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.”

Christopher Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com

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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

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.)

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.

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.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Denver won its season opener 129-126 on Thursday night in dramatic fashion, knocking off division rival Portland in a gritty road victory.

What? The Nuggets didn’t play last night?

The NBA, true, remains in a lockout, but that doesn’t mean the games don’t go on, at least in fantasyland.

To get a sense of how the season might have started, I simulated what would have been Thursday’s season opener.

Since all I have is a Sega Genesis (I challenge anyone to a game of NHLPA ’93), I went over to my buddy Nate Kreckman’s home to play NBA 2K12, which we rented for his Xbox 360.

Right away, we were stunned by how realistic the game was, everything from Kenyon Martin’s neck tattoo to Greg Oden looking 89 years old. I played as Portland, while Nate, a local radio host for 102.3 The Ticket, coached the new-look Nuggets.

“I think we lack the superstar presence,” Kreckman said, in reference to a trade that sent Renaldo Balkman to the Knicks. “But it’s all about team basketball or, as George Karl would say, team-ness.”

Nate won the tipoff . . . which proved to be his greatest accomplishment in the first quarter. I got 14 quick points from sharpshooter Wesley “Sniper” Matthews, and, with 7:42 left in the first, Portland led 18-3 — at which point I quoted a Wesley Snipes film, “White Men Can’t Jump,” as I queried Kreckman: “Why don’t we take all these bricks and build a shelter for the homeless?”

Sure enough, as Denver’s Wilson Chandler missed another jumper, Nate deadpanned: “And Chandler is picking up where he left off in the playoffs. . . . “

At one point in the first quarter, I led by 22. Twitter, Facebook and Friendster were surely blowing up by now.

But faster than a Kim Kardashian marriage, Nate brought the Nugs back. Chandler started heating up, NBA Jam style, and as Kreckman would say afterwards: “With Portland, I think there was a certain level of perceived comfort

with the lead. Also, I thought my grasp of the buttons improved tremendously.”

A Ty Lawson 3-pointer cut the lead to 46-43 (with 7:02 left in the half), which seemingly infuriated Raymond Felton, his North Carolina elder yet backup last spring.

Now with Portland, Felton fueled his team toward the half, hitting a 3 with 1.8 seconds left in the second, giving the Trail Blazers a 74-57 lead heading into the locker room.

Here’s a little-known fact about Nuggets coach Karl — in the second half of games, he prefers to have his team defending the basket closest to the Nuggets’ bench. It gives him a better look at his defensive setups. Surely this strategy came into play in the second half, because I stunk. I was missing shots with frightening consistency, and at one point the video-game commentator made reference to my lack of focus. (Full disclosure, during that particular turnover, I was eating a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios).

Meanwhile, the Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari was making shots from Milan, or, as Nate called it, “Jimmer range.” The Nuggets forward scored 15 points in the third, prompting Kreckman to blurt out, “It’s not so much me as it’s Gallo.”

And when Gallo unleashed a dunk with 7:25 left in the fourth, it brought the Nugs to within 106-105. The game went back and forth in the closing minutes, and when Kenyon Martin dunked while being fouled, Nate screamed something that would probably be spelled: “Yee-aaww-oooo!!!” K-Mart’s free throw gave Denver a 124-121 lead with 1:15 left.

Down six with 11 seconds left, I made a ridiculous strategic blunder, taking a two-pointer with Brandon Roy. There wasn’t enough time for me to get two more possessions, Nate made some free throws and the Nuggets won.

“Good win on the road. Happy to get the season started like that,” Kreckman said in his best Karl-speak afterward. “To be honest though, the video game is so realistic, it was a tight game, crowd noise was getting into it — for the first time during this lockout, I miss the NBA. I’m being dead serious.”

Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com

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NUGGETS 129, TRAIL BLAZERS 126

Denver 19 38 34 38 — 129
Portland 38 36 21 31 — 126
DEN Min Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FG 3pt Gallinari 35 32 13 3 3 4 4 13-24 4-9
Lawson 35 21 3 10 1 1 6 7-11 5-5
Chndler 28 19 11 6 2 0 4 8-12 2-4
Afflalo 26 16 1 2 0 0 4 6-9 4-5
Martin 35 14 5 2 4 0 0 6-11 0-1
Smith 18 13 0 1 2 0 3 5-13 2-7
Andrsn 19 6 5 0 2 1 2 3-4 0-0
Nene 31 6 5 4 8 4 2 3-7 0-0
Miller 11 2 2 2 0 1 1 1-4 0-1
Koufos 5 0 1 2 0 0 1 0-1 0-0
Hrringtn 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0-1 0-0
POR Min Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FG 3pt
Wallace 38 34 13 3 5 1 5 13-23 6-7
Felton 37 34 10 5 2 1 4 12-29 3-8
Matthws 36 27 4 2 5 0 4 10-19 3-8
Aldridge 38 8 12 3 2 2 3 4-7 0-1
Oden 26 6 11 3 3 0 4 2-6 0-0
Batum 18 6 2 2 2 1 0 2-5 2-3
Roy 27 6 2 1 4 0 3 3-11 0-4
Camby 22 4 7 1 0 1 3 2-4 0-0
Mills 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0-0 0-0
TEAM STATS DEN POR
FG 52-97 48-104
FG percentage 53 46
3-pointers 17-32 16-30
3-point percentage 53 53
Assists 32 20
Turnovers 27 26
Rebounds 47 61
Offensive rebounds 2 12
Steals 23 23
Blocks 11 7
Bench points 40 17
Fast-break points 58 36

Remember how cool it was when Chauncey Billups came home to play for the Nuggets?

A similar thing is about to happen in Milan.

Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, an Italian who spent several years in Milan, has signed a contract with the pro team there, Olimpia Milano, according to a source close to the situation. Gallinari’s new contract has an “out” clause, the source said. That means if the NBA lockout ends, Gallinari can leave Italy and return to play for the Nuggets.

Gallinari played for Olimpia Milano from 2005-08 before entering the NBA draft. He was selected sixth overall by the New York Knicks in 2008 and traded to Denver in February as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade.

Gallinari is one of the Nuggets’ top young talents. He averaged 14.7 points and 5.4 rebounds after joining Denver.

Gallinari joins a number of Denver players (and free agents) who are signing overseas, including Ty Lawson (Lithuania), Wilson Chandler (China) and J.R. Smith (China). Kenyon Martin, an unrestricted free agent, also is considering playing in China. Gallinari’s league begins play Oct. 9.

DENVER – Ty Lawson will join Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, signing a deal that will allow the Denver Nuggets point guard to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

Paulius Motiejunas, the general director of Zalgiris Kaunas, confirmed the deal Monday night. A message was left for Lawson’s agent.

Lawson, a former UNC standout, will team up with Sonny Weems, a former Nuggets guard who signed with the international squad last month. Unlike Lawson’s deal, Weems agreed to a contract without an NBA opt-out clause. Weems played last season for Toronto.

The speedy Lawson averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets.

The Denver Post first reported the story. Lawson told the paper, “It’s the best situation for me to go out there.”

DENVER (AP) — Ty Lawson will join Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, signing a deal that will allow the Denver Nuggets point guard to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

Paulius Motiejunas, the general director of Zalgiris Kaunas, confirmed the deal Monday night. A message was left for Lawson’s agent.

Lawson will team up with Sonny Weems, a former Nuggets guard who signed with the international squad last month. Unlike Lawson’s deal, Weems agreed to a contract without an NBA opt-out clause. Weems played last season for Toronto.

The speedy Lawson averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets.

The Denver Post first reported the story. Lawson told the paper, “It’s the best situation for me to go out there.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Ty Lawson will join Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, signing a deal that will allow the Denver Nuggets point guard to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

Paulius Motiejunas, the general director of Zalgiris Kaunas, confirmed the deal Monday night. A message was left for Lawson’s agent.

Lawson will team up with Sonny Weems, a former Nuggets guard who signed with the international squad last month. Unlike Lawson’s deal, Weems agreed to a contract without an NBA opt-out clause. Weems played last season for Toronto.

The speedy Lawson averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets.

The Denver Post first reported the story. Lawson told the paper, “It’s the best situation for me to go out there.”

DENVER — Ty Lawson will join Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, signing a deal that will allow the Denver Nuggets point guard to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

Paulius Motiejunas, the general director of Zalgiris Kaunas, confirmed the deal Monday night. A message was left for Lawson’s agent.

Lawson will team up with Sonny Weems, a former Nuggets guard who signed with the international squad last month. Unlike Lawson’s deal, Weems agreed to a contract without an NBA opt-out clause. Weems played last season for Toronto.

The speedy Lawson averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets.

The Denver Post first reported the story. Lawson told the paper, “It’s the best situation for me to go out there.”

Posted by
Inside Hoops

Aug
15

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

The reality of the NBA lockout is hitting home as the Nuggets’ point guard Ty Lawson — one of the team’s top players — said today he has signed to play with a team in Lithuania called Zalgiris Kaunas.

Lawson said agreed Sunday to play for this team, which also features former Nugget teammate Sonny Weems.

“It’s the best situation for me to go out there,” Lawson said by phone. “Being at home, I’m not saying I’m a lazy person, but I want to be in the gym. And plus, it’s a new experience going out to Lithuania, so why not? It was a no-brainer.

“And as soon as the lockout ends, I can come right back and be with the Denver Nuggets.”

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