It was a blast from the past, a memory of yesteryear — Birdman, hanging from the rim.
Chris “The Birdman” Andersen is (almost) back. The Nuggets’ reserve center has made some significant progress from his right knee rehab, and at Denver’s Thursday shootaround, he even leapt up after practice to rattle the rim.
As for his return, the Nuggets have tentatively targeted it post- Thanksgiving, but Birdman’s upcoming progress will determine if it’s then, sooner or later.
“He’s anxious and ambitious to get back as quick as possible,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “I think the next three days, he’ll probably (practice) some — I don’t know if he’ll run up the court in 5-on-5, but I think he’ll participate in all 5-on-0 and shooting activities and stuff like that. We’re starting that process to get him to play 5-on-5.”
Karl pleased.
Entering Thursday, Karl said he was pleased with the Nuggets’ 4-4 record, because of their schedule and circumstances. But he said he’s still feeling things out with this squad.
“I still think we’re in preseason, to be honest with you,” Karl said. “Everybody thinks it ends after the 28 days of practice, but the way preseason is run, you got to spend another 2-3 weeks trying to see what worked, what didn’t work, you got to throw some stuff out, bring some stuff back in. When you have different faces because of injuries, every game gives us (a different look). We’re excited about where we are, we’ve played some darn good basketball.”
They said it.
Asked about the Nuggets getting rid of Bret Bearup from the front office, Carmelo Anthony said: “That’s a step. I think that was a big step, not just for Josh (Kroenke) and Masai (Ujiri), but for the whole organization — for the whole league to know what they’re doing here, to make progress. Positive (step). They made some changes, obviously for the better of the organization. That’s their decision.”
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
