The NBA trade deadline came and went Thursday, and nary a splash was made in Denver. Last week the Nuggets had too many point guards and no center. Today they have have one fewer guard and still no center. And they have a roster full of fours, with enough power forwards to make your local YMCA entry look like the most balanced team since the ’86 Celtics.
When the Nuggets travel to Minnesota today to take on the Timberwolves, don’t expect to see much change in the local squad. The Nuggets are still the league’s second-worst 3-point shooting team, ahead of only Utah. A basic ability to run the court is the only reason the Nugs rank in the top half of the league in field-goal percentage. The team might have rid itself of some baggage, but two of its best shooters were lost in Earl Watson and Voshon Lenard. George Karl’s job at this point seems to be making sure Earl Boykins and company ignore those contested 30-footers and instead feed the ball to someone who can get to the rim for a layup.
For comparison, the Nuggets are shooting 45.6 percent from the floor this season and rank 11th in the NBA. Miami is the best shooting team in the league at 47.5 percent. In 1986, the Nuggets shot 47.1 percent and ranked 21st among the 23 NBA teams. In other words, a team that can shoot efficiently can dominate today’s NBA. But where are the Nugs’ shooters?
The big question is this: Did the Nuggets, in trading for Ruben Patterson, Reggie Evans and Charles Smith, get any better than the Mavericks, Spurs or Suns in the Western Conference? Begin to piece the answer together tonight when Nuggets take on the Timberwolves at 6 p.m. on Altitude.
What we’d like to see
USA Hockey heed Mike Modano’s suggestion and revamp the organization with some “fresh faces.” The team needs some young blood – mainly on the roster. The U.S. team, led by stale old stars Modano, Chris Chelios, Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk and Mathieu Schneider, was eliminated from the quarterfinals. Canada, too, with a roster full of oldies, was upset in the round of eight. The U.S. ignored a bevy of good young talent from the college ranks, and Canada left off budding superstar Sidney Crosby. Meanwhile, Russia is still alive with Alexander Ovechkin, the best young player in the world.
What we’d like to see
Two things happened as a result of the Colorado men’s embarrassing 93-77 loss to Nebraska on Wednesday. First, the Buffs probably played themselves right out of NCAA Tournament consideration, losing to a team they beat in January by 22 points. Of course, this isn’t news to Colorado, which before the game officially applied to host a first-round NIT game, according to The Post’s Tom Kensler. The Buffs already seem resigned to playing in the also-rans tournament. Second, with four losses in the past six games, coach Ricardo Patton’s status is becoming clearer by the day.
The couch
ON: You know those people who constantly criticize the NBA and how they’re usually older than 60? Sunday, ESPN will air a game custom-made for those haters. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers – once a marquee rivalry with historic matchups between Bird and Magic – will resume their series when Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and the Celtics travel to take on Kobe Bryant, Smush Parker and the Lakers. The Celtics just plain stink at 21-33. And the Phil Jackson-led Lakers, like Chuck Klosterman noted, seem to be running more of a “line” offense than a triangle (pass to Kobe and watch him shoot). Ball-hog Bryant takes almost 27 shots per game, more than twice that of the second-most active Lakers shooter, Lamar Odom.
OFF: Unless you’ve got a souped-up DeLorean that can get to 88 mph and take you back in time, you’ll never know just what it was like to get around a Colorado mining town in the 19th century. But you can approximate what it was like before snowmobiles tore gas-powered trails through the trees. In the third annual Leadville Loppet on Sunday, skiers will recreate a path through the historic Leadville Mining District on the Mineral Belt Trail. Try your hand at a 22- or 44-kilometer skate or classic race that begins at the Colorado Mountain College soccer field at 10 a.m. Check out mineralbelttrail.com for more information.
Around town
Not to be outdone by its Boulder brethren, Colorado State has plenty of questions about the future of its own men’s basketball coach. Saturday night, CSU travels to Laramie to take on Wyoming. With the Rams and Cowboys hovering near the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings, there’s not much to play for. But don’t tell that to coach Dale Layer, who lost an ally in departing CSU athletic director Mark Driscoll and continues to be the topic of discussion when it comes to possible personnel changes in the program. Watch Layer finish out his CSU tenure or salvage his job, depending on your outlook, on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. travel to take on Kobe Bryant, Smush Parker and the Lakers. The Celtics just plain stink at 21-33. And the Phil Jackson-led Lakers, like Chuck Klosterman noted, seem to be running more of a “line” offense than a triangle (pass to Kobe and watch him shoot). Ball-hog Bryant takes almost 27 shots per game, more than twice that of the second-most active Lakers shooter, Lamar Odom.
