PORTLAND, Ore. — Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur watched Sunday’s game from the team hotel before meeting the team at the airport for the late-night flight home.
Arthur, a reserve, was after his flagrant 2 foul committed against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters on Friday. It put the team in a bind that coach Brian Shaw felt could serve as lesson.
“I talked to (the team) about the fact that regardless of the type of suspension — J.J. (Hickson’s) suspension hurt us — this suspension hurts us because we also have to keep them on the active roster,” Shaw said. “So now that takes the place of somebody who could be available.”
Because, by league mandate, Arthur was still on the active list for the game, guards Erick Green and Gary Harris were inactive against the Trail Blazers. And the Nuggets could have used the insurance policy of at least having Green suited up because of injuries that guards Ty Lawson (ankle) and Nate Robinson (hamstring) are dealing with. Harris is recovering from a back injury.
“I don’t think that (Arthur) egregiously went out and said, ‘I want to go out and do something that’s going to get me a flagrant 2 and get me ejected from the game.’ But it wasn’t very smart. It was dangerous,” Shaw said. “Because a guy in a position where he can’t protect himself once he’s in the air — I’m sure he wouldn’t want anybody to do that to him.
“But at the same time, I don’t think he was trying to do that. But we have to give that thought, all the time. I just told them to always be cognizant of that.”
Fast starts. Last season, the Nuggets went through a long stretch in which they started slowly more often than not, and that led to some changes in their pregame routine.
They’ve experienced a few slow starts already this season, but beyond a couple of minor adjustments, Shaw said there won’t be major alterations to what the team does before the game. At least not yet.
“We talk about trying to get the guys out earlier,” Shaw said of the starters. “We’ve been trying to emphasize getting out there and getting a good workout, getting a good sweat up. But it’s more about the defensive end, and the sense of urgency hasn’t been there to start out games. The guys see it. Now it’s just time to do something about it.”
