SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby were the only Nuggets left in the locker room Sunday night, when Anthony was asked about his perpetual quandary: Crash the boards or get a head start in Denver’s fast-break offense?
The question started with: “Obviously, you want to run and be part of the break ” when Anthony interjected and deadpanned: “I’d rather rebound, man.”
From across the room, Camby rolled his eyes and sighed loudly: “Oh. My. God.”
Both players know Anthony has a penchant for running the floor. After all, Anthony is a scorer by nature. And Camby is a rebounder by nature, generally in position to get a Nuggets rebound.
But, to be a complete player, Anthony needs to focus on rebounding more consistently, and lately he has done just that. The 6-foot-8 small forward is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game this season — compared to his 5.7 career average — but in December he has averaged 9.0.
Moreover, in the 16 games Denver has won this season, Anthony has averaged 6.9 rebounds. In the 11 losses, 5.6.
“In order for us to be successful, his rebounding has to be a constant,” said Camby, second in the NBA with 14.3 per game. “We always talk to him about rebounding more, and he’s taken it upon himself, especially with K-Mart being out.”
Kenyon Martin, the hard- nosed power forward, has missed the past two games with a hamstring strain. In each of those games, Anthony collected 12 rebounds. And Thursday, Anthony finished with 16 rebounds in a Pepsi Center victory against the Houston Rockets, including 12 offensive rebounds.
“I think he’s probably padding his stats, missing layups and going back up,” Camby said in jest. “But (in seriousness), he’s really been relentless on the offensive glass. He’s doing a great job at tipping the ball, staying active. He’s been doing a terrific job of late.”
Getting his groove back.
Last week, coach George Karl benched J.R. Smith for two consecutive games, citing the guard’s defensive inconsistency. Karl then played the 22-year-old for nine minutes during Friday’s loss at Portland. Smith scored three points. Smith played 18 minutes during Sunday’s win at Sacramento. That night, Smith made 4-of-8 3-point attempts, finishing with 14 points, a team high off the bench.
But Smith can cause more headaches than a case of Coors. In 11 first-half minutes, he lofted an inbound pass from under the Kings’ basket toward midcourt, which was easily intercepted and led to a fast-break Sacramento layup; he bungled the reception of two passes from teammates, leading to turnovers; and he clanked a 3-pointer and wafted back on defense, which resulted in a 3-pointer by the opposition.
Smith played seven minutes in the second half.
Footnotes.
Anthony was named Western Conference player of the week. He averaged 33.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in three games last week as the Nuggets went 2-1. Denver reserve forward Eduardo Najera tallied a season-high 11 rebounds in the win at Sacramento. He averages 4.8 and hadn’t totaled more than seven since Dec. 6. Martin said Sunday his goal was to play Wednesday against Milwaukee at the Pepsi Center. The team was able to leave town during the holidays and will reunite in Denver at the shootaround on Wednesday morning. Five of Denver’s next eight games are against teams with winning records.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
