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Jones gives Nuggets a dose of defense

By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 7, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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Guard Dahntay Jones has entrenched himself in the starting lineup, and the Nuggets have gone 13-4 when he starts. "You have to have somebody do some intangibles," Jones said of his abilities.

Photo by Gus Ruelas / Associated Press

Guard Dahntay Jones has entrenched himself in the starting lineup, and the Nuggets have gone 13-4 when he starts. "You have to have somebody do some intangibles," Jones said of his abilities.

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In their search for a reliable perimeter defender, the Nuggets have looked in places foreign and domestic.

They signed Greg Buckner as a free agent in 2004-05. They traded for self-proclaimed Kobe-stopper Ruben Patterson in 2005-06. They signed undrafted French native Yakhouba Diawara in 2006-07.

In 2008-09, along came Jones.

With little fanfare and even less ego, Dahntay Jones has entrenched himself in the Nuggets' starting lineup. His typical assignment: Try to slow All-Stars such as Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili.

"Everybody knows that Dahntay's our 15- to 20-minute defensive angry guy that we're going to sic on somebody most nights," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "Everybody seems to be excited about it. There's a defensive focus early in the games that we have not had in the past."

That focus was there again Saturday night, when the Nuggets held the Sacramento Kings to 29.3 percent shooting in an easy 118-85 victory.

Jones missed 7-of-8 shots against the Kings, but his wayward shooting underscored his role with the first unit.

Playing alongside Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Kenyon Martin, Jones doesn't have to score to be effective. Denver is 13-4 since Karl added him to the starting lineup.

"You have to have somebody do some intangibles - cut, rebound, defend, not worry about where my next shot's coming from," said Jones, who is averaging 5.9 points per game. "Those are things I naturally do."

With Jones as a starter, Karl has the luxury of bringing shooting guard J.R. Smith and swingman Linas Kleiza off the bench. Both are better known for their offensive ability than their defensive prowess.

"Having a low-maintenance offensive player with the starters is a good thing," Karl said. "There's a courage to (Jones) that players like to play with. He's not afraid of anybody, anything, any assignment."

Jones, the 20th overall pick of the 2003 draft, said he lives by the motto, "Respect everyone, fear no one."

"I'm not intimidated," he said. "I respect all my opponents and all the guys I have to guard, because they all have different talents and they're all great in their own ways."

Jones, who joined the Nuggets as a free agent during the summer, is hoping his subtle talent helps him find a home in Denver. He played in only 25 games for Sacramento last season when the Memphis Grizzlies didn't re-sign him after the 2006-07 season.

"It's a new beginning for me," Jones said. "Hopefully, I can find my own niche on this team."

Comments

  • December 8, 2008

    6:31 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    kmeissner writes:

    Get rid of Atkins already. He says it's "a disrespect" that he's not playing? Well try to stay healthy and you might get a little more respect. If you were healthy at all last year, you'd be coming off the bench instead of AC, and he would be asking for a trade. You dug your own hole, Chucky. As long as AC is healthy, we don't need you here at all. Unless you wanna be the waterboy.

  • December 8, 2008

    8:55 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    wj_nugs writes:

    I agree with you kmeissner...the Nugs should really make an effort to move Chucky and defintely lose his $4MM salary.
    I love the addition on Dahntay Jones this year and he compliments the rest of the starters very nicely. Great defender, super athletic guy who is all about the team....

  • December 8, 2008

    2:26 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BalltownIA7 writes:

    Jones is a really good defender, so why does Carter still get so many minutes.
    Carter needs to sit and come in only when the Nuggets are up by 30. Otherwise it should be Billups, JR, Jones or Kleiza in the game. Karl please keep Carter on the bench.

  • December 8, 2008

    9:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    disciplineguy writes:

    The stats speak for themselves with the record. Jones is a great addition to starting line up, maybe he can rub off on Melo. I disagree with BaltownIA7, JR has a ton of talent but its' the NBA, that isn't what get the job done here. You have to be mature, professional and disciplined all of which JR is a work in progress. You can see the difference going to college does for a player. JR really hurt himself by not going to college, in matter of fact almost all players do who skip college. KG might be the only exception. Point in case, Jones, who went to Duke, is just athletic as JR,(vertical) he just doesn't have the outside stroke like JR. However, its' is defense that got him the position, and he is mature, and professional. I really want to believe in JR and his potential, but until he shows solid play; passing, defense, assist to turnover ratio and shooting percentage on a consistent basis, I'll question his game! He has a true icon, and future hall of fame point guard to learn from in Billup's. However don't think coach Carl is a good coach for mentoring and teaching. I VOTE TO HIRE THE GENERAL AVERY JOHNSON!!

  • December 14, 2008

    9:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    deavs writes:

    As a life long Duke Blue Devils fan, it is needless to say that I was ecstatic when I found out that the Nuggets had signed Dahntay Jones. Dahntay's intensity is legendary, and the one play he made that I'll always remember came during his senior year at Duke. Against Virginia, Dahntay went up for a tomahawk dunk, got fouled, threw down on some poor kid who is now on youtube, and fell to the floor. He was so pumped up that he started doing push-ups right there on the hardwood before being helped up by teammates to shoot his free throw. It's that kind of intensity and passion for the game that Dahntay Jones brings to the court, and I hope that he sticks with the Nuggets for years to come.