Minneapolis – Dispersal is the name of the game for players during the all-star break, and after Wednesday night’s contest the Nuggets began the process of fanning out across the nation.
“They can go wherever they want to go,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “They can fly to the Bahamas if they want.”
Players were not required to fly back to Denver on the team charter, though almost everyone did. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson will head to Las Vegas for the All-Star Game and all of the accompanying festivities while others head to other destinations.
Center Marcus Camby will be in New York and Houston visiting family and friends, while guard Steve Blake said he would stay in Denver to spend “quality time with my family” and “get to know the city better.”
Karl is headed to Boise, Idaho, for a short trip to watch his son, Coby, play in a home game for Boise State against Albany. Assistant coach Adrian Dantley is headed home to Washington, D.C., to be with family.
Karl said players are asked to exercise during the four-day down period. The team will convene Monday in San Antonio to begin preparation for Tuesday’s game against the Spurs.
“They have to be in San Antonio for practice,” Karl said. “If they miss that practice then we’ll be pretty strong with the fine.”
Soul of the game
Expansion is nice. A prosperous league is nicer. But Karl wants more out of basketball in America as the sport moves forward.
“My personal thing is kind of rebuilding the soul of basketball is more important than making money,” Karl said. “The league is into making money, and (NBA commissioner David) Stern has done an incredible job in that area. From 1980 to now this league is one of the all-time (best) business turnarounds. … But as I get older, and see the game and see the product, I’d like to see more focus in the direction of development of players, development of the soul of the game, of the fundamentals of the game.”
Footnotes
Camby played his second consecutive game without the protective tape around his healing right hand; he suffered a fractured finger in December. “It felt pretty good,” Camby said. … Blake is also getting back to 100 percent. His sprained right elbow no longer requires a protective sleeve and his lip that received 12 stitches after being hit two weeks ago is also nearly mended. “I’m pretty much back to normal,” Blake said. “I feel like a normal person.”
