HOUSTON — After back-to-back games during which he rested three healthy players, Nuggets coach Melvin Hunt expects to have a full roster at his disposal Thursday night against Houston.
It would be an end — at least temporarily — to holding out players, which Denver did Sunday in New Orleans and Monday in Memphis.
“I’m ready to roll. The guys are ready to roll,” said Hunt following the Nuggets Wednesday practice here at the Toyota Center.
At New Orleans, the Nuggets rested Wilson Chandler, Randy Foye and Darrell Arthur, and won in double overtime. On Monday in Memphis, Hunt sat Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried in a narrow loss to the Grizzlies.
Players weren’t happy.
Hunt said the decision to sit players came from everyone from the front office to the coaching staff.
“Our organization is making that decision,” Hunt said. “We’re all in concert. We’re all in it, we’re all consulted. We all talk. We, the Denver Nuggets are making the decision.”
Hunt said he understood fans might not like the strategy, as it would seem to indicate the Nuggets aren’t doing everything they can to win.
“It’s tough on fans, it’s tough on the casual fan,” Hunt said. “But at the end of the day, we have to make decisions that are going to be best for our organization. We have to be mindful of injury history. We have to be mindful of all of those different things, while at the same time, trying to win. We’re going to go out there and try to win with whoever is on the court, whoever is available.”
Winning games is costing the Nuggets a chance at getting a top lottery draft pick. The Nuggets have the eighth-worst record in the NBA, and are 6-3 under Hunt. They’ve fallen farther away from the coveted top five for those teams whose seasons have fallen apart.
The Nuggets didn’t start resting players until Hunt had won five of his first seven games as interim head coach. He took over for the fired Brian Shaw.
Asked if it bothered him that some have said the team is openly tanking, Hunt said: “Yeah, that does bother me, because that questions my integrity. That would be hard on me, to openly tank. I want our guys healthy. If you’ve never had an injury, the injury itself is okay. You deal with that. But the rehab is a beast.”
Hunt is also attempting to prove he is worthy to be the team’s head coach after this season, and losing doesn’t help his case. He said he does not feel he’s been undermined, however, by the resting of players.
“I’m solid,” Hunt said. “I would never be concerned about that anyway. My whole thing is I’m going to come out here and coach, coach these guys the best I can.”
He said there is no disconnect between him and the front office and what has happened this week.
“The organization, everyone included, we’re all rowing in the same direction, trying to do what’s best for the organization,” Hunt said. “And sometimes that’s hard. You make decisions that sometimes you don’t always like, but you know at the end of the day we’re all trying to get to the same goal.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
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Spotlight on Josh Smith: The change of scenery seems to have done wonders for Smith, who had fallen out of favor in Detroit. When the Pistons traded him to the Rockets, the jury was out on what kind of player was arriving to Houston. But after scoring in double figures in 24 of his 36 games with the Rockets, there has been no doubt about his value to a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: After a day off, the team got back to work Wednesday in preparation for the Rockets, a game that kicks off the second leg of the Nuggets’ five-game road trip. Coach Melvin Hunt was happy with what he saw. “We had a good practice,” Hunt said. “I love their approach. They’re pros.” The Nuggets are 6-3 under Hunt and have won four of their last five games.
Rockets: Guards Patrick Beverly (right elbow) and Jason Terry (hamstring) are listed as questionable. … Houston center Dwight Howard told reporters he’s closing in on a return to action. He hasn’t played since Jan. 23. … The Rockets have lost four of their last seven home games to the Nuggets.
Christopher Dempsey The Denver Post
