Carmelo Anthony to Memphis?

Ever since Bill Simmons wrote this column last week, Grizzlies fans have been abuzz with the thoughts of acquiring the "star player" that they missed out on in the much-ballyhooed 2003 draft. Again, even though I am loathe to do so (and because this is the kind of thing that the Sports Guy loves to criticize bloggers for doing), I have to take exception to his suggested trade proposal:

The Bernard King Award
To Melo for (what's soon to be) another quick playoff exit, another dicey off-court incident and an inevitable summer of trade rumors. Remember, Bernard battled drug/alcohol demons and bounced around for his first few years before eventually landing with (cueing up the Marv Albert voice) ... the New York Knickerbockers. It's unclear how to define Melo's problems beyond the whole "you can take the kid out of Baltimore, but you can't take the Baltimore out of the kid" joke, but clearly something is going on, and during an era when younger stars are much more personable and squeaky-clean, Melo seems to be a throwback to the mid-'90s, back when young players still made dumb mistakes and were surrounded by a swollen entourage at all times.

I don't see him spending his entire career in Denver, much less next season, and there's a 98.7 percent chance he'll become the focal point of every trade rumor this summer. For instance, what if the Grizzlies get the No. 2 pick and decide they want to take hometown kid Derrick Rose even though they already have three point guards on their roster. If you're Denver, do you trade Melo for Mike Conley Jr., Hakim Warrick and Mike Miller, chop a few million off your payroll and hope Miller and Linas Kleiza can replace Melo's numbers (which, by the way, they would)? If you're Memphis, wouldn't you sell tickets with Melo, Rose and Rudy Gay? In other words, aren't those two teams a match? What if Minnesota got the No. 2 pick? If you're Denver, would you offer Melo to the T-Wolves for that pick (plus expiring contracts) and take Rose? See where I'm going here? If the Nuggets can turn Melo into a point guard, cap space and/or something else, don't they have to think about it?

(Of course, Melo can vanquish the previous two paragraphs by putting the Nuggets on his back and torching the Lakers for the next few games when they don't have a single guy who can defend him. Let's just say I'm not keeping my fingers crossed.)

Let's break this one down point by point, shall we?

1. Carmelo Anthony is a SF. Coincidentally, so is Rudy Gay. I know that Rudy played some PF this season and that if he improves his ball handling ability over the next few seasons he'll probably wind us at SG unless the Grizzlies draft/sign/trade for a high-level player at that position. But the fact is that the team's two best players would play best at the same position in that scenario. In addition to that, Rudy Gay's sophomore campaign produced better stats than Melo's. Higher RPG, SPG, BPG, FG%, 3PT% and virtually the same PPG, APG and TO. In other words, isn't it possible that Rudy is going to be as good as (if not better than) Melo in another season or two? Consider that Strike 1.

2. Yes, in all likelihood, a lineup that included Rose, Gay and Anthony would sell tickets in Memphis, which is a concern in these parts. However, the real question is this: Will they win playoff games and playoff series? Memphians have seen regular season success before and it no longer impresses them that much. I know that Melo was the best player/leader on that Syracuse team that won a national title, but has he been that player in the NBA? According to most fans, we already had one alleged franchise player that couldn't make a difference in the postseason, despite posting quality numbers in the regular season and postseason. Do we really want to travel down that road again so soon? Melo has made the postseason all five seasons in the NBA.....and has yet to advance beyond the first round. I realize, of course, that basketball isn't a one-man game (unless that one man is named LeBron), but that's what we in the business call a "pattern". It was a pattern for Kevin Garnett (who needed an All-Star season from Sam Cassell to finally get over the hump) and it continues to be a pattern for Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Some players just don't have it in them to be "The Man" in the NBA Playoffs. Lack of postseason success (and an apparent lack of concern about that result) equals Strike 2.

3. To follow up on being "The Man" in the playoffs, we now come to this issue: Is Carmelo Anthony a Superstar? (Note the capital "S") I say no. Is he a star? Absolutely. He's a great scorer and has displayed the ability to be clutch beyond belief -- even on par with Kobe and LeBron. However, a Superstar elevates his teammates in addition to being the go-to guy on offense. Oh, and a Superstar makes more than marginal effort on defense -- not that Melo even does that. If Melo isn't a Superstar, then why should the Grizzlies trade away a solid offensive option (Mike Miller) and one of the top PG prospects in the last few seasons (Mike Conley) for a guy that is very, very good, but ultimately isn't great or a true difference maker? I realize that Simmons hates the Grizzlies (as evidenced by the fact that he is constantly trying to move them to another city every other week) and really hates Chris Wallace (and not just for the Gasol trade that made the Lakers a championship contender for the next 5 seasons), but for Pete's sake, we do want this team to experience some playoff success in the future and eventually make the leap to contender. Does this trade accomplish that without Rudy Gay and/or Derrick Rose becoming All-NBA level players? I don't think so. We'll call this one a foul tip to keep him alive for one more point.

4. Salary cap structure. This is why the team traded away Pau Gasol for draft picks and cap space, remember? Taking on Carmelo's salary means that they once again have a max contract taking up space. So when the time comes for Rudy Gay to get his max-level extension, guess who is sitting there making $17 million or roughly 30% of the salary cap? That's right - Melo. Then when Derrick Rose is ready for his extension the year after that, guess who has a player option for $18 million? Newsflash Sports Guy: Boston might be able to afford 3 guys making max money, but Memphis cannot. If they could, then Pau Gasol would still be here...and Allen Iverson or Vince Carter probably would as well, but that's another story for another day. Ring him up, because that's Strike 3.

Carmelo Anthony to Memphis? No thanks, I'll pass -- even though he doesn't.

Interview with the Enemy: The Nugg Doctor

In our now world reknown Q&A with bloggers from other lottery bound teams (and yes we received an email about the Interview series from someone in Asia which qualifies this as world reknown now), we get to know probably one of the least likely teams to be an actual lottery team this season. Denver has been considered a shoe-in to sneak into the last spot in the Western Conference since January but still finds themselves 1.5 games out of the 8th spot with 10 games remaining. The Nugg Doctor was kind enough to take time from the NCAA Scouting Party to help us out this week.


1. The Nuggets currently have a former MVP (Allen Iverson), a world class All-Star (Carmelo Anthony) and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby) on the roster. How is it possible that they are outside the playoffs right now with that level of talent?

The Nuggets can lean on a number of excuses such as injuries and the West being so tough just to mention a couple, but the real reason the Nuggets are on the outside looking right now is because they are inconsistent. Not AI, 'Melo, or Camby so much (although you can say Marcus's scoring is a bit hit or miss), but sometimes finding that third guy who wants to step up his game is a struggle for the Nuggets. Even with AI and Anthony doing amazing things night-in and night-out they can't get it done alone. Some nights it can be Linas, J.R., or Kenyon, but for the most part there is no consistent third offensive option. The other problem the Nuggets have had is playing solid D. Not just in stretches, but over entire quarters and halves. See, they are so good on offense some nights that they rely too heavily on the ball going through the net and forget to stop anyone on th other end of the floor.

2. Whose team is it -- Melo's or AI's?

Tough question... I'll do my best Swiss impression and stay nuetral on this one. Some nights it's 'Melo's and on others it's The Answer's. It just depends on how the first quarter plays itself out. Honesty, both players could probably lead the league in scoring if they didn't play on the same team. Individually, they are both that gifted.

3. Who is the one guy on this Nuggets team that you hope and pray is gone for next year?

That's easy, Yakhouba Diawara! He needs a few years in the CBA. I've never seen a professional ball player look that uncomfortable with the ball in his hands on offense.

Denver Recap 3.12.08

Memphis started out playing like a team that wanted to make a statement. The statement ended up being that the Grizzlies are a terrible team.

After opening the game 14-2 Memphis couldn't hold the lead until the end of the quarter, being outscored 8-21 the rest of the way to trail 23-22. Memphis' cold streak continued into the second quarter when the team could only score 14 points. That means that after the hot start the Grizzlies 22 points the rest of the half. Denver scored 23 pts in each of the first two quarters.

When the Grizzlies finally refound some offense the game was over as Denver scored 38 pts in the third quarter to leave the fourth quarter for the scrubs. There were two positives to take from this game. First our scrubs were better than Denver's as we outscored the Nuggets 28-24 in the final quarter.

Second, when on vacation in Colorado and people at the sports bar find out you are from Memphis and cheer for the Grizzlies they will buy you a lot of drinks in sympathy. Too bad I only drink sodas! Now I will be up all night thinking about how embarrassed I was at the bar.

If you look hard enough there were some bright spots. Hakim Warrick had three assists. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 16 points off the bench. Mike Miller, Javaris Crittenton and Hak hit all of their free throws.

The negatives were Mike Miller leading the team in rebounding with Navarro second against the big front line of Denver (Camby, Kenyon Martin and Carmello). Rudy played only 18 minutes and failed to reach double figures for the first time in a long while. The team shot 35% from the floor, 20% from the arc and below 70% from the line and their offense was a bright spot. I lost count at 10 but there were a lot of dunks by Denver last night. You probably won't see them on ESPN but there were a lot. Darko only played 9 minutes but I didn't see him get hurt. In the recap they mentioned he hurt his foot.

All in all another pathetic effort and a unfortunate outcome. Denver has been promoting that the team only has 19 games left in the regular season and they are going to give each one of them a playoff effort. It would be nice to see that type of effort from the Grizzlies in one of their remaining 18 games.

Memphis at Denver - 3.12.08

Memphis was absolutely destroyed for the second outing in a row, as the Phoenix Suns ran them into the ground for a most embarassing loss. The Grizzlies showed all the defensive intensity of a three-toed sloth for the second time in as many games and the run-n-gun Suns didn't display any mercy in racing out to a huge lead and eventual win.

Denver comes off a tough loss against the defending champs Monday night. The Nuggets are currently 2.5 games out of the playoff picture, despite the presence of a former MVP, the reigning Defensive POY and an All-Star by the name of Melo on their roster. That shows you how tough the West truly is this year. They will need to close that gap if Coach George Karl expects to retain his job without a fight this offseason.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Anthony Carter
Anthony Carter was signed as a stop-gap measure backup who was thrust into the starting lineup following Chucky Atkins' string of ailments this season. He has been decent in that role, even as his minutes fluctuate from game to game. Conley bounced back after a succession of disappointing games to post some solid numbers against Phoenix (10 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and he should see significant playing time in this one. Carter's veteran savvy should outweigh Conley's youthful exuberance.

Advantage: Denver

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson paced the Nuggets with 28 points against the Spurs, despite playing with a broken finger on his shooting hand. That's right Grizz fans, AI plays with a broken finger and we couldn't even get one former player out on the floor until "his lift" returned. Mike Miller played poorly against the Suns at the SF spot, but he should be able to take the smaller Iverson down to the post and get a few easy baskets. Of course, the diminutive guard's lightning-quick first step will cause #33 all kinds of problems on the other end, so expect a big night for the Nuggets' leading scorer.

Advantage: Denver

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Carmelo Anthony
The marquee matchup for this game (and quite frankly, probably the only truly interesting part of the game as long as the Grizzlies continue to play like it is still the preseason). Rudy was the lone Grizzly to post good numbers against Phoenix, so hopefully that will carry over to this game. Melo has played well since the All-Star break, even as his team struggles to get over the hump and back into the postseason picture, picking up his rebounding numbers noticeably. I expect Melo to get significant help in defending Rudy, while Rudy will be left on an island most of the time.

Advantage: Denver

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Kenyon Martin
Kenyon Martin has been in the news for the wrong reasons the past few days. It would seem that there have been some questions about him receiving preferential treatment by the local police despite behavior and driving that didn't deserve it. On the court Martin has been inconsistent recently, leaving George Karl to wonder just which player will show up from one night to the next. Warrick, on the other hand, has been fairly steady since being inserted into the starting lineup, which made his move back to the bench last night somewhat surprising. Martin's hustle and intensity could intimidate Hak and throw him off his game, but if he utilizes his exceptional mid-range game, he'll draw Martin away from the basket and away from his comfort zone.

Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Marcus Camby
Marcus Camby's scoring might be down this season (from 11.2 ppg last year to 9.2 ppg this year), but he's certainly not resting on the laurels of his DPOY award, as his rebounding is up 2.2 rpg (13.9 rpg - 2nd in the NBA) and his blocks are up 0.5 bpg (3.8 bpg - 1st in the NBA) from last year. Darko is coming off a poor shooting (6/15 FG) and rebounding (4 reb) night, which isn't good if you caught a look at Camby's stats above. To further complicate matters, when Camby does shoot, he has no problem stepping out to 18 feet, which will pull Milicic away from the basket on defense, leaving him in poor rebounding position. I expect Camby to double Darko in rebounds and blocks in this one.

Advantage: Denver

Benches: Memphis vs Denver
Denver gets most of their bench scoring from the duo of Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith, while Eduardo Najera takes care of all the "dirty work". Kleiza was positively on fire earlier this season, but has seen his shooting touch get a little shaky since the onset of a nagging ankle injury last week. Memphis relies on Juan Carlos Navarro for scoring/playmaking, on Kyle Lowry for defensive intensity and a change of pace, and Jason Collins for their own brand of "dirty work". Javaris Crittenton has also seen increased minutes lately, as the coaching staff evaluates the team in preparation for next season.

Advantage: Denver

Enemy Blogs:
Pickaxe and Roll
The Nugg Doctor
Nuggets Hoops

Postgame Thoughts: Memphis vs. Denver - 1.30.08

Well, it was another game and another close loss as the dreaded "failure to execute in late game situations" demon reared its ugly head once again.



>No, I said "demon", not "Damon". Since we're talking about Damon though, word is that he'll sign with the San Antonio Spurs by the end of the week. The surprising portion of this news is that it will actually lower the team's average age. Back to demons now, like the one on the lovely Claire Forlani's top as seen here:



That's not a demon on her shirt you say? Well, it's not much of a shirt either, so sod off! She's far more appealing to look at than the box score of another loss. Fine, fine, here's your bloody demon.



Still speaking of demons, who let The Dark One out? 14 points, 16 boards and 5 blocks, neatly mimicking Camby's 13/19/5 line? A few more games like that and he might shake the ridiculous "bust" label he's been unfairly saddled with.



Well, Darko and Rudy Gay were the "good" tonight and Mike Miller was the "acceptable by that much" player. Now on to my new favorite target (and not just because I like to see Zack get all riled up): Kyle Lowry. The buzz going into tonight's game was his great play as a starter since Conley went down with an injury, posting averages of 17.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 spg and an assist to turnover ratio of 18-to-1 over the past three games (although Chip agrees with me that his turnover total is somewhat dubious). Well tonight Kyle scored (19 points on 8/17 FG, 3/3 FT), rebounded (4 boards), stole (2 steals) and........forgot that he was a point guard. He tallied 1 assist and 6 turnovers while having his shot blocked 4 times. Granted, Marc Iavaroni said during the postgame comments that he wasn't pleased with the team's lack of assists (12 for the game) and even made a pointed remark in Rudy's direction after saying that, but Kyle is the starting PG -- Kyle should be the facillitator for everyone else. I'll leave it at that, because I love the kid's tenacity and drive, but he has to start making better decisions with the ball -- especially in late-game situations.

I didn't say much about Navarro's good game on Monday, so I probably shouldn't mention his poor game tonight......but I'm an equal opportunity offender, so here we go! 2 of 12 from the floor, including 0 for 8 from behind the arc? Really? He made some plays elsewhere, recording 7 boards, 3 assists and a steal, but make no mistake about it, he's paid to score.

Defensively, the team played poorly again, allowing yet another team to shoot over 50%. That stat, combined with a turnover deficit of -5 helped negate a rebounding advantage of +12. Defense is something that is going to have to be addressed with this team, no matter what style of play they choose to play.

I'm gonna go drown my sorrows in an ice-cold Pepsi now.



Yeah, that'll do.

ChipC3's Perspective:
Another heart-stopping finish and another hart-breaking loss for the team that couldn't finish straight.

I don't know how to put a different spin on an outcome that was so familiar. Memphis is very close to being a decent team and with the youth on display last night the future is looking bright. It just doesn't feel like that right now.

Thanks to Ron Tillery for his rumored trade of Stro for Magliore. Not only is it extremely dated to be reported now (right after Stro's one game suspension) but it doesn't even make sense financially since the it doesn't adhere to the CBA rules. Next time get the story right before you write it in an article Ron. Little things do make big differences as a journalist.

Darko Milicic played like the big man the Grizzlies have dreamed he would be. At 22 he isn't too far gone in his career that he can't start putting up these kind of numbers consistently but he is getting close to the point when the fans start to associate him with Stro. He tantilizes you one night and then disappears for a few. Hopefully Darko can use the rest of the season to get his game on a more consistent level. We aren't asking for 14 pts and 16 boards against an elite defensive center every night but a double double every other night would be nice.

Kyle Lowry is exciting. You never know what will happen with him on the court. He can charge into the lane and explode past a defender and he can charge into a lane only to get his shot blocked. He can make a sweet pass to an open man and he can throw the ball into the stands. One thing is for sure, you never know what is going to happen when he is on the court.

Juan Carlos Navarro has officially become the refs whipping boy on our team. Rookies are routinely judged by a different standard than veterans by the refs but it is becoming an issue when Navarro has every call go against him. Last night he was run over by AI and given a foul. This has gone on all season for calls like that. It seemed to upset his shooting last night too. Welcome to the NBA rookie. Next year he should start getting those calls (or learn to just get out of the way of an NBA All-Star's drive to the hoop).

Rudy Gay smoothly led the team in scoring with 30 points, grabbed 8 boards and handed out 3 assists to tie for the team high in assists. That should say a lot about how the ball movement was working last night. Rudy also showed just how much more he has to work on his dribbling. That is the one area I think is his weakest vice. Rudy struggles creating shots on drives because of his ballhandling skills. I think Mike Conley knows a good camp for Rudy to attend this summer to work on that.

Even up 7 pts with 3 minutes to go it seemed like everyone knew AI would take over and somehow will the team to victory. Then he did. One can only hope that Conley was watching on how to take over a game at the end. That will be his role in the future as his speed and dribbling skills will enable him to break down defenses while still keeping an eye open for a teammate. Sure AI scored 30 pts but he also got 12 assists, many of which were 3 pt shots when AI got into the lane and then passed out to the open wing man. If Lowry and Conley can start doing that more often Memphis would be very dangerous offensively.

Defensively the team looked lost at times. I don't understand how the Grizzlies seem unable to grasp even rudimentary moves and defend them but I am not the coach. The best defensive plays came on dunk shots by J R Smith who clanged back to back attempts off the rim which led to quick baskets by the Grizzlies and changed the game. At that time Denver looked to be establishing themselves but those two plays got the crowd and the team back into the game.

Utah comes to town Saturday night. I wonder how close we can make this loss?



Special Thanks to Getty Pictures for the live NBA action shots.

Memphis vs Denver - 1.30.08

Mike Conley Free Jersey Night!


Memphis continues their season long home stand against another team competing for a divisional title as the team tries to regroup from the beating Dallas inflicted on them Monday night. It may have been just a coincidence but it was hard to dissassoiate to correlation between Damon Stoudamire being freed from his purgatory of DNP's when he was waived and the total lack of effort by the Grizzlies Monday night. Pau Gasol is trying to play despite painful back spasms which are severely limiting his effectiveness. Mike Miller hustles but if he doesn't hit his first few shots, turns off the aggressive mode which the Grizzlies need from him. Even Rudy Gay has struggled with the moniker of Franchise Player put on him. Mike Conley is possible for this game and everyone is hoping he comes back quick but I somehow get the feeling it won't happen in this game. Kyle Lowry has been one of the few bright spots of late and that is despite his horrendous free throw shooting and inability to dive and dish effectively. Things have looked better in Memphis. Now Stromile Swift has joined the freakish story by getting suspended after the Dallas game.

Denver hasn't won on the road since January 4th against Minnesota. The Nuggets also come to town in a dog fight in the Northeast division. Utah, Portland and the Nuggets are all fighting for the top spot and it is quite likely one if not both losers will fail to even qualify for the post-season. That makes every game magnified in importance and also less likely that Denver will overlook the Grizzlies in this game. Throw in a 2 game losing streak to Southwest divsion teams in Dallas and New Orleans and the possibility of an 0-3 road trip has to be wearing on their minds. This will be the 3rd game in four days so fatigue has to be factored into the equation as well. Allen Iverson leads the Nuggets with always dependable Marcus Camby hitting the boards. The Nuggets are a little thin at forward with Nene and Carmello Anthony both battling differents problems but Linas Kleiza has stepped up and is starting to contribute in his role as back up scorer to Iverson with Carmello out. Carmello has been questionable the last two games. Anyone want to bet he recovers in time for this game? That would just be the Grizzlies look this year.

Point Guards: Kyle Lowry vs Anthony Carter
Anthony Carter has really helped the Nuggets out this season with his steadying play at the point. With Earl Boykins and Andre Miller gone and Former Grizz Chucky Atkins injured the team needed some stability at the point to free up Iverson to be the scorer he naturally is and Carter has allowed that. Carter's role isn't to score. He can hit shots however as he's shot 46% from the field and 35% from the arc this season. His main job is defense (1.44 spg) and assists (6.3 apg) and that he does well enough. Kyle Lowry is playing very well considering the excessive workload of the last two games (49 minutes against the Clips and 42 minutes against Dallas). His 8 total assists on 92 minutes is a bit disturbing but his 13 boards, 3 steals and only 1 turnover have been encouraging. What is disappointing is his 13-26 free throw shooting in those games.
Advnatage: Denver

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson stampeded his way to one of the starting positions on the NBA All-Star team. He deserved it more than T-Mac so I am happy for him. This also raises some interesting questions in this matchup. Is it better to be an NBA All-Star or a bench player on the Olympics team? AI was left off the invite list to last summer's FIBA championships which means he probably won't be on the Olympic team. Mike Miller made the team which means he should at least be asked to tryout again. Iverson is a scoring machine averaging 26.9 ppg on 45.4% from the field and 32.6% from the arc. He still averages over 2 steals per game (2.11) and at 32 yrs of age shows no sign of slowing down. Miller is 3rd on the Grizzlies in scoring at 16.7 ppg but should have little trouble getting his shot off over the diminutive AI. He will need to be careful with the ball however. Being aggresive shooting and taking care of the ball have not been strong points of Mike's game this season.
Advantage: Denver

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Linas Kleiza
Rudy Gay may hope he plays against Kleiza because the alternative is Carmello's return (which I still fully expect) but Kleiza is no pushover. He's not physically imposing or particularly athletic but he can get the job done. Rudy is putting together a good month but is obviously also looking forward to all-star weekend. It is a bit unfortunate that Ray won't be getting the time off because he has taken on a heavy load this year and there are still a lot of games left to play. Rudy will need to be aggressive in this matchup because it is one of the few that Memphis has the advantage in, assuming Carmello is still out.
Advantage: Denver

Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Kenyon Martin
Pau Gasol normally has trouble with more physical players like Martin but KMart's knee has prevented him from being the beast he used to be in the NBA. Of course Gasol's back has made him a shadow of the player he was earlier in the month. Gasol is still averaging over 20 pts and 10 board in January but he will need to pick up the pace to win this battle. Gasol will likely be traded off between Marcus Camby and Kmart in an attempt to wear him down as well. The problem for Denver is the lack of depth behind Kmart and Camby and Gasol's ability to get to the line. If Gasol can get the starters in foul trouble then Memphis looks surprisingly good in this game. The problem is that Gasol is averaging around 5 FT's a game in January and that won't get anyone in foul trouble.
Advantage: Denver

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Marcus Camby
Camby will not be seeing his former coach John Calipari on the sidelines this trip to town as the Tigers will be in Houston taking care of the Cougars we hope. That is good news because the last thing Darko needs is more motivation for Camby. Camby always seems to have huge games against the Grizzlies and their weak interior rebounding. While Darko doesn't grab the ball that often he usually prevents his man to get the rebound as well. Take away Camby's offensive boards and you take away a lot of his offensive effectiveness. Darko may not have Stro backing him up in this game so avoiding foul trouble is important as well.
Advantage: Denver

Benches: Memphis vs Denver
When a team has J R Smith coming off the bench, you realize this is a team that can hit you from many different positions offensively. With Carmello Anthony out with a bad knee and Nene out with cancer it does hurt the Nuggets bench but that doesn't mean the cupboard is bare either. Eduardo Najera is the exact player Memphis thought they were getting when they signed Brian Cardinal. The only real difference is Najera doesn't have bum knees and an insane contract. Also, while Carmello took off for the disaster on the Gulf, I doubt he will miss this game as well. Memphis' bench has been strong with Navarro and Hakim trying to compete but Bobby Jones looks like he won't be picked up for the rest of the season. He hasn't played at all lately and looks disinterested in the few minutes he has gotten. If Stro plays, and that is questionable with the suspension, and regains the level of play he exhibited before he twisted his ankle Memphis' bench will be stronger but it usually takes Stro a longer time than most to recover from these types of injuries.
Advantage: Denver

Relevant blogs/websites:
Pickaxe and Roll
The Nugg Doctor
Nuggets Hoops