SAN ANTONIO — Sonny Weems, if you didn’t know, wears jersey No. 13. As of now, Nuggets fans only know Weems as a warm-ups type of guy, but the rookie is itching to ditch his warm-ups and make his NBA debut.
Weems has been bothered by a left groin strain since training camp but believes he will be cleared to practice “probably by the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. And if I can go through a couple practices without it bothering me, I’ll be ready for a game.”
Weems has been doing plenty of isometrics and workouts in the swimming pool in an effort to build strength. He’s been dealing with the bittersweet emotions of reaching his dream of playing in the NBA — but having not yet played in the NBA.
“Sometimes, you feel like you’re not part of the team when you’re not playing,” said Weems, who was born Nov. 9, 1985, the same day as teammate J.R. Smith. “But I did practice the other day — it wasn’t full contact, but we did run some plays and shooting — and it just felt good to be out there.”
Balkman’s back.
On Tuesday night, reserve Renaldo Balkman reinjured his right ankle in the fourth quarter. Considered questionable for Wednesday, Balkman indeed played, making his first appearance in the final minute of the first quarter.
Air Anthony.
Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is hosting a party tonight in Los Angeles, at a club called Siren, to celebrate the launch of his fifth shoe, the Jordan Melo M5. DJ AM (Adam Goldstein), the disc jockey who recently survived a plane crash, will work the turntables. The shoe will launch nationwide Saturday for a $125 suggested retail price.
Ball thieves.
The Nuggets entered Wednesday second in the NBA with 9.45 steals per game, and they swiped nine against the Spurs — with eight different players tallying at least one. Denver is the only team to finish in the top-three in steals in each of the past five seasons.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
