Bonzi and K-Mart: Teamates? Plus NBA.com’s Power Rankings
It looks like we’ll have to put up with K-Mart for at least another year, and there’s a chance the Nuggets could add Bonzi Wells. Maybe.
George Karl told the Rocky Tuesday that the temperamental — my word, not his — Kenyon Martin will be back in Denver this coming season, despite the fact that his name was floated in several trade rumors over the course of the summer so far.
On Tuesday, Karl left little room for doubt. Asked if his comments were an indication Martin wouldn’t be traded, Karl said, “I never have (thought Martin would be traded).”
Karl acts as if the team hasn’t tried to move K-Mart for almost the entire off-season. But the story in the Rocky sums it up very well in a nutshell:
NBA insiders have said the Nuggets have actively looked to move Martin. But, with a bad left knee and five years and $72 million left on his contract, they have found little interest.
Not to mention the bad back that kept K-Mart out of the line up for more than a few games when we could have used him. I really liked it when we brought the big man to town from New Jersey — despite the fact that we could have landed Gilbert Arenas — and figured we would get the same explosive K-Mart that was so exciting to watch for all those years running the floor with Jason Kidd, even making it to the finals one year. But all Denver has gotten out of the deal is an on-again off-again player who likes to send his goon-squad into the stands to confront hecklers and get into fights with the coach and other players at a critical point in last year’s playoff series with the Clippers (I still think we could have and should have won that series). Let’s just hope that the old K-Mart comes back next season because a healthy, motivated K-Mart could help us get to where we need to be.
Another report has former Sacramento King Bonzi Wells landing in Denver after not getting the deal from the Kings that he wanted. This deal will probably not go through, but the Nuggets are looking for shooters where ever they can find them, and Wells would be a great addition to the team. Wells averaged 13.6 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game and almost three assists per game last season, but he may be asking for too much money.
On to the NBA.com Power Rankings:
NBA.com released its idea of the power rankings for next season, and the Nuggets are 13th, after being ranked 12th just last week. This is another example of the Nuggets and the Rodney Dangerfield paradigm: “I don’t get no respect.”
How can three teams with worse season records last year be ranked above the Nuggets? New Orleans/Oklahoma City (38-44), Washington (42-40) and Chicago (41-41) were all ranked higher than the Nuggets.
I’ll break these down one at a time:
New Orleans/Oklahoma City — You’ve got to be kidding me. Honestly. NBA.com says that no team has improved more than the Hornets this off-season. We’ll see. Mark my words: The Nuggets will finish with a better season record and get further into the playoffs than the Hornets. No doubt in my mind.
Washington — You do have Gilbert Arenas, an emerging super star, but you finished with less wins than Denver and you play in the east. It is widely acknowledged that the east is easier than the west, so what gives? Washington did have an impressive playoff run last year (the series against the Cavs was amazing with Arenas and James going shot for shot), and that may play into this. But I’d put the Nuggets against the Wizards any day.
Chicago — Besides the acquisition of Ben Wallace, what gives NBA.com the idea that the Nuggets are not as good as the Bulls? Again, the Bulls play in the east and finished with less wins than the Nuggets. NBA.com even acknowledges in its listing that they’re not sure who’s going to do the scoring. Talk about giving too much credit to Ben Wallace: Let’s not forget he was one of a handful of players on the Pistons that were so dominant the last few years. Without Wallace, the Bulls would’ve been somewhere in the high teens, no doubt.
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