| Denver Nuggets guards Ty Lawson, Andre Miller even… | |
Karl-coached Denver knows it has a dandy duo in the backcourt. 
Nuggets fans will see guards Andre Miller, left, and Ty Lawson, right, together on the court a lot this season. Lawson scored 27 points and Miller contributed 18 to Denver’s 115-93 victory at Dallas on Monday. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)
In the world of Nuggets coach George Karl, starters don’t mean much. They’re just the guys on the court when the game starts. Positions are as fluid as the game allows them to be. Ty Lawson is a point guard. But not when he’s on the court with Andre Miller. That’s when Lawson is a two-guard in a point guard’s body. Karl is fond of Miller and Lawson — and an even bigger fan when the game allows the Denver duo to be on the court together. It worked out that way Monday night when the Nuggets opened the season with a 115-93 victory at Dallas. The Mavericks weren’t interested in playing much defense, and it showed. Lawson and Miller combined for 45 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Lawson scored a game-high 27 points. Tonight, in the Nuggets’ home opener against the Utah Jazz, Karl will continue to put pressure on the opponent’s defense by playing Lawson and Miller together during much of the game. “I think he and Andre, it’s such an advantage to have both of them on the court playmaking-wise,” Karl said. “But Ty is kind of the scoring guard when they are on the court. He made his 3-ball and Andre made his 3-ball, which we’ve actually asked Andre to shoot more.” Miller has made only 20.6 percent of his 3-point shots in his NBA career, but he made both of his tries beyond the arc against the Mavericks. Lawson shot 3-for-6 on 3-pointers. When you’re in a constant hunt for good court spacing, as the Nuggets are, a legitimate threat from long range is your friend. But that’s not all. “Ty and ‘Dre, they know they have a really important role in our style,” said Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari. “Ty can run more than anybody. He played an unbelievable game (Monday) offensively and defensively. ‘Dre, he can see everything. He can see things that nobody sees. That makes you alert every time you don’t have the ball. The wings, like me, we know if we run he’s going to give the ball to us. That’s a great situation for any player, to have a point guard like Ty or ‘Dre.” Miller’s best trait is his creativity. He can break down any defense and salvage a play that has gone awry. When the shot clock is running down and the offense has broken down, Miller can still get the Nuggets a respectable shot at the rim. Many times that’s as simple as a well-placed lob pass. Those who remembers Miller’s first stint with the Nuggets can recall his alley-oop passes to Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Carmelo Anthony. It’s demoralizing to a team that plays solid defense for the majority of the shot clock and then gets dunked on. Throwing the lob pass is a skill Lawson is trying to add to his rapidly expanding offensive repertoire. No doubt it helps to see it in up close. “He’s one of the best pick-and-roll players out here,” Lawson said of Miller. “Also seeing lobs and things like that. That’s what I’m trying to take from him. In practice, that’s what I’m looking at, and I try to look at tape and see how he sees that. So, I’m all about it.”
UTAH AT DENVER, 7 p.m. tonight, ALT, 1510 AM Spotlight on Alec Burks: Utah’s rookie from the University of Colorado was a lottery pick in the NBA draft after making the all-Big 12 Conference team as a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard. He played his first professional game Tuesday night in the Jazz’s season opener in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Burks played two minutes in the first half, then got some time late in Utah’s 96-71 blowout loss. He missed both his shots to finish with no points, with two assists and a rebound in 5:35 of playing time. NOTEBOOK Nuggets: One overlooked superlative from the season-opening victory at Dallas was the Nuggets’ 15 steals. They had 15 or more steals in only three games last season. … Al Harrington’s 18 points against the Mavericks were his most since scoring 27 on March 23 against San Antonio. Jazz: Francisco Elson, a 7-foot center, played for the Nuggets from 2003-06. He was drafted by the Nuggets in 1999. … Utah is 31-50 against the Nuggets in Denver. Christopher Dempsey , The Denver Post Comment Below!. Posted in nba, Uncategorized | Comments Off
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| Nuggets sign Afflalo to 5-year deal | |
Read more: Denver Nuggets, Arron Afflalo, Nuggets Sign Afflalo, Afflalo Back in Denver, Denver Signs Afflalo, Afflalo Signs with Nuggets, Pro, NBA
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a five-year deal with restricted free agent Arron Afflalo. The Denver Post first reported Monday night the guard had agreed to a contract that could be worth up to $43 million. Nuggets coach George Karl was preaching the importance of bringing back Afflalo, the player he considered the “glue guy” of the team. Afflalo averaged 12.6 points last season and took on a bigger leadership role once Denver dealt Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks last February. The team went 18-7 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. This is the second deal Denver has orchestrated in a week. The team also re-signed Nene to a five-year, $67 million deal. The Nuggets open the preseason on Tuesday by hosting Phoenix. (Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Not much else going on in the NBA world today. |
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| Nuggets keep Afflalo with 5-year deal | |
Updated Dec 19, 2011 11:26 PM ET
DENVER (AP)The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a five-year deal with restricted free agent Arron Afflalo. The Denver Post first reported Monday night the guard had agreed to a contract that could be worth up to $43 million. Nuggets coach George Karl was preaching the importance of bringing back Afflalo, the player he considered the ”glue guy” of the team. Afflalo averaged 12.6 points last season and took on a bigger leadership role once Denver dealt Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks last February. The team went 18-7 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. This is the second deal Denver has orchestrated in a week. The team also re-signed Nene to a five-year, $67 million deal. The Nuggets open the preseason on Tuesday by hosting Phoenix. Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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| Nuggets, Afflalo Agree to Five-Year Deal | |
DENVER (AP) – The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a five-year deal The Denver Post first reported Monday night the guard had agreed to a contract that could be worth up to $43 million.
Nuggets coach George Karl was preaching the importance of bringing back Afflalo, the player he considered the “glue guy” of the team. Afflalo averaged 12.6 points last season and took on a bigger leadership role once Denver dealt Carmelo Anthony to the New York This is the second deal Denver has orchestrated in a week. The team also re-signed Nene to a five-year, $67 million deal. The Nuggets open the preseason on Tuesday by hosting Phoenix.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Subscribe to our feed!. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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| Nene signs 5-year deal with Nuggets | |
The Denver Nuggets have re-signed Nene to a five-year deal, keeping the unrestricted free agent through 2015-16. The Denver Post first reported that the Brazilian centre had agreed to the contract that could be worth up to US$67 million. Nene had considered leaving Denver for the Nets, Rockets or Pacers as an unrestricted free agent, but decided in the end to stay in the city where he began his career in 2002. Nene averaged 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds last season and will be counted upon to provide leadership following Kenyon Martin’s exodus to China during the NBA lockout. Nene will start in the Nuggets frontcourt alongside Timofey Mozgov. Leave your comments on the news below. |
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