We who watch the Nuggets, from super fans to sportswriters, have become accustomed to 20-rebound nights from Marcus Camby. This, of course, is disgusting. Twenty rebounds. That’s, like, a lot. And he has done it nine times this season.
But commonplace dominance is what Camby provides and it is often a footnote to a sexy scoring splurge by Allen Iverson Carmelo Anthony or of late Linas Kleiza.
Camby who leads the NBA in 20-board nights is second in the league with 14.4 rebounds per game. And not only is he leading the league with 3.93 blocks but if the season ended today that would be the most blocks in the NBA since 1995-96 when Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo had 4.49.
So Camby’s got to be an all-star right?
“It would be interesting to see a coach who doesn’t pick him” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
Karl and the Nuggets are making their case for Camby as a reserve. They sent promotional information to all the Western Conference head coaches who choose the seven all-star reserves. And Karl said he might make a few phone calls to campaign for the underdog like he’s a John Edwards staffer or something.
The way it works is coaches can vote for the seven reserves — two guards two forwards one center and two wild cards. And coaches can’t vote for their own players.
It’s pretty much determined that Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire will back up starter Yao Ming of Houston. Moreover New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Phoenix’s Steve Nash are shoo-ins at guard and it’s likely that forwards Carlos Boozer (Utah) and Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) will have at least one bowl of gumbo during all-star weekend in New Orleans. This leaves us with the two wild-card spots.
Camby right?
Here’s the thing. This season there is a disproportionate amount of great teams in the Western Conference. Ten are in the playoff hunt. And each of those teams has you would think an all-star. And so the pool for the wild-card spots includes Baron Davis the heart of the Golden State Warriors and Brandon Roy the second-year sensation who carries Portland. Also in the mix are Utah guard Deron Williams and another center playing his best basketball — Tyson Chandler of New Orleans. Suddenly it’s crowded down the stretch.
There are two theories why Camby will miss out.
For one let’s say Camby is selected for the wild-card spot along with Davis or Roy. That means there won’t be any representatives from either the Trail Blazers or Warriors but three from the Nuggets who are neck-and-neck-and-neck with those teams in the playoff race (Iverson and Anthony will start for the West).
“That’s a very good analysis” Karl said. “That’s why they should make it a 15-man roster.”
It’s not Camby’s fault that he’s on a team with two all-stars but with Davis and Roy looming it’s hard to see Camby on the all-star team.
And the second theory as proposed by Karl is that some coaches might indeed go with just Davis or Roy and pick a center — but that center would be Chandler. Not only is Chandler playing splendidly but he plays for the Hornets so he would be on the all-star team in his own city. This All-Star Game was given to New Orleans to help promote the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery and showcase the NBA in a city where the NBA has struggled. Having two all-stars would surely do this.
“The game being in New Orleans I think hurts Marcus because of Chandler” Karl said.
Oh and the Hornets are really good this season with the best record in the Western Conference. So it’s not like Chandler would be a charity pick.
Chandler averages an eye-catching 12.3 points and 12.3 rebounds compared with Camby’s 9.5 and 14.4. Chandler is also third in field-goal percentage (60.4) and first in offensive rebounds per game (4.4; Camby is ninth with 3.3).
And so it seems Camby might have another sturdy season but will be a victim of the system.
Camby is like the actor Steve Buscemi. The guy nails every role he does. Brilliant in “Fargo” legendary in “Reservoir Dogs” zany in “Billy Madison.” All Buscemi does is steal scenes and consistently play memorable roles but he has never been nominated for an Oscar.
No red carpet for Buscemi. We’ll see about Bourbon Street for Camby.
SPOTLIGHT ON . . .
Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis
The all-star debate brews when it comes to Davis, who is the star of one of the better teams in the better conference.
“I haven’t seen that foggy game that I usually see from him — he’s been aggressive and consistent all the time,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
Davis, one might recall, brightened the basketball world last season when he and the Warriors knocked off Dallas, the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed entering the playoffs.
But their second-round loss was apparently only a detour, because the Warriors are rolling again and in the thick of the playoff race, thanks to their (maybe) all-star point guard.
He averages 16.8 points per game for his career, but this season he’s at 22.3, which is 0.6 away from a career high. He is brawny and bouncy, tough to guard and one of the game’s underrated talents. He is seventh in the NBA with 8.1 assists and second with 2.5 steals.
He played one of his better games Thursday against the New Jersey Nets, posting 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in a 121-119 victory.
