Meanwhile, there is Karl, in his fifth season in Denver — his fourth full one — dogged by questions about his ability to get the players he wants and needs to win.

And the reason for that? There are three members of the front office: Mark Warkentien, Rex Chapman and Bret Bearup. What began with Warkentien as the presumed general manager has devolved into all three on equal footing, although Bearup seemingly has the upper hand as the personal adviser to owner Stan Kroenke.

Consequently, there constantly appears to be a conflict of interest going on, with Warkentien having already been there to handle the personnel, Chapman brought in as the newbie, the ex-player trying to establish his credibility in the profession, and then there is Bearup — Kroenke's buddy.

Granted, there is some credence to staying out of the luxury tax when a team seems to have topped out at making the playoffs but unable to get out of the first round.

Nevertheless, this is a team that ran its way into the playoffs with defense nothing more than a rumor. They were the classic NBA contradiction, leading the NBA in blocks and steals, but second to last in points allowed — offsetting being second in points scored.

They let Eduardo Najera walk and virtually gave Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers. Najera is the prototypical physical, defensive-oriented player willing to start or come off the bench. Camby has the most blocks of anybody in the NBA over the past three seasons, among the top three in rebounds during that time, and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.

Does that sound like an organization on the same page?

Actually, they appear to be reading different books. As tends to always be the case in the NBA, the excuse is avoiding the luxury tax by unloading a $10 million ticket in Camby. That's not to say Camby did dirty work defensively or was physical — that's not his game. He's one of the great weak-side shot-blockers in the game, an outstanding offensive rebounder, and a solid locker-room guy.

Already, it's easy to feel the incredulity of people supporting Kenyon Martin and Nene. On paper, of course they are physical and defensive-oriented. But let's look at recent history of the two players. Martin showed amazing courage last year, averaging 30.6 minutes in 71 games coming off microfracture surgery on each knee over the previous two seasons. A maximum-salaried player, he averaged 12.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals.

Those numbers are solid, his history is not. The aforementioned knees, plus fractures in both legs and an average of 48 games the previous four seasons, reflect a dependability factor that is more than a little shaky as he approaches his 31st birthday.

Then again, Martin looks like an iron man compared to Nene. Coming off a season where he was hurt early and then suffered through the ordeal of testicular cancer in January, the 6-11, 250-pound Nene played in 16 games last season, 64 the year before and one during the 2005-06 season. That's 81 games — not even a full season — over the past three years after having played only 55 the previous year. Sound like a pattern? At 26 and entering his sixth season, he still hasn't established the capability of playing a full season, let alone establishing a consistent game to merit the potential everyone has been drooling over.

Oh, they've got a talented and oversized perimeter shooter in Linas Kleiza, and they signed the Birdman — Chris Andersen — to help up front defensively and on the boards. They also added fading veteran Juwan Howard and rumors continue to fly they're going after point guard Jamaal Tinsley from Indiana. If the Tinsley stuff is merely speculation, they still have journeymen Chucky Atkins and Anthony Carter to take up space.

That's not to say they didn't consider defense in the offseason. They did acquire young 6-8 swingman Renaldo Balkman from the New York Knicks and he is a superb perimeter defender for at least the three smaller positions and occasionally on a slim power forward as well. Noted bruiser Ruben Patterson was also signed, he of the wacky demeanor and rugged one-on-one defensive skills.

And who knows what kind of effect Patterson — renowned for his meltdowns on and off the court — will have on the wondrously talented J.R. Smith, he of the transcendental shooting range and unpredictable behavior, when it comes to capitulating to Karl.

But as Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly often said about his great defensive teams in Detroit, it's all about the effort. It's just that this team is always going to be more inclined to score than get back on defense.

It's easy to pin the fate of this team on Karl, with the rest of the finger-pointing at Iverson and Anthony. Those three will inevitably attract the focus if there is success or failure. But they aren't the root of the problem. The issue still comes down to a front office trio all attempting to sidle up to Daddy Kroenke in their own way.

And the result is a roster with a plethora of talented mismatched parts boasting the most brilliant array of tattoos in the NBA. They may not make the playoffs, but they're guaranteed to be entertaining to watch.