TORONTO — On Friday, Nuggets coach George Karl discussed San Diego’s NCAA Tournament upset of Connecticut, wondering what the heck was San Diego’s mascot.
Sure enough, Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera, who speaks Spanish, walked by his coach.
“Eddie — Torero? What does it mean?” Karl said.
“Bullfighter.”
So that’s how you’d describe Denver defenders in Spanish.
Of late, the Denver Toreros have lifted the virtual red flag, allowing bulldozing opponents to drive to the basket. But in Friday’s 125-114 victory at New Jersey, Najera was in attack mode on defense.
“We have different big guys, and Eddie’s a guy that can go on the perimeter, jump around, and disrupt and disorganize the opposing offense,” Karl said. “His activity was great, he was bouncing around in the zone. Sometimes, when they zone, we’re standing too much. But the zone was a big part of why we won.”
Najera doesn’t score often as a reserve. But he racks up the hustle stats, such as his three steals Friday against the Nets.
“He gives the same thing every night — just a bunch of intensity, a lot of hustle,” guard Allen Iverson said. “Just a great person to play with, man. Just a great teammate across the board.”
Today against Toronto, Karl said Najera will help out on Raptors star Chris Bosh, a top-10 player according to Karl.
“Kenyon (Martin), Marcus (Camby) and Eddie are going to figure out how to control him,” Karl said.
Adding muscle.
Steve Hess, the Nuggets’ strength and conditioning coach, has joined forces with athletic brand Under Armour, for which Hess will serve as the strength and conditioning specialist for the basketball council. He will serve as a consultant for the brand.
DENVER at TORONTO
1:30 p.m. today, ALT, KKFN 104.3 FM
Spotlight on T.J. Ford: In the last two games, the point guard has 11 assists and one turnover. He is efficient and electric. “He’s incredibly quick with the ball, very dangerous,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “T.J. can take the game over for a 10-minute stretch.” Ford has been sharing time at the point with Jose Calderon. They have become a dangerous, versatile duo.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: Guard Chucky Atkins did not play Friday against New Jersey, and coach George Karl is having trouble finding him minutes because J.R. Smith has been more consistent of late. . . . Of forward Kenyon Martin, Karl said: “Kenyon is over and above what we ever expected from him. We thought we’d get some good game from him, we thought he’d help through the season, but he’s now giving us big-time games every night.” . . . Center Marcus Camby turned 34 on Saturday.
Raptors: The Nuggets thrashed Toronto by 32 points just over a week ago. All-star Chris Bosh didn’t play that night. . . . Forward Jason Kapono is first in the NBA with a 48.3 3-point percentage.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
