MILWAUKEE — This week, the Nuggets made a resounding commitment to Linas Kleiza, deciding not to trade him for Ron Artest, which, inevitably, had some NBA fans asking: “Who’s Linas Kleiza?”
Kleiza made a name for himself nationally as the guy Denver wouldn’t trade for a former all-star.
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. While on one hand the Nuggets wanted to keep L.K., on the other hand they knew Artest couldn’t guarantee them a championship, so trading for him, regardless of who the trade bait was, was indeed a gamble.
Ultimately, Denver’s all- stars, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, backed the team’s decision, understanding that the current chemistry is becoming special (Friday’s Bulls game notwithstanding).
Still, the Nuggets made a statement by not trading Kleiza. The guy is valuable. He is becoming a sturdy role player. He runs the floor harder than any Denver player. He hits 3-pointers when Denver needs 3-pointers. He has an ideal NBA frame (6-feet-8, 245 pounds) with a strong upper body. And, according to his coach, he is a good character guy to have hanging around.
And he’s only 23.
“L.K. is part of building a team,” Denver coach George Karl said of his team’s third-leading scorer (11.9). “He has gotten to be a 25-minute player and I think there’s room to improve. L.K.’s a guy that moved into being a 25-minute player. I think he has another step in his career. Is that as a starter? I’m not sure I’d bet on him being a starter in the NBA, but I think he can move up to being a sixth man on a good team. There’s a business asset, too, having a player on a rookie contract has value in this league.”
Oh, yeah, that’s the other thing. Kleiza makes peanut shells. Not only this year, but next year, too, he will make less than $2 million. That’s value in the NBA, considering that Artest, if he opts out of his contract, could demand up to six times that.
And Kleiza is homegrown. The Nuggets acquired him on draft night in 2005, and he has improved seemingly nightly since then.
Yes, Kleiza is a friend of the Kroenke family, but no, that isn’t the reason Denver held onto him. They held onto him because he can play. The stakes are too high to fool around with giving a buddy a uniform and some P.T.
As for Kleiza, who speaks in a similar monotone whether he hits a game-winning shot or goes scoreless, his trade deadline emotion was shown in his words: “It definitely feels flattering that the team appreciates what you’re doing,” he said. “I want to be here, wanted to stay here, and I’m here. It shows they have a lot of confidence in me that I can be part of their future — and part of their present.
“Now, we just have to make a run in the playoffs.”
Dust settles.
Let’s call it what it is — one of the wildest seasons in NBA history. Three championship contenders in the West acquired all-star caliber, franchise-changing players. In the East, the defending conference champion Cavaliers, thick in this year’s race, nabbed a sharpshooter in Wally Szczerbiak and another looming post in Ben Wallace. The NBA is becoming the Haves and the Have-Nots.
It will be fascinating to see how the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum, an emerging young post, meshes with Pau Gasol, a terrific post as well, when Bynum returns from injury in March.
Could this be a David Robinson-Tim Duncan type of duo? We’re not saying the two players are equally as good as the Spurs’ legends, but it’s possible the two could play off each other with intelligence and strategy that makes them overwhelming for Western Conference opponents. Or not. We’ll see.
Two degrees of separation.
Taurean Green, the newest Nugget, has an interesting connection to the Nuggets. Green’s father, Sidney, played college ball at UNLV, where vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien was an assistant. So was Tim Grgurich, who is a Nuggets assistant.
Sidney Green averaged 22.1 points as a senior in 1982-83, and he was the fifth pick in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He played nine NBA seasons with a career average of 7.5 points.
SPOTLIGHT ON . . .
Ben Gordon, G, Bulls
Who is the best sixth man in the NBA?
Well, considering Gordon would be a starter for most teams in the league, it’s hard to go against him and his 19.8 points per game (entering this weekend).
“He’s one of the best shooters in basketball when he has his rhythm and flow to his jump shot,” Denver coach George Karl said. “He’s very difficult to cover. When he does have the ball, you need a lot of people around him and need to challenge his handle, because that’s his weakness.”
On Friday, Karl’s Nuggets failed to do this. Gordon was mesmerizing, shooting 12-for-18 from the field, finishing with a team-high 37 points. And he entered the fourth quarter with 21 points, before his long-range eruption.
The agile Gordon is quick enough to create space, and his quick release has proven infuriating for opponents.
He did suffer from a right wrist sprain before the all-star break, but he was rested and scored 14 points in his first game back against New Jersey. Then came his outpour against Denver.
Entering this weekend, he was also tied for second in the NBA with a 91.6 percentage from the free-throw line.
