PARKER — When Nuggets coach George Karl watched the Dallas Mavericks he saw a team that benefited most from poise under pressure and the ability to make the right play at the right time.
He wants that for his team as well.
There are 10 days until the NBA draft. The Nuggets, who hold the 22nd pick, don’t have one clear need, but could use help in a number of areas. Karl, however, standing at The Club at Pradera for today’s American Cancer Society’s Hope Invitational, had one request above all else.
Smarts.
“I would say right now, if I had to add a type of player it would be a guy that could make good basketball decisions and good basketball plays,” Karl said. “I thought our team at the end of last year became more of a solid, fundamentally sound basketball team. I don’t think we want to change that. I think we want to add to it.”
The Nuggets have already had a number of players in for pre-draft workouts and they will have two more groups of players in town this week for more evaluations. The Nuggets finished 50-32 this season with a first-round playoff exit at the hands of Oklahoma City, but ended the with a hopeful future.
“We’re a few bounces away from being a lot better than people thought we were going to be this year,” Karl said. “We had a great year, we could have had a very special year. We almost got it, didn’t get it. Every position – from the point guard to the wings to the bigs — we have young players, young players that have the window of improvement, which is exciting to coaches, exciting to the organization and from what I can tell when I walk the streets is the fans seem to be pretty pumped up on the team, too.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
