Starting today, the Nuggets must get their 2010-11 priorities straight.
Coach Karl. “George’s health is our most important concern,” owner Stan Kroenke said Friday night. Those who believed that George Karl could return to the sideline in late April didn’t understand the seriousness of his illness and were badly and sadly mistaken.
Even if the Nuggets had survived the Jazz, Karl couldn’t have come back in the next round. And the Nuggets wouldn’t have beaten the Lakers anyway. With Karl gone, the Nuggets, always an enigmatic team, became dysfunctional. It was inevitable they would lose early. Great expectations had poor consequences.
Adrian Dantley wasn’t trained to be a psychiatrist or a head coach of these head cases. Although he finally responded in Game 6 to criticism of his laissez-faire style of coaching, Dantley didn’t know what to do without Karl in the first chair. Players paid little, or no (J.R. Smith) attention to Dantley, and he wasn’t getting advice from the other assistants.
On Friday night, toward the end of a quarter break, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan still was coaching up his players. Dantley and two other Denver coaches were staring blankly across the court at who knows what.
When Karl resumes his job and, especially, while he regains his strength and voice, he will need a veteran top assistant who has been a head coach in this league. Grizzled Tim Grgurich, who was persuaded to spend one more year on the bench, spent the first half of the last game standing back by the tunnel because there was no seat on the bench, and the new triumvirate of coaches didn’t seek his help. Dantley likely won’t be back. Byron Scott would be an excellent replacement.
Kroenke quickly has to sign Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman. Warkentien, the VP of basketball operations, was chosen NBA executive of the year in 2009 with nine votes, and Chapman, VP of player personnel, received one vote. Both are free agents and have attracted interest from other franchises. Both want to stay in Denver and should be retained. They didn’t acquire the frontcourt player the Nuggets needed at the trade deadline — even though Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen are injury-prone (and would be injured again) — but they tried, and they continually have upgraded this team.
Trade J.R. Sulk. Smith sat, sulked and scowled in the final game. Quality court time and enforced jail time didn’t mature him, and J.R. Myth remains uncoachable and unfathomable. He’s not worth another tweet of trouble.
Trade for Chris Bosh. Yes, he is a free agent, but the Raptors and the Nuggets could do a sign-and-trade deal for the 6-foot-10 power forward-center who came into the league when Carmelo Anthony did and is an annual all-star and the big-time big man the Nuggets droll for and can team with Anthony to take the Nuggets to a higher level. Bosh will command a max-out contract, but the Nuggets can offer Martin and his expiring contract ($16.5 million), Smith (who deserves to wake up in another country), another reserve (except Ty Lawson) and a future No. 1 draft choice. (The Nuggets have no first- rounder this year.)
Move Carmelo Anthony to 2 guard. Setting up outside, Melo, who gets beaten up constantly, would have more freedom to catch-and-release and drive to the basket. Joey Graham would take his place at small forward. The veteran Nuggets said before the season that Graham was a talent, and he had a chance to show it with an amazing second quarter in Game 6 after sitting out almost the entire series. As Kroenke said, Graham can muscle, and he has range to the arc.
Somebody Up There talk to Nene. The committed Catholic from Brazil has suffered through some severe tests — a knee injury that cost him a full year, testicular cancer that kept him out most of another season and the leg injury that shut him down in Game 5 against the Jazz — but he firmly believes “God has a plan for me.” Maybe, Nene, who will be 28 this year, the plan is to become tougher in the middle and not be such a finesse center, demand the ball more and make an all-star roster.
Carmelo has to quit feeling sorry for himself. He was ineffective in the last two games and became frustrated (again). LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are among the two best overall leaders and best defensive and assist leaders in the NBA. Carmelo has to round out his game next season.
Team first. The Nuggets must play defense as they did the previous season — but were exposed by the Jazz — and recapture the team unity that was lost for the season when Karl was lost for the season.
The Nuggets have to prioritize, not polarize.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
