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Little man's exit leaves big void

Top reserve, fans' favorite Boykins traded to Bucks with Hodge for unheralded Blake

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 12, 2007 at midnight

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At 5-foot-5 and 135 pounds, Earl Boykins provided inspiration in single-game packages.

If he could succeed in a sport dominated by big guys, anything seemed possible.

"He was one of the fan favorites out here. The fans loved him," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. "Little guy with a big heart."

In trading Boykins and Julius Hodge to the Milwaukee Bucks for Steve Blake on Thursday, the Nuggets gained 10 inches at the point guard position and shed nearly $3 million from the payroll.

What they lost in fans' appeal and court production remains to be seen.

George Karl was among the card- carrying members of the Boykins Fan Club, and the Nuggets coach clearly was disappointed to lose not only his top-scoring threat off the bench, but a friend as well.

"I just want to say thanks. I never enjoyed coaching a little guy until Earl," Karl said. "He made me a better basketball coach because I now realize you can have a little guy on the court and win games with him. He's also a very fine person and a guy I had a good friendship with."

Boykins, who signed a five-year, $13.7 million with the Nuggets in 2003, was averaging a career-high 15.2 points in 31 games this season.

With starters Carmelo Anthony (15 games) and J.R. Smith (10 games) suspended for fighting, Boykins stepped in and averaged 23.2 points in his last 11 games.

Smith returned from his suspension Wednesday and Anthony is set to return Jan. 22, making Boykins expendable as the Nuggets sought a more traditional pass-first point guard to back up Allen Iverson.

"Earl's not happy when his minutes are cut back. No player is," vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said. "It was about being fair to Earl but also doing what we felt like in the long haul going to make us a better basketball team."

Karl didn't sound so sure.

Less than a month after reluctantly saying goodbye to starting point guard Andre Miller in the trade that netted Iverson , Karl tried to absorb the sudden departure of Boykins in a deal put together in a matter of hours Wednesday.

Asked if he tried to fight the front office, Karl paused for several seconds.

"I'm not going to comment on that," he said. "That's for you to figure out. I feel part of the process. I'm not saying I feel rejected or denied a voice. I'm just not sure my voice was on the side of acceptance."

Boykins flew to West Virginia to attend a funeral and was not available for comment.

Boykins, undrafted out of Eastern Michigan, never let his size prevent him from realizing his dream.

The Nuggets were the first team to reward him with a long-term contract, yet his departure was hastened in part by money. Boykins was expected to decline his $3 million option for 2007-08 and become a free agent in the summer.

The Iverson deal put the Nuggets over the $65.4 million luxury-tax threshold, and they were in danger of overpaying for Boykins or losing him for nothing.

The Nuggets also received a $2.95 million trade exception from Milwaukee, an option that could come in handy if a free agent becomes available in the next year.

"Were there financial implications in it? There's always a financial aspect to it. That's the nature of this game," Chapman said. "But we feel like we will ultimately be a better team."

Blake, expected to join the Nuggets for tonight's game against Houston, improved his standing, going from a middling Milwaukee team to a Denver team that will be among the Western Conference's best when Anthony returns.

A second-round from Maryland in 2003, he has averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 assists in 220 games with Milwaukee, Portland and Washington.

"I was kind of surprised when I heard who I was getting traded for," Blake said. "I'm not coming in trying to fill (Boykins') shoes. I'm just coming to play my game."

He figures to play plenty during the next four games as Karl tries to find a winning combination while Anthony completes his suspension. Anthony (31.6) and Boykins combined for 46.8 points per game.

Should the Nuggets struggle in two games against Houston and games against Cleveland and Portland, the front office is ready to take the blame.

"I really feel bad," Chapman said. "You can put the next little stretch on us. We really have put our coaches in a tough spot."

Management also will be on the hot seat if the Nuggets' recent trades fail to produce long-term results in the standings. Trading Miller to Philadelphia for seven-time All-Star Iverson was an easy sell.

Trading Boykins to Milwaukee for the steady, but unheralded, Blake, is another matter.

"At the end of the day, the basketball guys have done what's best for the team as a whole," said Paul Andrews, an executive vice president for Kroenke Sports Enterprises. "Our fans, at the end of the day, want to see us win most of all."

Rockets at Nuggets

• When: 8:30 tonight.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• TV/Radio: Altitude, ESPN; KKFN-AM (950).

• Starting lineups

Rockets (23-13) Pos. Ht. Pts.

31 Shane Battier F 6-8 10.5

5 Juwan Howard F 6-9 8.4

55 Dikembe Mutombo C 7-2 2.6

1 Tracy McGrady G 6-8 21.9

12 Rafer Alston G 6-2 13.3

Coach: Jeff Van Gundy

Denver (17-16) Pos. Ht. Pts.

43 Linas Kleiza F 6-8 4.8

21 Eduardo Najera F 6-8 7.3

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 11.9

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 29.4

1 J.R. Smith G 6.6 16.5

Coach: George Karl

• Injuries: Houston - G Bob Sura (knee/back), G Bonzi Wells (sore lower back) and C Yao Ming (broken kneecap) are out. Denver - F Kenyon Martin (right knee surgery) is out; Camby (broken bone in right hand), Iverson (bruised right toe), Najera (bruised left shoulder) and F Nene (sore right knee) are probable.

• Notes: Steve Blake, acquired by the Nuggets in a trade Thursday with Milwaukee, will wear No. 25. He wore No. 5 with the Bucks, but that number is taken by Nuggets rookie Yakhouba Diawara . . . Mutombo has been a rebounding fiend since stepping in for Yao. Mutombo, 40, is averaging 14.3 rebounds during his past eight games, reaching double figures each time. After grabbing 19 rebounds Wednesday, the former Nuggets center said he is even surprising himself . . . Houston has won seven of eight . . . McGrady saw his string of 30-points games snapped at six as he scored only eight points on 0-of-7 shooting against the Lakers. He offset the off night with 12 assists . . . Iverson trails McGrady by about 30,000 votes in fans' balloting for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, with more than 1.5 million votes, seems to be a lock for one of the two starting spots. Carmelo Anthony is fourth among West forwards.

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