Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009-10 NBA season.
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Can we count on Kenyon Martin to have a good year this season? How important is his health to the Nuggets’ success?
— Frank, Sacramento
Frank – Are you a Denver fan transplanted living in Sacramento? Or are you just giving up on the Kings? (Understandable.)
Kenyon is very important, if only for his defense. George Karl calls him the quarterback of the defense. Martin often guards an opponent’s best non-guard player and has the bark, bite and brains to be an effective defender. His offense fluctuates, and there are times where he takes “huh?” jump shots, but he is so swift at getting to the basket for dunks and put-backs that you want him on the court often. Which leads to the second part of your question — his health.
He’s already dealt with an injury earlier in this season, and there are always the fears that one of his previous knee injuries could lead to future injuries — though he’s been resilient thus far. Basically, if Kenyon goes down for an extended period of time, the Nuggets might have to look at making a deal to fill his void — that’s how valuable he is (and that’s how thin their low-post bench is, after Chris Andersen, though Renaldo Balkman has proven to be effective in spurts).
What kind of effect do you think Arron Afflalo will have on the Nugs this year? Chauncey Billups raves about him. He seems like he could be a really good fit for our team.
— Joey, Denver
Joey – I am excited about the Afflalo addition. Though he has struggled offensively in some of these recent games, he is this year’s Dahntay Jones, a bargain who plays aggressive defense.
Coach Karl talks about Afflalo’s ability to knock down the corner 3, and though we saw it a lot in the preseason, he hasn’t had that many opportunities in the season. I would suggest that Afflalo will only get better in this Nuggets system as the games go on, and he learns how to play with the big-name guys on a nightly basis.
Benjamin – I love the Nuggets roster, but I wonder if we have a realistic shot of beating the other contending teams in the playoffs (especially the Lakers and Spurs). Are the big men long enough to play with Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Didier Ilunga-Mbenga? The regular season won’t be a problem. I just worry that the roster is not designed for a championship.
— Paul Leon Ramsey, Denver
PLR – I hear ya. As I wrote recently, the fact is, , and he seldom plays (Johan Petro). And there is definitely some concern that if the Nuggets get a low-post injury (per Frank’s question), how will they be able to sustain posts in numerous games?
That being said (to quote the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” finale), the Nuggets trio of Martin-Nene-Andersen is a high-energy group of defensive battlers who have recently done really well against some big bodies, notably Bynum, Chris Bosh and Joakim Noah. But don’t be surprised if they use the $3 million trade exception by January on another big body.
When will do you think the Hornets and Jazz will change nicknames? I mean, the Jazz in the Beehive State, and the Hornets in the middle of the home of jazz! David Stern has to make this happen, right?
— Adam, Carlsbad, Calif.
Adam – Unfortunately, this perfect Champ-for-Clinton type of trade will never happen because there is too much money invested in the franchises’ names in their respective cities. But you make an astute point. And what about the Los Angeles Lakers? They got their name for Minnesota, where there are 10,000 lakes. I say these three cities should just get a do-over.
Do the players change uniforms at halftime, or do they just get them dried out somehow? Also, do they take more than one set of uniforms on road trips, especially when they play multiple teams? If not, do they just use the laundry service at the hotel?
— Carmen, Denver
Carmen – Good questions. I asked Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen and he said that the team brings two sets of each player’s uniform to games and occasionally at halftime a player will change jerseys. Sometimes, a jersey will get a bloodstain, and Gillen said that peroxide is a jersey-saver when this happens.
As for laundry on the road, the way it works is the home city takes care of the visiting team’s laundry. So if the Nuggets fly into Minnesota at 2 a.m. for a game that upcoming evening, the Timberwolves equipment manager — or someone on his staff — will meet the Nuggets at the hotel and collect the dirty laundry.
Benjamin Hochman is in his third season as the Nuggets and NBA beat writer for The Denver Post. for the Nuggets Mailbag.
