Nuggets Roundtable: At the Quarter Pole

So here’s the deal: time and again, we’re going to do some roundtable chats about the state of the local squads. Eventually, once this really get rolling, we’ll do these in podcast form and you’ll get to hear our mellifluous pipes. But until then, you’ll have to do some reading.

19 games in and the Denver Nuggets are off to one of the best starts in franchise history. The three of us discuss the keys to that start, the necessity of another big man, JR Smith, and tattoos.

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Bohanon: Guys, I gotta tell you, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy watching the Nuggets this year, but through 19 games they’ve been an absolute joy to watch. Obviously the Billups trade has been the catalyst for a lot of change, but which other player is most responsible for the transformation of this team?
Lodish: This is going to be way out of character for me, but I’m going to say Kenyon Martin. Yes, K-Mart. The man who I have said in the past possesses zero basketball ability and was a waste of a roster spot. Believe it or not, with the absence of Marcus Camby, Martin has stepped up to become the Nuggets’ best inside defensive presence. He also has emerged as a leader and team captain. He’s probably only thriving in that role because things are going well for the Nuggets, but maybe I’m not giving him enough credit and he’s actually matured on a team that has traditionally lacked leadership.
Bohanon: I’m loving Martin’s play this year too. He’s hitting the 15-footer with some regularity and he’s got some spring back in his step defensively. Turns out, when he gives a crap, he’s damn near an elite power forward.
Lodish: Elite is your word, not mine. I still just think he’s above average, but sometimes that’s all you need on a team with other highly talented players.
Bowen: I am glad I get the opportunity to disagree with Lodish already. I will go ahead and say Carmelo Anthony. Yes, I know to the untrained eye or casual observer that it might appear as if Melo is having a down season, but I think anyone who has watched Carmelo Anthony throughout the course of his career would say that he’s having his best all around season. While his points and FG percentage are down, his rebounding and assists are up. Anthony is also doing the little things on the defensive end that Nuggets’ fans haven’t seen before; things like rotating, talking and admirably bodying up power forwards in the post. The NBA is a star-driven league and if your star doesn’t buy in, you’re done for. For that reason, I go with Melo.
Bohanon: When Iverson was around he used to always say that the Nuggets were Melo’s team. I don’t think Melo really believed it. I think he believes it now, and it shows in that he is taking more initiative on both ends of the floor.
Lodish: The only problem with that statement Bohanon is that the Nuggets aren’t Melo’s team, they are Chauncey Billups’ team.
Bowen: I think that Chauncey would say it’s Melo’s team, but from the standpoint of being the impetus for all things positive about the Nuggets this year, it’s Chauncey’s team. Don’t get me wrong, I love what K-Mart has done this season, but I feel Nene has been just as instrumental in the team’s success. The two bigs kind of “split my vote” so to speak.
Lodish: Sure Chauncey would say that it’s Melo’s team to the press to keep the status quo, but when you show up and completely remake the dynamic of a team, that team is yours.

Bowen: What do you think the chances are, given that the Nuggets look like they are ready to make a serious run at the top of the West during the regular season, that the team uses the trade exemption from the Marcus Camby deal to make a play for an extra guy before the deadline?
Bohanon: I think this team desperately needs another big. We all love the Birdman, but can you really be a conference finals contender with an offensive cipher like Andersen as the first big off your bench? When you take the injury history of Nene and K-Mart into consideration, it makes the need for a reliable, offensive minded reserve forward even more glaring. The Nugs should dangle Chucky Atkins and see if such a player is available.
Lodish: This goes without saying, but you want to use that trade exemption wisely. Nuggets brass have made solid decisions, it would seem thus far any way, constructing the current roster. It would be a shame to waste the exemption on settling for a big man who doesn’t fit the needs of this team. If the Nuggets are serious about contending not only this season, but in the seasons in the immediate future, than Stan Kroenke needs to dish out the dough to allow the team to re-sign Juwan Howard to be the first big off the bench and use the exemption during the off-season when the judgment of the decision makers isn’t clouded by the pressure of making a playoff run.
Bohanon: Sorry, Lodish, but I can’t cosign this – any solution that involves Juwan Howard in any way is not a solution that I think helps the Nugs. Renaldo Balkman is a vastly better player at this point in their careers, and if the Nugs want to upgrade, then they should spare no expense.
Bowen: That’s an interesting take. I certainly hear what you’re saying, Lodish. Teams so often make bad deals because they feel they HAVE to do something even if great options aren’t out there. However, I think by the time the deadline rolls around, there will be some attractive options out there as far as big men are concerned. Teams are always looking to dump salary and I agree with Bohanon that if the Nuggets are in serious position to make a run, they have to look at adding someone with that exemption. Denver’s lack of frontcourt depth could be their undoing if left unattended.
Lodish: I don’t dispute that Balkman is a better player than Howard. There’s a reason no one has signed Howard since he was waived by the Nuggets early in the season. But Howard fits the Nuggets team well. He’s a solid inside defender, doesn’t require set plays to get shots and is a leader in the locker room who would compliment Chauncey Billups nicely. Intangibles are the reason why Howard is a smart decision, not talent.

Lodish: The Nuggets are better equipped to make a post-season run than years past, but will that translate to more wins by seasons end and will the Nuggets win their highly competitive division?
Bowen: The way I look at it, the Nuggets won 50 games last year with a lackadaisical attitude on defense and a dysfunctional offense. This year’s team is probably marginally improved talent-wise (Nene a major upgrade over Camby, Billups a slight downgrade from AI), but they are infinitely better as a team. I look around the West right now and see a Northwest that has turned into a three team division and a conference that is in transition. I think the Nuggets will win a few more games this season because of the improvements on defense and offense. I’ll put it at 53. Obviously this is completely dependent on health, so I am assuming good health here for the most part. I also believe the Nuggets will win their division. I am just too high on this team right now to say otherwise.
Bohanon: If you can’t be optimistic about the Nuggets right now, then you’re just more cynical than I am. The most encouraging thing the Nuggets have done through the first quarter of this season is beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the job is getting done. There’s cohesiveness to this team that hasn’t been there in years past. That being said, Utah’s still the boss of the Northwest until the Nuggets prove they can beat them, and right now I still don’t think the Nuggets match up well with the Jazz. 53 sounds pretty good to me as a win total, but I think that’s still only a 5 or 6 seed in the West.
Lodish: Amazingly, we’re all in agreement about the 53 win total, or right around that number any way. Having said that, I have no idea who is going to win this division. All three teams are extremely talented and play a solid team-style game. The Nuggets fan in me obviously wants to say they win the division and get to host a first round series, but the Trailblazers and Jazz are very good.
Bowen: We’re all right about one thing. The addition of a good Blazers team to the division this year makes the Northwest much deeper than it’s been in recent memory. That being said, one thing I disagree with you on Bohanon is about matching up with the Jazz. I believe the Nuggets have greatly improved their toughness. You look around at this team and it’s much different than it was with Camby and AI. In the past, the Nuggets were really bothered by the Jazz physicality, but I think Denver has balanced out that equation quite a bit.
Bohanon: I’ll believe it when I see it. I still don’t think the Nuggets have an answer for Kirilenko and I feel like teams that can draw Martin and Nene out from underneath the basket on defense, as Utah can with Boozer and Okur, will give the Nuggets a lot of trouble. But I will say this – Denver with Billups and a healthy Martin matches up much better with the Jazz than last year’s Nuggets team did.

Bohanon: At this point, would either of you be surprised if J.R. Smith and George Karl have a fistfight on the bench during a game this year? On a more serious note, do you see the situation with Smith getting worse before it gets better, and do you think it could have a deleterious effect on the team
Lodish: Where to start on this question. Do I hope fists fly, absolutely! I’d love to see Furious George do a Carmelo Anthony impression and take a swipe at JR before sprinting in the other direction. Of course, a George Karl sprint is probably more like a fast crawl for most people. There’s nothing quite like locker room drama in the NBA. Seriously though, I think this situation will get better before it gets worse. JR now has a player like Chauncey Billups in the locker room and on the court to help him learn to handle these types of situations. Who knows, maybe even a guy like K-Mart, who has run-ins with Karl in the past, can help with the situation. This team is going too well right now to let a rift like this slow them down.
Bowen: I don’t worry about this tearing the team apart at all. I absolutely do have some concerns about the relationship between Karl and Smith. It was reported in the paper the other day that Smith said Karl and he don’t even talk. If that is true, I think Karl is in the wrong. Let’s face it George has had his run-ins in the past, and I don’t like the way this is shaping up. JR is still very young and has room to grow, but I think he needs a coach who is willing to sit down and talk with him. There needs to be more communication there.
Bohanon: I love JR’s game and I think his happiness is essential to any playoff run the Nuggets want to have. Karl’s brand of tough love has backfired before, and it’s backfiring now with JR. How does a guy score 32 points on a Thursday night and then play 7 minutes on a Saturday? Karl keeps sending mixed signals, and it’s not helping the situation. The only way for this situation to stay out of toxic territory is for the Nuggets to keep winning – that’s had a way of mellowing George in the past.
Lodish: Without question, Karl needs to take some of the responsibility for this problem. He is egomaniacal. No one has ever disputed that. I’d say he is even largely responsible for this rift. But Smith needs to understand that sometimes the coach makes a decision and you live with that decision.
Bowen: Believe me when I say I can certainly understand Karl’s frustration with JR at times. I get frustrated too. I just think that this is reaching the tipping point of it becoming a stale mate. Karl can’t let his stubbornness get in his way. I believe JR is a good kid who needs to be coddled a little bit. Keep those lines of communication open George.

Bowen: Predict the Nuggets wins and losses for the rest of the month and tell us who the w’s are and who the l’s are
Bohanon: 14 games left in the month… immediately I look at the back to backs, particularly on the road, and the Nugs have three toughies – at Houston, at Portland as part of a home-and-home before Christmas, and at Atlanta (OK, that one’s not so tough). But there are a lot of brutal road games this month. If Denver holds serve at home they could still slip a bit if they aren’t careful. I will say 9-5 with losses at Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and Portland and a home loss to San Antonio tonight. But that’s definitely a pessimistic view point – I could see them going 11-3 at best.
Bowen: I look at the back to backs as well and the schedule this month is rough. A lot of good teams pop up. Wins: SA, MINN, GS, CLE, PORT, PHILLY, NYK, ATL. Losses: @SAC, @DAL, @HOU, @PHO, @PORT, @TOR.
Bowen: I’ll say 8 and 6
Lodish: Allow me to go Woody Paige on you both and say when you look at the SCHEDULE, the schedule the Nuggets have already played that is, you’ll notice they have played very well on back-to-backs. And I’m sorry, but if a team is tired after traveling from Dallas to Houston, they are a bunch of freaking pansies and they don’t belong in this league. I’ve got them down for 10 wins in December — meeting Karl’s goal of winning 10 games every month. I’ve got losses @Sac., @Dallas, vs. Portland, vs. Cleveland, and @PHX.
Bowen: 8, 9 and 10. I am surprised I am the most pessimistic.
Lodish: Yeah well, that’s what happens when you’re wrong.
Bohanon: The one thing I keep thinking is that I’m waiting for the Nuggets to have a really bad loss, where they just lay an egg at home against a bad team. That hasn’t really happened yet. Here’s hoping it doesn’t.

Lodish: More perplexing… Carmelo Anthony’s Warner Brothers tattoo on his left shoulder or Kenyon Martin’s hicky tattoo on the back of his neck?
Bowen: Are you for real?
Lodish: Absolutely.
Bohanon: I thought Melo’s tat was along the same lines as the whole Stop Snitching thing. Instead of Snitching, what you gotta do is Warn a Brotha
Bohanon: But I’m with Charles Barkley on K-Mart’s new ink – only a damn fool gets a tattoo like that.
Bohanon: Although K-Mart can get any ink he wants if he keeps blocking shots and draining mid-range jumpers.
Bowen: It has to be Martin’s red lips on the neck. Never mind that neck tattoos look awful to begin with, but those lips look ridiculous. Every time I see them I think that he must have come to the arena directly from the strip joint where his favorite stripper Candy put her lips on his neck for 15 consecutive minutes. He might as well go ahead and put her name on his forehead.
Bohanon: Even without Iverson, this is not in dispute: the Nuggets are the most tatted-up team in the league, and it’s not even close
Lodish: Without question, K-Mart’s tattoo is strange and I’m sure part of some kinky joke between he and his wife or maybe one of his roadies, but Melo’s WB tattoo has confused me for years. A kid from the streets of Baltimore and he’s got a tribute to a bunch of animated furry animals. I wonder if he has Bugs Bunny slippers that he wears around the crib, too. Or maybe a Yosemite Sam replica shotgun.
Bohanon: OK, you do realize it stands for West Baltimore, right?
Lodish: But why get the tattoo just like the WB logo?
Lodish: Is that really what they do on the streets in Baltimore?
Bohanon: that’s what’s hot in the streets, son