Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige posts Woody’s Mailbag on Thursdays.
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Outside the inbounds passes in Game 1 and Game 3, what was the Nuggets’ biggest mistake in the Western Conference finals?
— Steve S., Denver
Steve – Excellent question. I’m sitting here thinking … I’m through. I think double-teaming Kobe Bryant. He constantly, and early, distributed the ball in the Lakers’ victories to the other players as soon as the second Nuggets’ defender jumped him. Once he got Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol, particularly, involved, then he had more freedom and took over.
I would have covered Bryant as the Nuggets did against Dirk Nowitzki. Let him get his 30, 40 or 50 and lock down the other guys. I also believe the Nuggets backed away from their hardball defense in the last couple of games. I don’t know whether they got tired of being called punks and thugs, or they thought they could beat the Lakers in straight-up finesse basketball. But, . They should have won that game, and they would have won the series. The longer it went, the more the Lakers adjusted, and the Nuggets didn’t.
The Nuggets had the Lakers, I was there, in Game 1, but needed a bigger lead, and they wouldn’t have to worry about an inbounds pass to beat them. They let it slip away, actually, in the third quarter when they had a real chance to pull away.
, though. Nobody should be that disappointed. They were almost up, but it wasn’t to be. And they were so flat in the final game. You could tell in the first five minutes. They had nothing left. There’s next year, with a little bit more help (particularly with that $10 million salary-exemption, free-agent signing in the Marcus Camby deal) from another big man who can score.
So, Woody, I’ll be in Denver for Turkey Day, and I’m contemplating taking in the Broncos vs. G-Men night game. Thoughts? Anything you’re seeing make you believe these “new” Broncos will be in the race this season? I’ll be looking for your answer whilst enjoying another hefeweizen.
— Don P., Kaiserslautern, Germany
Don – Bring a hefeweizen with you for me. Or maybe not. I don’t know what it is, a beer or a brat or a chance encounter with someone from Sweden. When I was last in Berlin, I told my new German friends I wanted to try a bunch of German beers to see the difference. They said: “We start with Boodwiser.” Budweiser? The fifth beer had cherries in the bottom and a straw. What? Someone from another table told me they had given me “a dessert beer.” Great friends.
What was the question? Oh, I remember. The answer is No. Enjoy whatever you eat on Thanksgiving, and enjoy the experience at the stadium. But, . Four or five or six at the most. They’ll be going through a tough stretch when you come to town. Maybe take in a Nuggets game.
Woody – Do you think the Nuggets regret trading after they had him as a draft pick?
— Spider, La Cieniega, N.M.
Spidey – Yes. Next question.
With all the attention on Manny Ramirez and steroids in baseball, why is no attention focused on steroids in the NFL? I find it hard to believe that steroids aren’t widely used in the NFL despite the so-called “random testing.” Come on, look at the size and strength of these guys. We need to clean this stuff up, instead of just burying our head in the sand.
— Dave, Littleton
Dave – NFL fans don’t care, honestly. Even when suspensions are announced, there’s no outcry. All I can tell you is former Broncos of years ago have told me they used steroids, and I could tell Lyle Alzado was using them in the late 1970s. He had a bad-looking butt, and you could smell the steroids, really, on him.
Look at a couple of ex-Broncos and see what their weight is now. I won’t be specific, but they’ve had serious body changes since retiring. The former Broncos told me they knew exactly when the steroid tests were, and they could cycle off the steroids so they weren’t detected.
I think the NFL has cleaned up most of the steroid use, but, as we know, guys are still being caught, and still others are finding ways (HGH) to avoid detection. But people (teams, fans, even sports writers) want their teams to be good, and most turn their heads or accept that it is a way of NFL life.
Baseball is all about statistics, and that’s why there has been so much attention. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez. The big guys in football have no significant statistics (pancakes?) or play in positions like linebacker or defensive end, and people don’t care about those stats. And football has become bigger in this country than . Oops, bad reference. And I’m not in the room when there are urine tests. Thank goodness.
What do you think about the Broncos picking up Mike Vick? I know you are not a fan of problem players, but he is likely to behave (heavy debts and still on thin ice). We could get him cheap and play the odds on the comeback ($750,000, one-year contract maybe?).
— Charles Sommers, Denver
Charles – Not a chance. I was a gigantic supporter of Vick. Dan Reeves believed in him, and when Vick got his Falcons to the NFC championship game, I thought he would have a great career. Just can’t pass with efficiency. I did a column months ago about his prison stay and got an e-mail from an official at Leavenworth who told me Vick was staying in the less secure barracks and not in prison. So it wasn’t that tough for him.
In regard to the NFL, somebody will give him a chance, and I’m not opposed. He has served his time. Ex-convicts should be given another opportunity, especially, in Vick’s case, if he pays off his creditors, who deserve their money (in most cases). I’m guessing Oakland or Dallas. They seem to be toxic-waste dumps for problem players. Denver’s had enough problems with Travis Henry and Brandon Marshall.
Woody – Isn’t it great to see Carmelo Anthony playing tough defense in the playoffs? It seems like this is the year where he finally “gets it,” and he is playing up to his all-around potential. Should we credit George Karl or Chauncey Billups for Melo’s transformation?
— Dennis Smythe, Highlands Ranch
Dennis – Credit Chauncey, credit Karl and credit that Allen Iverson is gone. Anthony followed Iverson on and off the court too much. The experience in the Olympics; having a kid; getting older; understanding what it would take for him to join Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as special players out of his draft class; listening to and respecting Karl more, particularly his defensive philosophy this season; and the addition of Chauncey, who was almost like an older brother … all those things added up to Carmelo becoming a man, if not the man, in the NBA.
I liked his quote in the playoffs: “This is my house, but Chauncey’s moved in with me.” And I saw a different Carmelo, one that I really liked. Before, he always seemed distant, unsure, not ready to embrace Denver and the media here, given all he has gone through (much because of his actions). He seems relaxed, having fun, secure in his own mind and opening up. This is not a big deal. But, in the past, he would walk by with his head bowed.
Before a game in L.A., he said: “Hi, Woody.” It was a very simple thing, but, based on some things I’ve written about him in the past, I thought it was classy. That’s now what I’m basing everything else on. Carmelo, I believe, has grown into his leadership role — you could tell in his postgame interviews — and his feeling about living and working in Denver. I believe the playoffs will help him grow to a greater level. I liked what I saw, heard and felt. I always remember Michael Jordan and Julius Erving, two players I got close to, and how they handled themselves, and I’m seeing more of that with Carmelo. That’s very good for the Nuggets, Denver, you and me.
I think that it is time for the Nuggets and Kenyon Martin to have a parting of the ways. Do you agree?
— Walter Williams, Carson, Calif.
Walter – Not at all. He was no help for a couple of years, and he and Karl had troubles. But I was very impressed with K-Mart this year. He has come all the way back from serious knee surgery, and I thought he was an integral part, particularly on defense, of the Nuggets’ success.
I know. You don’t like his jumper. Not even his mother could like that ugly shot. I like K-Mart professionally and personally, and I’m sure he’ll be back. He’s not the perfect power forward, of course, but he’s no longer a distraction or disruption.
Where do you get your concepts from: the top of your head, books or from other people?
— Frankie, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Frankie – I assume you’re talking about the blackboard sayings on the ESPN show “Around the Horn” that I do daily. I’m just happy to be alive and employed and answering mailbag questions. Those are my concepts. The sayings come from napkins I write on in bars, and notepads I keep in the car, and notes beside my bed, and phrases from bumper stickers and some websites, and the assistance of Jason and Heather, the two production specialists who work with me in Denver, and people who write in — including an inmate at a prison in Washington, who has sent me some great witticisms — and some old clichés and sayings we twist around to fit a particular show and from my neighbors and people on the street who stop me and say they love the blackboard, and I’ve compiled all the sayings for a book that will be coming out sometime this year. Thank you for caring. You and I should get lives.
Woody Paige first joined The Denver Post in 1981 as a sports columnist. , or . Also, .
