Hey, it's only the preseason

[ducks]

Hey, it's only the preseason
Hey, it's only the preseason

Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
October 14, 2005

Nuggets lethargic in losing debut, but it 'doesn't mean a lot'
One team looked lethargic, often just going through the motions.

But, no, that team wasn't the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, who have had plenty else to worry about after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Instead, it was the Denver Nuggets who laid a dinosaur egg Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

True, it's only preseason. Still, Denver's 100-90 loss in the opener for both teams had to be regarded as surprising.
"You can't have a New Orleans coming in, especially at home (and beating the Nuggets)," Denver forward Eduardo Najera said. "But it's preseason."

That seemed to be the common theme running through the Nuggets locker room. The Nuggets went 7-1 in the preseason last year before stumbling to a 17-25 start.

"Preseason doesn't mean a lot," forward Carmelo Anthony said.

Well, it did mean enough that Nuggets coach George Karl listened to Anthony when he asked to play in the fourth quarter, giving him 3 minutes. Karl was not overly thrilled about losing before the announced crowd of 9,571.

"We thought we were kind of the veteran team," Karl said. "We didn't have a lot of energy. . . . New Orleans had a zip and a swagger that they didn't play with last year."

Perhaps the Hornets simply had more incentive.

In late August, Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. The Hornets were in limbo for three weeks before learning they would play the majority of their regular-season home games in Oklahoma City.

"Preseason. Summer league. Regular season. Postseason. A win is win," said Hornets rookie point guard Chris Paul, who was beaming after getting six points, seven assists and three steals in his first NBA game.

The Hornets, who got a game- most 19 points from reserve forward Rasual Butler, shot .480. The Nuggets managed only .397.

Anthony led the Nuggets with 17 points. DerMarr Johnson started at shooting guard and contributed 15 points but fouled out in 20 minutes.

"It doesn't really matter," Johnson said of getting the start over Voshon Lenard. "I didn't know because Voshon had a great camp."

It has been a different story for Lenard with fans in attendance, though. He shot 2-for-12, matching his numbers from the Blue/White Scrimmage.

"I think he's a little heavy," Karl said of Lenard, the starter before tearing his left Achilles' tendon in the regular-season opener last year and missing 79 games. "Not weightwise but just tired. His body look like it lacked a little zip."

Citing more than a week of hard practices, Karl said others also lacked pep. Well, everybody but Najera, who scored 12 points in an energetic 21 minutes.

"Najera was the only guy who got the job done for us," Karl said. "Everybody else was average or below average. DerMarr had a good second half (scoring 13)."

But the game was pretty much over by then. The Nuggets, who never led, fell behind 56-41 at halftime and never got closer than eight points.

ETC.: Kyle Speller, a former Adams State player who failed in a 1999 free-agent bid to make the Nuggets, is the team's new public-address announcer. "It's a dream come true," said Spencer, 34, who made his debut. Spencer, a minister who does work in prisons, prepared for his tryout by announcing starting lineups at prison games . . . Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, upset with his alma mater for recently forcing University of Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins to resign, had said he wanted to be announced as being from Bryan Adams High School in Dallas. However, Martin was announced as being from Cincinnati, with a Nuggets publicist saying it was Martin's decision. "I don't want to talk about it, so leave me alone," Martin said after the game . . . Amid reports Duke's Mike Krzyzewski will be named to coach Team USA in next year's World Championships and the 2008 Olympics, Karl discussed the choice. "I'm a pro coach, so I probably would have favored (San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) or somebody who hasn't had the opportunity, but . . . (Krzyzewski) will do everything to get us back to the top of the mountain," said Karl, who coached Team USA to a disappointing sixth-place finish in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis . . . Not playing for the Nuggets because of injury were Nene (right hamstring strain), Earl Boykins (groin strain) and Greg Buckner (groin strain) . . . The Nuggets accepted hurricane donations and treated about 250 evacuees to free tickets and concessions. They evacuees met with players after the game.

NEW ORLEANS (100) - Nachbar 6-8 2-2 16, Brown 2-5 0-0 4, Magloire 4-7 0-0 8, Paul 2-6 0-0 6, Smith 5-11 2-4 12, Macijauskas 2-4 3-4 7, West 2-6 0-0 4, Butler 7-12 3-4 19, Lampe 3-6 3-4 9, Garcia 1-6 5-6 7, Vroman 0-1 1-2 1, Snyder 2-3 1-2 7. Totals 36-75 20-28 100.

DENVER (90) - Martin 4-10 2-4 10, Anthony 5-10 6-10 17, Camby 2-6 1-1 5, Johnson 6-10 2-3 15, Miller 1-6 2-2 4, Lenard 2-12 0-0 5, Najera 2-4 8-10 12, Watson 4-7 0-0 9, Russell 0-1 3-4 3, Elson 2-6 0-0 4, Kleiza 1-4 0-0 2, Pope 0-0 0-0 0, Hodge 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 31-78 24-34 90.

New Orleans......34 22 25 18 - 100
Denver......23 18 26 23 - 90

Three-point goals - New Orleans 8-16 (Butler 2-5, Nachbar 2-3, Paul2-3, Snyder 2-3, Smith 0-1, Garcia 0-1), Denver 4-8 (Johnson 1-3, Lenard 1-2, Anthony 1-1, Watson 1-1, Elson 0-1). Fouled out - Johnson. Rebounds - New Orleans 55 (Butler 8), Denver 49 (Elson 8). Assists - New Orleans 25 (Paul 7), Denver 18 (Miller 5). Total fouls - New Orleans 29, Denver 27. A - 9,571. (19,099).

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[NuGGeTs-FaN]

yeh its only the preseason but just like the spurs it still sucks to lose......

Melo played well which is the important thing but NO played a great game and Paul was damn good for his first game, Nachbar and Butler played good as well.

Im not worried at all, im glad they have preseason games coz it gives the players a chance to get into a rhythm and the coach to see what lineups and combos will work best this year

bring on the Blazers