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For a team that rode last season's Chauncey Billups trade all the way to its first Western Conference finals appearance since 1985, the Denver Nuggets might have been forgotten after how silent they went this summer.
They re-signed Chris Andersen and Anthony Carter and acquired Arron Afflalo in a trade with Detroit. But the Nuggets also watched starter Dahntay Jones sign with Indiana as a free agent and key reserve Linas Kleiza head to Greece.
As they prepare, though, to open the season Wednesday at Denver, the Jazz aren't about to claim the Nuggets have taken a step back after finishing six games ahead of Utah in the Northwest Division standings.
"They're a good team, a very good team," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "They've got some toughness about them, they can defend and they've got guys that can score and make big shots."
Despite this summer's departures, the Nuggets return Carmelo Anthony , Billups, Nene and Kenyon Martin . J.R. Smith , however, won't play after he was suspended seven games after pleading guilty to reckless driving in connection with a fatal 2007 accident.
The Jazz dropped both games against Denver at Pepsi Center last season by a combined 30 points. "They get out and run at home," Paul Millsap said, "so it's going to really test our defensive presence the first game of the year."
With the Jazz having won their opener the last six seasons, Sloan was asked Monday for his secret to success.
"No secrets. I have no secrets. All my stuff's exposed," Sloan said, adding, "I think probably if you looked back on it, we're one of the few teams that hasn't had injuries to start off with."
Real Salt Lake?
The best soccer player on the Jazz might not be Andrei Kirilenko or Mehmet Okur , but undrafted rookie Wesley Matthews , who earned all-region honors and set scoring records at his Madison, Wis., high school.
"I'm not really the bragging type, but I could go," Matthews joked. "We'll say that: I could go. I could go."
Matthews' father, Wes , insists that his son was a better soccer than basketball player. For his part, Wesley didn't disagree, though basketball always was in his bloodlines.
"I was more of a dominant soccer player than I was in basketball," Matthews said. Did he consider playing in college at Marquette? "I could go back there right now and they'll still say, 'Take your fifth year and try to play a season for us,'" Matthews said.
Briefly
Both Ronnie Price and Ronnie Brewer practiced in full Monday, with Price officially a game-time decision for Wednesday with his strained left hamstring. ... Starting with a Dec. 4 game against Indiana, the Jazz will wear green throwback uniforms from the 1979-80 season on occasion, a team spokesman confirmed.
