Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009-10 NBA season.
for the Nuggets Mailbag.
Give me your critique of Carmelo Anthony on the defensive end of the court so far this year.
— Cody, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Cody – What’s up in Brooklyn? My buddy Arnold’s from there … went to James Buchanan High. Anyway, you bring up a great question, so hopefully I can give you a great answer. The fact is, Melo is playing the best defense of his career. Some say this path began on the Olympic team in 2008. Others say it came to fruition in the postseason last April and May. But the thing with Melo is that his half-court defense is the strongest it’s ever been. He’s constantly active, fronting players, denying passes, reading opponents’ faces and first steps.
I asked coach George Karl about Melo’s defense, and Karl said: “When I got here, how many defensive plays did Melo put in a game? It was very minimal. Now, you see Melo make 5-10 defensive plays in a half. It’s the fundamental base of winning — it comes from defense first. So many offensive players will slowly gravitate to making defensive plays, whether it’s rotating quickly to switching and disrupting a catch to making a steal. Sometimes it’s boxing out a guy. When Melo switches to Tim Duncan, his job is keeping Duncan from getting the ball.”
Now, Melo is still learning. There are times when he gets frustrated about bad calls or non-calls and you see it affecting him defensively. Check out the film of the recent Suns-Nuggets game. Melo was awful in transition defense, allowing Jared Dudley to hit a couple long-range shots.
But overall, there are clearly signs of progress, which is encouraging, considering this his defense will be vital come this April and May (and, who knows, maybe even June).
Ben – Love the mailbag! It seems obvious that the Nuggets need another big (PF or C), but who do you realistically think they can target? Are there players under consideration at this point?
— Tom, Boulder
Tom – Good question. Even George Karl admitted after that Denver could use another player in the rotation. And mailbag reader John L. of Denver pointed out the suffering Denver defense in the Charlotte and Detroit games last week, when power forward Kenyon Martin sat out because of his dislocated left pinkie.
The fact is, Denver is a pretty good team now, but there are going to be injuries this season to the big guys (because injuries happen), and when one of the three-headed monster is out (Martin, Nene, Chris Andersen), the Nuggets are squeezing square pegs in round holes to compensate. The Martin example is a good one, because Kenyon is so vital to the defensive flow, be it as the team’s defensive quarterback or with his ability to clog the lane (in case you missed it, both Charlotte and Detroit were under .500 at the time, and both teams beat Denver).
I got an interesting mailbag e-mail from Rob K., who — and I’m not making this up — lives in Tranas, Sweden. Rob brought up last season when the Nuggets expressed interest in Indiana power forward Jeff Foster. He’s a player that is scrappy and embraces defense and a guy that George Karl has always respected. Perhaps this is a guy Denver makes a run at come the trade deadline. Fact is, Foster’s not playing much — and he’s not playing much for a team that’s in disarray. Acquiring him will be tougher, because he makes about $6 million this year and next year. The Nuggets do have some picks they could theoretically deal and a player like, say, Renaldo Balkman, who is under contract but doesn’t play.
This is clear — the Nuggets want another guy who can gobble 15-20 minutes in the low post (I love the word “gobble”), and perhaps with the $3 million trade exception that expires in January, they can nab a guy. But in my estimation, any roster tinkering would have to be done without dealing any of the top eight guys in the rotation. That’ll be tricky, but Denver’s front office has proven to be creative at times.
How on earth can the Nuggets possibly be pleased with their season thus far? Even with a win over the Lakers (minus Pau Gasol!), losses to the Bucks, Clippers, T-wolves and Bobcats cast a dark shadow on the season, in my opinion. It seems as though they often play at their opponent’s level. Would you agree?
— Ricardo, Boston
Ricardo – Man, you’re tough! But you bring up some good points. Amid all the hoopla of the 18-7 start — which includes some big wins against the Lakers, Suns and Spurs — there have definitely been some what-the-heck games. I’ve written it before in The Denver Post — the Lakers sure are good. Yes, they’ve played a plethora of home games, but the Lakers seem even better than last year with a healthy and hearty Andrew Bynum and the addition of Ron Artest, who is one of the NBA’s top plus-minus guys (a stat I broke down in ).
If the Nuggets are going to swipe home-court advantage from L.A., losses like the T-wolves one are unacceptable. Chauncey Billups is the team’s leader, and he’ll admit that a lot of this is on his shoulders. For all the exciting wins he’s spearheaded, he should take some of the blame when the team loses focus or, as you suggested, plays to their opponent’s level. In the NBA, players’ skill sets are so close to each other’s, than intangibles such as focus and mental toughness can change the outcomes of games — and seasons.
Hey, Ben. Sports Illustrated’s “NBA preview” issue said the Nuggets lost more than they added in the offseason to be considered a contender. I kind of thought the same thing until I saw Ty Lawson play. What are your thoughts?
— Robert, Denver
Robert – A fascinating debate you’ve sparked. Are they better? Would they have been better if Lawson wasn’t so great out of the gates, and Anthony Carter was playing big minutes? Regardless, I think the Lawson ascension tips the scale and, along with an MVP-caliber Melo, makes this Nuggets team better than last season’s. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Denver does need more size in the low post and, to be honest, Lawson has struggled lately. He’s more of a transition point guard and he’s still learning the half-court game. Coach Karl talked about Lawson possibly hitting the rookie wall, and indeed, Lawson hasn’t played 20 minutes in any of the past five games.
Also, Karl said a lot of Lawson’s slowing down has to do with teams figuring out how to play him, similar to a baseball player who thrives early on in a new league.
“I think Ty surprised the league early,” Karl said. “First time you play him, he’ll surprise you with his speed. I don’t think they were talking about him before, and now there’s a mention. And we have to get Ty the ball a little bit better. Sometimes we play small, and all of a sudden the ball is in J.R. Smith and Melo’s hands. That’s on me. I need to make sure we rotate more where his speed and talent can come forward.”
What do you think: Stephen Jackson for J.R. Smith? One “good/bad” player for another. The Nuggets ultimately need to get through Kobe and LeBron to advance. Is Arron Afflalo going to slow those two down in a playoff series? Jax is an elite defender at the most important position. His offense isn’t a significant dropoff from J.R.’s and may be more consistent. Why trade a 20-something with upside? Because this team’s window to win is NOW.
— Nic, Austin, Texas
Nic – I love your energy. Sounds like you’re passionate about the powder blue down in burnt orange country (in case you didn’t know, Melo is a HUGE Longhorns football fan).
Indeed, there’s a lot to like about Jackson’s game, and the Nuggets have done well with graduates of Oak Hill Academy (Melo and Ty Lawson). But I can’t see Denver parting with Smith — even though the window is “NOW,” as you put it, I think the team feels Smith can help the team win today. He is becoming more polished with his offensive game and dribble penetration, and his defense is better than last season’s (I talked to Kenyon Martin about that Monday night actually). And Smith has this rare ability to take over a game with his long-range shot, which makes him a weapon.
Yes, Jackson gives you more size on the perimeter, but Smith brings things to a game that Jackson can’t. And you can never make a trade without thinking about the future, regardless of the potentially closing window. Denver has invested so much time and energy into grooming Smith — to deal him now wouldn’t make sense. And with Melo, Smith and Nene under contract for a while, and Lawson budding at point guard, you still have pieces to build around in the next couple years, even if Billups and Kenyon Martin leave in a couple years. (I’m not saying they will, but age and contract status will catch up at some point.)
Benjamin Hochman is in his third season as the Nuggets and NBA beat writer for The Denver Post. for the Nuggets Mailbag.
