The preseason is great and all, but…
See ya!
“That last part of the preseason was like, ‘OK, already,’ ” said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, weary from a month of practice. The Nuggets took the weekend off after their final exhibition game at Golden State on Friday, putting a two-day buffer between the end of the preseason and the official start of regular-season preparation.
Shaw wants his team looking ahead, to the season opener Wednesday at Pepsi Center against the new-look Detroit Pistons.
“It’s been a month of just practicing against ourselves; a couple of games here and there, but you you’re not really playing, just 20 minutes here and there,” Nuggets guard Ty Lawson said. “Ready to get into the thick of things when it actually counts.”
Lawson said he’ll be ready to go Wednesday, though he missed the final two preseason games because of a sore hamstring. That was more of a precautionary move. Lawson practiced in full Monday morning.
The biggest immediate concern among the players is clicking together more than they showed at times during the preseason.
“It’s a process,” guard Arron Afflalo said. “Trying to get an entire healthy group, plus a couple of other guys acclimated. It’s not going to be a snap-of-a-finger type of process. (The coaches) understood that dynamic coming in. You just kind of get through the preseason and not pass judgment too much on what this team is capable of.”
Danilo Gallinari, Nate Robinson and JaVale McGee are all returning from major injuries and their minutes will be watched closely in the early part of the season. And that will influence Shaw’s decisions on lineups early on as he tries to piece together combinations that can win and allow the players to get back to full strength.
One final, tough practice Tuesday and the Nuggets say they will be ready.
“We’re getting better and better,” Robinson said. “For us, it’s going to be a challenge to come in and continue to play like we’ve been playing and share the ball and get the guys that we know can play and make shots. We’ll be all right. We’ve just got to focus on defense, and make our defense our offense.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
