Memphis, Tenn. – If Nuggets point guard Steve Blake has looked uncomfortable on the court at times recently, it’s probably because he is.
Blake, brought to Denver via trade to be a point guard, is now playing more of a two-guard role. Including Monday at Memphis, it has been that way the past three games, after coach George Karl moved Allen Iverson to the point to get the star guard more touches on offense.
For Blake, who has known basically nothing but being a point guard his entire career, it is a sizable adjustment.
“I guess it would make me the two (guard),” Blake said. “Basically, I’m just trying to run up the court as fast as I can, try to give him good spacing, be an option for him out on the wing and then go from there.”
Although the move hasn’t stopped him from playing about 30 minutes a game, those minutes have become learning minutes.
“It’s just understanding what your role is,” Blake said. “My role is when we get a rebound, I’m just taking off and running. And it is different because when you’re a point guard you have the ball in your hands so much, you have a good feel for it. You’re pretty much always touching the ball.
“Now, you might not touch the ball for two or three possessions, and when you get it, it’s a little different; you’ve got to do something with it. It’s something you’ve got to get used to.”
Baby Melo
Basketball isn’t the only thing on forward Carmelo Anthony’s mind these days. He is about a week away from becoming a father.
He said his fiancée, La La Vasquez, will be induced into labor in eight days. That falls around mid-week next week, when the Nuggets play the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Tuesday and are at Golden State on Wednesday. He said he doesn’t expect to miss any game time, though.
“I’m not on call,” Anthony said. “I’m just ready for it to happen, I’ll tell you that. I’m excited, man. The anticipation; it’s like a countdown right now.”
Footnotes
In another lineup shakeup, guard Yakhouba Diawara started in place of Linas Kleiza on Monday. … Karl said his decision not to play forward Reggie Evans in the final minutes of the Nuggets game at Dallas was matchup-based. … Of the Nuggets’ 30 points in the first quarter Monday, 22 were while in the paint.
