Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Wednesdays during the 2008-09 NBA season.
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Hi, Benjamin. The Nuggets have been playing so well this whole year. And now it seems like they are slipping. I am sick of going to the playoffs and losing in the first round. Do you think the Nuggets can finish strong and possibly win an NBA title?
— Sebastian Waldron, Saranac Lake, N.Y.
What is up, Sebastian? I’m not going to sit here and make a championship proclamation, but I will say that this team is capable of competing for the Western Conference title. Here are my top-10 reasons why (from the home office in Sioux City, Iowa):
10 — The Nuggets are playing defense at a higher level. Thirty-one times a Denver opponent has scored less than 100 points, and 26 times that opponent has lost.
9 — This teamwork thing actually works. Yes, there have been some drop-offs, but for the most part, the Nuggets have been sharing the ball. They’re 28-5 when they have 22-plus assists, and in the past 24 of those games, they’re 23-1.
8 — Tastes of toughness. Except for Cleveland, they have defeated every over-.500 team at least once.
7 — Their schedule. Denver has eight games left against sub-.500 teams and six against over-.500 teams. (However, only one of those over-.500 games is at home. It’s a big one – April 2 against Utah.) So if Denver can take advantage of this schedule …
6 — Home court is possible. Home court is huge, and it’s in Denver’s grasp, one would think, if the Nuggets could knock off the eight sub-.500 teams and perhaps split with the over-.500 teams.
5 — Nene. He’s healthy! And, wouldn’t you know, he’s averaging career highs in numerous key categories, such as 14.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
4 — Bench energy. If J.R. Smith starts, there is not much scoring off Denver’s bench — but there are plenty of intangibles. Chris Andersen is second in the entire NBA in blocks per game. Renaldo Balkman is lately playing like Rolando Blackman. Dahntay Jones, when focused, is one of the better perimeter defenders in the conference; though Linas Kleiza is not, he has the ability to score in bunches.
3 — The J.R. factor. This guy is so fascinating. His defense is sometimes just awful (such as his performance on Vince Carter, which Nuggets coach George Karl pointed out), but Smith can get into a hot streak that only few guys can get into. And when he’s on, it can change the course of a game.
2 — Carmelo Anthony. It’s easy to buy into the talk, but Melo says he has matured and learned his lesson(s). He hasn’t ever won a playoff round and he has a chip on his shoulder. Don’t expect any quitting this postseason.
1 — Chauncey B-B-B-Billups. Do we have a storybook on our hands — homegrown star returns home and leads the hometown team to a title? A lot will depend on his ability to fight through fatigue and lingering injuries — and his faith in his teammates to make big shots (even though, yeah, that’s his nickname, and he’ll likely take some, too).
When will the Nuggets figure out that they are NOT a jump-shooting team? Whenever they slump, it is directly due to guys standing around on the outside taking long-range shots. If I were George Karl, I would tell the team to drive to the rack on EVERY possession — and the first guy to shoot a jump shot from the outside will sit on the bench.
— Russell, Denver
Russell – How are ya? Indeed, there is room for improvement in regards to shooting decisions. I asked Karl your question about Denver’s philosophy when the team’s in a shooting slump. Here’s what he said:
“I think when you’re not making shots, my advice is — play as a team and don’t do it individually. I think there’s more stress to a one-on-one shot than to a team-executed shot. There’s a karma to the game that if you play the right way, the game will come back to you. I think sometimes players feel that, ‘Well, we’re struggling — just give me the ball.’ I don’t think that works against the great defensive teams. I think it works against some teams. But in the end, the trust in the team is what you need to go to when there’s a negative flow or a momentum flow against your team.”
What will it take for Stan Kroenke to make a coaching change so we don’t have to see all this talent underachieve for yet another year?
— DK, Broomfield
DK – I think the Nuggets front office looks at things in a glass-half-full way, and the team hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1995, and now the Nuggets are going for the sixth straight season.
Last season, they won 50 games in the just-so-tough Western Conference. This season, they’re shooting for 50 again, and Karl is leading them to this despite the team being more financially responsible than ever. (One must credit Karl and his staff for the tutelage of guys such as Andersen, Jones, Nene and Smith.)
Of course, during the course of the season, there are going to be some groans from the bosses about this or that. But the fact is, Denver is a contender with Karl.
What is George Karl’s fascination with Linas Kleiza? His shot selection has always been pretty poor, but now that he’s not making half of what he’s shooting, what is his merit? Why not play Balkman and Johan Petro more?
— Jennifer, Littleton
That’s a fair question, Jennifer. While Kleiza can hit outside shots, runs the floor better than any Nugget and has a good body for driving to the basket, coach Karl does suggest that Kleiza could improve his defense. And Kleiza’s shooting percentage is down a little bit from last season — 44.6 from 47.2.
But when you ask about Balkman and Petro, here’s the difference — Karl said he seldom plays Kleiza at power forward and will never play Balkman and Petro at small forward. So it’s not really an either-or thing. But it will be very interesting to see how long Karl keeps Kleiza in games late, if Kleiza doesn’t put up consistent shooting nights.
Do you have a vote for the league MVP? Or do the players and/or coaches vote on that? Thanks.
— Matthew, Denver
Hi, Matthew. Yes, I do vote for the MVP (media members are the ones who select the major award winners). The season’s not over, but I’m leaning toward LeBron James (though my Laker-crazy friend Peter Klausner will desperately try to have me vote for Kobe Bryant, no doubt). I’m not 100 percent settled on LeBron, though he has such dynamic statistics and has carried his team to the top of the conference, doing so without Lamar Odoms and Pau Gasols and healthy Andrew Bynums (though, it has been well documented that Mo Williams has improved the Cavs).
But I still say that Dwyane Wade should at least be in the conversation, as . What’s funny is that Chris Paul, the guy I voted for last season, is actually having a better statistical season in 2008-09. But, I don’t feel comfortable voting for a guy whose team isn’t in the top three in a conference, and as I write this, the Hornets are currently sixth in the West.
Benjamin Hochman covers the Nuggets for The Denver Post. , or .
