COACH: Jeff Bzdelik | 2003-04: 43-39
Denver Nuggets

Kenyon Martin brings his hard-nosed, high-flying game to the Rocky Mountains.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
Crowded Up Front

Nene
The bruising Brazilian had a breakout season last year, with 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago as the team's starter at power forward.

Now, Kenyon Martin brings his 16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds to the Rockies, and you can bet he won't be doing it off the bench.

Nene would be the most likely candidate to come off the bench, where he would spell Martin and Marcus Camby, the team's starter at center. How will that sit with a player who started 77 games a year ago?

The answer to that question might tell just how far the Nuggets go. If he is unwilling to accept the new role, things could get a little dicey in Denver. If he adjusts, he might still play starter's minutes while making a substantial contribution to a big, deep and very dangerous team.

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Anthony
Springtime in the Rockies was already worthy of a musical tribute even before Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets gave their fans something to sing about last season.

Despite hitting a sour note against Minnesota in the playoffs, the Nuggets enjoyed their best season since 1989-90, thanks to Anthony, who averaged 21.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and nearly pulled the Rookie of the Year rug out from under LeBron James.

The Nuggets then pulled off the deal of the summer when they acquired forward Kenyon Martin from New Jersey without giving up a single player from their roster. Martin, a pillar on back-to-back Finals teams, will give the Nuggets one of the league's most intense players and a counter to Duncan, Garnett and company.

Martin's addition alone makes the Nuggets a candidate for the West's most improved team. Their interior rotation of Martin, Marcus Camby and Nene is as deep and talented as any in the West.

The backcourt is patrolled by Andre Miller, who re-emerged on the NBA landscape last season with 14.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. His understudy, Earl Boykins, posed matchup problems and stuck enough jumpers to drive the opposition nuts.

The closest thing the Nuggets have to a problem is at shooting guard, but Voshon Lenard keeps getting the job done and there's no reason to think he'll stop this year.

Despite Denver's success, Jeff Bzdelik heard whispers about his job security. They'll be louder this year, unless Denver can get past the first round. It's hard to imagine the Nuggets getting a top-four seed, but a team this deep is capable of the first-round upset.
Andre Miller: Assists could flourish with all these options on the wings
Marcus Camby: With K-Mart's arrival, his minutes could get squeezed
"The first thing about Denver is Kenyon Martin gives them toughness. They gave up three first-round draft picks, but they got an All-Star in return. He improves their front-court tremendously ... They have to make a decision, however, where to play Nenê, because Carmelo Anthony plays three, Martin will play the four and they'd have to think about Nenê at five. What do you do with Marcus Camby? There could a logjam, and what they call "hurt feelings" because someone isn't going to start ... I know Martin's starting, because you don't give up three picks not to start him ... They've had a defensive mentality the last few years, and they're getting better each year ... Carmelo Anthony is a major player. As you get better players around you, however, you have to learn how to play without the ball. He won't be able to shoot all the time now ... Earl Boykins hurts teams all the time off the bench. He's a difference maker, a tempo changer ... Voshon Lenard is an underrated performer for them."
--Western Conference scout
PLAYER/2003-04 STATS
PPG
RPG
APG
PG
14.8
4.5
6.1
SG
14.2
2.7
2.1
SF
21.0
6.1
2.8
PF
16.7
9.5
2.5
C
8.6
10.1
1.8
G
10.2
1.7
3.6
G-F
3.1
1.9
0.8
C
3.5
3.3
0.5
F-C
11.8
6.5
2.2
F
2.7
1.6
0.3
C
Re-signed
F
Trade
F-C
Free agent
G
Free agent
F
Free agent
C
Free agent
G
Trade
G
Expansion
PPG
21.0
RPG
10.1
APG
6.1
SPG
1.73
BPG
2.60
Points Scored
97.2
(5th)
Points Allowed
96.2
(19th)
Field-Goal Percentage
.443
(11th)
Opponents' FG%
.453
(24th)
Rebounding Diff.
-0.62
(20th)
Nov. 2 at L.A. Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT) | Buy tickets
'Melo and K-Mart vs. Kobe and L.O.? Good stuff on opening night.
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