Basketball is all about X’s and O’s and $s, but for all the strategies and statistics and salaries, there is something mystical about the makeup of a basketball team.
There are no stats for vibes; karma is incalculable. Moreover, personalities make a team’s personality.
And there is something cooking at the Pepsi Center. Even George Karl’s son-in-law felt it inside the practice gym.
“He made a statement to me that’s kind of how we feel — ‘The gym has a different energy to it,’ ” said Karl, the Nuggets’ coach. “The energy is more committed, it has a fun to it, and it kind of removed the cloud of how this gym was last year to this year. I definitely think it’s a better place to be, and they feel more comfortable in the gym.”
Much of this energy, one suggests, is exuded by the eccentricities of Balkman and Birdman.
Renaldo Balkman, with dreadlocks creeping down his No. 32, has a relaxed aura surrounding his softspoken self, a Jimmy Buffett in high- tops. He’s a little different. He loves patty melts and playing defense. And when he’s on the court, he cherishes things other guys only talk about, be it defensive help or floor burns. He has a tattoo behind his lower leg that reads “Hustle” and another that reads “Harder.”
“He knows how to contribute to the game by making defensive plays as much as offensive,” Karl said.
Chris “The Birdman” Andersen is a rare bird. He sports a blond, spikey faux-hawk, which he claims is so thick with hair product that it’s impenetrable. He has more tattoos than Goldie Hawn in “Laugh-In,” and he has a laughing, golden smile tattooed to his face.
But he has a humbleness, too, after his banishment from the NBA for substance abuse. He seizes days now, not nights.
And so, he takes charges in practice. His body is eternally bouncing. He hustles like he’s Balkman.
“He plays with an enthusiasm that’s contagious,” Karl said.
It’s only the third day of training camp, so it’s hard to gauge just how many minutes these two reserves will log.
And it’s not like these two are automatic aura-alterers. Birdman, after all, had his best season in the worst season in Hornets history, in 2004-05. And Balkman used to be a New York Knick.
But these personalities have permeated the Pepsi Center, and there is an upbeat attitude among the players. It’s early, yes, but it’s a good way to start a season. There’s definitely something affecting the air, and it’s not the altitude.
