In Potential Walk Year, Nene Has Never Looked Fitter
Any halfway decent NBA big man due for a new contract next summer had to giggle with each update on the sports ticker.
Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Samuel Dalembert each averaged about $10 million in new deals with New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Even the underachieving Kwame Brown reeled in $8 million per year from the Los Angeles Lakers. What that means locally is the Nuggets' Nene is going to get paid. A lot. Whether it's now, or later.
"If he's on the market next summer with the year I think he's going to have, I think he's going to be in great position," his agent, Michael Coyne, said Wednesday.
Coyne declined to comment on a possible contract extension for the 6-foot-11 Brazilian. The Nuggets face an Oct. 31 deadline to extend his contract or he becomes a free agent next summer.
Nene has a bargaining advantage knowing Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Houston's Yao Ming have agreed to extensions. That leaves Detroit's Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic and not much else among free-agent forwards next summer.
Then again, it could hurt Nene if he waits and has an injury- plagued season like last season.
"There's a security versus upside issue, or downside, whatever way you want to look at it," Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "Both sides take that risk. ... We'd like him to be here a long time, to a long-term deal."
Those around Nene said he never has looked fitter. He agreed with coach George Karl's assessment that he is more relaxed this season.
"I just try to focus on what I'm doing, focus on the run, the pass and the post," he said.
Nene insisted he is comfortable as a backup to Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, as long as he gets steady minutes.
Karl said he hopes to run his offense through the post more this season, meaning he would like to count on Nene as a power player. Nene and Karl are relishing how that might happen under new assistant Tim Grgurich, who is credited with helping Stoudemire elevate his game.
"I say he and Carmelo (Anthony) had the best summer by far," Karl said of Nene. "He's a guy that is only going to get better. But we don't have to coach him. He's just going to get better just by breathing."
Footnotes
The Nuggets have until the end of the month to exercise their $4.7 million option on Anthony, which they will do. ...Karl said Martin was "fatiguing a little bit" in practice Wednesday, which again kept him out of a late scrimmage. ... The Nuggets used Julius Hodge at point guard Tuesday, a spot where Karl said the rookie is most likely to get his practice time early on. ... The Nuggets have added former Kansas center Eric Chenowith.