Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag every Wednesday during the 2007-08 NBA season on DenverPost.com. Following a midseason break, the Nuggets Mailbag returns Jan. 30.
To drop a Nuggets- or NBA-related question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
In the past, the Nuggets haven’t been able to get to the second round. What do you think we need to do in the regular season as far as climbing the rankings to advance in the playoffs?
— Kayla Osby, Denver
Kayla – You know the answer to this one. I know the answer. The Nuggets know the answer. They must pay attention to defensive detail on a more consistent basis.
Winnable games slip through their fingers because, for instance, they’ll only play defense for three quarters. Or they’ll allow Channing Frye to turn into Larry Bird in the first quarter, and it comes back to bite the Nuggets in the fourth.
There are very few nights when the Nuggets’ offense is stuck in neutral. They’re gonna get theirs. The question is, can they fuel themselves on the defensive end for the entire night? They know they have the capability to do so. They have won numerous games this year because of their defensive energy; and after those games, the players say – “if we keep this up, we can be really good.” And then, they’ll sputter the next game.
The Phoenix game notwithstanding, the low-post defenders have been really sturdy. Marcus Camby, of course, is one of the best defenders on earth. And Kenyon Martin and Nene have been visibly aggressive, keeping opponents from getting into a low-post groove.
How about the perimeter defending? Yes, it was the fourth game in five days, but on Monday . The Nuggets will likely make the playoffs. But to snatch a top-four seed, they’re going to have to turn it up defensively yesterday.
How do the players feel about the Player of the Week awards?
— Chip, Denver
Chip – Well, on Monday night. It’s an honor, and any honor is cool, especially when it’s “MVP for a week.”
But the players understand that it’s basically just an award for a few successful games, which all happened to fit into one calendar week. They understand the body of work over time is what’s most important. That’s why player of the month is such a telling award.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin printed your wonderful on Dec. 23 – a great Christmas present for all of us who followed his career after he left the University of Hawaii. I always loved the generous way he dealt with young fans (8-10 years old). Signing autographs and replying to their thank yous with “Oh, no! Thank you for supporting us.” We (his Hawaii fan family) are delighted with his current success.
— Zita, Honolulu
Zita – Thanks for the kind words. Anthony Carter has been a gem for the Nuggets. His community awareness is genuine and sincere. He gives money and time to the “I Have A Dream” foundation, which helped him through his troubled youth. This season, Carter agreed to donate $5,000 to I Have A Dream for each of the following team and individual records that are broken in the 2007-08 season:
* Most teams wins for the season (54 in 1987-88).
* Carter achieves 6 steals in a game (record is 5, 2 times in career).
* Carter achieves 16 assists in a game (record is 15, once in career).
* Most Carter steals for a season (105 in 1999-00).
* Most Carter assists for a season (434 in 1999-00).
Also:
* Each time he achieves 10 assists or more in a game, he will donate $1,500.
* Five percent (5%) of all playoff bonus money.
As a player, I think he has been very helpful to Denver, especially because Chucky Atkins hasn’t been healthy enough to be a factor. Denver didn’t anticipate Carter playing this many minutes (29.0 is a career high). But he has been a smart, unselfish passer, and lately he has been passing perhaps the best he has in his nine-year career. In consecutive nights, he had 11 and 15 assists, both Denver wins (and that meant $3,000 to I Have A Dream).
He is a hustler on defense, though he did have some trouble against the Suns on Monday night (though a lot of guys have trouble against the Suns). We’ll see what happens when/if Chucky gets healthy, but for now, Carter has been helpful to the Nuggets.
Saw this discussed in a forum: J.R. Smith and Nene for Pau Gasol. The numbers work financially, but do you think this would get the Nuggets to the championship level?
— Q. Goodman, Denver
Q. – Gasol is great. Get him with Camby in the low post, and you have a David Robinson/Tim Duncan-type tandem. Well, sort of.
George Karl does honestly think a healthy Nene can be an all-star-caliber player. Of course, Karl hasn’t had a chance to coach a healthy Nene that much. But with Gasol, you’d have high-priced Kenyon coming off the bench.
All that said, it’s hard to say that adding an all-star can’t make a team better. So, I would have to think Memphis would want more for its franchise player than just an unproven big man with potential and the inconsistent J.R. Smith.
How is the team’s chemistry? Don’t they get confused as to who the leader is? Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony or Marcus Camby?
— John
John – The Nuggets often say “it’s everybody’s team,” a nice roundabout answer to the question: “Whose team is it?” But you watch this team play, you watch them interact in the locker room, it’s pretty obvious that Iverson is the Sinatra of this group. He is the grittiest player on the team, he doesn’t make excuses, he plays more consistently than others and, even at 32, he’s having one of his better offensive seasons.
Carmelo Anthony is vital to the Nuggets success, and Marcus Camby is kind of a cerebral veteran leader in the low post. But Denver brought in Allen Iverson to win a championship. I think everyone in powder blue knows that. And another good thing is that Iverson and Anthony have seemed to become good pals. On the road, their lockers are next to one another. They’re constantly joking and interacting. And, most importantly, they respect what the other does.
Benjamin Hochman covers the Nuggets for The Denver Post. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
