Kenyon Martin wore flip-flops and a grim expression at Nuggets practice Thursday morning. He wasn’t buying the silver-lining theory.
That theory goes like this: Although arthroscopic surgery on Martin’s right knee means he’ll likely be sidelined for six to eight weeks, at least he’ll be back for the meat of the season and a possible playoff push.
“I’m not looking at it like that, I’m just looking at it like I’m out again,” the oft-injured forward said. “It’s just bad timing for myself and the team. We needed to get that chemistry going and start to jell. I thought this was going to be it.”
Though a date for the surgery has not been set, Martin said it’s likely to be early next week.
Pain and swelling in his right knee for three days told Martin something was wrong. His fears were confirmed Wednesday when an MRI revealed loose bodies in his right knee that must be removed by surgery. This comes after Martin missed 22 games last season after undergoing micro- fracture surgery on his left knee in the summer of 2005.
The Nuggets (0-3) begin a four-game, East Coast trip tonight in Philadelphia. While searching for the first victory of the season, coach George Karl will be experimenting with the most effective way to replace the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Martin. Karl said he would look to Eduardo Najera, Reggie Evans and Joe Smith to fill the void and grab rebounds. Nene, who went down in the first game of last season with a serious knee injury, is being limited to 20-25 minutes a game.
“We do have a luxury in that we have Reggie, Eddie and Joe, but I don’t know if Nene is ready to expand his playing time,” Karl said. “So I think it’s probably a game-to-game selection on my part.”
Center Marcus Camby made it clear the 6-8, 245-pound Evans needs to get some quality minutes. Evans signed a five-year, $23 million contract in the offseason but has not played this season.
“Hopefully we have guys who can help,” Camby said. “We have a big guy like Reggie, who signed a big deal this summer and hasn’t touched the court yet. He’s a player that can help us in a lot of ways.”
Asked if he expected to see his role increase in the wake of Martin’s injury, Evans said, “Not really.”
Karl made it clear he wants to see how Evans performs.
“This road trip is a chance for Reggie to play and for him to bring his rebounding game and help us win games,” Karl said.
Though subdued by Martin’s injury and the season’s sour start, Karl expressed a ray of optimism.
“I’m frustrated and angry and disappointed,” he said. “But this team can be a very good basketball team. We are probably 10 possessions away from being a good team and gaining confidence. But we are 0-3, and you’ve got to be realistic.
“We still have holes and we are still developing our personality.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
