They probably do.
No idea why. But what other conclusion can I draw when the team elects to celebrate its biggest game of the year (the return of Carmelo) by starting Steve Blake?
I feel like I was too easy on the Nuggets for the acquistion of Blake or, more appropriately, for the disacquistion of Earl Boykins. Boykins was everything a team would want in a bench player, with all the strut of a superstar.
The team tried to spin Blake's arrival as a positive, as he gave the Nuggets something they'd missed for years-a pass-first, push-the-tempo point guard. Unfortunately, Blake's buzz cut calls to mind an obvious comparison for Nuggets fans-he's Jon Barry, minus the talent. (That is not a compliment.)
(Besides, the need for a little man skilled at passing seemed filled when we traded for that other guard last month.)
Anyway, it's hardly Blake's fault the Nuggets organization only pretends to care about winning. The bigger story tonight was /is (the game's still on), of course, Carmelo.
Marcus Camby tossed an alley-oop to 'Melo for a lay-in and the first two points of the game. Color commentator Scott Hastings said that your first basket is big, because it's nice "to know you're not gonna be held scoreless." Comments like these make you think Hastings was some kind of scrub in the NBA.
Carmelo was pretty solid for missing so much time. What were the other positives from tonight's game?
- Allen Iverson's still fine with deferring to Carmelo, if you're wondering, and almost to a fault. He passed up on an easy early lay-up to dish it to Carmelo for a more difficult shot.
- The Nuggets played with energy and, as of the end of the third quarter, have handled the Grizzlies fairly easily. Ed Najera even annoyed me less than usual-I think I'm finally get used to rooting for him.
The negatives?
- Carmelo's not in game shape anymore, which is hardly surprising. I don't think any amount of running adequately prepares you for the fast pace and constant change of direction of an NBA game. He looked tired only a few minutes in. But that's no big deal because it won't last.
- Iverson has picked up some bad habits over the years-he can be a lazy defender and sometimes loiters on offense on the rare occasion he's not part of the play. But you can tell from some of the plays he tries that he's bored out there. For a January game against Memphis, I'm not sure I really blame him. It's not the ideal attitude to have, but he knows when to turn it on, and besides, it hasn't kept Shaq ringless.
In other words, the positives far outweigh the minor negatives. It's just too bad the Earl won't be along for the ride.
(Blake just picked up his tenth assist on a fine pass to Carmelo down low. Maybe it'll be okay after all.)
Comments
Like I said, it's not Blake's fault the Nuggets don't care as much as other teams about winning. But to suggest the trade for him is anything other than a slap in the face to Nuggets fans, who had to put up with so much losing in the past, is absurd. (Not to bash Blake, but I did see him at Maryland, and never thought he'd be a great NBA player-he's surely no Boykins.)
I have no idea why Blake started ahead of J.R. Smith, especially since A.I. ran the offense often even with Blake on the floor. (In other words, it wasn't so A.I. wouldn't have to play point.) That's all I'm saying-why start him? Right now, all he does is remind me of that awful Boykins trade, and why ruin it when I'm trying to celebrate 'Melo's return?
I think the Nuggets are still shy of the Spurs, who've faltered a little, and at least a hair behind the Suns and Mavericks. It's possible they could go as far as the Western Conference Finals, but I think that would take some lucky breaks.
Since either AI or Carmelo should always be on the floor now, you may be right that Blake could become a better fit chemistry-wise. Again, I don't hate Steve Blake and would love to see him star here. But I can't shake the feeling this was mostly a financial move, and I can't excuse that. That's why it's easy to love the Broncos-sometimes they do stuff that's stupid, but there's no doubt that they always try to win.
I still don't think the Jazz are as good as their record, but they're very good at home. If we can win in Utah, that'll be huge.