Johan Petro

The Nuggets needed more size in their lineup, and with Johan, they've got that and more.

As Denver coach George Karl explained to the Denver Post, the addition of No. 27 to the lineup is a welcome one.

"My first impression is — he's more polished than I thought he'd be...He has a feel for how to run a play, how to catch the ball and how to finish."

"He's one of those kids that will be fourth year in the league, but will still be a pretty young player. I think that's good stuff. Big guys usually take three, four or five years to get a comfort zone, so maybe we'll get that second-team bounce."

According to the Post, Karl had spoken to the Toronto Raptors' assitant GM, Masai Ujiri -- an expert on international players -- about Johan, and liked what he heard.

Ujiri, who is an expert on international basketball, compared the Frenchman Petro to Senegalese big man Cheikh Samb, the project post Denver dumped to the Clippers last week.

"He said he's like Cheikh Samb, but better," Karl said. "And we were intrigued by Cheikh a little bit, his size and shot-blocking."

HAPPY FOR A NEW START
As for Johan, he was excited to begin the next stage of his career with a contender.

"Now it just feels great to be able to get a fresh start on a winning team. It's just a blessing. It was frustrating because I wasn't playing anymore and because we were losing. It was super frustrating. But now I get a new chance to get some work done."

RELATED STORIES
Petro fuels hopes of depth (Denver Post, Jan. 11., 2009)
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11420987