duncan228
12-26-2008, 03:35 AM
Grind of season wearing on Nene (http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11311159)
The Brazilian, who survived cancer last season, is working hard to keep his stamina up while playing out of position.
By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post
Nene just can't seem to feel 100 percent. He swears he has been fighting a cold for the past couple of weeks.
"After the cancer, I don't know," Nene said. "I'm hard to get sick, you know? But now I get sick all the time."
That's not all.
Nene will play his 30th game tonight, which is nearly double last season's workload. While he's held up just fine, there is a wear-and tear factor that warrants keeping an eye on the 6-foot-10 Brazilian as the season progresses. Nene acknowledges the difficulty of his nightly tasks and says he is doing all he can to stay healthy and in game shape.
One of those things is letting the coaches know when he needs a breather. He has signaled the bench more often of late to remove himself from games to grab rest. When he has been on the court, his level of exhaustion is obvious. On his way back down the defensive end of the court, he walks the first few steps, gradually trots and then runs.
Nene, a forward, is essentially playing out of position at center for the Nuggets, but he has a skill set and size (250 pounds) that allows him to survive. His game revolves around post-ups and screen-rolls, and he scores mostly around the basket.
Still, this month he has banged bodies with San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Minnesota's Al Jefferson, Houston's Yao Ming, Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Portland's duo — Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla.
"It's a lot of contact on the low post," Nene said. "That is not easy. It's extra energy. It's a lot of games and no time to rest — back-to-back and all that stuff."
Yet Nene has played exceptionally well, recording career-high averages in points (14.2), rebounds (7.6), blocks (1.5), and field-goal percentage (.615). His field-goal percentage leads the NBA. There is a smattering of all-star talk surrounding him. He has come a long way from last season, when he missed 66 games for myriad reasons, the most serious being testicular cancer.
Nene says he set himself up to be more durable and successful with hard work in the weight room and on the court during the summer. Instead of going back to Brazil for most of the offseason, he went for only two weeks.
"I worked hard to be able to do training camp after the chemotherapy," Nene said. "And to have more confidence in the post because for a long time I worked and worked and when I started the season, I get a big injury. Now, I did good, shots are going in, so that is good."
In the last three games, Nene has been on a tear, averaging 18.7 points on a blistering 21-of-29 shooting (.724) and 13.0 rebounds. He says he is not worried about his ability to hold up for the remaining 53 games of the regular season.
"I don't think about it much. I just play and pray," Nene said, smiling. "It's not easy, it's physical, a lot of pushing, a lot of banging. I knew it was going to happen. Now I'm going to be quiet and just play basketball."
The Brazilian, who survived cancer last season, is working hard to keep his stamina up while playing out of position.
By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post
Nene just can't seem to feel 100 percent. He swears he has been fighting a cold for the past couple of weeks.
"After the cancer, I don't know," Nene said. "I'm hard to get sick, you know? But now I get sick all the time."
That's not all.
Nene will play his 30th game tonight, which is nearly double last season's workload. While he's held up just fine, there is a wear-and tear factor that warrants keeping an eye on the 6-foot-10 Brazilian as the season progresses. Nene acknowledges the difficulty of his nightly tasks and says he is doing all he can to stay healthy and in game shape.
One of those things is letting the coaches know when he needs a breather. He has signaled the bench more often of late to remove himself from games to grab rest. When he has been on the court, his level of exhaustion is obvious. On his way back down the defensive end of the court, he walks the first few steps, gradually trots and then runs.
Nene, a forward, is essentially playing out of position at center for the Nuggets, but he has a skill set and size (250 pounds) that allows him to survive. His game revolves around post-ups and screen-rolls, and he scores mostly around the basket.
Still, this month he has banged bodies with San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Minnesota's Al Jefferson, Houston's Yao Ming, Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Portland's duo — Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla.
"It's a lot of contact on the low post," Nene said. "That is not easy. It's extra energy. It's a lot of games and no time to rest — back-to-back and all that stuff."
Yet Nene has played exceptionally well, recording career-high averages in points (14.2), rebounds (7.6), blocks (1.5), and field-goal percentage (.615). His field-goal percentage leads the NBA. There is a smattering of all-star talk surrounding him. He has come a long way from last season, when he missed 66 games for myriad reasons, the most serious being testicular cancer.
Nene says he set himself up to be more durable and successful with hard work in the weight room and on the court during the summer. Instead of going back to Brazil for most of the offseason, he went for only two weeks.
"I worked hard to be able to do training camp after the chemotherapy," Nene said. "And to have more confidence in the post because for a long time I worked and worked and when I started the season, I get a big injury. Now, I did good, shots are going in, so that is good."
In the last three games, Nene has been on a tear, averaging 18.7 points on a blistering 21-of-29 shooting (.724) and 13.0 rebounds. He says he is not worried about his ability to hold up for the remaining 53 games of the regular season.
"I don't think about it much. I just play and pray," Nene said, smiling. "It's not easy, it's physical, a lot of pushing, a lot of banging. I knew it was going to happen. Now I'm going to be quiet and just play basketball."