Denver Post sports writer Chris Dempsey posts his Nuggets Mailbag each Thursday this NBA season on DenverPost.com. The next installment, however, is slated for Thursday, Feb. 22.
To drop a question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
and he hustles on defense, but why does he hoist up so many 3-pointers? It seems like he’s shot us out of a few games.
— Sherky, Tempe, Ariz.
Sherky – Believe or not, with 39 makes from 3-point range (as of Jan. 30), Diawara is one of the Nuggets’ top-four threats from the 3-point line. Now, as a rookie he does tend to get carried away a bit, but one of George Karl’s mottos is to never tell a player to stop shooting, just take that individual out of the game. And since Diawara is arguably the Nuggets best perimeter defender on a team that is in need of defensive improvement, he’ll get plenty of minutes in which he’ll certainly put up more shots from the 3-point arc.
Diawara is a bit streaky, but I think he’ll settle in at a respectable percentage in the low 30s by the time the season ends and not hurt the team too much in the process.
Why do Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson wear those sleeves on their arms? Is it just for style?
— Brian Davis, Oklahoma City
Brian – Those sleeves contain protective padding in them. In the cases of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, both have minor elbow injuries that are protected from being hit and getting worse by those sleeves. Nothing serious, but further damage can be slowed or prevented by wearing them.
Now, do they become kind of a trademark of the player wearing them? For sure. Kind of like the sleeve Michael Jordan wore over his calf. It’s protective, and pretty cool, too.
How is Ricky Sanchez progressing? Is there any chance we see him in a Nuggets uniform any time soon or have the Nuggets given up on him?
— Mike, Durham, N.C.
Mike – Ricky Sanchez is still very much on the Nuggets’ radar, and he’s playing for the NBADL’s Idaho Stampede where he averages around nine points and five rebounds per game. There is always a chance he could be called up this season, but I wouldn’t look for him much until training camp next season.
The Nuggets own his rights, and if they bring him to training camp next season they must sign him to a contract. So basically it means if Sanchez shows up in Nuggets training camp, expect him be on the opening-day roster.
Twenty-one fouls in the fourth quarter? That’s almost one foul every 30 seconds. And that, my friend, is what I paid good money to witness on Saturday night. Why do NBA officials, more than any other group of officials, attempt to control the outcome of games?
— Brad Casey, Longmont
Brad – This is an age-old basketball frustration. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the officials attempt to control the outcome; that would obviously be against the rules and furthermore they just don’t care that much. They will try to keep control of a game in the case of boiling tempers that may lead to a fight or if a fight has already happened. But from game to game, the variance between what one official calls and what the next will call can sometimes be vast. And throw in a player like, in the case you’re talking about, , who is adept at drawing fouls, and a fourth quarter like that is very likely. That many fouls in a quarter, however, isn’t the norm. But each night there is an adjustment period for players to how certain referees call the game.
Do you think the Nuggets have the potential to win it all?
— Jeff, Longmont
Jeff – Potential being what it is, the Nuggets do have a great deal of talent that can carry them deep into the playoffs. But do I think they will win it all? No. Not this year. There are too many teams in the Western Conference that are as good or better (i.e. Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, L.A. Lakers, Houston), and the Nuggets have a bit too many flaws to be championship caliber.
Now having said that, whatever team/teams facing Denver in the playoffs won’t have a fun time trying to eliminate the Nuggets. There’s enough firepower here to give the best team fits, but I think Denver is a year (maybe two) away from being a significant player in the race for a title.
Dear Chris: After watching , I am wondering what George Karl and the entire organization, for that matter, see in the fumbling and slow play of Nene! He is just plain awful … turnovers galore, too many fouls, too much whining, etc.
— Nancy Litvak, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nancy – I would give Nene a hall pass for this season. His knee is much too damaged for him to do anything but get treatment, and that has affected his play on the court. So, he doesn’t lift weights for his upper body, he hasn’t been able to take part in pre-game shooting to get warmed up, and he hasn’t practiced as much as he’d like.
In short, all of the things that players do to help improve their game, Nene hasn’t been able to do. He basically does what he has to do to be available for each night’s game. That said, he has slowly gotten better and his play has reflected that of late. Some of his trademark explosiveness is returning, which has raised his confidence. But he’ll still be limited all season to 25-30 minutes per game maximum in a best-case scenario. A full offseason to heal and get his body stronger will do him a world of good.
Chris Dempsey is in his first year on the Nuggets beat. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
