Nuggets report: Nene seeks citizenship

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 9, 2008 at 6:04 p.m.
Updated October 9, 2008 at 8:03 p.m.

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Garrett W. Ellwood / NBAE/Getty Images

Nene, a native of Brazil, has started the paperwork to gain U.S. citizenship. His goal is to gain dual citizenship.

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Nene already wears the blue and white of the Nuggets. But he's also thinking red, white and blue.

Nene said Thursday he has started the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. He would retain ties to his native Brazil and be a dual citizen.

"It's going to be good," Nene said. "I've got all the papers and stuff. . . . But that is so confusing in America."

Nene said the first step is getting his green card, which should take about a year. Nene, who came to the America in 2002 and joined the Nuggets, doesn't know when he might become a U.S. citizen. But he said a green card would eliminate visa red tape when he travels.

"I can go free between Brazil and here," he said. "Now, it's a lot of policy problems."

Weems setback

Nuggets rookie Sonny Weems was prepared to practice this week after recovering from sports hernia surgery July 31.

Not so fast.

Weems slipped on the court Monday and suffered a new groin strain. Though a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed the sports hernia has healed, Weems said he's out another two weeks.

"I got back on defense and just made a bad step," Weems said. "It's very frustrating."

With Weems not expected to practice until the week before the Oct. 29 opener, Nuggets coach George Karl isn't counting on him for a while.

"His luck isn't very good right now," Karl said. "The one thing that young players don't understand is we don't wait for anybody. . . . Whenever he gets back on the floor, he's going to be two or three weeks away."

Back to work

Nuggets guard Allen Iverson returned to practice Thursday after missing three days because of a minor knee injury and the birth Tuesday of his fifth child, daughter Dream Alijha.

Karl said Iverson and the other starters (Nene, Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Carter) will play in the mid-20s in minutes in the preseason opener tonight against Minnesota at the Pepsi Center. Other than Weems and Chucky Atkins (knee surgery), Karl expects all other players to be available.

Etc.

* Former University of Colorado center David Harrison, a free agent who got a nonguaranteed deal, joined Minnesota for Thursday's practice at the Pepsi Center but said he won't play for a week because of a calf strain. "They gave me the best opportunity," said Harrison, who said his chances were "pretty good" of making the Timberwolves.

* Nuggets radio play-by-play announcer Jerry Schemmel, to spend more time with his family, will broadcast only home games this season, though he would do road playoff games. Jason Kosmicki will do preseason and regular-season road games.

* With Doug Moe and Mike Dunlap gone, Karl said assistant John Welch will move up from behind the bench. Karl wants Tim Grgurich to be the third assistant sitting on the bench, and Grgurich doesn't care where he sits.

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