Putting the “D” back in Denver: Karl turns around Nuggets’ style
Web Posted: 04/20/2007 10:21 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News
For the better part of a decade, the only “D” in the Denver Nuggets was the first letter of the name of their city.
After Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo bolted for Atlanta in 1996, the Nuggets embraced a basketball philosophy that believed running opponents into submission in Denver’s thin air enabled them to outscore enough opponents to insure playoff viability.
When George Karl arrived midway through the 2004-05 season, he set about trying to change the defensive culture of a team that still ranks among the NBA’s leaders in shots taken (83.4 per game) and points scored (105.4).
It has not been easy, but the Nuggets’ surge into the playoffs — they went 17-9 in the final two months of the regular season, 10-1 in April — coincided with an increased commitment to defense and a slightly more traditional approach on the offensive end.
The No. 1 question for the Nuggets as they open their first-round series against the Spurs is simple: Have they learned to play enough defense to win a playoff series?
The answer is a decided maybe.
“I think so,” said Marcus Camby, being pushed hard by Karl as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. “When we put our minds to it we can really play defense, but sometimes we fall in love with the defensive end. We can hold a team like Dallas to 71 points, then go down to Memphis and give up 133 points. Some nights we have it, and some nights we don’t.”
Karl looked at his personnel this season and saw the basis of a solid defensive unit. Camby was the league leader in blocked shots this season, giving the team a presence in the middle despite his rail-thin frame. Power forward Nenê is Karl’s muscle man in the paint. Greg Buckner and Yakhouba Diawara are defensive role players.
The problem was getting his team to buy into the concept of playing both ends of the court while still playing an all-out running game on offense.
“For me,” Karl said, “it was a frustrating time because we weren’t ever a bad defensive team, we were an uncommitted defensive team. More often than not we could defend and play and we’d have moments in games we were good defensively. We just didn’t commit to some of the fundamentals of it.”
The trades the Nuggets made at midseason slowed the process of changing the team’s defensive mind-set. Curiously, the recommitment to defense began with a tweak of the team’s offensive philosophy.
“When we made all the changes,” Karl said, "I said we can’t be just an offensive team. We don’t know each other well enough to do that. Familiarity is more important offensively than defensively.
"I think the two things that are consistent with great teams are passing and defending. We have the same problem offensively at times. We’re inconsistent getting to the basket. When we do that, we’re an explosive offensive team.
“The basis of all great teams is defense. The game starts at that end. The commitment has to come from that end, and when you do that, then the offense can be fun.”
Camby possibly has had the best season of a career that has been characterized mostly by injury misfortune which precluded potential greatness. The season just ended was just the second in his 11 in the NBA in which he was healthy enough to play at least 70 games. He has averaged 56 games per season.
This season he averaged 11.7 rebounds. His league-leading 3.3 blocks per game was the second-highest figure of his career, and gave him his third blocks title. His teammates credit him for inspiring more defensive focus from them.
“I think Marcus’ performances have been pretty incredible in the last six weeks,” Karl said. “Marcus, personally, has won games by himself.”
Camby appreciates Karl’s praise. More importantly, he is happy his teammates have begun to embrace defense.
“I think it finally clicked,” Camby said. "We’ve been stressing defense ever since training camp, but it seemed like we fell in love with the offensive end a lot. I always felt we were a team that could score points with the best of them, but the old cliché is that defense wins championships.
“After the All-Star break it was a struggle. We didn’t know if we were going to make (the playoffs) or not. It seemed like we were a borderline team. But the guys individually picked up their level of defense, and it is starting to pay off right now.”