Denver Post sports writer Chris Dempsey posts his Nuggets Mailbag each Thursday this NBA season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
I love Allen Iverson. I love how hard he plays. That being said, Iverson and Steve Blake are not working together in the backcourt. Is it time to realize that losing Andre Miller and his 13.0 points, 9.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game isn’t going to be made up by a marginal NBA player in Blake?
— Greg, Madison, Wis.
Greg – Certainly losing Andre Miller’s statistics hurts, but to get a player the caliber of Allen Iverson takes losing someone of significance. The biggest loss for Denver in the departure of Miller was his knowledge of the offense, what coach George Karl wanted, and his court presence. He could make plays when things broke down and knew when and where to get the scorers the ball.
As Steve Blake grows in the system, I think you’ll see some of that come back, but there are some intangibles that Miller took and won’t be a part of the Nuggets without him. That said, the Nuggets are more of an overall threat and a better clutch team with Iverson in the backcourt. I would reserve major judgment until a full season of Blake and Iverson can be seen.
I’m not discounting the great play of Melo, A.I., etc., but Steve Blake seems to be the key. What do you think?
— Lloyd, Sacramento, Calif.
Lloyd – This piggybacks off of the first question. Steve Blake has had good moments and bad moments. I still think he can be effective as a part-time scorer, full-time floor leader on the team. This season has given us glimpses of what that might look like, but the full story will be seen next season.
Chris: Do you travel with the team?
— Michael T., Colorado Springs
Michael T. – I do travel to the places the Nuggets go, but not with the team. The Nuggets charter planes to every location, which makes it easy to get in and out of town. … There are no long security lines for them! They typically leave about 1 1/2 hours after the game ends, whereas I have to stay behind and write the story that appears in the next day’s paper. On a normal night that can be around a 2-hour process after the game ends.
Watching the Nuggets on other networks apart from Altitude Sports, I notice the telecasters keep referring to how Denver does not look like a team in terms of caring for fellow teammates on the court. At first I did not see it, but when I watch Miami games, you see Dwayne Wade’s teammates rushing to pick him up every time he falls – not so with the Nuggets. Your thoughts?
— J., Baltimore
J. – Having seen them in person, I think that is nitpicking by the broadcasters, and wholly not true. They do help up fallen teammates.
I am glad to see Linas Kleiza getting some quality minutes. Hopefully he turns out to be another Manu Ginobili?
— Mike, Las Vegas
Mike – Defensively, Linas Kleiza will fall short of Manu Ginobili status, but he has been the brightest surprise on the team this season and quite a different player than what he was at Missouri. At the pro level, Kleiza has dropped weight, added quickness and become an overall more explosive player.
What we are witnessing now is a corresponding rise in his confidence, which has made him a valuable player off the bench. In terms of offensive impact, Kleiza won’t have the same effect as a Ginobili simply because the Nuggets won’t ask for large amounts of scoring from him, like the Spurs ask of Manu. But Kleiza’s game has come a long way from college, and the Nuggets are reaping the rewards in points and energy.
I’m confused. Do the Nuggets have an actual general manager? I can’t find him on the team’s website.
— T. Lee, Denver
T. Lee – It is interesting, isn’t it? When Kiki Vandeweghe’s contract was not renewed by the Nuggets last May, the organization simply restructured its hierarchy instead of hiring a specific person to be general manager. So, in that respect the duties of a GM are shared by Mark Warkentien, the team’s vice president of basketball operations; and Rex Chapman, the Nuggets vice president of player personnel.
Chris Dempsey is in his first year on the Nuggets beat. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
