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Angel Wings
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 22,582
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Big men status so far
From the RMN
Quote:
The Nuggets offered evidence Thursday why they spent the offseason collecting big men as if they were postage stamps.
With coach George Karl working the team hard in training camp, some nagging injuries have hit. And some players continue to make their way back from offseason surgery, including Joe Smith, who missed practice Thursday at Fort Lewis College because of what the team said was a family situation.
"We didn't have enough (big men Thursday)," Karl said.
Usually, though, when the team's big men get together, it looks like the lobby at the department of motor vehicles. The Nuggets have eight centers and power forwards.
"I like to have a lot of bigs," vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said. "Did we have too many bigs last year?"
The Nuggets began last season with six centers and power forwards. And it wasn't enough.
Nene was lost for the season in the opener because of a torn right anterior cruciate ligament and Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin also missed significant time because of injuries. The Nuggets traded for Reggie Evans to fill the void.
Warkentien then spent the offseason scouring the big-man market. The Nuggets re-signed Nene and Evans. They lost free agent Francisco Elson but signed Jamal Sampson and traded for Smith.
Other returnees are Camby, Martin, Eduardo Najera and Linas Kleiza. That gives the Nuggets eight big men with guaranteed contracts, more than half the 15-player roster limit.
"I've not been on a team that has this many (quality big men)," said Smith, a 12-year veteran. "That's a good thing. That makes camp a little more competitive."
Karl doesn't anticipate Smith will rejoin the team before it returns to Denver on Sunday. The Nuggets rested Nene as a precautionary measure, Sampson suffered a left calf strain and Martin said he is "fighting through" a lower back strain.
But the Nuggets anticipate being healthy to start the season. Nene, Smith, who had offseason knee surgery, and Martin, who never fully recovered last season after May 2005 microfracture left knee surgery, vow to be in good form.
"Without injury, I would think our assets are a little overbalanced toward bigs," said Karl, who doesn't deny the team could deal a big man for a perimeter player. "We have five or six guys who can play 20 minutes."
If the Nuggets remain healthy, battles for minutes will be fierce. Throw out deep reserve Sampson and Kleiza, who also will play small forward, and that's six guys fighting for 96 minutes in the post. If starters Camby and Martin each average 30, Nene, Evans, Najera and Smith will compete for the remaining 36.
"It can work for us, and it may not," Evans said.
But Evans said there have been no problems so far.
"Everybody is showing each other love," said Evans, who returned to practice after he sat out Wednesday because of food poisoning he said came from bad ribs. "That's the unique thing about having all these bigs. Ain't no bad vibes."
So far, teammates share Evans' outlook. Nene, Najera and Smith also say they are not worried about minutes, and Camby claims to not care if his time sometimes is cut.
"Some nights, I may play 35 the next night 15," Camby said. "I'm content with that."
It must be said, though, playing time was one reason Martin cursed at Karl and was suspended during last season's playoffs. Martin, whose minutes were decreased because of his bad left knee, said his knee is better and sees no reason why his time again might be cut.
So let the competition begin. Barring injuries, practice battles in the post might be just as intense as in games.
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Big men status so far
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