There is no D in Denver
The Denver Nuggets are a curious bunch. When you list four of their five starters, eyebrows raise with high expectations. Carmello Anthony and Allen Iverson can give 50 combined points a night. Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby can defend and rebound while giving you enough points night in and night out. So what’s the problem? As a team, they don’t defend and it takes more than two stout defenders to stop the other team’s five.
An old sports proverb says that defense wins championships. Scoring has obvious, instant rewards. But so do defense and all the other aspects of the game that depend on hustle and determination. Stopping the other team’s offense by sheer effort is an incredibly satisfying feeling. When you steal a ball, get a rebound on either end of the court or pick up a loose ball, that is like putting a point on the scoreboard. And dishing out an assist is as much fun as a score because the passer probably did much more work than the receiver of the ball who just jammed it home for an easy two points. Since we will never eliminate the histrionics after a monster jam, I hope defenders will begin their displays of superiority to show just how fun defense can be. It is done in the NFL after a sack or monster tackle. If someone steals the ball, let him strut about with his face all scrunched up. After a blocked shot, let’s have an automatic five-second showtime, something like Dikembe Mutombo’s finger wagging.
Allen Iverson is the linchpin to the Nuggets. He is a former MVP (under Larry Brown) who surely knows the value of defense to get the top. He does not openly get on Carmello for lackadaisical defense, or ballhogging, and he should. If he is doing so behind the scenes, good for Iverson. If Carmello is not responding, then he should be shipped to another team at the end of the season. The Nuggets could get top value for a scorer like Anthony.
Coach George Karl should share some of the blame. His job is to get the team to play both ends of the floor, and it is not getting done. They say that the NBA is a players’ league, so maybe Karl just can’t get through to Carmello, or even Iverson. Again, it comes back to Iverson. If he can’t get through to Carmello, and the other Nuggets, then a major shakeup of the team is in order, which might even include getting rid of Iverson as well as Anthony, and any other Nugget who refuses to play defense.
Refusing to play defense is exactly what poor defense is all about. If you have the talent to score 25 or 30 a night, you have the talent to play defense. The will to defend is missing. No will, no title, just lots of cash for those guys who think basketball is only about scoring.
There is no I in team, and for the Nuggets there is no D in Denver.
