LINCICOME: Nuggets were pawns in trade
By Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 16, 2008 at 2:55 p.m.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
The Nuggets practically gave Marcus Camby to the Clippers in a trade to dump salary.
Did the Nuggets do the right thing by trading Marcus Camby?
The other shoe must surely fall, presumably one as large as Marcus Camby's size 16, otherwise the Nuggets have just been fleeced, swindled and hustled, not that the last one is a surprise since the next time the Nuggets hustle will be the first.
The Nuggets have a year to get another player, and next week would not be too soon using the trade exception that came with Camby going. All of this must be part of a grand plan to make the Nuggets better, younger and cheaper.
They are only one of these, having spent the days since being bopped out of the first round by the Lakers humoring Allen Iverson, irritating Carmelo Anthony and kissing off Eduardo Najera.
Now Camby takes his blocked shots, rebounds and inside competence not just away from a team bereft of identifiable defense but to a team scuffling for the same scraps as the Nuggets.
The Clippers have their own history of dunderheadedness and might still be leading the Nuggets in that department, but this time the clown nose is on the other face.
If this is strategy, it must have been taken from the pages of The Idiots' Guide to Fools.
Say this for Fool No. 2, spokes-suit Mark Warkentien, he does know how to spin. When he says this is not checkers, it is chess, you imagine the Clippers smirking behind their hands, barely able to keep from asking, "Does he know that this is basketball?"
And there goes Camby, solid citizen and team conscience, off to folks who are tickled to have him.
In return, the Nuggets get pocket lint and a bus pass.
Just to be clear, the ranking of the Nuggets' front office fools is arbitrary, not to slight Rex Chapman, who might be No. 2 but seems to fall in at a natural No. 3, whereas No. 1 is clearly Stan Kroenke, and that because he is the man with the money.
While Kroenke can afford to be a fool, even under the NBA's salary strictures and luxury-tax penalties, he still lives in a world where other rich men get more out of their toys.
Somewhere in all of this looms the figure of patchy shooter J.R. Smith, the supposed linchpin to tomorrow and restricted free agent soon to become very, very rich.
Assuming Smith is kept, Nene is intact, Kenyon Martin is interested, Iverson is Iverson, Anthony is soothed, George Karl is reinvigorated and a point guard is a weapon rather than the little piggy crying wee-wee-wee all the way home, still the Nuggets are worse than they were.
Too bad the salary that needed most to be dumped, Martin's $13 million, is still on the books and will be for three more seasons. Now, had Martin gone to Los Angeles for a conditional No. 2 draft choice, the Nuggets would be whistling in the elevator.
Of all the foolish things done and undone, unloading Camby is not the silliest, unless we non-chess players cannot see seven moves ahead - oops, there goes another rook. The most foolish would still be the re-signing of Iverson, a wasted $20 million for a season since it seems clear Iverson is one more and done.
Iverson is still here for the gate and not for any championship ambition. He is the lure to get the rubes inside the tent, like the five-legged calf or the duck with two beaks.
Iverson's is the money that will then be used to get the help that Anthony needs, that he has needed since Kiki Vandeweghe assembled the likes of Camby and Martin to fill the holes.
To get Anthony - and there was a chance at LeBron James - and to have enough money after that, Vandeweghe oversaw a season with vagrants and wood chips. Ah, Juwan Howard, how soon we forget. The Nuggets might get to that point again.
The Martin contract was Vandeweghe's great blunder, but at least the plan was clear. Fill in around the star, leaving no doubt who the star is.
Saving money now for later assumes Anthony will reach his peak and not be past it when fresh help gets here, and that there will be talent there to be drafted or bought.
Just as I thought. There it is on page 171 of The Idiots' Guide to Fools.
Have a plan, it says. Any plan.
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July 16, 2008
3:18 p.m.
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bigbadthor writes:
Nailed it on the head, great column I will donate $10 to buy a bus ticket for Kenyon Martin to take him out of town.
July 16, 2008
3:19 p.m.
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Squatch writes:
A pick swap that is what the problem with this deal.
July 16, 2008
4:09 p.m.
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duboisb writes:
Greedy owners are ruining the game.
July 16, 2008
4:20 p.m.
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paguy1955 writes:
I am sorry but as good as AI was. That is not enough for me to renew my 3 10-game plans. I don't want to spend all that money to watch a team who's management has already tanked this season! I am sure that they beleive they can pull the wool over their fans(the ones who are left) eyes.
July 16, 2008
5:26 p.m.
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Hambone writes:
I have to believe that the team has some sort of plan. Rex chapman is not stupid, but he may not be listened to.
July 16, 2008
6:22 p.m.
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JasonM writes:
Denver sports writers and some fans wouldn't know what it takes to be a Championship contender considering that that team and organization hasn't been out the first round in god knows how long. I have looked around the Internet and the vast majority feels sorry for Iverson more then anything else. That organization should be embarrassed for making a major trade for a guy like that if they weren't ready to win now. Iverson should have opted out and left, and even if they did have the money he left behind, what makes anyone think they would have used it properly considering that they haven't made any proper moves since aquiring the guy? Give me a break.
July 16, 2008
6:39 p.m.
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RG2008 writes:
Can you say youth movement?
JR,
Kleaza
Nene
Melo
Martin will backup and AI will provide the entertainment for another year. Then they can sign a real point guard. And iffffff the youth movement works they will have money in two years when Martin is traded for nothing to pay to keep the Fab 4 plus 1 together. If it doesn't work then it will just be more of the same loosing Nuggets.
R
July 16, 2008
7:48 p.m.
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JeremyW writes:
"The most foolish would still be the re-signing of Iverson, a wasted $20 million for a season since it seems clear Iverson is one more and done."
Unbelieveable. Even a "professional" journalist does not understand how NBA contracts work. The Nuggets did not re-sign AI. They had nothing to do with AI returning this season. Iverson had the opportunity to opt out of his contract and he chose not to.
The Nuggets did not sign AI to anything or bring him back for this season. He is just finishing out the last season of his current contract.
And he thinks the Nuggets front office that actually understands how the NBA salary system works are the fools.
As far as a plan for the future, it is entirely possible these guys will screw it up, but I think we can all be sure of one thing. AI will be gone by the trading deadline in February.
July 16, 2008
10:21 p.m.
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Broncos4Life1 writes:
Kroenke is the behind all of this! Would somebody in the Nuggets front office take a long hard look at all the lousy personnel moves made over in Dove Valley and realize that they can't keep repeating the same mistakes? Poor drafts, poor free agent signings and a total lack of defense usually don't do much for the win column. Now I know our owner says he's committed to winning, but when does that start? He just allowed the only defender they had to leave for basically nothing. What did we get in return? What is the next stupid move the Nuggets are going to do? Hey, how about we bring back Bernie Bickerstaff! If the Nuggets are serious about chasing the fan base away and losing, he's the man! Why not? He did it before, he should be able to do it again. Maybe even quicker this time. Just nuke the whole roster and start over again and again and again.Let's see if we can resign Nick Van Exel, he's basically Kenyon Martin except shorter and older? Get the hint Mr Moneybags(Kroenke)? Let your basketball experts do their job, you just sign the checks and stay out of the way! Oh, by the way, maybe you should get some basketball experts first!
July 16, 2008
10:31 p.m.
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flyrockies writes:
Mark Warkentien, the fans of the Nuggets deserve better. We haven't gotten a pick from the NBA draft in 2 years and the best deal you can get us is trade Camby for nothing. I honestly can't believe that Camby's name didn't surface during the draft. If you are dumping salary, why not dump Kenyon Martin? I am disgusted. I won't be going to Nuggets games this season. Thanks for nothing.
July 17, 2008
7:33 a.m.
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chillywilly writes:
well... actually... To repair yall errors. AI could have opted out of his final season of his contract... He wanted to do so and then sign a multi year contract worth less money. The Nuggs chose not to therefore, AI didn't opt out. I know he wishes he had done so. terrible front office and coach...
July 17, 2008
9:27 a.m.
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Cwillyrun1 writes:
It's too early to say what'll happen. Was it a bad trade considering what the Nuggets got in return? Yes. But Camby also was the reason the Nuggets didn't win some games they should've; when he's taking one of his shaky jump shots near the end of the game, throwing a bad alley oop pass, dribbling up the court and fooling around with the basketball too long, and not being strong inside. He helped win some games too, so it's not all bad news with him, yet if Nene stays healthy, he can finally fill that starting role at center and be a strong force, much tougher to play against than Camby. Since Martin played healthy last year, all year, he could remain at power forward. Melo at small forward, AI and JR along with Carter in the mix at guards. Kleiza will get more consistent time off the bench, but the lack of depth with big men has to be a concern right now. Who knows, maybe the Nuggets use the trade exception during the season to pull off one of those deals like what helped Boston and LA play for the championship. I'm not happy about the trade... mostly considering the lack of return that we know of, but I see some positives out of it too.
July 17, 2008
3:54 p.m.
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JohnDowe writes:
I think it was a great trade.
Camby, for all his inflated defensive stats, was more of a liability than a benefit on defense. He's a help-defender when the Nuggets needed a strong post presence. What kind of a center can't keep even Pau Gasol out of the lane?
With a healthy Martin and Nene (I know I'm asking a lot) the Nuggets will have a stronger presence in the key and won't have to rotate the extra man like they did (or too often didn't) with Camby. While Camby made his own defensive stats that much better, he made the rest of team drop dourly everytime he left his man to try to get an extra block, or every time he moved *out* of position on a driving opponent in an attempt to get a steal. His lack of offensively proclivity was far too obvious, a center without an inside game is a center that shouldn't be on the payroll.
The only thing I'll miss are his charitable activities and and positive demeaner. But let's be honest, Kroenke paid him to play basketball.
July 17, 2008
4:03 p.m.
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bigbadthor writes:
RG2008, I assume you mean Melo will be a PF? That seems silly, non of those guys plays a lick of defense, maybe Nene if he can stay on the court for more than 10 minutes. It will be like the westfall days where nuggets score 145 a night and lose by 20.
I for one am not interested in it, the one possibility is that they are looking at letting AI go, then sending Keyon and JR smith to the Cavs for a sign and trade deal for Labron James, then with Labron and Melo you would have the true fondation for a chamionship run, provided they can get some help up front.
July 17, 2008
6:05 p.m.
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Ralphster63 writes:
To say Marcus Camby was a good player is ridiculous. His only defense, included allowing players to get off shots and then block 1/4 of the shots that were put up in the paint against him.
His shot blocking "ability" made his teammates defense just as bad, because they all just figured he would clean up their mistakes, this only occured maybe 1/10 of the time.
Now getting to his offensive, or lack there of. Marcus does not drive into the paint, can not outplay most NBA low post defenders, and is one of the weakest screen setters in the NBA. With this in mind, Marcus is also not a good outside or inside shooter. Only having an ackward top of the key shot that goes in maybe 30% of the time.
Camby is no threat on either side of the floor, and should not be missed in CO. Instead people should look forward to players the nuggets can now aquire with the $10million they now have after this trade.