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Growing up in a crumbling area of Hartford known as the North End, Marcus Camby was a ballhawking guard who relished the opportunity to break his defender down on the perimeter and take the ball to the basket. But shortly after enrolling at Hartford Public High, Camby experienced a growth spurt, one that did not end until just before graduation. He sprouted eight inches during his high school career, turning a 6-3 budding playmaker into a 6-11 shot-blocking menace.

"That's why I'm so comfortable with the ball in my hands," Camby said. "I'm used to it."

The Denver Nuggets don't have a problem with Camby touching the ball, primarily because when he does the ball is frequently redirected in another direction.

Camby, the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2006-07, has been positively Russell-esque this season, ranking second in both rebounding (14.4 per game, including four 20+ games) and blocked shots (3.5 per game). A closer look at his statistics shows that the guard in him is still very much alive; he averages 3.1 assists per game, the highest average among NBA centers.

Not surprisingly, Camby considers his role as a positive influence in what is perceived nationally as a combustible locker room to be just as important as his role as defensive anchor. And he disputes the notion that the Nuggets will implode at the first sign of trouble. He had better be right. Thursday night's blowout loss to the Lakers was Denver's third straight defeat and left the Nuggets two games behind Utah in the Midwest Division. Moreover, forward Carmelo Anthony delivered a chop to the throat of Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, a blow likely born out of frustration and which got Anthony tossed from the game. It could be viewed as a sign that the Nuggets are poised to unravel, but Camby believes any downturn can be buoyed with positive reinforcement.

To do that, he draws on the lessons he learned in New York when he played with veterans Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing. "Those two guys knew what it took to be a leader," Camby said. "Always positive, always working hard. I feel like New York is where I matured as a player and a person.

"The key to getting through adversity is staying positive," he added. "That's what I learned in New York. We have a lot of young guys on this team and we can't let them get down. We have to make sure everyone practices hard, gets their shots in and is ready to play every night."

With Camby manning the middle, that's easily said and done.