BIGGEST NEEDS: The Nuggets need help up front after center Marcus Camby was traded and Eduardo Najera bolted to New Jersey as a free agent. With Anthony Carter 33 and Chucky Atkins 34, the Nuggets need a point guard for the future, but they may try to get through another season with a stop-gap point.

FREE AGENT FOCUS: Unrestricted were G Anthony Carter, F Eduardo Najera and G Yakhouba Diawara. Carter agreed to return. The Nuggets wanted Najera back, but he signed with New Jersey. The Nuggets initially did not show interest in retaining Diawara, but now have contacted his camp. Restricted is G J.R. Smith. The Nuggets want to re-sign Smith and vow to match any offer.

PLAYER NOTES:

--When the Nuggets traded C Marcus Camby, the phone started ringing, and F Carmelo Anthony thought he was the one being dealt.

"I was in my hotel room and the phone started to ring off the hook. Calls were coming from my teammates and members of the Denver basketball family. When I answered, I said, 'OK, so where am I going?'"

--Nuggets F Kenyon Martin recently was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in an accident in Belize. While there were reports out of Belize of injuries, Martin was unhurt.

--A report out of Cleveland named the Cavaliers as a team interested in Nuggets restricted free-agent G J.R. Smith. However, the Nuggets have vowed to match any offer for Smith, and possibly could sign him for a deal starting at around the mid-level exception of about $5.6 million.