Nuggets' coach George Karl believes that the play of Nene and Kenyon Martin is the reason for the team's hot start to the season.

"I think one of the fuzzy, good-feeling things about this team is Kenyon and Nene," Karl said. "We had four good big guys last year and we vacated, we gave two away for contractual purposes. And I don't think we've lost much there."

Martin has battled back from microfracture surgeries on both knees.

"He was good last year, he's better this year," Karl said of Martin. "And I think he's moved into an All-Defensive first team, All-Defensive type of defender."

Nene missed 37 games last season after a bout with testicular cancer. Karl is a prostate cancer survivor, and son Coby has had two cancer-related surgeries.

"I just admire the kid," Karl said. "I know the cloudiness that comes into your life when you are diagnosed with cancer and you have to go through surgery and the kid has never, never given in to the dark side of what's going to happen or the negative part of what's going to happen. And I think we believed with him, but he's probably believed more than anybody that he was going to come back and be a player."

Via Daily Camera

Denver Nuggets

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