One’s a fastball, two’s a note. …
Figures. George Karl, whose job is to win games, not sell newspapers, had a friendly reminder for the media throng that came to see the A.I.-Carmelo Show on Monday night: “You’d better talk about Marcus Camby and Steve Blake. Those guys are really good.”
Blake is proving that he’s much more than a warm body acquired in a salary-dump deal. Camby? If Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are the biggest-name Nuggets, he’ll have to settle for being the most indispensable Nugget.
Or maybe you didn’t notice the Memphis Grizzlies’ M.O. on Monday night. When Camby was in the game, they took jump shots. When Camby was on the bench, they drove down the lane for layups.
The final score was Nuggets 115, Grizz 98. Now for the real score: Nuggets 81, Memphis 55 with Camby on the floor, and Grizz 43, Nuggets 34 with Camby taking a breather.
More numbers: Camby is averaging 17.9 rebounds in his past seven games, and had a hat trick of games with seven blocked shots in Anthony’s absence.
Moral to the story? I’m not sure if they’re going to put Melo on the Western Conference all-star team, but they ought to put Camby on it. …
Is Iverson livin’ large or what? Monday night, he said he was ready to play four quarters – after just playing four.
“I don’t have to do the things I had to do in Philadelphia,” he said. “I don’t want to, but I feel if I do struggle here, we can still win the basketball game.” …
Iverson, on his alley-oop to Anthony, the one that almost hit the Pepsi Center rafters, but wound up being a slingshot dunk for Melo: “I wanted to throw it up high like that so he would make ‘SportsCenter.”‘ …
Anthony, a bundle of emotions after his 36-day banishment, smelled his jersey. And just to show he’s maturing into a savvy veteran, he did it before the game, not after. …
Happens every time. According to ESPN.com’s Todd McShay, University of Tennessee cornerback Jonathan Wade was measured at 5-feet-9 at the Senior Bowl. Nothing out of the ordinary there except that he claimed to be 6-feet. Then there’s Louisville D tackle Amobi Okoye, an alleged 300-pounder who checked in at 287. …
So that “black particulate” Michael Vick was toting through the Miami airport wasn’t dope after all. What, he’s a licorice fiend? …
There are consolation prizes, and then there are consolation prizes. To wit: Pats QB Tom Brady isn’t going to the Super Bowl, but he can watch the game with his new girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret undies model Gisele Bundchen. And here I’m gonna watch the game with a six-pack and a bag of Doritos. …
Itemized, at least according to every cyber rumor out there: Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and actress Jessica Biel, Boulder’s own. …
Golfer Paul Goydos, when asked by the Orange County Register about his daughters’ reaction to his winner’s share – $936,000 – at the Sony Open: “Now that you mention it, they did go out to the mall on Monday.” …
Cornerback Johnathan Joseph was popped for marijuana possession the other day, making him the ninth Bengal to be arrested in the past nine months. Nine in nine months? And here the Bengals’ critics say they’re inconsistent. …
Just so you know? The Super Bowl point spread, which opened at 7 1/2 and dropped to 7, figures to drop another half-point or more. Why? Market sizes. The game will attract much more money from Chicago than Indianapolis. …
The Raiders have hired 31-year-old USC assistant Lane Kiffin as their new head coach. The same Lane Kiffin who had people pushing for him to get the CU job that went to Dan Hawkins. …
Good luck, kid. Oh, and next time I show up at training camp, tell Al Davis to talk to me.
Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
