Worst case scenario....

[Powder Blue]

Realistically, I might not be able to play this year. …I might not be able to play the rest of the year,” Martin told Yahoo! Sports. “That’s what I’m realistic about, that I might not be able to. It’s still up in the air. But, I’m going to do all I can to make sure. I’m going to put my best foot forward and work hard every day to make sure I get back, but if it’s not meant to be, then it’s out of my control.

The Nuggets also are uncertain when – or if – Karl will return. He is undergoing treatment for lung cancer and recently had to be treated for blood clots in his legs and lungs. The Nuggets aren’t planning on Karl being back before the playoffs and sources close to the team say it looks more and more doubtful whether he’ll return at all.

Marc Spears for yahoo lays out the Nuggets worst case scenario in which K-Mart and Karl don't return this year. I know his stuff is always written with the intent to stir up the pot but with Kenyon's history of knee problems its tough to hold out hope that he'll be back AND able to contribute for an extended period of time before the knee acts up again.

I think there's a better shot of GK returning but that depends on how his recovery from the cancer treatment goes. At this point we gotta hope for the best and prepare for the worst....

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=m ... gets033010

[pickaxe]

I think we'll be pleasantly surprised with what happens.

The outlooks I believe are intentionally dimmed to instill some reality. I mean, if you're injured you're injured. It's up to everyone else that remains healthy. It won't help anyone heal any faster to have the weight of all those expectations weighing down on them.

If everything really is grim as it sounds, the guys that remain have to step up. They can't replace Kenyon but they can play with more tenacity as a unit. We've seen them do it, it's just so natural to Kenyon to bring that tenacity that you don't have to ask. He just brings it.

[eathy]

well I think we're ****.

i hope some miracle happens... but i think we'll be lucky to get out of the first round this year.

[SnakefromHell]

If only we still had Scott Brooks as the assistant, I think we would have been fine. Look at how fine a job he's done in OKC.

To ease pressure on Dantley, I think all coaching assistants need to be co-coaches... instead of letting AD become the "head". AD, John Welsch, Chad Iske, and even Steve Hess lol (okay maybe not him).... need to be co-coaches, nobody is the head. It's a team unity from now on.

[JRMelo15]

well I think we're ****.

i hope some miracle happens... but i think we'll be lucky to get out of the first round this year.

Last night's game proved that we got no business thinking about NBA Finals. Hopefully 2010-11 season gets here quick.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

Gotta thank GK and the Nuggets FO/Stan for this. Seemed like everyone on this board knew this was going to happen. The front court rotation was too tight, Kmart and Nene were playing too many minutes. Seems Kmart was actually playing too much on an injured knee, which turned in to something a lot worse. If GK took better advantage of the Roster (Petro and Balkman) or the FO/Stan used the big TPE to bring in some real front court help GK would play, I'm pretty sure Kmart would be playing right now.

Instead GK's idiocy and Stan's cheapness has ruined this season (is Kmart doesn't return).

[SnakefromHell]

^I would have to agree on this one...

You have 5 camels you can use for a 1000 miles journey in the dessert and you decide to use only 3 camels for the journey instead of rotating and save up the camels' legs. You use your 3 best camels but instead of rewarding them with rest you ride them to death, the 2 worst camels sitting there feeding and eating and never work. By near the finish line, one of the 3 best camels died, the other two banged up and can only perform 80-90% of their full capabilities. And we have to warm up and use the 2 worst camels for the finishing before the other racers do. Instead of finishing strong, we finish weak.

Sometimes I swear some people's brains... they just don't use them. They no longer understand common sense and logic. Your best players are your best horses. You enjoy riding them, but you gotta know to take care of them. You don't ride them, rarely give them rest, to death... and when the horses die, you're left with only the donkeys to ride on. It's really simple thinking... people overcomplicate stuff at times, the simplest things become difficult to go through.

But other than that, I have no complaint about GK.


---


In fairness to AD though, interim coaches are always thrown into fire. They have no training camp, no pre-season as the head coach. Let alone to take over a team with championship aspiration losing an important player with only about 15 games to work with. That's pressure as good as any situation an interim coach can take.

[and one]

Im sure Karl will be back. But if Kenyon is out, I dont see us winning the title.

[mutumba]

Sadly, my optimism is waning too. AD just seems to lack the fiery, mean-streak and motivating qualities that you look for in a head coach. In all of his pregame interviews, he comes off as so soft-spoken and timid that it almost bores me. I realize he is adjusting to his new role, but I just don't think he has the urgent attitude and mentality of a head coach. Looks like we are all eating our words about GK.

If we want any shot at contending, we need Kmart back by the second round. This road trip showed us we need to land a top 4 seed -- I think we can handle Portland, OKC, or San Antonio without Kmart in the first round, but I'm not so sure about Phoenix. Hopefully we can turn on that physicality switch like we did last year, but without Kenyon and GK its gonna be tough.

[pickaxe]

God I think I was yelling about it every week....need a big down low, need a big down low - even just a back up, - then it seems to be jelling for a while, then all of a sudden reality sets in, then Petro gets minutes and actually provides a HUGE lift considering what our cards were, then wtf happened with Petro? Did someone just cave his confidence or something? I did notice they cut back on his minutes a bit.

But I still believe in this season. You can't have a great team, one guy goes down and they all fall down. That just seems ridiculous. You'll never win a championship that way. One guy goes down, two rise up to replace him. There needs to be a better approach.

Even with Kenyon in it's not automatic. They all have to work for it. If Kenyon were plugged back in and no one works for it, same scenario. Even with Kenyon there all of those players need to work their butts off to make it work. So make it work, work like Kenyon's there.

[almost famous]

Agreed. Adversity is the best test of a team's heart. Houston played great when they went through a major injury plague. They showed heart that this team lacks.

For all Billups' talk, his leadership is seriously nonexistent. Not to mention he's starting to become part of the lack of ball movement and defense problem.

This is a chance for Nene, Melo, and JR to really step up all around. Vocally, defensively, emotionally. Not happening. I don't expect much from JR and Nene, but I expect Melo to kick it up a notch or two when his team really needs it. I don't know if he has other priorities in his personal life that is holding his focus, but he just seems to be going through the motions. These are devastating losses, and I see no changes in his game.

[vandyman22]

Who would you rather have.... Ty Lawson or Roddy Beaubois?

[pickaxe]

Ty Lawson. We don't need another volume scorer atm.

[vandyman22]

Ty Lawson. We don't need another volume scorer atm.

Perhaps.... but I'm starting to think about this Beaubois character.... After Monday's game I started looking at some of his highlights and apparently the dude has a 6-10 wingspan with a 40" vert..... we could use that.

[KAVK]

Ty no kidding...........

[Nutty Nats Fan]

Ty Lawson. We don't need another volume scorer atm.

Perhaps.... but I'm starting to think about this Beaubois character.... After Monday's game I started looking at some of his highlights and apparently the dude has a 6-10 wingspan with a 40" vert..... we could use that.

No, Nuggets could really use Haywood or Dirk a lot more.

[Powder Blue]

Gotta thank GK and the Nuggets FO/Stan for this. Seemed like everyone on this board knew this was going to happen. The front court rotation was too tight, Kmart and Nene were playing too many minutes. Seems Kmart was actually playing too much on an injured knee, which turned in to something a lot worse. If GK took better advantage of the Roster (Petro and Balkman) or the FO/Stan used the big TPE to bring in some real front court help GK would play, I'm pretty sure Kmart would be playing right now.

Instead GK's idiocy and Stan's cheapness has ruined this season (is Kmart doesn't return).

Agree 100%...If the Nuggets get cheap and don't turn Kmart's expiring deal into a better team could Melo walk the following year??

[corona]

won't get out of the 1st round without kmart and karl.
won't get out of the 1st round with karl but without kmart.
might get out of the 1st round with kmart but without karl.

i've comes to terms with that. its the risk you take when having a high paid frontcourt and a thin bench. but its like that for everyone. portlands going nowhere without oden. lakers won't win a title if one of odom/gasol/bynum went down. celtics wouldn't without perkins. cavs might be able to do it without one of Z/Shaq/Jamison....but they also have an 85 million dollar payroll, vets signing with them for nothing, and lebron james.

just sucks because this could be chaunceys last year as a high impact pg, and its another season with prime-ish melo and without a title.

if both come back...i'm still not sure we have enough to get by the lakers & mavs.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

That's one of the problems though, you say thin bench, but the bench actually wasn't as thin as GK made it out to be.

Petro seems to play fairly well when given minutes.
Balkman was playing with a lot of energy (something this team lacks at times) and putting up near double doubles in place of Kmart last year.

If GK could have put his ego aside or whatever it was that kept him from giving minutes to either Petro or Balkman, Kmart stays a lot healthier. That makes it harder to come to terms with, since it could and should have been avoided. Funny how most fans saw this coming and the coach didn't.

[Shady08]

I thought Kenyon was supposed to be re-evaluated after the road trip, what is his actual status? He just says he might not come back, but has he shown progress? Do we know anything, besides his comments?