You might think parking tickets and in-laws are bad, but ask Kenyon Martin and he’ll tell you about a real pain in the you-know-what.
A staph infection in Martin’s buttocks kept the Denver forward out of Saturday’s game, the third consecutive game he has missed.
“It’s a skin-type infection, and you just have to deal with antibiotics and cleaning it out,” Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said. “He’s almost healed up from the actual infection. It’s just now getting to where the wound was.”
Martin, the starting power forward, is a possibility for Monday’s game at the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets are very thin at power forward, with Nene out following the removal of a testicular tumor and Eduardo Najera playing with a hyperextended right elbow.
“I’m trying not to shoot, just to play defense and try to provide some energy out there,” Najera said. “It will get better. I’m going to drag it. Maybe instead of a week, it will take a couple of weeks. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices for the team.”
Still waiting for results.
Nene is still awaiting the biopsy results, following Monday’s surgery, which removed a testicular tumor. Results should come this week. Nene, released from the hospital, could visit his teammates next week, too.
“I think we’ve all kind of made it known that we’d like to see him come by and visit the team next week when we get back in town,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
Block party.
Denver center Marcus Camby entered the night with a league-best 3.97 blocks per game. The last time an NBA player averaged more blocks was in 1995-96, when Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo averaged 4.49.
When Camby was asked why his block totals were high this season, the big man smiled and said: “I have to thank my teammates for getting beat (on defense). No, it’s just me being in the right place at the right time. Most of my blocks aren’t really on the man that I’m covering. I’m roaming.”
Run, run, run.
“Mr. 41” Linas Kleiza has been praised often for continuously running the floor hard, and was notably singled out by Karl. Said the coach: “I wish other guys — J.R. (Smith), Carmelo (Anthony) — would run like that more often. I just think it makes us a better basketball team, creates more flow.”
