Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag every Wednesday during the 2007-08 NBA season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a Nuggets- or NBA-related question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Why doesn’t Nuggets coach George Karl play “The Hustle Squad” more? At the start of the season, when the Nuggets were winning, it was largely due to the results from The Hustle Squad (a big part being Bobby Jones) as it seemed to put forth a lot of energy and usually increased the lead or got the lead for the team. Now that Karl doesn’t use it much, the Nuggets seem to have lost their way.
— Richard Green, Lone Tree
Richard – The Hustle Squad is so November. In all seriousness, coach Karl had been wary of his bench for much of the past few weeks, citing its inconsistency on both ends of the court. Obviously, Denver has suffered some injuries, so bench guys have been pushed into starting roles – and Karl has been hesitant about playing the reserves’ reserves. But here’s an interesting stat: Entering Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee, the Nuggets bench has been outscored 15 times this season – but 14 have come in the past 20 games. And, if you recall, many of the Nuggets early season victories were blowouts, which allowed the bench to play extended minutes in the fourth quarter.
Fast-forward to recent games, such as Dec. 12, when the bench scored just 13 points. And in the following game on Dec. 15, the bench scored just 16.
Obviously, with guard Chucky Atkins back, and forward Nene to return by the end of the year, the bench scoring will increase. It has to, right?
As for Jones, Karl finds him a fascinating young talent, but Jones’ inconsistencies have made Karl cautious about throwing Jones into the flow of the game. This, obviously, hasn’t given Jones a chance to develop. So we’ll see what happens by Jan. 10, when the Nuggets have to decide on keeping Jones around – even though he’s been reduced, of late, to being a practice player.
Allen Iverson appears to be taking the reins a bit more the past few games. Does George Karl prefer this to be Allen Iverson’s team as opposed to Carmelo Anthony’s?
— Emmerz, Coatesville, Pa.
Emmerz – I don’t sense that Karl wants it to be one guy’s team or the other. Honestly. The only way this thing can work is if both players feel they are marquee players. But, as we’ve seen when Denver is at its best, both players play well off each other. Last week, Anthony had been struggling against some zone defense, lacking a spark on the offensive end. Iverson poured in 30 routinely. But then Anthony had a great weekend, aggressively bouncing around the paint and rebounding more often.
Benjamin – I know that Stan Kroenke’s son Josh played basketball at Mizzou to some success. Obviously, he’s probably not an NBA-caliber player, but does he have a role in the Nuggets organization at all?
— Johnny Huang, Columbia, Mo.
Johnny – Josh Kroenke, a hustling, 3-point threat for the early 2000s Missouri Tigers, moved to Denver this fall to begin learning the family business. He does everything from help rebound at practice to sit in at meetings with the Nuggets brass.
I have been trying to register to vote in the all-star selections for several weeks. They keep rejecting me, and I don’t know what, if anything, I’m doing wrong. It says that I need six digits in my password, and I did that but still can’t seem to get registered so I can vote. I am an Allen Iverson fan and WANT TO VOTE. Any help would be appreciated.
— Shirley DeShong, Devon, Pa.
Shirley – I’m really not sure what you’re doing wrong. Did you get a confirmation e-mail from NBA.com? When you typed in your e-mail, did you make sure to spell it the same way when you had to re-type it? I went to the site myself, and I filled out the form for a trial run, and it allowed me to vote. (Alas, it wouldn’t allow me to write in Dickey Simpkins, so I didn’t turn in my ballot.)
Benjamin – Isn’t it a little scary how similar Chucky Atkins and Anthony Carter both look and play like each other?
— Sean, Frisco
Sean – Well, they’re both shorter guards – Atkins 5-11, Carter 6-2 – but there are some differences in their games.
Atkins is more of a deep threat, one of the main reasons why the Nuggets signed him last summer. He can run the offense, run the floor and spread both with his 3-point daggers. He said he is slower right now, still not 100 percent after his groin injury. But once he gets healthy, he will be able to penetrate seams more, which will make his game more dynamic.
Carter is more of a bulldog point guard, a hustle defender who looks to pass more often than create his own shot. And the Nuggets have been pleased with ability to serve as co-pilot to Allen Iverson, who can score in bunches.
Of late, both have proved clutch, with Atkins hitting a key double-overtime 3-pointer against Houston, and Carter later hitting the game-winner.
Benjamin Hochman covers the Nuggets for The Denver Post. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
