George Karl sat down with his staff Monday to discuss the state of the Nuggets as the preseason winds to its conclusion. It was filled with questions and concerns.
Positive news first: None of the worries includes the talent level of the players. The Nuggets coach knows he’s good there. But figuring out who is going to play where, which combinations work and gaining some team chemistry are issues Karl admits will spill into the early portion of the regular season. And the Nuggets’ 114-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center didn’t do much to help ease the team’s growing concerns.
Karl is not happy about it, but he squared himself long ago with the fact that November’s regular-season games will be akin to an extended training camp.
“I think the way training camps now run, the first 10 games of the regular season are a lot more like the old mini-camps,” Karl said. “It just seems like there’s too many people sitting out games.”
Injuries have derailed much of what Karl had hoped to accomplish on a team that is integrating essentially five new players and returning veteran Kenyon Martin, who missed nearly all of last season, into a team whose identity still is being developed.
The issues, according to Karl:
“I don’t know who’s going to be the starters on my team.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to play the ‘four’ position, with Kenyon being on limited minutes, and Nene will probably be on limited minutes early. It’s going to be kind of interesting.”
“Not knowing even the backup (shooting guard/small forward) right now, because Bobby Jones has moved up the ladder. J.R. (Smith) obviously won’t play for the first three games.”
“Will I start (Allen Iverson) at point or at off-(guard)?”
So, Karl says, a lot of things need to be worked out “in the first 10, 15 games of the season.” But these aren’t panic button times. Karl points to an early- season schedule that has “winnable games.” He just wishes there were more answers now.
Tuesday against the Bucks, Eduardo Najera and Marcus Camby sat out. Carmelo Anthony did not, and, with his trademark smile, he does not express any of the concern of his coach. Asked how long he thinks it will take for the Nuggets to get all of their moving parts going in the same direction, Anthony said, “After Friday. After the last game of the preseason. We have four or five days to get ready for the first game. I’m pretty sure everybody will be back. Nene came back. Eddie’s been back and forth, nothing major with Eddie. The only person we’re missing is Anthony Carter.”
Carter (broken hand) will be out until at least Nov. 10.
Nene has missed most of preseason camp, but started playing 5-on-5 in practice this week and was in action Tuesday. He finished with six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
“My calf felt good,” he said.
Nene would like to play in one of the final two preseason games at the end of this week.
“Probably one,” he said. “I need a little bit of conditioning.”
Nene’s conditioning likely will have to come in regular- season game situations, like a lot of things with this team.
“There are some things that are going to have to be answered on the job,” Karl said. “But fortunately they are veteran professionals. And then you have a pretty intense commitment from Melo, A.I. and Marcus, and Kenyon’s done a great job, too. We have a lot of foundation.
“I don’t have any idea who fits with each other. Something will come on the screen pretty quickly, but you probably would have wanted to have some more experimental situations in training camp.”
Footnote. The Nuggets cut their five training camp invitees, including Stacey Augmon, after Tuesday’s game. The roster now has 14 players.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
