Chucky Atkins, handcuffed on the bench, watches the Nuggets’ offense like a kid too short to ride the roller coaster.
Atkins yearns to be part of the fun. He watches the Nuggets zoom down the court, and he daydreams.
“Once I get back, I think we’ll be a lot better,” said Atkins, who is out with a groin sprain. “It’s been eating me up that I just can’t play — you come to a new team, things are expected and you haven’t been able to show anything.”
It is possible, Atkins said, he could return by the middle of this month. Acquired this summer to guide the offense, the point guard injured his right groin on Oct. 25 and has yet to play this season. Despite not practicing, he has made progress, slowly running while working on cutting. And he has been taking shots after practice with assistant coaches. He said the groin pain is minimal.
During games, Atkins dissects how other Nuggets guards have complemented Allen Iverson, the free-scoring shooting guard.
“When I’m out there with A.I., similar to what Anthony Carter is doing, I can allow A.I. to play off the ball and do what he does best — concentrate on scoring, instead of having to set everybody up and do other things.
“It takes a lot off of him, and he doesn’t have to handle the ball the whole game. I’m going to help stretch the court with my shooting ability, keep things spread out for him and Carmelo (Anthony), so they can drive to the basket and do what they do.”
Atkins, 33, averaged 13.2 points and 4.6 assists last season with Memphis.
The other glaring Nuggets injury is Nene’s thumb. The power forward will see a doctor today to get an update. Nene sustained the injury Nov. 7 and underwent surgery, and coach George Karl said Nene could return the last week of December.
Karl said he will closely monitor both players’ minutes upon their returns.
“Our health code has gotten to be cautious, with our history here,” said Karl, whose team hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center.
Offensive fuel. Carter has played six games since returning from a hand injury, and led the Nuggets in assists three times. He had seven assists in Denver’s blowout against Miami on Sunday.
“Whenever he’s in the ballgame, it seems our tempo and level of energy seems to go up,” center Marcus Camby said. “He pushes the ball ahead, finding Melo, easy transition baskets.”
Karl attributed some of Denver’s recent success to Carter — the Nuggets have won big twice in a row after losing three consecutive games. Of course, once Atkins returns, Karl will have a tough decision to make.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
