Sometimes when you ride like lightning, you crash like thunder.
Unfortunately for the high-flying, tenacious whirlwind that has been the Denver Nuggets in 2013 — 34-9 since Jan. 1 — the Larry O’Brien championship trophy that seemed so possible, if only to them, is now just a flickering hologram in its trophy case.
The league-wide excitement over 17 consecutive wins has turned into a somber, injury-ridden locker room. The first victim was star point guard Ty Lawson.
Yes, star point guard.
Lawson has blossomed into one of the league’s elite guards. Even before his newly found scoring prowess he was one of the most difficult matchups: a tasmanian devil on each possession and a nightmare for the old heads of this league to chase around.
He is the driver of this state-of-the-art Lamborghini that George Karl has constructed. Nobody can drive it better.
After shooting below 40 percent during the first half of the season, Lawson averaged 23.3 points and 8.5 assists on 50 percent shooting in February. He carried that play into March before suffering a torn plantar fascia in his right foot on March 19 in a 114-104 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lawson will miss at least the next four weeks.
Despite Lawson’s absence, the Nuggets have rallied to win 5-of-7 behind their immensely deep and talented roster. But now Danilo Gallinari, Denver’s 6’10” small forward with shooting range from Italy has gone down with a torn ACL that will end his season.
But while we may smell trouble, George Karl smells a challenge.
From Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post:
Karl loves trouble. He does his best coaching work in a crisis. Piece together a new playing rotation on the fly? That’s not easy. But that’s what Hall of Fame coaches do, right?
More from Kiszla: “The real injury concern for Denver is not Gallinari, it’s point guard Ty Lawson. Lawson is the player who makes the Nuggets go. He’s out with a nagging, worrisome foot injury. So stop crying in your beer, Nuggets fans. If Lawson can come back for the playoffs, Denver will be off and running.”
Ty, Gallo or not — who have formed a deadly pick-and-pop combo this season — the Nuggets are looking forward to the challenge.
That’s what you’ll get when you have the sixth-most winningest coach in NBA history on your side.
(Watch this site later today for an idea from afar. We have corespondents all over the world at SheridanHoops. And one of them has a plausible solution -CS)
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