Lawson, Gallinari & Faried Will Rest Tonight Against Grizzlies
By Eric Meyer
Chris Dempsey, of the Denver Post, has reported that the Denver Nuggets are going to rest their three best players for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies, in Memphis.
"Three #Nuggets to be rested tonight: Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari. They will NOT play vs GrizzliesChris Dempsey (@dempseypost) March 16, 2015"
He also stated that it wasn’t due to the players wanting to rest, or the coaching staff choosing to rest them on their own either.
"To be clear: #Nuggets Interim head coach Melvin Hunt & his staff aren’t choosing to rest players. Nor are players asking to be rested.Chris Dempsey (@dempseypost) March 16, 2015"
Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard
(5) reacts after scoring against New Orleans Pelicans forward
(44) during the overtime of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
It appears that the order to rest the three players possibly came from above, in the front office. This may stem from the fact that the team is 6-2 since Melvin Hunt took over as coach, and the Nuggets brass sees their chances at grabbing a high lottery pick slipping away with each victory.
Whatever the reason, we will see a lot of Yusef Nurkic, Gary Harris, Eric Green and Will Barton tonight. The Nuggets probably want to get a longer look at these players to see what they have going forward. Also, with Hunt’s need for victories to try and secure the head coaching job on a permanent basis, they aren’t getting the time needed to see what the Nuggets have in these players.