Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag every Wednesday during the 2008-09 NBA season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a Nuggets- or NBA-related question into the Nuggets Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Why don’t the Nuggets use the bench more? Renaldo Balkman has been playing well, and Linas Kleiza has been shooting poorly. Are they looking to move Linas?
— C Tuck, Denver
I’ll tell ya, C Tuck, I get more e-mails about Renaldo Balkman than I do about Carmelo Anthony. So many Nuggets fans are surprisingly passionate about the Nuggets reserve with the best hair in the Western Conference (edging out J.J. Barea).
Basically, the way George Karl explains it, he likes the way his rotation is — and it’s hard to blame him, looking at the record. And so, finding minutes for Balkman would mean taking them from the starting low posts. But, yeah, it seems like every time Balkman is in there, the Nuggets gush about the energy he brings and his intensity on the boards.
I asked Karl about Balkman on Monday, and he said: “We know what Renaldo can do for us, it’s just how we can get him on the court. It’s a scenario where he’s a new player who was injured a little bit in training camp. He’s a positive person on our team.”
Karl also said that his staff has done a dandy job at tinkering with Balkman’s shot, one of the player’s weaknesses. “We’ve had a lot of tests on fixing guys’ shots over the years,” Karl said. “And I think Renaldo’s form two weeks ago, definitively he was releasing the ball with his fingers and his balance was much better. I don’t think he’s going to make fourth-quarter jump shots but he’s moving in that direction.”
As for Kleiza, he has shot his way out of his slump, and is becoming a more reliable outside threat. He gets to the line very often for someone who plays reserve’s minutes, utilizing his fast first step and good body control from the wing. His defense could be better, but he has improved this season from last season. And because he’ll be a restricted free agent, and his agent suggested Kleiza might explore European options next season, Kleiza will be a player the Nuggets consider moving — but, understand that he provides them intangibles and does so at a cheap price. And cheap is good these days, especially for the cost-cutting Nuggets.
With the Nuggets’ biggest weakness this year being their less-than-intimidating frontcourt depth and size, one has to think about what could have been this year if the Nuggets had not made the sadly one-sided Marcus Camby trade over the summer for nothing more than an accounting adjustment.
— Ace Smith, Westminster
It’s a fascinating debate, Ace. Yes, the Nuggets might possibly be better with rebound connoisseur Marcus Camby in the lineup and Nene coming off the bench. But consider two things.
Nene is obviously having his best season and playing, Karl’s words, at a near all-star level. Nene would not have gotten minutes to blossom if Camby had been on the team. Nene would be looking at the bench after every foul or bad couple plays, wondering when the starter would check back in. Instead, Nene now knows he’s the man, and he can just punch his timecard and go to work in the low post.
And also consider that the Camby deal took money off the books, which helped Denver maneuver the move for Chauncey Billups. And that turned out OK. In other words — would you rather have Camby, Nene and Allen Iverson or just Nene and Chauncey Billups? I know it’s not as cut-and-dried as that, but that’s the crux of the debate, a fascinating one, indeed.
J.R. Smith is their best player. “Why is he not involved more?” is a question I ponder every day. How do you see it? I value your input. Thank you.
— George, New York
Hey there, George. J.R. Smith, who I dubbed “The Investment,” plays some quarters like no one else in the league. He’ll put up scoring binges of 10-15 points, making 3-pointers like layups. But his defense is just OK. And he makes turnovers. And sometimes he doesn’t allow the offense to flow. And, as Karl points out, sometimes he’ll get on a hot streak and force a couple extra shots, which he misses, instead of looking to pass.
Even after , Karl said that Smith and Melo need to “trust the pass” more, as opposed to forcing a shot because they believe that’s the higher-percentage play. So, yeah, J.R. is amazing at times. But the reason Karl doesn’t play him more is because of some of the previously mentioned reasons. That said, he’ll be the starter someday or, at least, will play starter’s minutes.
Wouldn’t you say that Melo is good, not great. one night, then nowhere to be seen the next? I hate to say it, but good trade material?
— Eric, Anchorage, Alaska
Melo is great, Eric. He is clearly one of the 20 best players in the NBA and some nights, you wonder who else you’d rather have. Melo is also in pain, playing with an injured right elbow that affects his shot and swagger. Yes, it even hurt a little on that night he scored the 33. As he said after Monday’s game, the second of a back-to-back, the elbow was “sore.”
Yes, he rested the thing for eight days, but the injury, it seems, won’t disappear. So, it seems, there might be nights where, as you said, “he’s nowhere to be seen.” This is the situation the Nuggets must deal with. They can’t not play Melo. So he will continue to grind it out, having splendid nights and subpar nights, until his elbow heals. You’ve got to give him credit because he has improved his rebounding and defense, two things he was knocked for in previous seasons. As for a trade, I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon.
As I’m sure you’ve seen from the posts on every single article on the Nuggets, fans don’t like all the minutes Anthony Carter gets on the floor. Why is it that Karl gives Carter 24 minutes per game and only 19 for Dahntay Jones, the starter? Carter plays even more than J.R. Smith.
— Mitch, Denver
Hi there, Mitch. Good question, for sure, but I’ll tell you — Karl likes Carter’s defense, and also likes to pair him with Chauncey Billups sometimes late in games. I know there aren’t a lot of actual defensive stats to back up Carter’s worth, but when a team is 20-12, you have to give the coach credit for his strategizing.
Carter’s shot has been off-and-on, but he is also a pretty efficient passer. As for Jones, he starts because he sets the defensive tone, or at least, that’s the plan. Lately, actually, Jones has been flirting with double digits in his limited minutes. But don’t look at Jones as a starter — just look at him as a guy who logs a lot of minutes in the first quarter.
Benjamin Hochman covers the Nuggets for The Denver Post. To drop a question into his Nuggets Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
