KRIEGER: Melo's task keeps getting harder

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 12, 2008 at 11:43 a.m.

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August 12, 2008

12:21 p.m.

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kmeissner writes:

I agree, Big D. Camby was the Defensive MVP two years ago and the runner-up last year. They gave him up for basically nothing!

I don't agree with Boeheim in saying AI doesn't get the team involved. He passes the ball if people cut to the basket. So does Melo. But NO ONE cuts to the hoop.

The one thing I HATED about Camby was his offensive game. He was at the top of the key too often. KMart and Nene will hopefully bring some "inside" offense. They just need to learn how to play Defense all the time. Kmart is great when he actually shows up on D.
August 12, 2008

12:25 p.m.

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arvada_mark writes:

I wonder if Boeheim is sort of speaking to how Melo feels as well. I'm sure they've spoken at length about the state of the Nugs & how Melo feels in regards to his place on the squad. I love his Wal Mart stock comment. So true...as if money is really any consideration when it comes to pulling a few million from your personal $2.2 billion wad.
August 12, 2008

1:07 p.m.

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n8tvson writes:

Glad someone's willing to say it...
Camby was the person that made the Nug's look like a team on the court. W/o him who is the defensive anchor...? K-Mart? Nene? Neither has proven to be dependable. Im not optimistic about our chances this season with the line up as is.
Oh and how much is K-Marts salary.....? How is he not the first to go in a salary dump. Just askin'
August 12, 2008

2:14 p.m.

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frosty writes:

n8tv, it sure would be nice to see an answer to that question from the front office.
August 12, 2008

2:19 p.m.

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LingLingfor_prez writes:

Go Blazers!
August 12, 2008

3:02 p.m.

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jlstaud writes:

n8tv,

Unfortunately they can't just dump K-marts salary. You actually have to find someone else willing enough to take it on. The reality is we're stuck with k-mart because no one else wants him. So when faced with dumping salary they really didn't have many options. I wish it wasn't camby, but it is what it is.

On another note, it really doesn't matter who the Nuggs dump. This team isn't coached well and it's full of me first players. These guys are there to collect a paycheck and party. They don't care about winning and have very little heart. Take Carmelo for example. Here is a guy with amazing talent and yet now in his second olympic games he is completely non-existent again. Why? Because he doesn't care! He's over weight, doesn't play defense, can't pass, etc. Thankfully the olympic coaches realize this and put his lazy butt on the bench where it belongs.

Finally the front office has to take some of the blame on this. They've brought in misfit players, traded away our draft picks and overpaid nearly everyone in uniform. Sorry AI, but you're not worth no 20 million! Until this front office gets a real GM in there and they hire a real head coach the Nuggets will be nothing more than an eight seed if even that for the forseeable future.
August 12, 2008

3:39 p.m.

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LaszloPanaflex writes:

Here's a good new name for the Nuggets: The St. Louis Gold.
August 12, 2008

4:03 p.m.

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OhBrother writes:

jlstaud-wrong. Mello was destroying them in the last Olympic games, check the records. If he only played like he did in the last Olympics all of the time then we might win....what,10 more games? Mello takes a lot of blame but maybe they should try actually running the O through him once in a while...kinda like they do for Wade and LJ. Having AI may impact that, but it shouldn't completely eliminate that option.

Boheim is right; anybody that follows basketball and watches successful teams doesn't understand what the Nuggs are doing. Mello will get dumped or traded next season ( if not this season) if we don't make it past the first round and it looks like if we keep the same team we have now, we will be lucky to get over 500 in the west. I like both AI and Mello a lot but if either gets hurt this year then there value sinks which means we get squat next year. If we are not going to try and win this year then we should start dumping and rebuilding now, I would say keep Melo and build around him but we see how well that has worked. We need a new coach and a better-run front office, but I will give coach K this-his comments included in a recent piece regarding the refs in the NBA was needed. I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out years later that the Nuggets and specifically Melo, AI, and Kmart were targeted by crooked refs for one reason or another
August 12, 2008

4:23 p.m.

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OhBrother writes:

jlstaud-"He's over weight, doesn't play defense, can't pass, etc. Thankfully the olympic coaches realize this and put his lazy butt on the bench where it belongs."-on Melo

I see what your saying but it might also be becuase we actualy have guys that want to play this year, guys didn't want to be in the last olympics so they didn't play as hard as they could have and Melo could shine. This year is a diffrent story. Melo never really played outstanding D, can't expect him to start now at this point of his carrer. I'm not saying he can't imporve but if we are banking on his D play to improve our whole team then we are about get our account closed. I think Melo needs to step it up but they need to get him more involved...either way we have no center and both Kmart and Nene most likey are taking side bets on who will hit IR first. Doesn't really matter if they are healthy becuase for some reason NOBODY LIKES TO CUT TO THE HOOP on this team anyways. At least JR should be fun to watch...that is, I'm sure before we trade him this year to Seattle for a 10th round pick in 2015
August 12, 2008

6:16 p.m.

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JasonM writes:

I wonder what Boeheim has to say about Carmelo quitting on his teams during season games and in the playoffs, surely that couldn't be a reason why he hasn't had more playoff success? Give me a break. I agree with him on letting Camby go and how it wasn't the right thing to do for a team that is supposidly trying to contend, but at this point I just don't think Melo is the type of player you build around. Being a player that you build around takes more then just talent, every player in the NBA has talent, but it takes a certain drive and will that Melo doesn't seem to have. I think you can build a team WITH him, but not around him.
August 12, 2008

7:05 p.m.

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DuckDow writes:

Stan Kroenke looks into the stands for 40 games and views a half empty arena, he must be wondering why he pays a luxury tax and salaries to not have any fans show up. Trading Camby was a mistake, but now Nene has to step up and realize his dominance. The Nuggets need to let some contracts play and a year from now; possibly two, the Nug's could be right back in the thick of the playoffs.
August 12, 2008

7:19 p.m.

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jurassic writes:

You people are blinded by love.

Don't get me wrong, I have great appreciation for all Camby did while he was on the Nuggets.

But what did you think, we were championship-bound this season with the current roster? Did you think Camby was going to be that edge that put us over the top into real contention? If so, you're living in fantasyland.

His performance declined rapidly at the end of the season. Starting with November and proceeding through April, his rebounds per game averages each successive month were 14.3, 14.2, 14.3, 13.7, 10.3, and 11.8. Perhaps that was due more to an increasing fatigue than a decline in ability, but either way either his age or his slippage is definitely starting to show.

And he was just plain awful in the playoffs. Everybody seems to conveniently ignore this when they whine about the trade. But let me remind you: His fg% was .238, and his ft% was .333. He could not have been a bigger offensive liability. And while his rebounds, blocks and assists were about on par with his season averages, his defense in the paint was absolutely, positively worthless. Camby's chances of remaining with the Nuggets took a visible blow with every ridiculously easy layup or dunk that Gasol, Odom and Kobe put in right in front of his face.

So it's time to get past the sentimentality and recognize that Camby is past his prime. We don't know how they will use it yet - and we probably won't until next summer - but it's a near certainty that the value we can get back for that $10 million trade exception will be greater than what we could have gotten back in a direct Camby trade. We were LUCKY that the Clippers took him off our hands without giving us another unwieldy contract in return. It will make re-signing J.R. Smith this summer much more feasible, and after AI's contract expires next summer, it will allow us - without going into the luxury tax - to add another young quality player to our roster who can be part of the team's future instead of its past.
August 12, 2008

7:26 p.m.

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TONE writes:

Well people, this is all I got to say for the Nugget this year. 'LET THE LOTTERY BALL BOUNCE '. They look like a lottery team now, especially without Gamby.

This team is not going anywhere until AI is gone. I love the passion AI bring, but he is the reason why Melo took a step backward. Just look at how they play. Melo kind of just let AI took over the team.

Melo has not arrive yet. It looked like he was about to, then AI came along and he disappear. Really, the team has not really build around him yet. He may not play D, but if we get enough roll player so it become a team player, I think he would actually be a good player. He may not be a star, but a good player.

This kind of remind me of Clyde Draxler, a really good player but couldn't get it done in his own house. When he was added to Hakeem, then was able to win.

Well look on the bright side, we will at least have a good spot for draft day.
August 12, 2008

10:17 p.m.

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JasonM writes:

I wish you fans would shut up with the whole "Iverson stunted Carmelos growth talk". Iverson doesn't tell Carmelo to stand out on the wing and do nothing, nor does he tell Carmelo to shoot the ball through double teams. Carmelo is a quitter, flat out. He quit in the Clippers series a few seasons back and quit on his team during games throughout the season and in the playoffs, only this time he came out and said he quit. The guy just doesn't have it in him. He is in his 6th season and has yet to even have a breakout series (even before Iverson came), and now the excuse is Iverson is stoping him from becoming a "basketball god"? Carmelo gets a chance to play next to Hall of Fame players and he loses his will power? Give me a break. I wonder what the excuse will be once Iverson leaves.

I'll say this, at this point if Iverson leaves, that team is going to have a lot of problems. They are already not promised to make the playoffs, what do you think would happen if Iverson left (considering that he puts up the most production on that team)? That team is not going to compete in the West with Melo, Nene, Kleiza and JR. Its delusional to even think so. Bottom line is the Nuggets were not just 1 piece away when they traded for Iverson, they were not ready to make that type of trade. So to suggest that a player like him or KG or Kobe or DWade or Lebron could come in and make much of a difference in that flawd system is ridiculous. They were not ready to contend, period. They mad the major trade for Iverson and not anyother significant trades after that to help better that team. Just expected that guy to come in and make magic. It doesn't work like that and any REAL contending team and its fans knows this. And if they knew they were not ready to contend, had know business wasting a play like Iversons time by bringing him there if they were not in win NOW mode. If all they were looking for was a player to play second fiddle to Carmelo, then maybe they shouldn't have went out and aquired a player that is a bigger and more dominate star then their supposed "franchise player".

The Nuggets better watch their steps from this point on..other wise they will find thwmselves in the Lottery for seasons to come. I think Camby was lucky to get out of that mess, wish Iverson would have opted out and left too.
August 12, 2008

11:36 p.m.

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Ofearghail writes:

Who cares?? It's just frickin' basketball - a sport filled with overpaid crybabies, drug abusers, women beaters, and "gangsta" wannabes. Do we actually want our kids associating with this kind of trash? It's high time that the NBA bit the dust.
August 13, 2008

1:19 a.m.

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sildragon writes:

Thank you jurassic, for being the voice of reason on the Camby matter;for a minute there I thought I was in the twilight zone and had been watching a different Camby playing all of this time.
About a week before the trade I posted a comment on one of the blogs suggesting that the Nuggets needed a change at center. My prayer was answered. I think your analysis was right on the money.
August 13, 2008

1:23 a.m.

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sildragon writes:

To Ofearghail: You could just as easily replace NBA with NFL based on your description.
August 13, 2008

9:02 a.m.

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kromag_L_fan writes:

Rant Part 1

Nugget Fans (?) Where is the love?

I’d like to point out that I’m a Nugget fan and not a sports writer. Seems most of the post on this blog are from wannabe sports writers, not fans. Please remember it’s a sports writer’s job to create interest and sometimes controversy, but primarily to sell newspapers, not just to report the news.

Fans are suppose to be supportive of their team(s), not constantly b**tching that their team isn’t the champ or #1. Too many of these so-called fans complain about the Players (lack of talent and/or desire), Coaches (lack of coaching ability) and GM’s (lack of management skills) instead of showing some loyalty or support. They condemn everyone in the organization because their team isn’t the best. Well, get a CLUE, there are 30 teams in the NBA and I guarantee every Player, Coach, GM and Owner wants to be #1. Did it ever occur to some of you that it might actually help our team if we showed them support?

I give the front office credit for making bold moves, like acquiring AI. Did it work? Maybe not to the extent that we (the fans?), as well as management, had hoped. But is it Melo’s fault or AI’s fault? AI is a warrior and Melo is still growing up. How mature were you at 24?

As far as the Camby trade, I’d have to agree that it is a big loss, but I also agree that he isn’t getting any younger and freeing up his salary will give the Nuggets more $ to spend on another value piece to the puzzle. And I believe Kroenke is committed to building a winning franchise, he’s already demonstrated his willingness to go significantly over the cap. And I believe that he’ll do it again, when the right opportunity presents itself. Please understand people (fans?) it’s a very competitive league and building a champion team IS like a chess match.
August 13, 2008

9:05 a.m.

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kromag_L_fan writes:

Rant Part 2

It would be nice to see the fans support our organization instead of always taking cheap shots and complaining. Lots of talk about the player’s lack of desire, that they’re over-paid ego-inflated athletes, well I guess many of you, so-called fans have emulated the players in being unsupportive and malcontents. I ask, Where is the Love?

Bottom line, I support the franchise and although don’t always agree with their decisions, I accept that they know quite a bit more about the NBA than I ever will.

The Nuggets have put together a good nucleus of young talent in Nene’, Melo, JR and Kleiza. Will the organization continue to make ever effort to construct a championship team? YES. Will they be successful? I hope so. But regardless of their decisions AND the outcome, I will continue to support the organization, their decisions and most of all, the team, both the players and the coach. That’s because I’m a fan. Yes, everyone needs to produce and be accountable, just like in business (It is a business after all) and changes for the better must be made. Will mistakes be made? Unfortunately, Yes.

I do believe there a lot’s of real Nugget fans that: SUPPORT the organization and BELIEVE Denver is fortunate to have an NBA team and APPRECIATE we’re fortunate to have an owner with deeper pockets than most. But it would be nice to see more FAN SUPPORT.
August 13, 2008

9:11 a.m.

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brisisk writes:

Boeheim is a college coach, not an NBA executive. In his world there is no salary cap and players only get better with age. This is not the reality of the NBA. Aside from that, I agree with everything jurassic said. The Nuggets need to retool around Anthony and JR if they want to become a contender and they needed to start the process by dumping Camby.
August 13, 2008

10:21 a.m.

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anthony1979 writes:

Camby wasn't going to bring us a championship...he was TOO OLD and everyone realized after two years of not winning more than a game in the playoffs that we weren't heading anywhere...A.I. will be gone before the trade deadline this season or before next season starts and we will rebuild behind Carmelo, JR, Kleiza, and HOPEFULLY a healthy Nene...all of whom are GREATLY talented and are still in their early to mid 20's...It makes COMPLETE sense...they realized they didn't have what it takes...so they are rebuilding...at least they aren't waiting until Melo is 30 yrs old to realize they need to knock the building blocks down and begin to rebuild...
August 13, 2008

11:54 a.m.

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wahly22 writes:

Ofearghail-If you have such a problem with the NBA and basketball, quit paying attention and reading the stories on it. I'm sure you're a big NFL fan, which by the way, has more arrests per capita than the NBA does. Why doesn't that make them the ignorant descriptions you just made. Check your facts before you start rambling incorrectly.
August 13, 2008

12:03 p.m.

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clos777 writes:

I wonder if during the 70 games Jim Boeheim watched he noticed the Melo was not playing defense and how he just walked up and down the court..

did he say anything about that during his interview?

I agree they will not win with Camby but they did not make any great runs with him either...
August 13, 2008

1:12 p.m.

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jlstaud writes:

Obrother,

You are the one that needs to check the stats before you post. Here are your hero's stats from the 2004 Olympic Games where he spent most of his time eating on the Queen Mary that was docked out on the ocean....

2.4 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game, and....... wait for it........ 0.0 assists per game.

Yep, you're right. He tore it up.

Kromag,

The reason you don't see a whole lot of love here is because lets face it, the Nuggs haven't given much in their 30 years of existance. Sure it's nice to support them and love on them, but some of us are tired of ALWAYS loosing. What makes it worse is when the management continues to make poor decisions. It would be nice if just once they could make a correct decisions and get us a sniff of playoff success instead of being excused for first round exits and seasons with no playoffs. The reality with this team is they could have 15,000 people in that arena cheering for them and they'd still find a way to be swept out of the playoffs.
August 13, 2008

3:33 p.m.

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zachm219 writes:

Camby was horrible. He was a TERRIBLE post defender, he was only good at weak side defense. He is hands down the most abysmally TERRIBLE center when it comes to offense. How can you play center in the NBA and not even have the slightest ability to play the post. I admit we are now left with a gaping hole at center because we still have not found a replacement (Nene generously listed at 6'10" and Chris Andersen are not replacements for center) but Camby had to go. If, big if, Nene can stay healthy and the nuggets can add an actual post defensive center who can occasionally back down a man down low and can add a pass first TALL point guard who has decent defense then i think the pieces for a run will be in place. Put the ball in Melo's hands, give him JR and Kleiza to kick it out to when the zone collapses on him and DRIVE TO THE FREAKIN HOOP, you've got small forward ability in a short power forwards body, no one should be able to stop you, stop settling for this jab step pull up 20 ft jumper nonsense and dunk it already!
August 13, 2008

3:46 p.m.

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Bob444 writes:

Jurassic and Ofearghail, you are both correct. Thanks for the realistic assessment. Most of these negative posters do not seem to understand that the NBA financial structure and salary cap is much different than other sports. They also seem to let their emotions dictate their comments. Sure, Camby was a good help defender, and a model citizen, but remember that he was part of each of these Nuggets teams that got bounced in the first round the last few years. Trading players in the NBA is NOT about the talent level involved, it is all about manipulating the salary cap, since the contracts are guaranteed. They are trading contracts, not necessarily talent.

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Home › Sports › Sports Columns & Blogs

KRIEGER: Melo's task keeps getting harder

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 12, 2008 at 11:43 a.m.

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