team is hard to replace, it just is. It’s hard to describe, but he brings a toughness that’s very difficult to replace. He’s been really good for us. You can’t ask any more of him. He’s giving all he has.” …
Vandeweghe on trade rumors: “Thirty to 40 percent of the rumors probably have some validity. Most, if you do your homework, don’t work with the salary cap.” …
Don’t forget the “when healthy” part of that multiple-choice question. Said Martin, when asked how his knee was feeling, “Still attached.” …
So, is it realistic to think Martin could reach 100 percent health status by season’s end? “It’s definitely realistic,” he said. “But the way it’s been going so far? It’s up in the air, but I’m always looking forward to the next day. Day by day, man, day by day.” …
The Nuggets’ injury epidemic has made for some bizarre stats, none more bizarre than this one: They’re 28-26 – 20-13 with Francisco Elson as the starting power forward or center, 15-16 with Marcus Camby as the starting center. …
The Nuggets had run off seven straight wins before Camby’s recent return to the lineup, whereupon they immediately fell onto hard times. Said Camby, before Wednesday’s game, when asked his theory of what the heck is going on: “I can’t pinpoint it. It’s frustrating, but the good thing about it is we’ve got 29 games left. We still can salvage the season. I still feel like we’re a capable ballclub.” …
A capable ballclub. Hey, if you’re looking for bold predictions, you’ve got the wrong team. The Nuggets have been too beat up for that kind of thing. The best George Karl could do Wednesday was to describe his team’s season as “kind of in a fixable area.” …
Antonio Davis, traded to Toronto in the midst of the Knicks’ 10-game losing streak, calls his former team “a circus.” Personally, I was thinking more along the lines of the Westminster Dog Show. …
Random thought while watching Lindsey Kildow’s horrific crash at the Olympics: What some people won’t do for a Tylenol endorsement. …
Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press on the good citizens of Turin grumbling about what to do with those six hockey rinks they built once the Games are gone: “Well, after watching Italy lose to Canada 16-0 in women’s hockey, how about practice?” …
Doesn’t seem possible, but if anyone can do it, Jeremy Bloom can. Run the fastest 40 at the NFL scouting combine, that is, a matter of days after competing in the Winter Olympics. What kind of jets does Bloom have? His five plays of 75-plus yards – two catches, two punt returns and one kickoff return – tie him with Whizzer White for second on the all-time CU list behind Ben Kelly. …
Something tells me we’re going to like CU recruit Wes Simon, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound offensive lineman from Plano, Texas. Asked by the CU sports information department about his interests in high school, Simon said he’s in “Honors English and Honors Lunch.” …
Bob Hille of The Sporting News on the Daytona 500: “It’s the Super Bowl of NASCAR, which means two things will be deafening: the roar of car engines and the whine of Seahawks fans.”
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.
