Denver Nuggets Have Questions To Be Answered Heading into LA Lakers Rematch

The Denver Nuggets (6-3) sit atop the Northwest division, only ahead of the Portland Trailblazers (6-3) because of their head-to-head victory in the second game of the year. After the first 10 days of the season, Denver was the No. 1 team in the West at 5-0, but the Nuggets have struggled to win only one of their last four contests.

And while the season is quite young, Denver still has discovered some questions that need to be answered.

Is Carmelo Anthony going for MVP good for the Nuggets?

Melo started on a tear, with 91 points in the first three games this season, and is currently third in the NBA in scoring at 30.2 points per game. He also averages 6.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest as Anthony attempts to lead his team deep into the playoffs once again—while also tossing his name into the NBA MVP hat.

But, the 22 shots he takes per game are taking a toll on the Nuggets now. Let’s face it, Melo can score with the best of them, and while he gets his points, teammates struggle.

Nene, K-Mart and others are reluctant to move because they know Melo probably won’t pass them the ball—so the offense bogs down. Against the Bulls, Anthony missed six straight shots down the stretch, and his ball hogging was so bad Chauncey Billups decided to drive the ball through three defenders rather than pass Melo the rock.

So really, while it may give Melo more acclaim as one of the best to play basketball to win the MVP, it would be counterproductive if his team can’t play to their full potential and can’t win the division.

Can the Nuggets improve their rebounding?

After the first nine games of the season, Denver has shown its lack in size, as they are 22nd in the NBA in rebounding at just over 40 per contest. Nene is the Nuggets leading rebounder, grabbing just over nine boards per game. Past that, Kenyon Martin snatches 6.9 and Chris Andersen 6.7 rebounds per game, which are solid but not spectacular numbers all around.

Really, the Nuggets need to just play more fundamentally under the basket, getting position and boxing out on opponents. The most frustrating thing to see Denver is a wide open player shooting at a basket with one, or even no teammates attempting to grab a rebound.

If the Nuggets can’t rebound better, they won’t be as good as last year, and will continue to lose to lesser competition all year.

Can Denver ’s big men match-up with the Lakers and other contenders’ frontcourts?

This question is related to the last one, as Nene, K-Mart, and “Birdman” Andersen all have to rebound extremely well against LA for Denver to even have a chance to win a series against the improved Lakers.

But beyond that, the Nuggets front court has to score and play defense at their top levels, all at the same time, for Denver to compete with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom. Oh yeah, and Ron Artest, too!

So far in the 2009-10 season, Artest, Bynum, and Odom combine for 42.6 points per game, which over shadows Nene, K-Mart, and Birdman’s 28.6 per. And the Lakers big three (in terms of size) also bring a menacing presence on the defensive end, tallying 3.92 steals and 2.77 blocks per contest, they are likely the best front court in the NBA today.

Plus, Pau Gasol isn’t healthy for the defending champion Lakers yet, and he will only make them bigger still.

Basically, the Nuggets will lack height in their match ups versus LA, but how much they are at a disadvantage and how well the guards can counter with speed will determine the season, and likely a playoff series.

How will George Karl fix already seen chemistry issues?

The Nuggets started so well with out J.R. Smith, it seemed they could only get better with his arrival. But in fact, head coach Karl finds himself in need of resolving a chemistry problem with the team.

Smith should be starting at two-guard, but since he’s not up to regular season shape and there is still some rust, he’s coming off the bench. Meaning Karl has been starting both Anthony Carter and Arron Afflalo in his spot and while both are decent players, neither possess the athletic ability or scoring prowess that Smith does.

Next, Melo’s ball hogging has hurt the Nuggets’ bigs, as both Nene (13.7) and K-Mart’s (10) scoring numbers have dropped since last season. Along with that goes offensive movement, as players are less inclined to move without the ball if they don’t think they will get it anyway. So, the lack of player and ball movement result in an absence of production and easy buckets—and some hurt feelings as well.

And beyond that, Ty Lawson has played so well he’s making a case to be the backup point guard, and shown he deserves playing time. But really, Lawson could be the key to the chemistry problem after all.

In Wednesday’s game against the Bucks, the Nuggets most effective lineup down the stretch was Billups, Lawson, Smith, Melo, and Nene—a group with explosive speed, athleticism and ability to score. But, while that lineup worked against a smaller Milwaukee team, it won’t against the big Lakers.

So, as the season continues, Karl and the Nuggets’ players will have to continue to grow as a unit and we’ll all have to wait and see what lineups work the best together.

Now though, Denver goes into the 10th game of this 2009-10 season and the Nuggets will begin to answer some of these questions in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals against the LA Lakers. The game takes place tonight at 8:30 ET on ESPN.