The Nuggets future

Two big variables:
1. Will Stan Kroenke want to do some cost cutting? If so, about
the only cost he can cut is Camby.
2. Will K-Mart be able to play? We need either him or his contract
to buy depth. Our top 8-9 players all need to be good enough to
count on.

I've said for some time that the Spurs knew how to finish games. The
Nuggets started to learn late in the season, but they don't have it
ingrained the way the Spurs do. This type of playoff confidence is
different from, say the way the Mavericks were confident that they
could play during the regular season.

I don't know whether Carmelo can learn to play good defense. But I
do know he can become a top rebounder, and at least a decent passer.

I believe that a healthy Kenyon Martin would work great with AI.
Imagine the drive and dishes they could make. But failing that,
Nene is coming along.

Camby doesn't seem to be a natural center. The Spurs have their 7'
superstar playing forward, with our old backup center as their center.
But it would be nice to have a traditional center clogging up the
middle. That might not be attainable with our current salaries.

I have high hopes for Nene. Let him use his buttocks to clog up the
middle. But learn to use him. Admittedly, it took a while for him
to get to where he is now, and his teammates haven't gotten used to
him. The coaches need to have the team practice plays that use Nene.

AI needs to know when he's not shooting well. With an inside and
outside presence to pass to, he can be an assist monster.

Has George Karl ever been a coach with a defensive system? I don't
know enough about him to answer this question. A Spurs type
defensive commitment (with accompanying style) would be great.
Certainly Doug Moe won't give that to them, but some other assistant
might.

Concentrate on assists. Grade players on how many assists they make.

Keep Najara. I like him a lot, but we need a couple of men on the
bench who are better than him.

Don't give up on them yet. They've only been playing together a few months,
whereas the SA robots have been together for years. Next year this same
Nuggets team should be a top force to reckon with.


"Howard Brazee" <howard.RemoveThis@brazee.net> wrote in message
news:6iuj33d9hi6r37aojps0ulsn555ad790tt@4ax.com...
> Two big variables:
> 1. Will Stan Kroenke want to do some cost cutting? If so, about
> the only cost he can cut is Camby.
> 2. Will K-Mart be able to play? We need either him or his contract
> to buy depth. Our top 8-9 players all need to be good enough to
> count on.
>
> I've said for some time that the Spurs knew how to finish games. The
> Nuggets started to learn late in the season, but they don't have it
> ingrained the way the Spurs do. This type of playoff confidence is
> different from, say the way the Mavericks were confident that they
> could play during the regular season.
>
> I don't know whether Carmelo can learn to play good defense. But I
> do know he can become a top rebounder, and at least a decent passer.
>
> I believe that a healthy Kenyon Martin would work great with AI.
> Imagine the drive and dishes they could make. But failing that,
> Nene is coming along.
>
> Camby doesn't seem to be a natural center. The Spurs have their 7'
> superstar playing forward, with our old backup center as their center.
> But it would be nice to have a traditional center clogging up the
> middle. That might not be attainable with our current salaries.
>
> I have high hopes for Nene. Let him use his buttocks to clog up the
> middle. But learn to use him. Admittedly, it took a while for him
> to get to where he is now, and his teammates haven't gotten used to
> him. The coaches need to have the team practice plays that use Nene.
>
> AI needs to know when he's not shooting well. With an inside and
> outside presence to pass to, he can be an assist monster.
>
> Has George Karl ever been a coach with a defensive system? I don't
> know enough about him to answer this question. A Spurs type
> defensive commitment (with accompanying style) would be great.
> Certainly Doug Moe won't give that to them, but some other assistant
> might.
>
> Concentrate on assists. Grade players on how many assists they make.
>
> Keep Najara. I like him a lot, but we need a couple of men on the
> bench who are better than him.