Anthony Carter is the Hugh Hefner of point guards.
Playboy’s “Hef” has numerous blonde bombshells around, a good problem to have, except he must keep them all happy.
Denver’s “Ace” has numerous braided bombers, a good problem for a point guard to have, except, yep, he must keep them all happy.
Such is life for Carter, whose profession is making perfect passes to Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the NBA’s top scoring tandem (52.1 points per game last season). Throw in sharpshooters J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza and, well, “Anthony (Carter) has got a difficult assignment,” George Karl said. “He’s got a lot of people he’s got to make happy.”
That said, Karl was complimentary of Carter’s performance last season. Hard not to be. As a 32-year-old backup, Carter was thrust into the starting lineup after Chucky Atkins’ injury, and Carter notched career-highs in minutes (28.0), points (7.8) and, most importantly, assists (5.5).
Entering this preseason — the first home game is 7 p.m. tonight against Minnesota — Atkins is injured, again, and Carter is the starter, again.
“The way I look at it — I just come in and work, and if Coach puts me at the starting spot, I’m going to accept that role greatly,” Carter said. “It’s all about continuing to work hard, not just because Chucky’s out.”
Carter said he is not fazed by trade rumors that Denver is seeking another point guard. He said he pays attention only “if my name’s in the trade.”
Carter has been attempting to fine-tune his passing this preseason, maximizing his practice time with Anthony and Iverson, Ace’s aces in the hole. And, Anthony said, “He brings a lot of energy to the game on the defensive end.”
The question remains how much playing time Carter, or any point guard, will get, if shooting guard J.R. Smith continues to develop. When Smith plays, Iverson swings over to the point. And who will play down the stretch each night?
“There’s a lot to be determined at point guard and how we rotate that position,” Karl said. “But this year, I think we’ll be faster and more athletic, which I think will help (Carter). I think the more we run, the more we play fast, the more shots there are to make people happy.”
As to the distribution of minutes tonight, Karl said: “I would say the top 10 would get 20 minutes or more, and another two or three guys 10-15 minutes.”
Karl expects everyone to be healthy enough to play, except for Atkins (right knee) and Sonny Weems (groin strain). Iverson, who missed practice the past two days due to the birth of a daughter, returned to work Thursday.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
