George Karl sips his Chocolate rose tea, closing his eyes and listening to Beethoven. For him this is a peaceful moment, no disturbances to be had this day, no this is a day for tranquil relaxation. Ty Lawson practices his Ballet, a hobby that Karl indicated to Lawson will help his driving to the lane tremendously. All of a sudden, as Karl refreshes his third favorite website in the world, DenverStiffs to get any update on their two free agents, a earthquake emerges.
A large pound is heard on the door. It's thunderous echoes can be heard throughout the building. A sniffle, and then another pound, "BOOM, BOOM" as the pounding continues, sending the room into a shiver. What could be the cause of this? Another strong pound, louder than before... this door is not safe, only safer. It can not be mistaken anymore as the beast ravages to get in. Before it is realized, the door falls flat to the floor, and a shadow emerges. Standing 6'10, with a bulk found only in Himalayan Yeti's appears a beast, not just any beast but a Brazilian beast, and he is ready to feast. Hair can be seen flying over his head, an indication that perhaps this is one of those Predators seen in B rated films starring people like Danny Glover. No, what lies ahead may just be more dangerous, this my friends.. is
NENE!
To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day when George Karl would put Nene into the 4 position, this might be some strong indication that the world is coming to an end, or maybe the beginning of a bright new future. You see, for most of his career, this gentle giant has been used incorrectly as an undersized center. Sure he has bulk and a scoring touch not seen since the days of Shaq in his prime yet This man is a perfect example of a power forward playing a position that undervalues his strengths.
He is quick and fast, more so than any center in the league yet his quickness came with a downfall, and that being his rebounding numbers, his total rebounds per 36 minutes was 7.6, and his rebound rate was 37th best in the league, behind exceptionally awful talent ahead of him in players like Kwame Brown, Kurt Thomas and even Zaza Pachulia! Now, that isn't to say he is a bad player, but this is a glaring weakness in the Brazilian beast, and I'm sorry but you are never going to win it all when your center rebounds worse than players like Jason Thompson and Ryan Anderson.
So moving him over to power forward is an exceptionally great idea! His Rebound rate of 14.4, if carried on to this season would still put him amongst the Ryan Anderson's and Taj Gibson's of the league but the weakness of the Nuggets being rebounding needed to be fixed. I mean, Kenyon Martin's rebounding rate was 13.9 last year so our frontcourt was very, very weak in terms of rebounding period. However, putting in big guys like Timofey Mozgov and Kenneth Faried to focus on rebounding will be pivotal for our success this year.
If Nene doesn't have to worry about rebounding, then I believe his strengths will sore. Consider his PER, being a very impressive 20.49, putting him in the league of Al Horford and Andrew Bynum. That is impressive and most of this is due to his very good ability to not waste offensive possessions when he is called upon to score. He lead the league in field goal percentage last year at 61%, and has shot over 58% at least in the past three seasons. Not to mention his True shooting percentage being ranked 3rd, behind Tyson Chandler and the now retired Shaq. I'd expect Karl to draw up more plays for Nene this year without Carmelo Anthony taking over 20 shots a game this season, so if Nene gets a few more shots this year, I feel that some of those wasted possessions of Carmelo chucking up fade-aways from inside the arch will turn into effective points instead from Lawson pick-n-rolls and Nene penetration.
Nice try hiding behind the ball Perkins, but the Beast still sees you.
Also, I think that a lot of plays should come from Nene passes, a lot of times he will post a player a few feet outside of the low post and throw passes to the wing player of the opposite side of the court for either a three pointer, pump-fake and penetrate or a kick out to someone on the top of the key. I noticed that this strategy was effective last year but wasn't used nearly enough due to Carmelo Anthony falling in love with a woman named Fade-a-way and never looked back. Nene is a natural passer as his Assist ratio of 13.4 was 5th best among centers who played more than 30 minutes a game last year behind players like David Lee and Al Horford.
All in all I think he will be a very effective power forward. Gosh it feels good saying that!
Chris Anderson
He looked great at the Pepsi Center scrimmage a couple of nights ago, hopefully this lengthened off-season has FINALLY got his health back to 100%. I feel that he can still be a menace, and he is still a good player in my opinion, I felt like his game with the ball in his hand has improved, even though I wouldn't want him with the ball except for put-backs and slams. He was considered a center last year Even though I feel that he will be behind Nene in the rotation more often than not instead of Mozgov. Despite his tattoos adding an extra pound to his frame, he still seems a bit skinny and less muscled than his best years with Denver in the 08-09 season
His PER was ranked 8th best amongst centers last year ahead of players like Joakim Noah, 14th in Rebounding rate and had 10.8 rebounds per 36 minutes despite last year being considered a off-year for him. I feel like if Kosta Koufos struggles behind Mozgov, then Chris Anderson should come in behind Mozgov and let Faried come in behind Nene.
I think the strangest difference in these photos are his eyes...
Anderson also needs to toughen up this year as this this team is lacking in someone who will get in someones face when push comes to shove. Oklahoma has Perkins, Boston has Kevin Garnett, so I feel that Anderson, even though considered humble and peaceful off the court believe it or not, needs to get into tough-guy mode when he is on the court, his hustle and energy are the most valuable things he brings to the team.
Encourage your kids to solve Rubiks cubes!
Kenneth Faried
I believe he will be the most interesting player to watch this year, because some consider him to be a steal from the draft of last year and I really think he is. This kid, despite being very undersized will be the first person more often than not to have his fingers on the ball when it clanks off for a miss. That is crucial when it comes to rebounding, not who is taller but who has their hands on it first. Faried is strong, jumps like Shawn Kemp back in the Sonic days( I bet he'll make the slam dunk contest if he gets any minutes this year) and he has a gift for rebound positioning. I feel like if his production carries over from college smoothly, that he will be a great hustle player this year, getting rebounds over rebounds.
He is also a great person off the court, and if you haven't read a bit of his life story then you should. I love his attitude crossing over onto the hardwood as well. He goes after every rebound like Marshawn Lynch goes after bags of skittles, in other words.. like a beast. He is easily one of it not the most athletic player from the draft, and I think he will do very well if given the minutes. Some compare him to Renaldo Balkman, maybe because of the hair and style of crazy play more than anything but Faried seems far more athletic, more poised and has a better mentality overall. I hope he will do very well this year. Also Balkman looks like a troll while Faried is a good looking kid. To his critics who say he is too undersized, just remember..
In the 1986 NBA Draft, a young, bulky, undersized power forward was selected with the 27th pick in the second round by the Detroit Pistons
His name was Dennis Rodman, and he virtually changed the game.
No longer could we say an undersized power forward couldn't dominate on the glass, or become a great player, or make eight All-NBA defensive teams, or become a five-time champion.
Rodman changed everything.
I feel that Faried has that certain it factor to be the next Dennis Rodman.
Does anyone else think his frame is very similar to Lebron James?
So how do you think the rotation this year should look?
Grade: B+
