Denver Post sports writer Benjamin Hochman posts his Nuggets Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009-10 NBA season.
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Benjamin, pop quiz: Mark Warkentien makes you coach for Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Overtime. There are 8.1 seconds left on the clock. Nuggets inbound at halfcourt. Who takes the final shot? Carmelo Anthony or Chauncey Billups?
— Chuck, Laramie
Chuck – Awesome question. It’s hard to pick against a dude nicknamed Mr. Big Shot, but Coach Hochman is going to Melo.
For one, Melo can score in so many different ways. Numerous people around the league have told me he’s the most versatile scorer in the game today. His 3-point shooting the past two seasons has been better than all his previous seasons. His body control to the hoop is special. And his body in general — the combination of that sturdiness and speed — makes him frighteningly difficult to defend. Oh, and he gets to the line better than maybe anyone in the game, as well.
Historically, Melo has proven to be elite with the game on the line. Of course, the most recent example was last . But check out these numbers, thanks to Dan Tolzman, the Nuggets PR stat guru: Melo now has 12 career game-winning baskets in the final seven seconds. Ten have been jump shots. And ten have come ON THE ROAD. One of these was in the playoffs, when Melo hit the game-winning 3 at Dallas last season (the clutchest of clutch).
During Anthony’s regular-season career, he is 13-for-27 (48.1 percent) on shots to either tie or take the lead in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the highest percentage in the NBA of any player with 15 or more attempts since 2003-04 (the Hornets’ Peja Stojakovic is second at 7-for-15, 46.7 percent).
I don’t mean this as criticism, because Melo was awesome against the Cavs in Cleveland on Thursday. But Melo is hardly the Nuggets’ best defender. And yet, he matched up against LeBron James most of the game. Did he ask for that assignment? And if the Nuggets meet the Cavs in a seven-game series in the NBA Finals, would George Karl really put Melo on LeBron the whole time? Seems like a bad move. Wouldn’t Kenyon Martin be better on LeBron? Or Arron Afflalo?
— Nick, Denver
Nick – I asked Nuggets coach George Karl your question. He said the original gameplan was to have Melo and Afflalo each spend some time on LeBron, and also J.R. Smith here and there. As for the way it played out, with Melo against Bron on defense, “I think it was just the script of the game,” Karl said. “They both were having pretty darn good games, they wanted each other and it turned out to be a great game because of that.”
Another guy to consider is Kenyon. The Nuggets often utilize him to guard an opponent’s top perimeter player in crunch time. In the previous win against the Cavs at Pepsi Center, Martin made a couple big-time defensive plays on James in the fourth quarter.
Big Ben – Remember when we traded three first-round draft picks to New Jersey for K-Mart? Who was eventually selected with those picks? I am really starting to like Kenyon’s game this season. He is a defensive monster who thrives on being the bully inside.
— Joe, Denver
Joe – This is actually pretty funny. New Jersey ended up selecting just one of those three picks, nabbing point guard Marcus Williams, now with Memphis. The other two picks? One was traded to Toronto, and used for Joey Graham, and the other was traded to New York, and used for Renaldo Balkman. Graham and Balkman, of course, are Martin’s teammates on the Nuggets.
It looks like the Nuggets are comfortable conceding the West’s top seed to the Lakers. They’re not pushing injured players back into the lineup until they are 100 percent, and they’re having nights where they don’t show up (like the Spurs game before the break). I thought the main objective this season was to finish ahead of the Lakers and earn that coveted extra home game that could prove pivotal in defeating the Lakers in a playoff series. What are your thoughts?
— Karl, Houston
Karl – I think the 2010 Nuggets have a better shot of knocking off the 2009 Nuggets. No, Denver didn’t add a Ron Artest in the offseason, but consider these improvements. Carmelo is clearly better this season than last season. Martin is playing at a higher level than last season. Afflalo, with his defensive intensity and 3-point daggers, is arguably an upgrade from Dahntay Jones. And Ty Lawson is more of a weapon at backup point guard than Anthony Carter (and Carter is still available off the bench to provide some tough perimeter defense).
Coach Karl feels the Nuggets “know” how to beat the Lakers better. And yeah, one of the wins was when L.A. was on a back-to-back, but the fact is, Denver is making statements.
Watching and reading various sports networks, it seems nobody considers the Nuggets a legitimate contender. Why? It seems to me with the best record against teams over .500, a great home record, and being nearly unbeatable when all their players are healthy, .
— Matthew, Englewood
Matthew – All great points! I think the fact about Denver’s success when healthy is the biggest. The Nuggets have a wonderful chemistry. But the fear is, when one guy goes down, it’s tough to wedge in a new guy and still keep fluidity in the rotation. But like I told Karl from Houston, I have faith that this team is better than last year’s (and last year’s team was pretty good).
Benjamin Hochman is in his third season as the Nuggets and NBA beat writer for The Denver Post. for the Nuggets Mailbag.
