DENVER -- One is in agreement. One not so much.Denver coach George Karl recently said he expects injured Chris Andersen to return by Dec. 1 and fellow hurt big man Kenyon Martin to be back by Jan. 1. Both are recovering from offseason knee surgery, and are out to start the season.
"That's more realistic than optimistic,'' said Andersen, seeing credence in the date Karl offered.
Martin, though, shrugged off what Karl said.
"George is not my doctor,'' Martin said in an interview with FanHouse before Denver's opener Wednesday against Utah at the Pepsi Center. "George is not a doctor. George is a great basketball coach. George is not my doctor ... The only person who knows when I'm coming back is Dr. (Richard) Steadman.''
Martin wouldn't speculate on a date he could return but he did offer a clue about when he expects to know more. Martin said he has an appointment scheduled shortly after Thanksgiving, which is Nov. 25, with Steadman, a Vail, Colo., specialist who operated on his torn left patella.
"Not at all until I see him,'' Martin said of a timetable being known. "That's up to (Steadman), man. I don't have a brain when it comes to it. I use his brain.''
Martin said in late September he was in no hurry to rush back due to being in a contract year and the Nuggets not having given him a contract extension last summer. But he said before Wednesday's opener, "I want to be out there.''
Andersen, who had surgery for a torn right patella, is definitely closer to returning than Martin. He said he had some elements of a physical Wednesday, which is required before he gets back on the court.
Andersen has said it's his decision as to when he returns to play. If Andersen is back before Dec. 1, it means he will have missed no more than 16 games before his seasonal debut.
"I take it day by day,'' Andersen said. "(Andersen will return) when I make sure it gets strong enough and I don't have any doubts in my mind when I step on the floor.''
As for Martin, he'll wait until he hears from a Dr. Steadman, not a Dr. Karl.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter@christomasson
Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
Issa Comes To White House Rescue
What Went Wrong? Gallup Shares New Details
Up To 60 Injured After Car Drives Into Virginia Parade
Radio Host Makes Shocking Claim About Shooting Hillary Clinton
Republican Warns Of Modern-Day Hitler Invasion
Police Investigate Student Shooting Death
WATCH: Oxbow Dominates Preakness, Dashes Triple Crown Hopes
Gunmen Kill Prominent Female Politician In Pakistan
LA Doctor Gets 14 Years For This Horrible Promise
How Kidnapping Suspect Passes Time Behind Bars
Colbert At U.Va.: You Owe The Previous Generation Nothing
Bill Maher Spoofs Tea Party Tax Forms
Is Climate Change Increasing Tornado Intensity?
Jindal Makes Bold Claim Over Tea Party Targeting Scandal
Targets In IRS Scandal Make Little Sense
Taxed More Than Their Income?
New Step Taken In Ricin Letters Case
New York Man Killed In Alleged Anti-Gay Hate Crime
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
North Korea Tests Missiles
Michael Kinsley Feels Your Pain, Middle Class, But Pain Makes You Beautiful
Al Qaeda Militants Killed In Drone Strike In Yemen
American Pastor Fasts In Solidarity With Guantanamo Inmates
Obama Appears Unscathed By Unfolding Scandals
French President Signs Gay Marriage Into Law
Twitter Will Damn Your Soul, Religious Cleric Says
WATCH: Arianna Moderates Panel With The Dalai Lama
VITO TO RESIGN MONDAY
