Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Wednesdays during the 2008-09 NBA season.
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Hey, Ben, do you think the Nuggets will go after another big man before the trade deadline? Or, are they happy with the rotation of Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen — hoping none of them gets hurt?
— Matt, Amarillo, Texas
What’s up, Matt? Hope things are swell in “Beef City.” I write this to you on Tuesday night, so it’s possible something might go down in the coming days (the mailbag is weekly). But assuming the Nuggets don’t make a move, I think there’s obvious optimism with the “Really Big Three,” but that comes with an asterisk. There is optimism* — assuming they all stay healthy, they all stay out of foul trouble and they all continue to play at the high level they’re playing at, while in the cases of Nene and Birdman, doing so playing the most minutes of their respective careers.
The Nuggets, per usual, are furiously working the phones, listening to teams’ offers. Denver wouldn’t mind another 20-minute big man, but they’re not just going to trade Linas Kleiza, a player they groomed for the last few years, for a guy who will only make them thismuch better.
I am tired of the “luxury tax” excuse. This team could be a serious contender with a more consistent 2-guard or a 4/5-man good on the glass that has a perimeter game as well. If they don’t make a move, don’t you believe they are wasting an opportunity?
— Michael, Aurora
Michael – This is the biggest debate going on right now. I can see both sides of it.
The Nuggets are having their best NBA season ever, so yeah, like you said, why not splurge, trade future picks and marginal players and utilize trade-exemption money to get another key player? But the other argument is just as strong. The Nuggets made a commitment, before the season started, to be financially responsible in these tough financial times. And you have to consider the future. The payroll is going to increase next season. And you have to build through the draft — the Nuggets traded their pick last year, in order to build up draft picks for this year and the following years. At some point, you’ve got to keep getting younger. So the Nuggets are trying to win now — and make sure they can be competitive in the future.
It’s a fascinating argument for sure. And it’s tough to see the future part, when the present part is so bright. If they don’t make a move, to answer your question, I still think they can compete. It’s going to be really tough to beat the Lakers or Spurs in a seven-game series, but then again, we haven’t seen the new-look squad in the playoffs. I’d bet that guys like Carmelo Anthony have a bad taste in their mouth after last year. I don’t think there will be any quitting this postseason.
I went to . From the start I could tell I would be in for a long night. Why is that when the Nuggets have one of “these” games, Chauncey Billups always says every team will have three or four of “these” games a year? To be honest, the Lakers and Spurs never have one.
— George, New York
I hear you, George. I can’t remember ever seeing a game where a team that superior was defeated by that many points. But I gotta be honest — even the Lakers and Spurs have games like these. The Lakers lost at Sacramento by 12 and then later to the Charlotte Bobcats — who have actually defeated the Lakers in five of the past six games the two teams played. And the Spurs this season lost by 22 at Philadelphia, even though their Big Three was suited up. And I remember last season, the Lakers lost a key game down the stretch to Memphis.
So, yeah, even the top teams have nights like that. The key is bouncing back professionally, and not letting it open up the floodgates of mediocrity and lethargy. That said, I understand how it can be frustrating for a fan who pays big bucks to see his or her favorite players and ends up seeing them at their worst.
What’s the word on Steven Hunter? I remember something a while back saying he’d be back early February.
— Zach, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Zach – What’s up in Hoffman Estates? As for Hunter, who is recovering from knee surgery, he is traveling with the team but has not resumed practicing yet. There isn’t a timetable for his return. And, really, it’s hard to think that even if Hunter is healthy, that Karl would put him in the rotation. Karl doesn’t like to gamble or shake things up too much, much less with a player who hasn’t proven to him that he can play in the games (via practice). The possibility of a lost year is sad, because Hunter is a really good guy and you always root for really good guys.
I am worried about Nene losing his aggressiveness due to concern about foul trouble. Dwyane Wade suckered the refs into calling three absurd fouls on Nene. He tried to hold his own with Yao Ming and Dwight Howard but ended up in foul
trouble, etc. Is there some way that a protest, together with videos, could be filed on his behalf? He is still treated like a rookie by the refs — getting ridiculous!
— Grant Faucette, Wheat Ridge
Hey, Grant, sounds like you’re pretty passionate about this and understandably so. There have been numerous games this season when Nene has found himself on the bench earlier than anticipated. And Scott Hastings is pretty animated on the broadcast, too, so that surely riles up the fans that Nene is getting treated unfairly.
Whether or not the fouls are fouls, the fact is, Nene cannot get into foul trouble so routinely. I don’t have the answers, obviously, and I know the Nuggets’ big-men coaches work tirelessly with the big men on technique and strategy. And, yes, you do bring up a good point — there are times, you could argue, that the refs treat him like a rookie. Then again, to many of the refs, he is theoretically a rookie. The guy hasn’t played much in the last couple seasons, so some of these guys are still getting adjusted to his game. And while it’s not written in any rule book, players will tell you that the older you are, the more you play and the more success you have, the more calls — or non-calls — you’ll get from a ref.
All this said, Nene has to be smart out there. He knows it. George Karl knows it. You know it. He can’t get into foul trouble in multiple playoff games. But, he’s still got to play aggressively. No simple task.
Benjamin Hochman covers the Nuggets for The Denver Post. , or .
