Van Horn, Smith and a Guy From France
What is it going to take for the Nuggets to finally make it over the first round hump? Denver’s Coach K has some ideas.
A major part of the plan is New Orleans cast-away J.R. Smith who, during his first meeting with the Denver media, compared himself to NBA All Star Vince Carter, may be the outside scoring threat the Nuggets desperately needed last year (the team finished the season with a league-worst 32.5 scoring percentage from beyond the arch). Smith’s average from three-point range fared slightly better at 37.1 percent. Anybody who can hit three pointers will be a plus for the Nuggets. Smith spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, coming in as a highly-touted high school star, but ended his tenure in the Big Easy as a big headache for coach Byron Scott who kept him on the bench. I’m not getting my hopes up just to have them dashed by a 20-year-old bench warmer who is already comparing himself to Vince Carter. Plus, his defense is going to have to be pretty damn good to replace Greg Buckner’s who, despite his inconsistency as a shooter, was always a reliable top-level defender.
A second part of the plan is Yakhouba Diawara, who will either play shooting guard or small forward this season. Diawara played two seasons at Pepperdine, where he averaged 15.5 points and snagged six boards per game a year ago. He spent last season playing in two different European leagues: He played 20 games for JDA Dijon Bourgogne (French League), averaging 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He spent another 25 games battling with Climamio Bologna of the Italian League, where he averaged 10.6 points and 3.8 boards per game, according to the Denver Post. I haven’t seen this guy play, so I’m not sure yet how I feel about him. But I do know that he reportedly turned down a larger offer from the Dallas Mavericks, who were a few bad calls away from a championship, to play for George Karl. He said he feels “comfortable” playing in the Denver system, and he had a verbal agreement to play for Karl. I want to be optimistic, but the last time this city got excited over a European prospect, we got burned. Let’s all say it together: Tskitishvili.
The Nuggets have also apparently signed free agent center Jamal Sampson. Sampson has played for four teams in four seasons, averaging 2.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. On the surface this seems like a pseudo-replacement for Francisco Elson, who bolted when the Nuggets wouldn’t match a $6 million offer from the Spurs. We’ll have to see how that one works out, but again, I’m not going to hold my breath on a guy who has averaged a bucket and a half per game over the course of his entire career.
Those are the definite additions, but there is one more deal out there that could add a proven veteran to the team. Keith Van Horn is looking for a team to play for, and he may just end up in Denver. Karl told the Rocky Mountain News Thursday that Van Horn, who lives in Evergreen, is on his radar as a shooting threat to relieve the pressure on Carmelo Anthony.
“I don’t think there’s any question I want a shooting big (man) next year,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We need somebody to get people off (Carmelo Anthony). I would lean more toward a veteran. (Van Horn) has got to be one or two on that list.”
The Nuggets will have to wait a while to find out, though. Van Horn is on an extended fishing trip in Alaska and his agent said he will not meet with him until mid-August to determine his future.
I was really looking forward to Allen Iverson coming to Denver. The Nuggets were one of the few teams around the league that could offer the 76ers a viable trade for the superstar. I say I was looking forward to it because apparently Iverson is staying in Philly. There may be hope yet: ESPN is reporting that an Iverson deal is still on the table, if the right deal came along. Sixers management had to tell the touchy superstar they wanted him on the team after spending the whole off-season dangling him on the trading block, but truly they want to move him.
Let’s just see what happens when the Nuggets take the floor this season. If everything comes together, and everyone stays healthy (I’m looking at you, Nene) the Nuggets have no excuse for not getting past the first round of the playoffs. Seriously.
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1. Dale - July 27, 2006 @ 10:43 pm
Yes on Smith, get rid of K-Mary (God, I hope I never meet him and he calls me on that, but come on, out most of the season?), yes on Van Horn, but only as a 7th man, the Pepperdinny will be cut and European players do not fare well in the mile high city. Without K-Mary last year how far could we have gone? The biggest question is how much confidence (but fatigue) does Carmelo bring back from International play?
2. AJ Vicens - July 27, 2006 @ 10:47 pm
I was hoping we could have moved K-Mart for Iverson. I think it could have worked, but we may have gotten rid of one bad apple for another (at least Iverson can score consistently, though). I hope Diawara works out - we need more shooters - and Van Horn can contribute off the bench. I think Melo will be fine coming off international play. The stuff I’ve read about Team USA so far has Melo as one of the stronger ones there. I think it will make him better.