Located in: Sports
Posted on: May 3rd, 2010 2 Comments

Early exit leads to many questions about Melo and Karl

Cody Parkes
Sports Columnist

For the seventh straight year the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the playoffs, failing yet again to win a NBA championship.
After a disappointing loss to the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference finals in what seemed to be their most promising season, this season’s Nuggets seemed determined to get their revenge on the Lakers. However, after a successful regular season they were out-played, out-coached, and simply out-classed by the Utah Jazz in the opening round of this years playoffs.
The Nuggets offense never quite found their rhythm despite good play throughout the series from Carmelo Anthony and Chauncy Billups. The rest of the Nuggets supporting cast including J.R. Smith, Ty Lawson, and the rest were nearly non-existent in the series.
Smith completely disappeared from the series after a good performance in game one. Throughout the series, it didn’t even look as if he cared about the outcome of the games. Particularly in game six when the Nuggets were fighting for their playoff-lives, down late in the fourth quarter and looking for a spark of some sort to stay alive, Smith entered the game with such a defeated look and lack of energy that it seemed as if he had already given up.
Throughout each game, the Nuggets looked progressively worse. A team typically known for it’s talented and explosive offense, they struggled to score 100 points each game, played sloppy one on one offense, and to top it off, all the defense needed to do was limit two players; Boozer and Williams, which clearly didn’t happen.
Add in the fact that Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson played miserably and all you’re left with is Anthony and Billups to score, Nene to grab a few boards, and Ty Lawson to run around like a mad-man occasionally falling down and turning the ball over. Clearly not a formula for success even against an injury plagued Jazz squad.
The loss of head coach George Karl’s leadership became more and more evident as the series progressed. There were times in each of the games when the Nuggets were beginning to play poorly as a team and acting head coach Adrian Dantley was simply unable to settle his squad down.
Before this series began, I said that the absence of George Karl wouldn’t have much of an affect on the way the team played because of the style of offense that Denver runs; it requires minimal coach involvement from one possession to the next. However, I underestimated the impact a coach can have on the way his team reacts to adversity. Adrian Dantley just couldn’t control an emotional team that obviously needs a strong voice to help keep them on track, or get them back on track.
The Nuggets have some serious work to do over the offseason. With a giant question mark looming over the return of George Karl, Carmelo Anthony’s contract expiring next season, and Chauncy Billups getting older, the Nuggets need to work on solidifying their head coaching position, Melo, and another starter to add to their arsenal. Otherwise, the Nuggets could very well see themselves slip out of the playoff race each year by losing Anthony to free agency and their head coach to illness.
With an amazing free agent class coming at the end of this season, the Nuggets will likely look to add another big man to help Nene down low with rebounding and defense. A player like Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors who just happens to have the option to become a free agent would be a great fit for the Nuggets.
Hopefully throughout the summer Karl will be able to fully recover, and the Nuggets front office will add some big men to the roster. Regardless of what changes or additions they make though, the Nuggets will need to drastically step up their attitude, and level of play if they’d like to win a NBA title anytime soon.

2 Responses

  1. D says:

    GO JAZZZ!!!!

  2. Who cares about size? I’d take LeBron’s athleticism over a few extra inches in height any day. Pau Gasol is lanky and gawky anyway…

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