I read in the Denver Post that Nene has been playing a lot of soccer in Brazil to help with his footwork and to get some quickness back.
Also he is in Cleveland working out with LeBron James now. Nene has been saying that he is in the best shape of his life. His marriage was called off this summer so he must be getting that ex-motivation going.
When this kid came into the league he was athletic as hell and able to blow by people. Since then he has added weight and the knee injury slowed him down and bulked him up.
If Nene is really in great shape he should push Kmart this season for minutes. He wants a contract extension after the season and this year will make or break him. I expect him to have a big year for the financial reasons alone, but Nene also is a big competetor and is still hungry to prove he can live up to his billing.
I ran into him at the Stampede in Colorado right before the Carmelo draft and Nene compared himself to Karl Malone. There was a rumor in the local papers that Nene was being shopped to L.A. for Elton Brand. It was Jim Armstrong's idea, not Nugget brass. I told Nene about this and he said it would be a big mistake and he gave him that big smile. Well, it's time to prove people wrong and squash the trade rumors.
