"The clanking of stray shots isn't quite at freak-out level for coach George Karl and his misfiring Nuggets, but it's creeping toward the red. Through eight games, Denver ranks dead last in the NBA in free-throw shooting (at an egads! bad 64 percent). And the Nuggets are fourth-worst in 3-pointers at 30 percent (despite shooting the second-most from long-range). "C'mon, we're all worried about the shooting," Nuggets coach George Karl said Tuesday after practice. "It can't stay where it is for us to have any success." In four games over the past week, the Nuggets shot 57-for-91 from the line. They missed 34 free throws in the stretch (they managed to win three games). But in their four losses this season, the Nuggets (4-4) got beat by a combined 35 points. More worrisome, point guard Ty Lawson might have the yips. He's at 54 percent from the line this season, down nearly 30 percent from last season. "I'm more worried about the free throws than anything else," Karl said. "It seems like even our good free-throw shooters are missing." Where have you gone, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf? (The Rockies on Tuesday dragged out former slugger Dante Bichette to be their hitting coach. Maybe the Nuggets should hire Abdul-Rauf — who shot 96 percent from the line in 1993-94 — as shooting instructor for uncontested shots.) Read more: Do the Nuggets have the yips? Denver's shooting a concern, Karl says - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/c...g-free-throws-poorly-64-percent#ixzz2CDdhEjA0 Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse"
