Denver Post sports writer Adam Thompson posted his Nuggets Mailbag every other Tuesday this NBA season on DenverPost.com. A season finale will soon follow the conclusion of the Nuggets season.
To drop a question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Hey, Adam! I’m from Mora, Sweden, and I wonder if I get a free pass as well, although I’m not from Tranas? Which of the Nuggets has the nicest toenails? Nah, just kidding. I would like to know how you feel about Denver’s chances in the playoffs this year, provided that the team qualifies (almost in the bag, right?). Do you feel that with their recent acquisitions the Nuggets will be able to reach a new level this year in the playoffs?
— Erik Helin, Mora, Sweden
Erik – OK, OK, Mora gets a pass, too, but only because of its famed Frost Knives. But I don’t want any other Swedish municipalities to get any ideas about special treatment.
The Nuggets are in a position to advance past the first round for the first time since they upset George Karl’s Seattle team in 1994. No one should assume they would beat either Memphis or the L.A. Clippers, especially without home-court advantage. But those two potential foes are certainly more beatable than Minnesota two years ago or the champion San Antonio Spurs last spring.
The presumptive opponent in the second round would be Phoenix, a team the Nuggets have had major match-up problems with the past two seasons, when the Suns have taken seven of eight meetings. Karl said he felt that in his team’s last loss at Phoenix in March he saw some encouraging signs from the new lineup that includes Reggie Evans and Ruben Patterson. There’s no question those two have made a huge difference so far, and if the Nuggets do break through to the second round, I’m sure they’ll have had a lot to do with it.
I want to know why the Nuggets struggle so much when both Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby start at the same time.
— Josh, Fort Collins
Josh – You and George Karl both. The Nuggets’ record is oddly worse when their two best big men play together. With Martin limited to 25 minutes lately, Karl has experimented with playing Martin off the bench, partly so there are fewer gaps between his stints on the floor. The team is fortunate to have enough other forwards to compensate for this odd tendency most of the time, which is why they’re well above .500 despite this problem.
Adam – When we run on the break and move in the half-court offense, we look unbeatable. Then we shift into a trudge-up-the-court mode, as one guy dribbles and the rest stand around. What can George Karl do to get this team to play up-tempo for a full game?
— Rusty Worth, Denver
Rusty – I’ve been getting some version of that question since the early days of the Mailbag when Jeff Bzdelik was in charge. The Nuggets have certainly evolved from the five trees in a forest they used to look like, but they do revert to a slow-down game that is deadly for their success.
The injury to Earl Boykins has probably not helped here. Earl certainly has his critics, but he does help infuse speed into Denver’s game. While Howard Eisley has had his moments, he does not play as fast as Boykins does. The added burden on Andre Miller to play more minutes with Boykins out may also be contributing to recent slow-downs.
I am currently in my Fantasy Basketball playoffs and am getting killed in rebounds and blocks because Marcus Camby can’t seem to play two games in a row anymore. Is there any advance warning that you can give me about the weekend match-ups concerning the oft-injured, yet extremely talented Nuggets big man?
— Lorenzo Moore, Birmingham, Ala.
Lorenzo – Is there anything else I can do for you while I’m at it? Perhaps phone in with the day’s weather in central Alabama? Maybe e-mail each weekend’s best bets for movies, music and books? Arrive at your door each morning with fresh-squeezed orange juice?
Apologies for the sarcasm, but I actually get questions like this fairly often, and I always have the same answer. First, any information I have about injuries is getting in the paper as soon as possible. Second, for every well-intentioned fan, which you certainly seem to be, there are sketchier people out there looking for an edge in Vegas by getting injury news before it hits the Internet.
I don’t know if your fantasy team includes the postseason, but here’s one tip – for all the games Camby misses in the regular season, he has never lost one to injury in the playoffs.
What are your thoughts on the idea of re-signing Nene and Reggie Evans and getting a young two-guard or even just some draft picks for Kenyon Martin this offseason? Honestly, Kenyon Martin would be great if he was making Eduardo Najera money, but the team cannot afford to keep his salary, considering his production.
— Chad, Morehead, N.C.
Chad – The problem with your scenario is it would take someone with an Eduardo Najera salary to get back what you proposed under NBA salary-cap rules. As I’ve said here before, I have a hard time seeing Nene stay, between the money he is likely to command, the interest from teams with cap room like Toronto and Atlanta, and the amount the Nuggets are already spending on their frontcourt. That doesn’t mean Denver absolutely won’t do what you suggest, but that scenario involves many more moving parts.
Hey, Adam. Thanks for the great Nuggets Mailbag! Do you think there is much room for improvement with Melo’s rebounding, defense and assists?
— Eric, Washington
Eric – To answer your questions: yes, yes and yes. For all the strides Anthony has made this year, and there have been many, he still has plenty of room to improve in all three areas. No one’s saying he should average a double-double, but as of this writing he’s done it five times this year with points and rebounds and a sixth time with points and assists. In other words, he’s certainly capable of averaging more than about five boards and 2 1/2 assists.
Not that they are exactly the same players, but Paul Pierce averages almost two more rebounds a game, though he’s two inches shorter. In fact, Anthony’s rebounding numbers have decreased since his rookie-year high of 6.1 per game.
As for Melo’s defense, he can still forget about the occasional rotation or let his man by him, but his on-ball defense does seem a bit better. If he gets those three things together, he elevates from rising star to true great.
Adam Thompson is a native of New York City, where he spent his senior season in high school as the last man off the bench on a basketball team that won three games. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
