Hodge faces another setback after infection

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Nearly six months after being shot four times in his legs and hip, Nuggets guard Julius Hodge is still struggling with his recovery.

Hodge recently suffered a foot infection related to his gunshot wounds, and he might be limited when training camp begins Tuesday in Durango, Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said.

Hodge was wounded April 8 while driving on Interstate 76 north of Denver. No suspects have been arrested in the case.

The medical news is better for Nuggets forward Nene, who began testing his surgically repaired right knee this week in five-on-five games at the Pepsi Center. Nene tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener last year and missed 81 games. He signed a six-year, $60 million contract in July.

"We'll monitor him daily when he starts training camp," Gillen said Wednesday. "He's doing good."

CAMBY ON GUARD: Count center Marcus Camby among those who still think the Nuggets need help at shooting guard.

"The stuff I've been hearing about (is) we needed a knockdown shooter, and that's something that I don't see we have addressed this offseason," Camby said.

The Nuggets, who finished last in the NBA in three-point shooting last season, signed Yakhouba Diawara and traded for 21-year-old J.R. Smith, known more for his athleticism than his long-range shot.

The unheralded Diawara and unproven Smith are among only five guards on Denver's 14-man roster, leaving the team with an abundance of big men. The imbalance suggests the Nuggets will try to make a trade before the start of the season.

"I don't know what management has brewing, but we do have a lot of bigs," Camby said. "Playing time is going to be scarce for a lot of players."

Minutes should not be an issue for power forward Kenyon Martin.

Despite being suspended for yelling at coaches and his teammates during the playoffs in the spring, Martin and the Nuggets appear to have put the matter behind them.

"Guys on this team are all for one," Camby said. "What happened last year is over with. He has a clean slate with everybody."

ETC.: Merle Scott, the agent for Bonzi Wells, indicated the free- agent shooting guard is close to a decision on his future, and Denver remains among the handful of teams he is considering. If the Nuggets are able to sign Wells, they eventually would have to make a trade to avoid paying the NBA's dollar-for-dollar luxury tax . . . Camby launched the third year of his mentoring program. The program features five high school students who will tutor pupils from Mitchell Elementary School.