With and without K-Mart
It was a mix of bad news and good news regarding Kenyon Martin and the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Martin, who has missed the previous two games will have to undergo platelet rich plasma therapy according to the Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman. And the good news is K-Mart won’t have to have surgery, but the bad news is he may be out until the playoffs.
Without K-Mart out the Nuggets miss their defensive captain and one of the team’s leaders on the team. And without him, the Nuggets (42-21) chances of catching the Dallas Mavericks (44-21) and the No. 2 spot in the West are slim.
Denver has held tough the previous two games, winning each game by a combined 20 points. Johan Petro and Joey Graham each filled in for Martin admirable in the contests. Petro grabbed 10 rebounds against the Blazers while Graham scored eight points against the Pacers. As I stated earlier, Petro is the one I’d like to see get the minutes – mainly because of his size. With Graham in the lineup, the Nuggets are undersized and undermanned and Malik Allen isn’t athletic enough. And we all know that the chances of Renaldo Balkman’s seeing time are few and far between.
The Nuggets are actively looking for another big man, bringing in Brian Cook, Jake Voskuhl and former Nugget Mark Blount. Of the three, I think Voskuhl has the best shot and my personal favorite. He is a nice role player, runs the floor well and plays aggressive defense. He isn’t the best offensive player, but the Nuggets don’t really need another offensive player. Not to mention he played for the Mavs earlier this season and has experience guarding Dirk Nowitzki.
Cook is a great 3-point shooter and reportedly had a great workout with the Nuggets, but his defensive intensity is lacking. And Blount, eh, we’ve been there done that and it was obvious when he signed his multi-year contract he showed his desire to play the game.
All photos are the courtesy of Jonathan Maness