While Marcus Camby, back to the wall, answered media inquiries about Denver’s defense, Nene was on the court after practice Monday at the Pepsi Center, backing into a defender during one-on-one drills.
After the miserable Game 1 defense by the Nuggets against the Lakers, it’s possible that help is on the way in the form of a 6-foot-11 Brazilian who is eager to play. A strained right groin kept Nene out of Game 1.
Asked if Nene can play in Wednesday’s Game 2, coach George Karl said, “I hope so.”
The Nuggets plan to insert Nene into five-on-five drills at practice Tuesday and see how he holds up. Nene hasn’t played much all season so his conditioning isn’t near the level as his teammates. He appeared in 16 games, missing others due to a thumb injury, the removal of a testicular tumor and, most recently, his groin injury. Nene hasn’t played since April 5.
For the season, he averaged 5.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds.
After Monday’s practice, Nene participated in one-on-one drills with assistant coach Jamahl Mosley. The two played with intensity and playful trash talking. Then Nene did sprint drills and worked on free throw shooting.
As for the team’s horrid defense in the Game 1 loss, Camby said, “Our problem was – we got beat for a lot of layups with a lot of screens and back-door cuts. They were posting Pau Gasol on the one side and getting a lot of cutters into the lane, getting easy layups. And that’s something we talked about.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
