Nuggets report, October 8

Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 8, 2007 at midnight

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Father vs. son

You better believe Nov. 29 is marked on the Karl family calendar.

The game in Los Angeles is the first of three this season in which Nuggets coach George Karl could face his son. Rookie guard Coby Karl got a partially guaranteed contract from the Lakers.

While Karl said Denver eventually might have offered his son a deal, Karl "always knew it would be best for (Coby) to go someplace else."

If Coby makes the Lakers, other potential games against his father are Dec. 5 at the Pepsi Center and Jan. 21 in Los Angeles.

"It won't be a problem," said Karl, who nevertheless admits it "could be very emotional" seeing his son check into a game for the first time against the Nuggets. "I told him, 'I don't think you're going to play in the final five minutes of the game.' "

One thing that has been a been a bit of a problem is Coby bragging about Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

"He said, 'I've got a coach who's won nine championships,' " said Karl, still seeking his first.

Roberson's chance

One Anthony injury will spell a bigger role for another Anthony.

With Anthony Carter having suffered a broken hand in practice Saturday, Anthony Roberson becomes, at least for the time being, the Nuggets' backup point guard.

Carter suffered a third metacarpal fracture in his right hand when he banged into teammate J.R. Smith. Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said more will be known today, when Carter sees a doctor, but that such an injury usually sidelines a player four to six weeks.

That would keep Carter, whose hand is in a splint, out at least the entire preseason, which begins Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

That means a chance for Roberson to show his stuff.

Roberson was undrafted out of Florida in 2005. He averaged 4.1 points in 16 games for Memphis in 2005-06 and 20 last season for Golden State.

"He can shoot the leather off the basketball," said Nuggets likely starting point Chucky Atkins, Roberson's Memphis teammate in 2005-06.

"He plays good defense."

No thanks

The Tony Parker-Eva Longoria wedding was the place to be in July.

But not for Nuggets guard Yakhouba Diawara.

Diawara, a teammate of Parker's on the French national team, was invited to the July 7 Paris wedding. But, while paparazzi were doing everything they could get near the celebrity couple, Diawara had other things to do.

"I hadn't seen my family for a whole year," said the Paris native.

Etc.

? The Nuggets are one of the league's deepest teams, and they've got a pair of perimeter men in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony who will play about 40 minutes a night. With that in mind, Karl calls Diawara, Smith and Linas Kleiza perimeter players who will be "searching for minutes" this season.

? Roberson has some Denver sports bloodlines. His uncle, Deon Strother, was a running back whose entire NFL career consisted of two games with the Broncos in 1994. He had no statistics.

? Atkins and Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin are both nursing groin strains, but Gillen said neither is major. The Nuggets didn't practice Sunday, but both came in for treatment.

Numbers game

19 consecutive years the Nuggets, who went 54-28 in 1987-88, have gone without a 50-win season. The only teams with longer streaks are the Clippers, who, since beginning play in 1970-71 as the Buffalo Braves, have never won 50 in a season, and Washington, which has a 28-season drought.

He said it

"If they call me and say, 'Melo, we want you to do Saturday Night Live,' I'm on first thing smoking."

Anthony, who has an interest in hosting the show, which last month featured Cleveland star LeBron James as a host.

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