Nene missed the entire 2005-2006 season due to injury and he certainly was missed.

"We are really missing Nene down there (in the post)," Carmelo Anthony said before the team's shootaround for Game 5. "We've got to sign him."

"I'm so mad," Nene said about missing the playoffs. "It's so upsetting. The team needs my game, my defense....I see a lot of things I don't like, but I can't do nothing."

On returning to Denver, Nene said: "I want to do like (Karl) Malone. He stayed for a long time on (the same) team. I don't like different teams. I need to be stable."