Nuggets lose K-Mart

Hey, kids! I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to the Nuggets-I haven’t-but they just lost Kenyon Martin for the year following knee surgery.

When I saw this, it made sense-he never really got better from last year, did he? Except, oh wait...it’s his other knee. And he doesn’t even know what caused it. That’s an encouraging sign. It’s always good to lose a year and not really know why. He’ll be totally healthy next year though, right?

Good thing the Nuggets are only on the hook for sixty million dollars or so. While we’re on the topic of chronic knee injuries...the sixty million Martin is guaranteed is more than the $56 million in Terrell Davis’ biggest contract, most of which he never would have seen if he had remained healthy anyway. And Davis was a league MVP-probably the best football player in the world-while Martin is, usually, just one of the best forwards on his team. That’s why I don’t think NFL players who hold out are all that crazy or selfish, even though they’d make more than you and I do, new contract or not.

Since recent history proves that knee injuries to generously-compensated Nuggets forwards are inevitable (LaPhonso, Antonio, please not Carmelo), at least the team was smart enough not to build around this latest victim.

Martin is a starter and something of a key contributor, though. As Carmelo said in the linked article, “I don't care what nobody says, he's a big part of our team.” At least the Nuggets have a lot of power forwards in reserve. Are they any good? You tell me.

Reggie Evans: Last year’s trade deadline pickup has proven himself as a fantastic rebounder and...um...as a guy who’s good at grabbing the ball after someone misses a shot. He’s a decent defender, though he’s not much of a shot-blocker or anything, and he’s definitely a step behind a healthy Martin. Offensively...let’s not even go there, except that, in my incredibly optimistic opinion, playing him more should mean more defensive rebounds for the team, and therefore more fast-break opportunities for the skill players.

Nene: No stranger to $60 million himself, Nene could, theoretically, play up to his potential and replace Martin almost single-handedly. He’s the most likely candidate, talent-wise. Except...he’s coming off a knee injury suffered last year and has, in fact, missed the last three games with a bruised knee.

Eduardo Najera: He hustles! Isn’t that cool? I think if he played big minutes, his shortcomings would probably be exposed, though perhaps that’s unfair, considering how he's played when given minutes in the past. What I can’t tell is whether the Nuggets consider him a real option. On one hand, he’s started five of our seven games (the ones Martin hasn’t), but on the other, he’s only getting about twenty minutes a game.

Joe Smith: This guy was the No. 1 overall draft pick just eleven short years ago. He’s shown signs of his old explosiveness, managing to...appear in the last three games. That actually represents progress. I imagine his minutes will go up, but he’s pretty low on the totem pole.

So yeah, the Nuggets are totally hosed.