The treatment room was full Wednesday, not the sight anyone in the Nuggets organization cares to see, but it’s the current reality in which they live.
Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Andersen, Nene, and Ty Lawson are the main concerns, but players such as Anthony Carter also limped out of the Pepsi Center with ice bags covering various joints on his lower body.
The Nuggets are beat-up. But Billups offered a glimmer of hope when he participated in an abbreviated practice on Wednesday and then pronounced himself fit to play on Friday against Cleveland.
The veteran point guard has missed eight of the Nuggets last nine games and admitted that he probably pushed himself back too fast, causing a setback.
“I made a point to definitely be smart with this one,” Billups said. “I came back a little premature at Christmas. Thought it felt good, but obviously it wasn’t ready. I think I took it a lot more seriously this time.”
Billups also said he’ll be fit to mentally get through the injury.
“Any injury that you have, the mental aspect is going to play a big role in it,” he said. “You have the confidence to know that you can do the same move that got you hurt. I’ve been working extremely hard. I feel good going side-to-side as well as north and south.”
Meanwhile, Anthony put himself through a light workout on Wednesday as well. The star forward has missed three straight games with a right knee contusion and it’s still unclear whether he’ll be able to play on Friday.
“I thought Melo was being conservative,” Karl said. “He’s definitely making sure he felt comfortable. I don’t think he pushed it as much as Chauncey did.”
Lawson said he’s still iffy on his status for Friday’s game. He sprained his left ankle during the Nuggets’ win over Golden State on Tuesday night and went through a day of treatment on Wednesday.
“It feels all right,” Lawson said. “It feels a lot better than Tuesday. It’s swollen, but I’m walking better. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to play. It’s day-to-day.”
Lawson has been a bright spot in Billups’ absence. Given more than 30 minutes in each of the last three games, Lawson responded averaging 22.3 points, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Andersen’s left ankle sprain did not allow him to dress for the Golden State contest and will likely keep him out for Friday’s game as well. Nene has a right ankle sprain, but vows to play against the Cavaliers.
The bevy of fallen Nuggets has given others the chance to shine, and Joey Graham and Malik Allen took full advantage on Tuesday night. Graham scored 20 points with eight rebounds in 29 minutes, and Allen finished with six points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
“You never like this amount of injuries,” Karl said. “But I’m a big believer that if you continue to win and survive, it can make your team better and stronger. I think we’re seeing some of that, but we need everybody to get healthy, too.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
