December 21, 2008 11:59 PM
Karl not considering replacing Jones with Smith
By Chris Tomasson
Rocky Mountain News
Like Stella, Dahntay Jones might have lost his groove.
Before last Tuesday's game against Houston, Nuggets coach George Karl said, "I can't deny we've talked about J.R.'' Smith possibly replacing Jones as the starting shooting guard. But Karl said there was no need at that time to make a move with the Nuggets winning, and that Jones had been in a "groove'' starting.
With the Nuggets set to play host to Portland on Monday night, Karl no doubt would like to see a movie entitled, "How Dahntay Got His Groove Back.''
The Nuggets have lost three straight games for the first time this season, and Jones has had his troubles. Still, Karl said Sunday he's not considering replacing Jones with Smith, who has averaged 19 points the past four games.
"I don't think so,'' said Karl, emphasizing that "we're having a great year.''
Things, though, haven't gone so great the past three games. While there have been a number of factors why the Nuggets (17-10) have gone into a slump, statistics show the Nuggets have been far better during their losing streak when Smith is on the court rather than Jones.
Over the past three games, Smith has had a plus-minus rating (a measure of points scored in a game when a player is on the court) of plus-19 compared to minus-43 for Jones. And the Nuggets regularly have gotten off to rough starts.
Karl starts Jones over Smith because he is a much stronger defender, and he likes him against an opponent's top perimeter player, which means Jones figures to start out on Portland's Brandon Roy, coming off a 52-point outing.
While Smith is the much stronger offensive player, Karl likes to bring him off the bench to provide instant offense.
Here's a breakdown regarding Jones and Smith during the three-game losing streak. While Smith's offensive stats are nearly always better than Jones' anyway, check out the poor starts the Nuggets have had and the overwhelming plus-minus differences between the players:
--The Nuggets lost 108-96 last Tuesday at Houston. The Nuggets trailed 19-14 in the first quarter when Smith replaced Jones. For the game, Smith was at plus-5 to minus-11 for Jones. Smith shot 6-of-14 for 17 points, with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and three turnovers in 31 minutes while Jones shot 1-of-3 for two points with two rebounds, no assists, no steals and one turnover in 14 minutes.
--The Nuggets lost 105-88 Friday at home to Cleveland. The Nuggets trailed 23-14 in the first quarter when Smith replaced Jones. For the game, Smith was at minus-6 to minus-17 for Jones. Smith shot 3-of-7 for 11 points with three rebounds, four assists, one steal and two turnovers in 25 minutes while Jones shot 3-of-4 for six points with one rebound, two assists, no steals and two turnovers in 19 minutes.
--The Nuggets lost 108-101 Saturday at Phoenix. The Nuggets trailed 17-7 in the first quarter when Smith replaced Jones. For the game, Smith was at plus-14 to minus-15 for Jones. Smith shot 9-of-16 (including 5-of-11 on three-pointers) for 23 points with four rebounds, no assists, one steal and three turnovers in 29 minutes. Jones shot 0-of-1 for two points with three rebounds, one assist, no steals and one turnover in 13 minutes.
Karl figures also to use Jones starting out against Roy on Tuesday, when the Nuggets play at Portland in the second game of a home-and-home series. After that, Karl can ponder by his Christmas tree whether there is any chance he might want to change shooting guards.
Karl will know then whether Jones got his groove back against the Trail Blazers.
December 22, 2008
2:13 AM
Samiam writes:
Take that plus/minus stuff and stick it where the sun don't shine. Stats, they can be interperted anyway you want. That's why Anthony Carter is playing so many minutes. Him and George both need to be gone.
December 22, 2008
9:17 AM
Weeman writes:
Doesn't surprise me....Karl is the biggest idiot coach in history....His game PHILOSOPHY has failed over and over again, so I don;t trust his judgement in no way.....Get gone Karl, we don't need you....I think Jeff Van Gundy or Avery Johnson would utilize this team better.
December 22, 2008
9:46 AM
Supra2jzgte writes:
You morons calling for his firing realise that J.R. already plays starters minutes, he just isnt on the court on tip off, he doesnt bring the defensive intensity that dahntay or anthony carter would.. There is a reason why karl has been an nba coach for like 20 seasons and you just sit on here and blog.
December 22, 2008
12:50 PM
Anonymous writes:
there's also a reason why the nuggs have been bounced the last 5 YEARS in the first round! I'm just calling for some accountability. J R whether Karl likes him or not is our best shooting guard and no he doesn't see starters minutes. he usually is under 30 and has been around 20-25 in prior seasons. he's our best scorer and our best athlete, shame on the coach for not using his talent more appropriately. great column by the way! let's give J R some recognition for his continued improvement, he's showed his potential and i think he could be an all star caliber player. jones is no where near him and i bet lebron laughed at the idea of guarding him.
December 22, 2008
4:53 PM
jrhino writes:
J. R. Has played better D. Id put him on a short leash. I must be psychic. I tought this change last night honest.
December 26, 2008
6:35 PM
Samiam writes:
MEDIOCRITY,COMPLAISANT all those willing to give George Karl a free ride. You can continue to accept the excuses and flawed coaching that's your, however their some of us who want more for the Nuggets