Denver Post sports writer Chris Dempsey posted his Nuggets Mailbag each Thursday during the 2006-07 NBA season on DenverPost.com. This is the season finale. Thanks to everybody who submitted questions this season.
To drop a question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
What is up with Allen Iverson’s free-throw shooting? It has dropped
since he joined the Nuggets.
— John, Beijing
John – This has been one of the bigger mysteries since Allen Iverson
arrived in Denver, but there is also a misleading element. He has had
some bad free-throw-shooting games, but while he’s been in Denver,
Iverson has made 75.9 percent of his free throws. That is actually right around his career average of 77.7 percent.
Now, before he came to Denver this season he was in the midst of having his best free-throw-shooting season as a pro, hitting 88.5 percent of his tries. He also had shot at least 81 percent from the free-throw line in each of the prior two seasons as well, so his drop-off is interesting.
Early on, he blamed a lot of his missed shots on the butterflies of coming to a new place and trying to live up to the enormous expectations everyone has of him. Now, I just think he’s hit some rough spots, but he has shot them better more often than not lately. It is definitely something to keep an eye on during the playoffs, where he is a career 76 percent free-throw shooter.
I’m a 68-year-old woman, and I have become a dedicated fan of the Denver Nuggets. I’ve even resorted to looking at the sports page. Here is my question: Under the box scores, what does O-T mean that is located under Reb. Thank you.
— Peggy Pappas, Denver
Hi, Peggy. The O-T pertains to rebounds. The “O” is for the number of
offensive rebounds, and “T” is for the number of total rebounds.
I hope Nene is in the gym every day, all day, improving his defense,
because when the playoffs start, if he does not keep a lock on Tim
Duncan one-on-one, the Nuggets are on their way home after five games –
maybe six, if they’re lucky.
— J., Baltimore
J. – Barring a 1994-esque series out of the Nuggets, they are probably
going to be eliminated in around six games anyway. And really, who stops Tim Duncan one-on-one? No one. Not a single player. It’s why Duncan is a three-time champion, finals MVP, perennial all-star, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
The interesting thing is Nene is the Nuggets’ best post defender. But he’ll receive help in the form of double-teams, probably from Marcus Camby because he’ll be covering Francisco Elson, or from Carmelo Anthony who will be on Bruce Bowen. So there shouldn’t be too
many Nene-on-Duncan, one-on-one situations anyway.
Chris: What is the Nuggets’ record with and without Allen Iverson this
season?
— George, Orcutt, Calif.
George – Excluding the first part of the season, when he wasn’t yet a
Nugget, Denver’s record with Allen Iverson prior to their regular-season finale is 26-24 and 4-4 without him.
Just wondering … when the players give each other “high fives” before
the game or after a good play and so on, why do they usually use the
back of their hands instead of doing a normal “high five” with the palm
of their hands?
— Grant, Greenwood Village
Grant- If you notice, it is mainly hi-fives with Marcus Camby that
are with the back of the hand. And most of that has to do with the fact
that it was hard for him to do anything with that hand because it was
broken. So it didn’t hurt to hi-five “backwards.” Plus, it just looks
cool. So many of them have adopted it.
What is Carmelo Anthony missing to be the MVP? He’s in the top three in
scoring, and he has led his team to the playoffs four consecutive years. I don’t get it.
— Kayla O., Denver
Kayla – The thing about the NBA is not only do you have to be all of
those things that Carmelo Anthony already is, but your team also must be an upper-echelon team. L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant recently said that he shouldn’t be considered for the league MVP because he wasn’t leading an elite basketball team. That is what is hurting Melo the most this season.
That, and the fight in New York.
League MVPs don’t get themselves suspended for 15 games. If he would have never been suspended, the Nuggets may have been in that 50-55 win threshold, which puts the team among the top four or five in the league, which puts the players most responsible for that success in the MVP conversation. I’d expect to see Melo in that conversation as early as next season, though.
Chris Dempsey is in his first year on the Nuggets beat. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
