Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009-10 NBA season.
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Why doesn’t George Karl call more timeouts when the team is in trouble, especially since we are without Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Chris Andersen?
— Diane Dixon, New York/New Jersey
Diane – Calling timeouts is indeed a strategic endeavor. A lot of times we see a team go on a run, and the other coach calls a timeout to thwart the momentum. But as you pointed out, even with Denver’s injuries, Karl sometimes let’s the game continue, as he said, “to let them figure it out on their own.”
Said Karl, “It’s usually a process — I’ve been called Phil Jackson a few times.” Karl explained that coaches with 700-plus wins under their belts might feel more comfortable letting their teams learn on the fly than a coach with, say, 150 wins.
Karl said he learned this strategy from his college coach, Dean Smith of North Carolina, who said “to take timeouts home with you.”
Now there are times, Karl explained, that he will call a quick timeout because he has an “answer for the momentum,” be it in a matchup or a defensive strategy. But, he pointed to the glass-shattering screaming of ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale, saying “Dickie V has made timeouts highly important in our league, but I don’t think that’s a high priority on the list when you have 82 games and you have so many timeouts heading into a game.”
Benjamin – Happy New Year! Nene is starting to play great, and I believe he’s a key to the Nuggets having a successful postseason. Recently he’s had the most games with 20 or more points of his young career. Why do you think he’s taken so long to start playing aggressive again, and do you think he’ll be as aggressive when the injured players return?
— Terry, Denver
Terry – Good question, f’sho. Coach George Karl said Nene has had “a solid season” so for, but as I’ve written about in The Denver Post, Nene has struggled in the second half of games because he defers a lot. A lot of these 20-point games you wrote about occurred when Carmelo Anthony was injured. (I’m typing this on Monday, Melo’s first game back in the lineup.) Right before the game, Karl said: “We’ve got to get him assertive when Melo’s on the court.”
One thing that’s been impressive about Nene is his ability to play though pain, notably during the Cleveland game last Friday (which Denver won). He’s been battling pain in his hand off and on, and his ankle has been bothersome of late. Yet he has played in every game this season so far.
“I think any time you’re in that painted area most of your possessions, you’re going to get hit,” Karl said. “I think his hands are a little sore and there’s no way those guys don’t get beat up a little bit. He’s more demanding of being in every game than he’s ever been.”
Why is it that I only see Billups on the Nuggets bench in street clothes? Where are Birdman and Melo?
— Matthew, Denver
Matthew – I asked Karl about this. He said: “Most of the time, I leave it up to them. I would prefer them to sit on the bench, but sometimes I save my demands for more important things.”
Last week, for instance, Carmelo Anthony watched two games from the locker room, in the dark, on the big screen (“my own movie theater,” he said). But on Friday, the ESPN game against the Cavaliers, he was on the bench. Overall, Karl said he’s been pleased with Melo’s maturity during the injury, helping guys out and such. And of course, that’s Billups’ forte.
Re: Renaldo Balkman, my question is this: How can a guy — who if he just practices hard, earns some more minutes and maybe has just a little luck — NOT GIVE 100 percent with the money that’s potentially available if he does so? It blows me away. I don’t know what he makes, but assume it’s near the minimum. With the NBA, who knows &mdash one good year and he gets a four-year, $14 million contract (see Jones, Dahntay)? If he continues his ways, he might be out of the league soon. People amaze me.
— J.J., Castle Rock
J.J. – What’s up, J.J. Redick? J.J. Abrams? J.J. Evans? J.J. Chinese Seafood Restaurant on West Alameda? Hope you’re having a great Twenty-Ten.
You make some very smart points about Renaldo Balkman. Yeah, Balkman has some talent and a skill set that can benefit the Nuggets at times. But, as we’ve talked about in this mailbag before, his lack of effort at practice has kept him on the bench.
The Nuggets appeared to get a steal in the fall when he signed a three-year extension for a $1.67 million base (with bonuses), notably because his extension was less than he would make in his fourth year. But the Nuggets’ steal hasn’t led to many Balkman steals (or rebounds or blocks) because he suddenly seems content. I’m not saying it’s strictly because of the contract. Indeed, there were some issues with Balkman last year, too. But the fact is, like you said, he needs to realize that the only way he’s going to play is if he plays harder at practice.
With Joey Graham having to start this week (although not playing well), will he safely make it to the Jan. 10 deadline to get his contract guaranteed for the season?
— Ryan, Burlington
Ryan – You’re all over it. Indeed, Graham’s contract has been guaranteed for the whole season because he passed the deadline. Joey is a great guy to have as an insurance policy on the bench, because he is one of the harder workers at practice, he’s a veteran and he’s not one to clash with coaches. He did have some questionable moments during his fill-in time for Melo, but there were some bright spots, be it his first-half defense against LeBron James or his first-half 11 points the next night against Sacramento.
Benjamin Hochman is in his third season as the Nuggets and NBA beat writer for The Denver Post. for the Nuggets Mailbag.
