Denver lost swingmen Dahntay Jones and Linas Kleiza in free agency. The Nuggets did bring in Arron Afflalo and Joey Graham as replacements after having acquired rookie point guard Ty Lawson in a draft-night trade. But they didn't make big moves similar to West teams such as the Lakers, who added Ron Artest, San Antonio, which got Richard Jefferson, Portland, which signed Andre Miller and Dallas, which acquired Shawn Marion.

"I feel good about this team," said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. "When you got a good team, you don't really need to go out there and get big-name players. We've got our core group of guys."

Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said it's "very fair to say we haven't had a marquee move" since the loss to the Lakers. But Warkentien said the Nuggets would be willing to be make one if needed.

"We're in a good spot," said Warkentein, using a golf analogy. "Let's hit 3-wood and see how it works. If we get stuck, Big Bertha (a driver) is coming out."

--Nuggets coach George Karl is keeping one eye on his team and another on the Cavaliers. Karl's son, Coby, made Cleveland's opening-day roster.

Coby Karl barely played as a rookie two years ago for the Lakers before spending most of last season in Spain. But Karl believes his son should get on the court for the Cavaliers.

"I look at their roster and how they like to play, and I think he does different things than the guys that they have, and he does them well," George Karl said of Coby. "I think he understands the game as a playmaker better than (Cleveland swingmen Anthony) Parker or (Jamario) Moon. Moon and Parker are more athletic and better defenders, but there's a piece that Coby does in my mind, I don't know if coach Brown feels the same way.

"In my mind, (Shaquille O'Neal) and LeBron (James) probably like what Coby does. If you got Shaq and LeBron, there's not many other options. So the athleticism of Parker and Moon, when does that window open up? Is it when the bench gets in the game? With LeBron, that's about four to six minutes a game. With Shaq, it's larger. ...In L.A. (Coby) never really could get on the court other than a blowout. I think he's closer to getting on the court."

There is a possibility, though, Coby Karl, who has a non-guaranteed contract, soon could get cut. His dad believes that would be a mistake.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I called him 'Slim' because he'd lost so much weight. And now I see him coming in early (before practice). You'd never see him come in early before. But he's coming in and he's up there lifting and getting his shots and everything." -- Nuggets guard Anthony Carter, on teammate Carmelo Anthony, who showed up for training camp in great shape.