Hit By a Pitch

So far this morning, no news is good news on the Nuggets trade front. The Artest deal still seems hung up on Kleiza. The Nugs are shopping Nene (Miami and New Jersey are interested), but with his health status and return date up in the air, it’s hard to say how appealing he is right now. I love Nene, but I could live with trading him for someone much cheaper, especially now that Kenyon Martin is playing the best he’s played for the Nugs.

I didn’t hear about it until this morning, but apparently Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson spent the weekend lobbying for a deal that would bring Artest to the Nuggets. The coaches, as far as I can tell, are opposed to the Artest deal if it means giving up Kleiza. The front office is split on the issue.

I think the opinion of the coaching staff should have more weight than the opinion of the players. I also think that George Karl showed a new and effective strategy for upping the defensive intensity of this team before the Celtics win — announcing which Nuggets stars were in charge of guarding which Celtics stars. That’s good, insightful coaching right there, and more of that will help this team in a way Ron Artest (and the loss of Kleiza) can’t.

To be real honest with you (uh oh, I’m picking up a Scott Hastings-ism right there — have you noticed that he says that all the time?), Melo and AI need to STFU about trades and who they want to see on this team. Take that energy and focus it on being the leaders of this team, hyping up the other guys, working on your free throws, and playing some freaking defense. Otherwise, we might just have to wait a few years until Kleiza takes over — because he’s the one who seems to have the real drive, dedication, and passion to lead a team in a way that nobody is leading the Nuggets right now.

As the trade deadline approaches (three hours left) I’ll update as soon as I hear anything. Until then, I’ll do all I can to send “Kleiza yes! Artest no!” vibes to the Pepsi Center.