Johan Petro deserves to play

you’re wish will be granted. Karl won’t have much of a choice.

for center/ PF

PF: Nene (20)/Bird (12)/ Graham (16)
C: Petro (25)/ Bird (10)/ Nene (13)

so it gives nene 33 minutes, which i know is a lot, but we do need him

first he played a portland team without their top 3 centers. when nene and petro were in the game at the same time they both struggled offensively. petro had 0 points and nene 3. nene is very limited at the forward position. he could never guard a player like dirk on the perimeter. offensively he plays better inside with his back to the basket. in the half court offense he will struggle playing outside facing the basket. andersen’s problem is he goes for the pump fake when he guards a player on the perimeter. petro will also have major problems defending the pick and roll. defensively he would have major problems inside against stronger and or taller opponents. the blazer game was the perfect storm for petro.

When I watch him I think he looks really nervous out there at times. I think if he had more playing time in the past he would have been more prepared for this situation. I think he’s got talent though. He can knock down the 15 foot j, he can definatly rebound and he is a big time hustler. I think he can actually develope into a solid backup if Karl keeps playing him. I would like to see Balkman get some playing time too but that doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon.

but guys Portland literally has no center. Petro’s 10 rebounds last night were a bit misleading. He’s a decent shooter for a center, and he showed against Dallas he is capable of that little hook thing he does. But he just doesn’t box out. He really doesn’t. Of those 10 rebounds, 3 or 4 were the kind where there was literally no one (Nugget nor Blazer) around Petro and it just bounced to him. He should have had 3 or 4 more, but there were instances where he just jumped to get the ball and someone went around him and got to the ball first.

He can improve, surely, but against teams that are dominant down low, Petro will get eaten alive, despite his size.

Petro looked like he wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t do,
he hasn’t played enough to know what his limitations are… which can be both a good and bad thing.

Bad he doesn’t do the little things that show a refined craft and he doesn’t do some big things that show
a solid understanding of his position.

Good he was really trying to do a lot of stuff that you might not see another player of his size attempt.

For a bonafide 7 footer he was hustling like a madman sometimes down the floor, because he has played so little the rest of the team wasn’t lookin to capitalize on that hustle. Honestly he really does look agile and mobile which is something that doesn’t come naturally to all big men, or even half of them.

Hes a work in progress for sure, but keep working him don’t give up on him.

Consider it signed. I’ve been lobbying for more players off the bench all season to keep stars like Kenyon fresh for the playoffs. And Petro has proved to be a serviceable rebounder when called upon and doesn’t seem to clog up the offense too much.

PS: I also agree with the minutes allocations that some of you posted above. Of course it depends on game situations. I’m actually a big fan of a short rotation in the playoffs. But during the regular season if you are as good as the Nuggets, the starters should be able to build a lead and the back five should be able to keep it. It’s that simple. I think Lawson, Smith, Graham, Bird and Petro have what it takes to spell the stars. I forgot AC, who’s been playing well.

Malik? I dunno right now. I haven’t been too impressed lately. I’ve always liked Balkman. I just feel bad for him at this point. The few times I’ve seen him play this year, I don’t feel justified making the case for getting him out there. I remember him having some hustle last season. What the hell happened?

Until Kenyon gets back. The only way to develop is to play, yeah? And given the Nuggets’ injury situation and worn out frontcourt, there’s no reason why we should keep giving him opportunities to show he’s ready for it.