Chucky Atkins: The Jury is Out

This is the Nuggets 1 response to the ESPN Chucky Atkins 2006-07 evaluation and 2007-08 outlook.

The more I think about it, the more worried I get about an Atkins-Iverson backcourt. Not only is it too small but, if Atkins is a usually slow and Iverson is a sometimes gambling and always small defender, you have an even worse guard defense than last year with Blake-Iverson or even Smith-Iverson. I see the Atkins-Iverson pairing as another Big Whopper rotation mistake coming down the tracks. Especially since Karl will probably compound the problem by (a) maximizing the Atkins-Iverson combo playing time and (b) using (a) to avoid the extra coaching and practice work needed to play A.I. at the point and bring in better defenders at the 2.

Then again, since Hollinger was so wrong about Melo and Iverson, maybe he will be wrong about Atkins; maybe Atkins will do about as well this year as last. Memphis may have been desperate for his services, but the Nuggets, given enough guard injuries and defensive failures, are going to be just about as desperate. Hopefully, Atkins will attempt to rescue the Nuggets just as he did the Grizzlies.