The Nuggets have won just one of their first five, and Tuesday’s 108-88 loss to Seattle seemed indicative of a team without direction. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein thinks coach Jeff Bzdelik isn’t long for the job.
A couple scouts who watched the Nuggets’ Opening Night loss to the Lakers told me that the body language they saw from Bzdelik’s players convinced them that the coach had lost the team before the season even started. Apart from a stirring second-half comeback against Denver’s hated rivals from Minnesota, the body language and effort has steadily worsened.
Combine those woes with the fact that Bzdelik’s offense has never looked more stagnant and the outcome is inevitable.
Carmelo Anthony is getting the bulk of the blame for Denver’s 1-4 start, but that’s too easy. There’s no question Melo has been trying too hard — whether to make us forget the Olympics, to get past the recent flap about his backpack, or whatever. There’s likewise no doubt that lofty expectations have smothered Anthony and his teammates, who launched things with a nightmare against the Lakers in L.A. and haven’t recovered. Yet you can’t ignore the fact that Denver’s offense is doing nothing to help Anthony.