Steve Nash won the NBA MVP award - twice, actually, during years when Kobe Bryant and Le-

Bron James each averaged 30-plus points per game. But Nash was the floor general of the Suns, making average players good and good players great.

Yes, it's early in the season, but a similar argument could be made for Denver point guard Chauncey Billups.

"The trade," Nuggets coach George Karl said, "had a very positive karma, from wherever you want to stand - from a fan standpoint, from an organization standpoint, from a coaching standpoint, from a locker room standpoint. Every place, there is a karma that's good. I think MVP candidates are those type of guys.

"It's not that they're the best player - it's that they're the most valuable player."

D-League bound. Karl said it's a possibility that guard Sonny Weems and center Cheikh Samb could be sent to the D-League, but it probably wouldn't be until later next week.

Because of the schedule, the Nuggets haven't had too many practice days of late. But after Saturday's game at Sacramento, Denver doesn't play until Wednesday against Minnesota, and not again until Saturday against Golden State. Karl said Denver will likely utilized practice time to develop the players, and then make a decision about moving them to the Colorado 14ers in the Developmental League.

"It's kind of a three-way decision (with management, the coaches and the player/agent)," Karl said. "We can send them down, but I think we want to send them down in harmony - that they understand that this is what we think is good for them."

Weems, who had a groin injury to start the season, has "participated fully," Karl said, "but with the schedule, we haven't had a lot of up-and-down practices - mostly half-court."

Samb has logged some garbage-time minutes for Denver.

Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post