Las Vegas – The Nuggets are closing in on their point guard, and it is not the incumbent.
The Nuggets and free agent Chucky Atkins are close to agreeing on a contract, two league sources said Thursday. A deal could be reached as early as this weekend.
Atkins would replace Steve Blake, who started 49 games for the Nuggets last season after being traded to Denver from Milwaukee. Blake, a free agent, has generated interest from a number of teams, including the Nuggets, and is keeping his options open.
The Nuggets have been high on Atkins’ wish list since the regular season ended. The eight-year veteran has said he is fond of coach George Karl and the Nuggets’ fast-paced style of play.
The Nuggets stand to get a guard who is solid offensively, a boost for their lagging perimeter shooting. Atkins, a 5-foot-11, 185-pounder who played college ball at South Florida, is one of the better shooters at his position, hitting 37.9 percent from 3-point range last season and 37 percent for his career.
Atkins has played for six teams in his career, most recently two years with the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 13.2 points, and 4.6 assists last season. Atkins also has extensive playoff experience, most notably with the Detroit Pistons.
Nuggets front-office personnel sat with Atkins’ agent, Andy Miller, on a couple of occasions during summer league play at Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion, including Thursday.
Atkins was one of a number of guards the Nuggets had interest in to play point guard. Blake was high on the list, as was former Charlotte Bobcats guard, Brevin Knight. In fact, as of Thursday morning, Knight’s agent, Bill Strickland, said his client was still excited to be a part of the Nuggets’ picture.
“We’re still very, very interested in the possibility of joining the Nuggets,” Strickland said.
Blake’s availability to the Nuggets may hinge on other, higher-paying teams dropping out of the race for his services. The Miami Heat is interested, but the organization’s first priority is signing Milwaukee free-agent point guard Mo Williams.
If Williams falls through, Blake is more in play for the Heat, but a wild card in that equation is Steve Francis, whose contract was recently bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers. Several teams, including the Heat, are reportedly interested in signing Francis.
Summer Nuggets win
The Nuggets won their second summer league game Thursday, beating the Pistons 92-84 at Cox Pavilion. The Nuggets were led by Von Wafer’s game-high 25 points and got solid efforts from Jelani McCoy (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Will Blalock (16 points, four rebounds). “It was really fun to watch them execute when we had to,” Nuggets coach John Welch said. “We weren’t doing a good job of getting stops and had to score to win the game. It was fun to see them do that when the pressure was on.” Denver returns to action today against the Los Angeles Lakers, who feature Coby Karl, son of Nuggets coach George Karl.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
