Nuggets elevate aim after strong first half

Franchise's best NBA record, division title possible

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 16, 2009 at 9:31 p.m.

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Barry Gutierrez © The Rocky

Chauncey Billups, averaging 19 points and 6.8 assists, gets a lot of credit for the Nuggets’ improvement. They also have gotten a lift from the good health of Nene and Kenyon Martin.

While it’s obviously way too early to think of ordering parade permits,here’s one thing to keep in mind as the Nuggets prepare to enter the second half of the season: If the Nuggets beat Orlando at home tonight, they will be 28-13 at the midpoint.

So what was Detroit’s record at the halfway point in 2003-04,when point guard Chauncey Billups helped lead the Pistons to the NBA title by winning the Finals MVP honor?

28-13.

“That would be a dream if we could finish that way,” Billups, who has changed the tone of Denver’s season since his Nov. 3 acquisition from Detroit, said of possible similarities.

The Nuggets, who lead the Northwest Division, already are assured of having their best midseason record in 31 years. A win tonight and they’ll equal the 1977-78 team and be one game behind the 29-12 mark in 1976- 77 for the best such record in the team’s 33-year NBA history.

One could say there’s the most optimism surrounding the Nuggets entering a second half of a season since the 1980s. Maybe even since the 1970s.

“There’s a confidence,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “I don’t know if it’s euphoria or an emotional high. . . . The confidence is , we’ve won some games, but the confidence also is, we can get better.”

How much better remains to be seen. But Billups, who also helped take Detroit to the 2005 Finals after it had only a 23-18 first-half mark, has done special things before, and he’s primed to do them again.

Best Nuggets NBA team ever?

Hmm.

Check back in late spring.

From those in the know, that's the thinking regarding the Nuggets this season. But one thing is for sure: The bar isn't too high.

In Denver's 33-year NBA history, the best record has been 54-28, in 1987-88. These Nuggets (27-13) are on pace to finish 55-27. With a win against Orlando tonight, the Nuggets would tie the 1977-78 team's 28-13 record for the second- best midseason mark in the franchise's NBA history, one game behind 1976-77's 29-12.

As for the playoffs, the Nuggets, who never have been to the NBA Finals, twice have advanced to the West final, in 1978 and 1985. That's why Hall of Famer Dan Issel, who played on both those teams and really likes the Nuggets this season, is waiting to offer full comparisons.

"They're obviously playing well," Issel said. "Our teams (of the late 1970s), with David Thompson and Bobby Jones, we brought more of an ABA style of getting up and down. But this team is a little more rounded than we were.

"But success in the NBA is measured in the playoffs. We did get to the Western finals a couple of years."

Issel calls the 1984-85 team, which went 52-30 before losing to the eventual champion Lakers in the West final, the best Denver NBA team in his career. Doug Moe, who coached that outfit, also names it the best team he coached.

But it took some pondering. Moe also likes the 1987-88 unit, which had some late injuries and stumbled in a West semifinal.

Moe didn't want to compare this season's Nuggets with ones he coached from 1980-90. But Moe, who has been back with the Nuggets since 2002 as a consultant, an assistant coach and now again a consultant, calls this team better than any of the ones that were ousted in the first round of the playoffs the past five seasons.

"Of the recent teams, this is the best," Moe said. "I think we're a really good team, but it's early. Chauncey (Billups) has brought some stabilization to point guard, and another very important reason is both Nene and Kenyon (Martin) have been healthy (in the post) and playing well. . . . (Forward Carmelo Anthony's) game has really improved in that he's doing more."

So how much more can the Nuggets do this season?

Coach George Karl talked last season about wanting to break the team's NBA mark, with 55 wins. The Nuggets fell short, but their 50-32 record was their best in 20 years.

Yet it didn't include the Northwest Division title, which assures at least a No. 4 playoff seed. No. 8 Denver was swept 4-0 in the first round by the top-seeded Lakers.

"The goal is simple: a division championship," said Karl, whose team leads the Northwest and has the West's second-best mark. "But I think the division will take 52 to 55 wins, so we're probably in the same area."

But what will really end up mattering is the playoffs.

First-half MVP

There's not much room in Billups' trophy case.

He's got the 2004 NBA Finals MVP award, three All-Star appearances and honors for All-NBA second and third teams.

But here's another for the collection: first-half Nuggets MVP.

When Allen Iverson was shipped Nov. 3 to Detroit in a deal in which Denver got Billups, it changed the tone of the season. The Nuggets are 26-10 since Billups first suited up.

"Not surprised. Impressed," Phoenix standout point guard Steve Nash said of what Billups has done. "He's obviously made a huge impact. More so than just playmaking ability. The Nuggets really needed someone with his pedigree and experience. I think they're a different team now. They can get out of the first round, for sure."

If you want statistics, Billups is averaging 19 points and 6.8 assists for Denver. But statistics don't do full justice to what Billups has provided the Nuggets with his mere presence.

Consider that the Nuggets have won games in which Billups has shot 5-for-17, 2-for-13, 7-for-23, 2-for-10 and 2-for-9.

Center of attention

The statistical category Nene leads in the NBA has him at 61.6, which is his field-goal percentage.

But there's a far more important percentage the Nuggets center has had this season: 97.5.

That's the percentage of games Nene has played, only missing one, because of a stiff neck.

In the previous three seasons, Nene made it to the starting line for only 81-of-246 games. He played in only 16 last season, missing half the campaign because of testicular cancer.

"A lot of people thought at the beginning of the season me and Kenyon would not be able to hold down the post," Nene said. "They've bit their tongue. We've surprised everyone."

Martin, the power forward, also had ample injury problems, having played in only 129 games the previous three seasons. He has missed only four games this season, giving him a showing-up percentage of 90.

But Martin displayed signs last season of finally getting healthy. The big surprise has been Nene, averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.

"I play fine," Nene said.

Nicked in Northwest

How's this for a starting lineup?:

Center: Mehmet Okur

Forward: Anthony

Forward: Carlos Boozer

Guard: Deron Williams

Guard: Martell Webster

There are three Olympic gold medalists (Anthony, Boozer and Williams) and three who have made All-Star teams (Anthony, Boozer and Okur) listed. It's also a list of players on the top three Northwest Division teams who have missed eight games or more this season because of injury or other reasons.

"All three teams have got some big injuries, but you can't really take that into account," Billups said. "You've got to get the wins the best you can. This is going to be a tough race the entire way."

Utah (24-16) has hung tough despite Williams missing 13 games and Okur eight. Both are back, but the Jazz might have to go another month without Boozer, who already has missed 28.

Denver's big loss has been Anthony, averaging a team-high 21.1 points. He has missed nine games and figures to sit out about another half dozen because of his broken right hand.

Portland (24-15) has been the healthiest, but up-and-coming Webster has missed 38, and the Trail Blazers also have had injuries to standout guard Brandon Roy (four missed) and fledgling center Greg Oden (six).

Numbers games

.667: winning percentage for Denver this season (6-3) in games without Anthony, who has missed two because of suspension, three because of a sore elbow and the past four with a broken hand that will keep him out about another two weeks. Entering the season, the Nuggets were 13-18 (.419) without Anthony, but improved defense and a more balanced team have helped them overcome his loss.

5: is the Nuggets' ranking in the league in field-goal percentage defense (44.2). Denver has stepped up its defense considerably after ranking 14th (45.7 percent) last season.

37.7: three-point percentage for the Nuggets, which ranks eighth in the league. That's up from 35.5 percent last season, when they ranked 19th.

He said it

"I don't think there's any question we're ahead of the curve where we thought we'd be. I think we have an opportunity to play pretty serious basketball in April to win the division."

Karl, on his Nuggets leading the Northwest with a 27-13 record.

• January 17, 2009

  12:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Bivouac writes:

  But George Karl still needs to be fired, right? C'mon. Someone say it...

  Not that I'm happy with every decision he makes either, but something is obviously working. 27-13 doesn't happen unless you're doing something right.

• January 17, 2009

  1:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jonnbear writes:

  I'd still fire him, we've never had a problem winning in the regular season. It's the postseason where the team has struggled. It's not like we are playing well, we've won the last two games because Billups bailed us out.

• January 17, 2009

  5:37 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  lsider writes:

  i'm no fan of karls, and yeah i thought he deserved to be fired after last season. but he wasn't, therefore we must as nuggets fans hope for the best. we cannot fire a guy with a 27-13 record(seond in the west!) if we're going to make this change it would be best if it happened in the off season. we could conduct a proper search that way, and we wouldn't be forcing our players through a possibly difficult transition in the middle of the year. kroenke expects people to play or coach out their contracts, to his credit. i wouldn't be pleased as a fan to see us have to buyout candy boys contract. we've surrendered this season and this team to karl now we have to see what happens. i think we're getting better and still have room to improve. i think our front office deserves an award for the talent they've been able to assemble for being under the luxury tax. chauncy deserves a ton of credit, no doubt about that. i also think it helps not having a self centered player like a.i. on the team, he always through a fit if he didn't think he played enough, and that was clearly undermining to karl. a.i. is a hall of famer and his antics although certainly more melo here than in philly we're not helpful to our younger guys. with that being said if i don't see some intensity out of our coach soon, whether we win or lose in the playoffs i'd fire him. unless, of course we won it all. if i pay to see a nuggets game i don't want to see our coach sitting around and eating frickin candy! so get on the ball karl because this is your last shot before you get your arse booted out of town.

• January 17, 2009

  9:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  spokenwar writes:

  i think it is the front office that needs to be fired. when i look at the really good teams, they manage to get high class talent for a premium. the obvious example is LA. the lakers could put two first string teams on the floor. who have we bought for our back up center? petro. this is a guy who karl (so far) has been unwilling to put on the floor. you can damn sure make a bet that the lakers organization would have traded for a player who would have been ready day-one.

  my bet is we won't see petro play tonight. instead we will run our guys to death. (whatever petro's numbers are, our team will make them better...)

  i have to give the front office credit for getting rid of camby. thank god. the team played better defense when he was out and continues to play better defense now that he is gone.

  and of course they got cb.

  there is a different mindset between the way management works across the league. and as for thos who say the luxury tax drives these choices, i believe the LA payroll is 78 million.

  a small price to pay for a team like that.

• January 17, 2009

  11:53 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  ONEman writes:

  Let's see what all the Karl supporters say when Utah gets healthy after the all star break. Don't get too comfortable at the top. It's easy to be at the top when nobody in your division is playing very good. Even if we win our division, that's not much of an accomplishment, kind of like the AFC West in football, c'mon.

  "The goal is simple: a division championship," said Karl,

  That just shows you Karls lack of fire and ambition, he's only looking as far as the 1st round because he knows the playoffs are much more competitive and that he will get out coached by every coach who makes the playoffs in the west. Let me do a cartwheel real quick about being in 1st place at the break. So you Karl flunkees can quit saying I don't support the team. I love this team and would love even more if we can get a guy who wants to coach or Karl wakes the F up. Either way go Nuggets. Karl suks and I won't change that opinion unless he starts coaching and matching up on the floor properly Anybody who says different is only going off our record and probably does'nt even watch the games. What else good can anyone say about Karl? This should be good I'll be waiting for an answer if anyone can think of something. I won't hold my breath though.

• January 17, 2009

  12:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ONEman writes:

  Why don't we ask Chauncey what a first round exit in the playoffs means to him. This guy will say no doubt anything less than a trip to the finals will be a failure. The object is not to suk less than you did last year or in past years. He says the only thing he cares about is winning, that's it. That's all that matters. Personal stats, awards and all star appearances mean nothing. I'm so glad we have a leader now. That's where the credit goes not to Karl.

• January 17, 2009

  12:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jbowen43 writes:

  Ask Moe how he let Granville Waiters beat his team.

• January 17, 2009

  1:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  desertwind writes:

  Like Shanahan, let's see what happens in the playoffs. get us to the Finals, you live to die another day. Anything less than a Conference Final appearance is a death knell

  A loss to the Lakers in the Conference Finals was a turning point for Doug Moe the last and only time we were there.

  But the Nuggets are an exciting team right now none the less

• January 17, 2009

  3:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  avsfan71085 writes:

  ONEman stfu please. The Northwest is like the AFC West? What are you smoking? The Pacific division is by FAR and away the most pathetic division in basketball. Check this out I used a handy calculator just to prove how stupid you are. Below the first number is the winning percentage of every division. Now keep in mind that the Northwest has a EXPANSION team with 8 wins.
  Atlantic - .507 winning percentage
  Central - .535
  Southeast - .493
  Northwest - .480
  Pacific - .423
  Southwest - .547

  But hey to be fair let's see who has the hardest division with only the top 3 teams. Since it's obvious every division has roughly three good teams and two bad ones.

  Atlantic - .582 winning percentage
  Central - .619
  Southeast - .650
  Northwest - .630
  Pacific - .556
  Southwest - .632

  Interesting Denver now plays in the third hardest league in the NBA. Plus you only play division teams 4 times in a season playing those terrible teams can only make up a total of 8 wins.

  Oh and Utah has no Boozer and we have no Melo, fair trade I think.

  "The goal is simple: a division championship," said Karl

  Duh. That is the goal, win the division, get a good spot, than concentrate on the playoffs. You can't win a championship if you don't make the playoffs. C'mon

• January 17, 2009

  4:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jsppro1 writes:

  If the Nuggets can beat the Magic without Melo, I think it would be hugh. They will make a big statement to the league. The Magic tean is good(I still don't see how,Howard?)however they are consider one of the elite. Go Nuggets

• January 17, 2009

  5:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  The_Man writes:

  ONEman ,
  The Nuggets division is like the AFC West. What are you smoking. Denver , Portland and Utah are all playing .600 ball or better. Good comparison moron. I enjoy your immense wisdom you think you have on basketball or the Nuggets. You would think you would be coaching somewhere or doing something besides blogging and blasting G Karl after every game.

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