KMart injury implications

[SnakefromHell]

First the team is going to finally realize we still need a big man. We fans have been wanting FO to get a legit 7 footer because KMart and Nene alone, even if they stay healthy, won't get it done.

- Nene is able physically, but I think mentally he cannot endure 82 games a season and putting a consistent 20 pts and 10 rebounds nightly. Physically? He's definitely able... but his mind tells him that 20 and 10 every game is too much work. That is why this guy will never be an all star, but right now he's our best big, so can't complain much.

- KMart is always a liability on offense. You wouldn't trust him on offense, he can't be relied, but what we get from him every game is the "extra points"... now he's gone we're even worse.

- Petro can't play, he can't catch the ball, the team knows it, yet they extended him. Stupidest move since acquiring Billups.

- Birdman is not a starter. Since he got that contract, it seems he's got "fat" mentally... he got the money, so let's put in 80% work... maybe 85%. He's not our answer.


Knowing these four things, we have to acquire a big man immediately. Our struggle in the Heat game was not scoring, or missing J.R... it's rebounding and defense. Heat repeatedly killed us on the glass in the fourth just when it appeared we might have had a chance to steal the game. Nene was trying not to foul every Heat possession.

Our team relying on its current bigs right now is like Shaq with Keon Clark's legs... it's going to crumble soon... production from frontcourt is so minimal we have to claw and fight like hell to win it seems... the 3, 2, 1 guys have to play like hell and compensate the missing production from the 4 and 5 positions to win every game. It's not going to work like this for a whole season. Offensively, we can maybe rely on Nene to produce about 15 guaranteed points every night... but how about rebounding? Can he even stay at 8 guaranteed rebounds every night? Even if he can, 8 rpg from the top big is not good enough... at least not good enough for a championship contending team.


This team has to make a move, the idiots, even before KMart injury they HAD to realize Nene and KMart wouldn't be enough. Improvement from within my ass, give that to Melo, maybe J.R., and the newcomer Lawson, or the much better Dahntay replacement Arron Afflalo, but our 4 and 5 positions have to improve too... so far... this is not the case.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

There you go again, thinking you know what is in a player's head. Seriously, you believe Nene thinks 20/10 is too much work every night? That's a new one, LOL.

The team could be fine, if Karl didn't have anything against playing Balkman. Guy put up near double-doubles starting for Kmart last year and had a great effect on the team with his energy.

I do think the team could use another big body at the 4 or 5 though.

[SnakefromHell]

^Balkman might get away guarding Joel Anthony, Michael Beasley, or past his prime Jermaine O'Neal... against Duncan, Bynum, he'll be flattened like pancakes or the refs will keep blowing the whistle he'll set record in the least playing time to foul out by every game.

Seriously Nats, Nene is a 20 and 10 player, but his emotions get the best of him, always blast the refs and getting technicals... geeez he already has a wife, and in his 8th season, he gotta calm down and not be so temperamental. His emotions get the best of him too often... and how many times does Nene follow his 20 and 10 game with a 6 and 3 game? Almost always?

[pickIBL]

well once the Rockets give up winning a title with superstar Trevor Ariza you might be able to tempt the Rockets to make a move. For this to make sense the Nuggets would have to use a small TPE on Jarvis Hayes

Johan Petro, Malik Allen, Renaldo Balkman, Bobcat's First Rounder for Carl Landry & David Andersen

Nene, Birdman
Kmart, Landry, Andersen
Melo, Hayes, Graham
Afflalo, JR Smith
Billups, Lawson, Carter

[Jay_Dnuggs_FAN]

Man it was terrible performance from our starters except Melo man! I hope Martin's injury is not so serious /everyone pls pray- we already short on BIGs/

Now GK will insert Petro /butterfinger/ into starting lineup no doubt. Tomorrow is gonna be harder. I have no words on AC GK love circle. AA deserve to start if not J.R! J.R must have been itching to come back. It was ugly game. Lets hope tomorrow will be better.

I have a hunch we might be targeting for 2010 free agency! otherwise i don't get why dudes upstairs would not go for solid big.

Guys i know this loss was nothing we all expected to come from Heat but look at other teams that had high expectations are having slow start CLE, SAS etc.

[Powder Blue]

Well we don't know how long K-Mart is gonna be out so lets not overreact.

Why don't you all take a look at exhibit A...

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/denver.htm

Sure we need a big but who you gonna give up to get one? Whoever we acquire would have to be a quality player to actually get PT from GK and we aren't going to get a quality big without giving up someone, especially this early in the season.

We have no attractive expiring contracts that can be traded. K-Mart will without a doubt pick up his option and nobody in the league will take his contract off our books. Our expendable bench players don't earn enough to bring in a 5-6 Million quality big.

It's easy to say we need a big man but it's a lot less easier for the front office to acquire one that'll actually help.

Oh and we aren't targeting a big name FA in 2010.....we have no cap room to sign anyone outright.

[SnakefromHell]

I really like Chuck Hayes of the Rockets, he is a really good post and overall defender. He gets you rebounds and from what I saw in the Laker game a few days ago, he can finish around the rim Birdman can't say the same about himself. Let's get him, but I doubt Rockets would give him up. he's not exactly a 7 footer, but he plays like one, beefing up in the paint, pushing and boxing out for your team guaranteed. He's probably the cheapest big you can coax out of nothing.

But Grizz must deal one of their bigs soon, it's inevitable Gasol will see less touches and he will score less and demands to be traded when it gets rock bottom... let's just hope he wants to be traded to the Nuggets. I'm surprised he still scoring 16-25 pts playing alongside blackhole, Mayo, Gay, and AI.

[meloivynene]

I don't think Nene putting up 20/10 a night is too much work, except in the current setup he would have to work so hard to get that it's almost not worth it. Spacing and movement on the offense.....get Nene easy buckets, help box out, Nene gets rebounds.

Balkman might actually help this work and maybe provide a little insight for Kenyon?

On the other hand someone who can just go after it would definitely help. Isn't there a rookie big man on the Kings? He seems to be putting up very productive numbers....

[It_Was_Typed]

Denver has about a week to use the trade exception.

List of bigs that can play 15 MPG while Kenyon Martin is out, then go back to a fourth big off the bench.
Kurt Thomas
Tony Battie
Brian Skinner
Kwame Brown

All the players' contracts expire at the end of the season too, so no long term consequences.

[J Smitty]

A week? The big one expired on the 3rd, which we weren't going to use anyway. We have two more that are worth about 3.7 mill or so. One that expires in January, the other not until next summer.

Although realistically, none of that really matters. If we do trade for big, it'd probably be a minimum salary type of guy anyway.

Should have just signed a guy like Ike Diogu when we had the chance.

[It_Was_Typed]

Hmmm, on ESPN's Weekend Daily Dime, it said the Nuggets had a week to use the trade exception from the Billups-Iverson trade.

*Shrugs*

[The Rebel]

ESPN would have a hard time even finding Denver on the map, no need to listen to a word they say when it comes to the Nuggets. The largest of the TPEs expired a few days ago.

If we do anything to get another big it will more then likely be a guy making less then the $3.7 TPE, and will most likely come from a team looking to cut salary due to tax implications or a longer contract for those teams with 2010 implications. I am thinking guys like Boone, Elson, Najera, Aaron Gray, Hilton Armstrong, Maybe Kurt Thomas; these are the type of guys you could expect would be available for little or no incentive, or guys that could bring incentive with them. overall I don't see many on the list that excite me.

The minimum contract guys we have are worth nothing more then filler, I personally like our rotations at the pg, Sg, and SF slots outside of Carter and nobody wants him very badly. We could possibly trade Kmart, but I don't really have any idea what we could get back for him at this point.

[Powder Blue]

"The Nuggets did get good news amid the debacle -- the MRI on Kenyon Martin's left leg didn't reveal a fracture, and so he is day-to-day with a left fibula contusion. The injury occurred on Friday at Miami, and at the time coach George Karl worried"

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_13739241

[meloivynene]

Still indicates exactly what needs backing up. Constantly exposing our bigs to potential injuries is not a great business move....and yet the backups we have for K-Mart don't quite fulfill that role 100%. I'd be happy with someone that just helps wear down the other team and rebounds like crazy. Reggie Evans was cited for being an offensive liability....but he yanked down boards and worked opponents.

[SnakefromHell]

^Thing is when you can't catch the ball and is a total liability on offense and when your coach is GK, you won't play.