In case anyone out there in NBA fandom hasn’t noticed, this is Chauncey Billups’ team. Now I know Kenyon Martin is the defensive backbone and Carmelo Anthony has been our franchise player for the last seven years, but Chauncey has taken the reigns. He has come back to Denver to win this city a championship and nothing will stand in his way this time.
Last year was a different story. Billups was traded to Denver right after the season had begun and had to adapt himself to the team. This year they are adapting to him and his intensity. Don’t get me wrong, The Nuggets played very well and went farther in the playoffs than they had in the last twenty years. Yet, I think part of their eventual undoing might have been a confusion as to who was the real leader of the team. This year there has been little doubt as to who is in control. Having a career year thus far, with his highest points average and an assist average higher than last year, Chauncey’s example has been hard to ignore for the other Nuggets.
This has translated into performances from the veteran which defy logic. At thirty three years of age, the gusto with which he plays the game and the numbers themselves have been more than staggering. He has saved his best performances for times when there weren’t any answers coming from the rest of the team in games that seemed lost. Last night’s game against the Warriors was a perfect example. Billups led the way in the beginning with his hot three point shooting and when the game was getting close in the fourth quarter, all but sealed the victory with an old fashioned three point play to push the lead back to nine points. Even in games like the one in Washington, Billups steps up his game and tries in vain to attain victory.
I have witnessed the transformation of the team dynamic first hand. Chauncey certainly coached the other players on the floor last year, but not to the extent he has during this season. In a stark contrast, he has even begun to call out his team in the press when he feels it is warranted. After the Washington game he was heard to comment about how it was obvious the Wizards wanted the game more than the Nuggets and how unacceptable it was. He was the only one in a position of superiority to do so, as he was the Nuggets’ leading scorer that night and seemed to be the only one with any sort of determined focus. Chauncey has been unafraid of what the others might think of his quips. He knows they can’t call him out for anything and it is necessary for a team leader to bring the others to task once in a while. In a league full of overpaid stars, it is hard for coaches making less than their players to command the kind of respect he has. In addition, it just isn’t healthy for a team to only hear criticism from their head coach. If no one else is echoing the same sentiments, the criticism begins to fall on deaf ears.
The change in attitude has recently seemed prophetic. With George Karl’s recent revelation of throat cancer, someone was going to have to fill in the gap. Adrian Dantley might be a good assistant coach with ex-star credibility and Tim Grgurich might be the Nuggets’ basketball “Yoda”, but advice holds more weight coming from a Finals MVP point guard who just happens to be raining down threes during the game. You could see Chauncey readying himself for the coming months sans Karl, being a floor coach in the last game against the Cavaliers. He changed a play in the huddle at the end of the game for Melo and called off a time out request by Karl at the end of regulation. With his influence over players like J.R. Smith unmatched and his ability to win games unquestioned, I look for this new role to grow exponentially.
So how is it the rest of the media keeps harping on Carmelo Anthony as being the team MVP? I suppose because Melo is our leading scorer and best offensive player overall, it is hard to give that honor to Billups. Still, if the Nuggets got as much press as the Lakers or the Cavs, I think there really wouldn’t be any debate on shows like Inside the NBA.
I hope tonight against the Pistons, Chauncey can overcome his last regular season hurdle. The Nuggets are zero for seven versus the Pistons with three of those losses having Chauncey on the roster for the last year and a half. It is the last team he has yet to beat while with the Nuggets. Not to say he hasn’t tried. He has had stellar performances in every game, but they always seem to get away from us. Coming off of a late night, fast paced game on the west coast, it will be extra difficult to put up a W at the Pepsi Center. We shall see if our floor coach can will the rest of his teammates to focus and aggression and close an unfinished chapter. GO CHAUNCEY!!!!!!!!!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Durantula: The Deadliest Creature in Oklahoma
The Denver Nuggets have more than a few foes to worry about as the last stretch run of the season begins. The Jazz are in the rear view mirror as are the Mavericks. Though Utah has been hot and Dallas made a big time trade for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, I find myself dreading another opponent even more.
During the 2006-07 collegiate season one particular player caught my eye more than any other prospective NBA’er had since the class of Melo and LeBron. With his incredible length, height of 6’9”, ability to score from anywhere on the floor, speed in transition, and pure passion for the game, this young man screamed prodigy more than any other within the last five years. Of course, I’m talking about Kevin Durant. During his short tenure at the University of Texas he grabbed every NCAA honor available, besides MVP champion. He entered the draft with expectations second only to Greg Oden.
Allow me to digress from Durant’s chronological narrative and expound on my feelings at the time of the 2007 NBA Draft. I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated in 2004, fairly recently after Michael Jordan had permanently retired, detailing what the next example of him might look like. The author explained how in the coming years as the NBA’s players grew in stature and the speed of the game increased, Jordan’s heir apparent would have to be closer to 6’9”, with a wingspan of at least seven feet. He would of course still be a shooting guard/small forward highbred, with a handle as good as Jordan’s, and at least a 40” vertical leap. At the time, the article was making the case for LeBron James possibly being such a player. Now while LeBron has certainly turned out to be even better than his hype, we have learned over the last half-decade he isn’t going to be Jordan. He is more akin to a super athletic version of Magic Johnson with the hops of MJ. Even more than this, guys like LeBron and Melo don’t quite have the same passion for the game of basketball itself as Michael Jordan did. Sure, both of these superstars want to win badly, and they love what opportunities the NBA has given them, but it took both of these men until early high-school to adopt basketball as their sole concentration (with LeBron even playing football until his senior year). Though Michael’s first love was baseball, it didn’t take him long to fall in love with that ball falling through the hoop. As his father once said, “sometimes you see someone and you realize they were made for only one purpose and this is Michael’s” (paraphrasing).
Watching Durant that college season I found myself feeling the same way about him. This skinny, abnormally lengthy, pure shooter seemed to have come from another planet. One where offspring were bred and raised to dunk on fools. The way Durant played the game, there was a sense of destiny. I took interest and through interviews he gave, I began to understand how important basketball was and had been to him. He demonstrated a love for the game sorely lacking with many of the pro stars today. It was the only sport he had ever loved and was ever really good at. He saw it not only as a way to transcend the world around him, but as an end unto itself.
Going back to the ’07 Draft, I was eagerly anticipating where both Oden and Durant would be going. It was well known Oden was coveted by Portland with the Seattle Super-Sonics, now the OKC Thunder, probably picking Durant by default. At the time, I couldn’t help but draw more comparisons between Durant and Jordan. Portland famously picked center Sam Bowie over Jordan in the ’84 draft and regretted it for the next twenty years. When Portland inevitably made their pick, I simply shrugged and decided history just has to repeat itself. I even began to notice how similar Durant’s facial features were to Jordan’s (don’t refute this comparison too quickly; I suggest you take a look for yourself). Now three years later, we are seeing these feelings of mine and other prognosticators coming to fruition. Oden has been beset by injuries, just as Bowie was, and has barely played for the Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, Durant has been a durable contributor and now prolific scorer capable of making any team better.
Durant is having a splendid year thus far and is exceeding just about everyone’s expectations of him. Not only have the Thunder won nine in row, soon to be ten I’ll bet, but he is riding a 25+ point scoring streak second only to, who else, Michael Jordan during the ’87-’88 season . The streak stands at forty games for Jordan. As the parallels for both players continue to pile up, I would not be surprised if Durant reaches that number and exceeds it (his streak is currently 28 games). The Thunder are not only a playoff team this year, they are dangerous.
The reason I have gone into such detail over Kevin Durant’s short yet special career is to illustrate a point. While other teams beside the Lakers and Nuggets might have winning formulas and better records than the Thunder, none have a player as capable as he is. The Mavericks have Nowitzki, but as he has proven, he is not very good in clutch situations and can’t do the things on the defensive end Durant can. The Jazz have Deron Williams, but a point guard must defer to his teammates and therefore must leave it up to them to convert his assists and win games. The Thunder not only have a go-to scorer and full fledged superstar/clutch operator, they are a supremely talented and youthful team tasting true victory for the first time. Other players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Jeff Green, and Nenad Krstic all contribute to the effort well and buy into the team concept. They are getting good at this victory thing, too. Seated fifth in the playoff standings, I look for them to continue their winning ways and move past Phoenix for the fourth spot and stay there.
My fear is facing Durant and the Thunder in the first or second round and the Nuggets taking a series victory for granted as they have with other sub-.500 teams. Remember their victory over the Nuggets in OKC? It was one of the worst losses for Denver this season, with the Nuggets staying comfortably behind the Thunder for the duration of the contest. If we don’t take this team seriously the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs, Durant might just garner another nickname besides “Durantula”, the “Nugget Killer”. I pray the Thunder’s playoff naïveté gets the better of them and some other team, Phoenix, gets the best of them in the first round. If they can get past the first, there is a real chance for momentum to build.
Until this day comes though, I will simply sit back and enjoy the growth of one of the league’s premier scorers. Without young guys like him, the NBA would just grow stale. As always, GO NUGGETS!!
During the 2006-07 collegiate season one particular player caught my eye more than any other prospective NBA’er had since the class of Melo and LeBron. With his incredible length, height of 6’9”, ability to score from anywhere on the floor, speed in transition, and pure passion for the game, this young man screamed prodigy more than any other within the last five years. Of course, I’m talking about Kevin Durant. During his short tenure at the University of Texas he grabbed every NCAA honor available, besides MVP champion. He entered the draft with expectations second only to Greg Oden.
Allow me to digress from Durant’s chronological narrative and expound on my feelings at the time of the 2007 NBA Draft. I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated in 2004, fairly recently after Michael Jordan had permanently retired, detailing what the next example of him might look like. The author explained how in the coming years as the NBA’s players grew in stature and the speed of the game increased, Jordan’s heir apparent would have to be closer to 6’9”, with a wingspan of at least seven feet. He would of course still be a shooting guard/small forward highbred, with a handle as good as Jordan’s, and at least a 40” vertical leap. At the time, the article was making the case for LeBron James possibly being such a player. Now while LeBron has certainly turned out to be even better than his hype, we have learned over the last half-decade he isn’t going to be Jordan. He is more akin to a super athletic version of Magic Johnson with the hops of MJ. Even more than this, guys like LeBron and Melo don’t quite have the same passion for the game of basketball itself as Michael Jordan did. Sure, both of these superstars want to win badly, and they love what opportunities the NBA has given them, but it took both of these men until early high-school to adopt basketball as their sole concentration (with LeBron even playing football until his senior year). Though Michael’s first love was baseball, it didn’t take him long to fall in love with that ball falling through the hoop. As his father once said, “sometimes you see someone and you realize they were made for only one purpose and this is Michael’s” (paraphrasing).
Watching Durant that college season I found myself feeling the same way about him. This skinny, abnormally lengthy, pure shooter seemed to have come from another planet. One where offspring were bred and raised to dunk on fools. The way Durant played the game, there was a sense of destiny. I took interest and through interviews he gave, I began to understand how important basketball was and had been to him. He demonstrated a love for the game sorely lacking with many of the pro stars today. It was the only sport he had ever loved and was ever really good at. He saw it not only as a way to transcend the world around him, but as an end unto itself.
Going back to the ’07 Draft, I was eagerly anticipating where both Oden and Durant would be going. It was well known Oden was coveted by Portland with the Seattle Super-Sonics, now the OKC Thunder, probably picking Durant by default. At the time, I couldn’t help but draw more comparisons between Durant and Jordan. Portland famously picked center Sam Bowie over Jordan in the ’84 draft and regretted it for the next twenty years. When Portland inevitably made their pick, I simply shrugged and decided history just has to repeat itself. I even began to notice how similar Durant’s facial features were to Jordan’s (don’t refute this comparison too quickly; I suggest you take a look for yourself). Now three years later, we are seeing these feelings of mine and other prognosticators coming to fruition. Oden has been beset by injuries, just as Bowie was, and has barely played for the Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, Durant has been a durable contributor and now prolific scorer capable of making any team better.
Durant is having a splendid year thus far and is exceeding just about everyone’s expectations of him. Not only have the Thunder won nine in row, soon to be ten I’ll bet, but he is riding a 25+ point scoring streak second only to, who else, Michael Jordan during the ’87-’88 season . The streak stands at forty games for Jordan. As the parallels for both players continue to pile up, I would not be surprised if Durant reaches that number and exceeds it (his streak is currently 28 games). The Thunder are not only a playoff team this year, they are dangerous.
The reason I have gone into such detail over Kevin Durant’s short yet special career is to illustrate a point. While other teams beside the Lakers and Nuggets might have winning formulas and better records than the Thunder, none have a player as capable as he is. The Mavericks have Nowitzki, but as he has proven, he is not very good in clutch situations and can’t do the things on the defensive end Durant can. The Jazz have Deron Williams, but a point guard must defer to his teammates and therefore must leave it up to them to convert his assists and win games. The Thunder not only have a go-to scorer and full fledged superstar/clutch operator, they are a supremely talented and youthful team tasting true victory for the first time. Other players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Jeff Green, and Nenad Krstic all contribute to the effort well and buy into the team concept. They are getting good at this victory thing, too. Seated fifth in the playoff standings, I look for them to continue their winning ways and move past Phoenix for the fourth spot and stay there.
My fear is facing Durant and the Thunder in the first or second round and the Nuggets taking a series victory for granted as they have with other sub-.500 teams. Remember their victory over the Nuggets in OKC? It was one of the worst losses for Denver this season, with the Nuggets staying comfortably behind the Thunder for the duration of the contest. If we don’t take this team seriously the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs, Durant might just garner another nickname besides “Durantula”, the “Nugget Killer”. I pray the Thunder’s playoff naïveté gets the better of them and some other team, Phoenix, gets the best of them in the first round. If they can get past the first, there is a real chance for momentum to build.
Until this day comes though, I will simply sit back and enjoy the growth of one of the league’s premier scorers. Without young guys like him, the NBA would just grow stale. As always, GO NUGGETS!!
Supermascot Rocky: 20 years of Hilarity
Supermascot Rocky has been the Denver Nugget’s official mascot since 1990. On his 20th year anniversary of representing the coolest team in the history of the NBA, Rocky deserves recognition as one of the best mascots of all time.
Rocky was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008, giving validity to the case for the mountain lion being one of the greatest mascots in the history of sports. While being honored with that distinction is notable, he should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class over the Phoenix Suns’ Gorilla. While the Gorilla has admittedly been around longer than Rocky, he was not originally conceived by the Phoenix Sun’s organization. Rather, he was born from a fan’s singing telegram and therefore has not always been an official part of an NBA organization. Aren’t we all sick of people in gorilla costumes anyways? And what does a gorilla have to do with anything? (And no, just because a gorilla is sometimes in the sun is not a valid excuse).
Rocky has brought an unmatched array of athleticism and comic genius to Denver sports fans throughout his career. He also is very involved in the Denver community, giving a twist to the NBA’s motto: “Supermascot Mountain Lions Care”. One time Rocky was to appear at a charitable function in Washington Park that my dad was a part of. Rocky’s head wouldn’t fit inside my dad’s car (not because he is conceited, but rather because his brain is 10 times the size of any human being’s), so my dad put down the top of his Mazda Miata convertible and rode in style with Rocky to the park.
Rocky has brought a variety of gimmicks and bits to the Pepsi Center and the McNichols Sports Arena, the former home of the Nuggets and Rocky’s debut venue. He currently drains a behind-the-back halfcourt shot with ample consistency. If a fan from the opposing team is in attendance, Rocky welcomes that fan by initiating Nuggets faithful to boo that person. Sometimes he even presents them with a cake, which he subsequently smashes into the person’s face. He has also climbed all the way to the third deck from the court, crowd-surfed through full sections of fans, front-flipped over multiple crouching Nuggets dancers, performed acrobatic and seemingly impossible dunks off of trampolines, and casually read a newspaper while the other team performs their pump-up huddle around him.
Former NBA player and current television analyst Charles Barkley also had his own personal rivalry with Rocky. Every time Barkley visited Denver, well let’s just say it was “on”. Rocky has received various punches, pushes and head-butts from Sir Charles, including a few what knocked him all the way to the ground while on stilts. Rocky would always aggravate Barkley enough to warrant such playful violence, showing that his presence actually affected the opposing team’s top players.
Rocky is more imaginative and entertaining than any other mascot currently in the NBA or any other sport for that matter. I don’t even want to get into how bad the Rockies stupid purple dinosaur Dinger is, but I must say he is about as welcome as a fur coat at a PETA convention in the realm of mascot significance in Denver. Other bad mascots include the Celtic’s Lucky (a leprechaun should never be over five feet tall), the New York Met’s Mr. Met (wow, a giant baseball head, how creative), and the San Diego Chicken (falling down on purpose can only be funny so many times). Hopefully Rocky can be a part of a Nugget’s championship parade sometime soon. I can only imagine what he would do with access to a Denver Fire Department truck.
Rocky was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008, giving validity to the case for the mountain lion being one of the greatest mascots in the history of sports. While being honored with that distinction is notable, he should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class over the Phoenix Suns’ Gorilla. While the Gorilla has admittedly been around longer than Rocky, he was not originally conceived by the Phoenix Sun’s organization. Rather, he was born from a fan’s singing telegram and therefore has not always been an official part of an NBA organization. Aren’t we all sick of people in gorilla costumes anyways? And what does a gorilla have to do with anything? (And no, just because a gorilla is sometimes in the sun is not a valid excuse).
Rocky has brought an unmatched array of athleticism and comic genius to Denver sports fans throughout his career. He also is very involved in the Denver community, giving a twist to the NBA’s motto: “Supermascot Mountain Lions Care”. One time Rocky was to appear at a charitable function in Washington Park that my dad was a part of. Rocky’s head wouldn’t fit inside my dad’s car (not because he is conceited, but rather because his brain is 10 times the size of any human being’s), so my dad put down the top of his Mazda Miata convertible and rode in style with Rocky to the park.
Rocky has brought a variety of gimmicks and bits to the Pepsi Center and the McNichols Sports Arena, the former home of the Nuggets and Rocky’s debut venue. He currently drains a behind-the-back halfcourt shot with ample consistency. If a fan from the opposing team is in attendance, Rocky welcomes that fan by initiating Nuggets faithful to boo that person. Sometimes he even presents them with a cake, which he subsequently smashes into the person’s face. He has also climbed all the way to the third deck from the court, crowd-surfed through full sections of fans, front-flipped over multiple crouching Nuggets dancers, performed acrobatic and seemingly impossible dunks off of trampolines, and casually read a newspaper while the other team performs their pump-up huddle around him.
Former NBA player and current television analyst Charles Barkley also had his own personal rivalry with Rocky. Every time Barkley visited Denver, well let’s just say it was “on”. Rocky has received various punches, pushes and head-butts from Sir Charles, including a few what knocked him all the way to the ground while on stilts. Rocky would always aggravate Barkley enough to warrant such playful violence, showing that his presence actually affected the opposing team’s top players.
Rocky is more imaginative and entertaining than any other mascot currently in the NBA or any other sport for that matter. I don’t even want to get into how bad the Rockies stupid purple dinosaur Dinger is, but I must say he is about as welcome as a fur coat at a PETA convention in the realm of mascot significance in Denver. Other bad mascots include the Celtic’s Lucky (a leprechaun should never be over five feet tall), the New York Met’s Mr. Met (wow, a giant baseball head, how creative), and the San Diego Chicken (falling down on purpose can only be funny so many times). Hopefully Rocky can be a part of a Nugget’s championship parade sometime soon. I can only imagine what he would do with access to a Denver Fire Department truck.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Nuggets and Rockies Represented in New York (LeBron James' next home?)
I recently got back to Rhode Island after a visit to New York City. Nuggets fans will be happy to know that the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is representing the Nuggets better than almost any team besides their hometown New York Knickerbockers. They sold almost everything you could possibly think of: backpacks, all-star jerseys, Carmelo Anthony basketballs, and even a life-sized Allen Iverson bobblehead doll (in a light blue Nuggets jersey). The first note on that is that the grammar corrector doesn’t think bobblehead is one word, which is just ludicrous. The second not is that I don’t think anybody is about to shell out the big bucks for a life-sized Iverson Nuggets bobblehead doll any time soon. Not even me with my billions of dollars.
I also got a glimpse of Madison Square Garden from the outside. The only thing I could think of when seeing it was that that could be the place that LeBron James could rock out with his socks out starting next season. For the record, I think that the possibility of King James playing for the Knicks is highly unlikely because of his hometown (ish) status in Cleveland, the fact that the Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the league, and that the Knicks are similar to a three-legged donkey in the Kentucky Derby. If he did go to New York, he could bring the Knicks back to prominence in the league eventually, but not right away. Even LeBron needs a supporting cast.
Denver sports fans will also be happy to know that the Colorado Rockies are being represented in the Big Apple. I saw four Rockies hats during my visit on various people. Perhaps they only like the purple and black color combinations, but it is nice to see Colorado sports represented in such a metropolitan setting.
I also got a glimpse of Madison Square Garden from the outside. The only thing I could think of when seeing it was that that could be the place that LeBron James could rock out with his socks out starting next season. For the record, I think that the possibility of King James playing for the Knicks is highly unlikely because of his hometown (ish) status in Cleveland, the fact that the Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the league, and that the Knicks are similar to a three-legged donkey in the Kentucky Derby. If he did go to New York, he could bring the Knicks back to prominence in the league eventually, but not right away. Even LeBron needs a supporting cast.
Denver sports fans will also be happy to know that the Colorado Rockies are being represented in the Big Apple. I saw four Rockies hats during my visit on various people. Perhaps they only like the purple and black color combinations, but it is nice to see Colorado sports represented in such a metropolitan setting.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
What a Week for Nuggets Nation
It’s been a little while since my last article. Since the Spurs game last Thursday many an event has transpired for the NBA and the Nuggets. What a difference a week makes.
We started out the week looking forward to a Nuggets themed All-Star weekend. Chauncey did well enough in the Three Point Contest, getting beaten in the second round by a red-hot Paul Pierce. This turned out to be the highlight of my Saturday night as the Dunk Contest went down as the worst I have ever beheld. What happened? Gerald Wallace and Shannon Brown dunked like they were afraid the rim was made of razor wire. Then Demar Derozan did his best to spice things up, but after having Dwight Howard in it the last two years, it just seemed like the league and the fans were ready to hand over the title to Nate Robinson simply for showing up. Seriously, come on LeBron, Dwyane Wade, etcetera. If
The All-Star Game itself turned out to be one of the best I had ever seen. I guess it’s just the law of averages. If the Dunk contest sucks that bad, the All-Star Game would have to be at least a decent endeavor. Melo had a great game, just doing his Melo thing. He scored quietly and at will, as would make sense in a game devoid of fouling. Then Chauncey came in and got hot himself, draining threes like he should have in the Three Point Contest, whatever, and getting the other guys involved in the second half. Both of our Nuggets did their best to bring back the West and got them within two at the end. If Deron Williams hadn’t given that stupid, unnecessary foul, they might have had a better chance, but at the end it came down to a Melo three point attempt. Personally, I was hoping either Chauncey or Dirk would get the last shot, as Chauncey was hot from three and Dirk had been knocking down outside shots all game and it would have been nice for him to win the game in front of the
With Melo sheepishly smiling at the end of the game, everything seemed like just fun and games for once in the NBA. Little did Nuggets Nation know what it was in for come just two days later. With most NBA coaches fans, players, GM’s, and owners wondering about the trade deadline one coach was wondering about his expiration date. George Karl has had cancer before. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost five years ago. He fought through it and then had to watch his son battle his own thyroid cancer just two years later. Then, Karl supported Nene through his ordeal with testicular cancer. Finding out now he has to battle this disease again could not be a more daunting task. How much does one man have to take? George Karl is renowned for his generosity, poise, basketball wisdom, and work ethic. He has improved every team he has coached since the early nineties. He has taken the high road with players often in his career, Payton, Kemp, Melo, Martin, J.R. Smith, and been able to resolve issues with them, get wins, and build bonds with those same players that last to this day. It is unfair for someone of such upstanding character to have to go through a life threatening illness twice in the same decade.
My hope is the Nuggets will truly rally around their coach and take on his instruction and desire to win for the rest of the season. They owe it to this man who has dealt with so many problems in his relatively short tenure in
With the trade deadline here and gone and the Nuggets standing pat, it seems the improvement
Tonight will be a good test of their resolve. The Cavaliers are still on a thirteen game winning streak, but with no Ilgauskas and Antawn Jamison waiting in the wings, the Nuggets could steal one in
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Hot Karling or What to Make of the "Non-Extension"
As I am biding my time today, waiting to see which of the Nuggets will play tonight, I can’t help but wonder about the length of time it is taking for George Karl’s contract extension to go through (By the way, I’m betting Melo, Chauncey, J.R., and A.A.A. all play and Nene does not). Luckily for me Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post made my life much easier today by writing his own article about the Karl contract question.
In Dempsey’s article he argues Karl has every reason to be disgruntled about the lowball offer proffered by
Based upon these truths and Karl’s track record in the playoffs one might think it unthinkable to make Karl such a low offer. Allow me to surmise on Kroenke and the front office’s thought processes and offer my take on why they may be hesitant to shell out so much cash. As Dempsey points out, with a shrinking salary cap and players like Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith, Nene, and Kenyon Martin all having their own contract negotiations coming up in the next year and a half, Kroenke’s plate is full and his pocketbook short when it comes to his team, lately. The NBA is a player first league when it comes to contracts and filling stadiums with fans. If you didn’t notice all five of those players just mentioned are the five most important on the team and deciding what direction to go with them is going to be of the utmost importance.
What has not been mentioned thus far is Karl’s actual value to the team. When he joined the Nuggets in 2005 he took a team on its way to probably not making the playoffs that year to an instant winning streak and an eventual playoff appearance. After this however, the Nuggets basically plateaued. They won more games when Allen Iverson was acquired, but reached the same end every year, exiting out of the first round of the playoffs with either one or zero wins. In case anyone forgets, there was much turmoil back then over Karl’s status as head coach. Andrew Feinstein, now blogger for Denver Stiffs and Karl Lover, created firegeorgekarl.com and received plenty of attention and support over it. Kenyon Martin clashed with the coach in the playoffs as did J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony called “people” out after the first round loss to the Lakers saying “people quit” on the team (in case your not getting the quotation marks, they are meant to indicate Karl).
Not until the arrival of Chauncey Billups did the attitude of the Nuggets truly change. We went from a lazy defensive team with no ball movement on offense to an intense, win oriented squad. Chauncey was the example of dedication and winning attitude the Nuggets needed to get their rears in gear and make something of all their talent. Karl has since gotten plenty of accolades for his role as well and I am sure he deserves a bit of the credit, but think how this situation looks from Kroenke’s side. After hearing stories of the Iverson years and his influence on teammates, J.R. and Melo, to stay out most days of the week and party at clubs, I wondered where Karl was to call these guys to task. Imagine if Stan Van Gundy were the coach then. Do you think he would have stood that kind of thing? He calls out his team in the press just for believing their own hype and not playing good enough defense. Stan Van would have lit a fire under some of those guys or had them traded. Couple this with Karl’s unwillingness to talk to J.R. Smith, his unwillingness to defend his players against bad calls in games, and his, at times, sarcastic demeanor and it is no wonder the front office isn’t willing to go all the way with this new deal.
Karl also has a history in the NBA of not being able to get over the hump. Whether it be losing to the Nuggets in the 1994 first round, losing to the Bulls in the Finals in 1996, or losing to the Lakers last year, making it past teams in difficult series has not been Karl’s forte. Perhaps the Nuggets’ organization is thinking we could do better with a younger, more adamant coach who would further push our stars in the playoffs. My only personal reservation is Karl seems to be taking to this team more than ever now. With his and his son’s cancer in the rear view mirror and the window for a championship closing, Karl must want to get that ring before his chance is lost. I’m not sure how much longer the contract negotiations will go on for, but know they will gain national attention very soon.
Bill Simmons does not give much credence to coaches anyway. Maybe I should stop worrying about who the coach is and rather what they represent. I just hope Karl can represent tenacity and winning at least until the end of the season. BEAT
Monday, February 8, 2010
Nuggets Trade Possibilities (Shut up, It's a Good Title)
OK everyone. It’s time to discuss (and by discuss I mean I write things and you read them) trade possibilities. There is nothing better than useless speculation and blatant lack of knowledge about salaries and the luxury tax system, right?
The primary argument made involving the Nuggets and why they need to make a move is that they don’t have enough size to hang with Lakers centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. While the Nuggets frontcourt of Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Chris Andersen is one of the best in the whole league, Denver would be in worse shape than Charles Barkley after a pie-eating contest if any one of those three got injured.
That being said, assuming the Nuggets need to acquire another big for the purposes of rebounding and defending is also assuming that reserves like Johan Petro, Malik Allen, and Renaldo Balkman would not be able to combat the likes of Gasol or Bynum. That assumption would be absolutely correct. I will leave out any arguments regarding why we would keep Petro or acquire Allen in the first place because they have no bearing on what Nuggets management might need to do now.
It is important to keep in mind that trades involve more than just one team, and while it is great to ponder which players in the league would be good fits on the Nuggets, the team or teams that we would be trading with would want something of value in return. Denver would certainly be willing to trade Petro, Allen, Balkman, Joey Graham, some draft picks, and possibly Anthony Carter. Would the Nuggets be open to trading anything of higher value than the benchwarmers though? Making a trade of any significance could come at a steeper price.
Some names that have been thrown around in terms of acquisitions are Wizards center Brendan Haywood, Clippers center Marcus Camby, and even Raptors forward Chris Bosh. While all of these possibilities would be genuinely intriguing, it seems as though the Nuggets would have to give up something decent in return. Also, it would be difficult to imagine any of those three (especially Bosh) being happy with playing less minutes and coming off the bench after the Birdman. Trading Martin, Nene, or Andersen all seem relatively unlikely in terms of general chemistry issues.
On a similar note, I don’t think the Nuggets would consider trading Young Rich (J.R. Smith). While this topic has been thrown around lately, it does not seem as though a team like the Washington Wizards would want to deal with Young Rich’s insolence and behavior patterns after already having issues with guns in the locker room earlier in the year (Side note: does anyone find it ironic that a team that used to be called the Bullets had an issue like that? I’m just saying.)
Other players around the league that the Nuggets might want to consider could be more realistic acquisitions. Former Nuggets forward Reggie Evans is a rebound machine, and would probably not have a problem being the ninth or tenth guy off the bench. (Truthfully, I don’t think Reggie has much of a problem with anything. I mean the guy once grabbed Chris “Caveman” Kaman’s family jewels in the playoffs for heaven’s sake). Spencer Hawes of the Kings could possibly be pried away from Sacramento as well.
Nuggets management and ownership are undoubtedly mulling over their options before the trade deadline on February 18th. If a trade does not happen, the Nuggets might want to consider finding some minutes for some of their reserves so they we don’t have a deer in the headlights situation come May.
The primary argument made involving the Nuggets and why they need to make a move is that they don’t have enough size to hang with Lakers centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. While the Nuggets frontcourt of Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Chris Andersen is one of the best in the whole league, Denver would be in worse shape than Charles Barkley after a pie-eating contest if any one of those three got injured.
That being said, assuming the Nuggets need to acquire another big for the purposes of rebounding and defending is also assuming that reserves like Johan Petro, Malik Allen, and Renaldo Balkman would not be able to combat the likes of Gasol or Bynum. That assumption would be absolutely correct. I will leave out any arguments regarding why we would keep Petro or acquire Allen in the first place because they have no bearing on what Nuggets management might need to do now.
It is important to keep in mind that trades involve more than just one team, and while it is great to ponder which players in the league would be good fits on the Nuggets, the team or teams that we would be trading with would want something of value in return. Denver would certainly be willing to trade Petro, Allen, Balkman, Joey Graham, some draft picks, and possibly Anthony Carter. Would the Nuggets be open to trading anything of higher value than the benchwarmers though? Making a trade of any significance could come at a steeper price.
Some names that have been thrown around in terms of acquisitions are Wizards center Brendan Haywood, Clippers center Marcus Camby, and even Raptors forward Chris Bosh. While all of these possibilities would be genuinely intriguing, it seems as though the Nuggets would have to give up something decent in return. Also, it would be difficult to imagine any of those three (especially Bosh) being happy with playing less minutes and coming off the bench after the Birdman. Trading Martin, Nene, or Andersen all seem relatively unlikely in terms of general chemistry issues.
On a similar note, I don’t think the Nuggets would consider trading Young Rich (J.R. Smith). While this topic has been thrown around lately, it does not seem as though a team like the Washington Wizards would want to deal with Young Rich’s insolence and behavior patterns after already having issues with guns in the locker room earlier in the year (Side note: does anyone find it ironic that a team that used to be called the Bullets had an issue like that? I’m just saying.)
Other players around the league that the Nuggets might want to consider could be more realistic acquisitions. Former Nuggets forward Reggie Evans is a rebound machine, and would probably not have a problem being the ninth or tenth guy off the bench. (Truthfully, I don’t think Reggie has much of a problem with anything. I mean the guy once grabbed Chris “Caveman” Kaman’s family jewels in the playoffs for heaven’s sake). Spencer Hawes of the Kings could possibly be pried away from Sacramento as well.
Nuggets management and ownership are undoubtedly mulling over their options before the trade deadline on February 18th. If a trade does not happen, the Nuggets might want to consider finding some minutes for some of their reserves so they we don’t have a deer in the headlights situation come May.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Ty Lawson: "MEEP, MEEP" Here Comes the Road Runner
After writing two player profiles with negative overtones, I was inspired last night to praise one of the best surprises of the year,
As I watched last summer’s NBA draft, I heard everything about Blake Griffin, deservedly so, Ricky Rubio, disappointingly so, and then a laundry list of guards supposed to reshape the league at its foundation. From Johnny Flynn to Stephen Curry to Tyreke Evans all of these guys were supposed to be the next big thing. Though Tyreke Evans has been thus far and will be this year’s rookie of the year and Stephen Curry can definitely score with the best of them, there was one college guard suspiciously absent from the conversation. I don’t know if anyone else watched the NCAA playoffs in March like me, but the one player who stood above all others was none other than the little dynamo, Mr. Lawson. Not only did he handle every challenge thrown at him during the duration of March Madness while playing Robin to Tyler Hansborough’s Batman, for some inexplicable reason, he single handedly demoralized Michigan State in the championship game with eight steals (six in the first half). He was my favorite player to watch that whole college season and I eagerly awaited his emergence into the NBA.
As the draft went on and the picks passed ten then fifteen, I wondered what the scouts were thinking. NBA executives are traditionally suspect with some of their picks, but Ty Lawson was a winner with tremendous upside. His only downside is his height, 5’11’’, which I could see someone believing to be a defensive liability. Luckily,
What I have come to learn this season is Roy Williams wasn’t overstating anything. For a rookie, Ty brings not only athleticism to the table, but defensive intensity, pass first sensibilities, speed in transition, a low turnover rate, above average decision making, and humble confidence. Though Ty has logged fewer minutes than almost every other guard taken in last year’s draft it has been hard to ignore the things he can do on the court. One of the best highlight’s of the season came at the end of the Nuggets’ first matchup against the Lakers when Ty drove to rack and dunked on seven footer DJ Mbenga. This play got national attention and put him on the NBA map.
What I propose to all you Nuggets fans out there is we have the best young point guard in the league next to Chris Paul (with the possible exception of Deron Williams). While other guys might have some of the same skills and more height, Ty Lawson possesses something in so much abundance it will separate him from the rest of the scrubs within the next two years by miles. One Word, SPEED. SPEED. SPEED. (OK those were three of the same words).
Now that Tony Parker, Leandro Barbosa, and Steve Nash have all lost a step, Ty Lawson is by far the fastest player in the league (not including LeBron James who probably covers more area in the open court than Ty). More than this, as Karl has pointed out, he seems to get faster when he dribbles the basketball. As he is so low to the ground, it is almost impossible for opposing players to steal it from him and when he gets to the rim he cradles the ball like a running back (take notes Adrian Peterson).
For those of you paying attention, you will notice I said he will be the second best within the next two years. This is because Ty still has a lot of learning to do. He is still adjusting to shooting over the giants of the NBA, though at a faster rate than I might have guessed, and is learning the Nuggets offense more and more every game. Watch for our young gun to make an even bigger leap next year as he gets more playing time and gains confidence in the system.
Until then, just lay back and enjoy his progression, knowing the Nuggets made their best draft investment since Carmelo Anthony. Before we picked up Lawson we might have rued the end of the Chauncey era, now it will just begin another chapter in the Nuggets’ championship story.
Scott Hastings came up with a relevant nickname for our young Nugget, The Roadrunner. Not only is he as fast as his cartoon counterpart, but his defenders get just as frustrated as Wile E. Coyote. I’m going to stick with this moniker for now. Until then: RUN TY, RUN!
Friday, February 5, 2010
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sucks
I have to calm down right now! Oh crap, I shouldn’t have used that exclamation point! I’m just too excited! I’m writing this just minutes after the Denver Nuggets handled the LA Fakers on their home floor. After a hard day at work there is nothing better to get me to finish up my article than a convincing win over my most hated of teams. The Lakers were helpless as the Nuggets led by Chauncey Billups rained down three pointers from wherever they chose in the second half. Chauncey had nine of them, a career high, while J.R. Smith and Aaron Aflallo added their own to the mix. This is a statement win for the Nuggets who now have to go in to one of the other toughest places to play, Energy Solutions Arena (bleccchhhh what a horrible corporate name), tomorrow night and try and pull out another win sans Carmelo Anthony.
Before tonight’s game, I had already written an unfinished piece about my beef with the Birdman this season. Maybe he has ESP or something, because like the rest of the Nuggets he put in a stellar performance in
It seems to me with all the controversy surrounding J.R. Smith, issues with Nene’s aggressiveness, and now rumor milling around Carmelo Anthony’s ankle the player who has fallen off the most has been virtually ignored as a potential problem. Chris Andersen joined the Nuggets last season after being reinstated following a suspension for testing positive for an illegal, recreational substance. He was the steal of the year, averaging the most blocks per minute of any NBA player, getting copious rebounds, and providing the bench with a great energy boost and the Denver crowd with a willing mascot (sorry Rocky, we still love you). The Bird was the word, as Chris Marlowe is fond of saying, and he was a big reason we made it to the Western Conference Finals.
This year has been a considerably different story. After signing a contract extension which was far too high for any almost bench player, the Birdman has seemed to lack a certain killer instinct present last season. After being reinstated, he was still earning his way back in, but now the incentive only lies with his personal pride and desire for the team to win. I am not saying the Bird doesn’t have pride or doesn’t care about winning, on the contrary. I still think he is one of hardiest and most team oriented guys we have. What I am saying is it is easy to become distracted by opportunity and lose sight of what got you there in the first place. When I was watching the NBAtv inside looks at training camp this October, Rick Kamla mentioned how during his interview with the coaches they said Andersen had mostly tried to improve his jump shot. I knew this wasn’t a good sign. We will never need him to shoot anything outside of eight feet. Unless he made the leap to Mark Price type accuracy over the summer, like that reference?, there is no reason to even consider giving time and effort to the pursuit. I would have preferred he improve his post-game, boxing out, and learned the Nuggets plays better in order to cut to the basket at opportune times.
In addition to this lack of focus in practice, the Bird has taken on some questionable pursuits off the court. Now, I like the Mattress King and Kia commercials as much as anyone else, but it seems to be a symptom of the Birdman taking on too much too soon with his new found popularity. The extra-curricular activity I dislike the least is his attempt at a morning radio show. It is on way too early for me to have ever tried to tune in, however I have seen him in plenty of interviews and I can tell you the Bird is no word smith. My true dislike stems from the fact that already three times this season the Thursday airing has come in the early morning hours in the middle of back-to-back days for the Nuggets. In the second of these back-to-back games he has not had good showings either. Did anyone check the schedule before deciding on Thursday for his show?
Finally, are my beefs with the Bird’s in game play. Last year, Andersen was a new face in the crowd many opposing teams did not care about and certainly didn’t game plan for. He benefited from this oversight on many occasions coming in and swatting multiple shots from players who cared not to fake and grabbing rebounds away from those not caring to box him out. The word is out now though, and it says the Bird will bite on any pump fake and fail to stick his tail feathers in anyone’s face. Instead of adjusting to the adjustment, the Bird has taken to over working especially in the category of blocked shots. If the ball is anywhere within ten feet of the Bird he will flap at it. It is aggravating to see him come over from the weak side and try to impossibly block shots, leaving his man open to grab the rebound from the other side and put it back for an easy two.
I do believe Chris Andersen has seen the error of his ways of late, though. His last few games have been better. He is getting better at catching the ball in the key and is getting more rebounds while trying a few less block attempts. Tonight versus the Lakers he had a truly transcendent game. He came in with no headband or spiked hair, which I believe is a sign of his trying to focus on the game rather than the image so much. When he was in he played solid defense and grabbed many key rebounds to help seal the victory for the Nuggets. I am one of the biggest fans of the Birdman and I just hope he continues to work on his game and get back to basics. We need his presence so much with a three person low post rotation and without his concentrated energy we lose a big part of ourselves. GO NUGGETS!!!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Suns Rip apart Nug's Defense
OK, reality-check time. The Nuggets have not proven anything substantial yet this year. They have not clinched one of the top two seeds in the West. They have not clinched the Northwest Division. They haven’t even clinched a playoff spot yet. We sometimes get caught up in the win streaks and recent success, but the Nuggets eventually have a game that get brings us back to Earth.
The Nuggets’ individual posteriors were put on a platter and handed over by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Mediocre would be a flattering word in reference to Denver’s defense. Steve Nash and the Suns picked apart the Nuggets and their defensive schemes, draining three-pointers and getting in the paint like it was their jobs. Which it was. Come to think of it, executing in an offensive set is every team’s objective when they have the ball. Stopping them from executing so easily should be a defensive priority, and the Nuggets seemed lackadaisical at times in that department.
The Nuggets have rarely been blown out this year, especially at home. Protecting the home court so efficiently this year is the reason the Nuggets have one of the top records in the league. Every once in a while they will lose at home, but they should really never get blown out. The fans became so disinterested at one point that the wave became the focal point at one point. Whether the Nuggets improve on the road or not will be an important signal as to their ability to hang with the Lakers in a seven game series, especially if they don’t have the home court advantage.
It will be nice to get Carmelo Anthony’s offense back, but offense wasn’t really the main issue on Wednesday night. The Nuggets tend to be at their best when they are forcing turnovers and missed shots. Even if this doesn’t fuel a fast break, it swings the momentum heavily in their favor. Grittiness and toughness on the defensive end of the floor is an aspect of Denver’s game we have seen in the past, and with an offense as potent as theirs, may be the most important aspect in remaining an elite team.
The Nuggets’ individual posteriors were put on a platter and handed over by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Mediocre would be a flattering word in reference to Denver’s defense. Steve Nash and the Suns picked apart the Nuggets and their defensive schemes, draining three-pointers and getting in the paint like it was their jobs. Which it was. Come to think of it, executing in an offensive set is every team’s objective when they have the ball. Stopping them from executing so easily should be a defensive priority, and the Nuggets seemed lackadaisical at times in that department.
The Nuggets have rarely been blown out this year, especially at home. Protecting the home court so efficiently this year is the reason the Nuggets have one of the top records in the league. Every once in a while they will lose at home, but they should really never get blown out. The fans became so disinterested at one point that the wave became the focal point at one point. Whether the Nuggets improve on the road or not will be an important signal as to their ability to hang with the Lakers in a seven game series, especially if they don’t have the home court advantage.
It will be nice to get Carmelo Anthony’s offense back, but offense wasn’t really the main issue on Wednesday night. The Nuggets tend to be at their best when they are forcing turnovers and missed shots. Even if this doesn’t fuel a fast break, it swings the momentum heavily in their favor. Grittiness and toughness on the defensive end of the floor is an aspect of Denver’s game we have seen in the past, and with an offense as potent as theirs, may be the most important aspect in remaining an elite team.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
With Melo or Without Melo? This is the Question
Over the last few months, Carmelo Anthony has been more injured than Tiger Wood’s ego. In this span, the Nuggets have done a very good job of winning without him. It has prompted some fans and experts to wonder not only who the real MVP of the our team is, (Chauncey?), but also whether or not
This theory states that certain players like Patrick Ewing, Drew Bledsoe, and Alex Rodriguez actually benefit their teams by not playing. Simmons sites the ’99 playoffs push for the Knicks in spite of
After watching most of the last month and a half sans the Melo Man I have to say we do not play better without him, rather we simply play differently. This difference can translate into success against one team and hardship versus another. Against a team like the Spurs who would prefer us to isolate Melo in the half-court so they can solidify their defense, not having Carmelo forced the Nuggets to move the ball more and keep guys like Ginobili and Duncan on their heels. By that same token, against a team like the OKC Thunder we would prefer to have our leading scorer on the court. Kevin Durant is a player who has come into his own this year and, on his home floor, sets the tempo of games with his own scoring ability. Without Melo to match him with his offensive intensity and possibly put fouls on Durant, the Nuggets seemed helpless out there (I will note that Durant did not have an especially spectacular game against the Nuggets, but I’ll ask you to imagine how the game could have turned had we had the instant offense Melo provides).
Carmelo Anthony also does something else for his team we are just beginning to realize. The Nuggets have settled into their roles this season and their solid identity has allowed them to rack up even more wins than at the same point last year. Chauncey is our floor leader, Kenyon Martin is our defensive stopper, Nene has improved our low post option, Ty Lawson- Chris Andersen give us energy off the bench and J.R. Smith (supposedly) gives us firepower in that same vein. Carmelo has his role too, and it is to give the Nuggets points whenever the other guys are not hitting. Melo is the BEST in the league at driving to the hole and getting fouled to give us some freebies. Last night watching the Nuggets-Kings game I couldn’t help but long for Melo during the first half. Though Karl and the rest of the guys were disappointed in themselves for their lack of defensive zest, I would actually have to blame the 14 point lead on a simple lack of the Nuggets knocking down shots. Couple this with everyone from Kevin Martin to Omri Casspi to Andres Nocioni hitting every three pointer and lay-up and you get a substantial differential.
My only suggestion for Anthony would be to trust his teammates’ scoring abilities a little more. Ball movement on offense has sustained the Nuggets in his absence. Melo is a great passer and has had spurts of assisting in various games this season. It is my own theory that he has gone back to a more stagnant, hold the ball and wait to drive approach as the season has gone on, because he wants to win his first scoring title. He may say it isn’t important to him, but you can see it in his play. What is funny is he was scoring more at the beginning of the year when he was allowing the game to come to him and his teammates. If Melo allows himself to pass off once in a while when he drives, opponents will respect this and he will get more open shots and fewer double teams.
With three games against quality Western Conference opponents looming I could not be readier to have our Beloved Melo come back to the hardwood. Besides, lest we forget, we would have never dreamed of being in this position without him just seven years ago. COME BACK MELO, COME BACK!
Billups All-Star Snub? - by: G-Holtz-Speed
Why was Billups left off the team in the first place? Chauncey arguably had the best month of his career in January, averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in his 12 games played. On the other hand, Billups averaged 17.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds before the New Year hit. While those statistics are good, they probably would not have been enough for him to make the All-Star game.
Although stats are not the only factor that coaches (who vote in the All-Star reserves) consider when deciding who will make the team, I believe it does weigh more heavily than intangibles like leadership and team chemistry. Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is also one of the leading candidates for the MVP award at this point in the season, which may have negatively affected different viewpoints of Chauncey’s worth to the team.
Unless the coaches factored in “League’s Shiniest Head” into the equation, I can understand why Chauncey was left off the All-Star team. He just wasn’t playing like an All-Star until recently. He also missed eight games due to injury, which may have factored in, but did not seem to affect Chris Paul or the Laker’s Pau Gasol. It would also be difficult to justify any of the other guards in the West being left off the team, because leaving Paul, Brandon Roy, or Deron Williams off would be considerable snubbage as well. That’s right—I said snubbage.
Truthfully, Billups will probably end up playing in
Monday, February 1, 2010
Nugget Fast-Breaking not always a Necessity
I am starting to think that the Nuggets are actually effective in the half-court set. The Nuggets have been one of the top fast-breaking teams in the NBA for a while now, but it seems as though they are finding their niche when all ten players on both teams are crammed together on one side of the court.
One reason that this seems to have happened is because players like Arron Afflalo and Kenyon Martin are making a name for themselves as legitimate offensive threats. Afflalo has been hitting three pointers with consistency these days, many that are wide open because of defensive attention on more potent offensive threats. K-Mart has also been hitting open jump shots and being more aggressive driving to the hoop. While it is good that K-Mart is being aggressive and hitting shots lately, Nuggets fans should be wary of K-Mart falling too much in love with his outside shot.
The Nuggets should continue to run like Usain Bolt when the opportunities present themselves, but be especially attentive to not turning the ball over in these circumstances. The fact that they are figuring it out in the half-court set means that they can be more conservative with passes that may be risky in a fast break.
One reason that this seems to have happened is because players like Arron Afflalo and Kenyon Martin are making a name for themselves as legitimate offensive threats. Afflalo has been hitting three pointers with consistency these days, many that are wide open because of defensive attention on more potent offensive threats. K-Mart has also been hitting open jump shots and being more aggressive driving to the hoop. While it is good that K-Mart is being aggressive and hitting shots lately, Nuggets fans should be wary of K-Mart falling too much in love with his outside shot.
The Nuggets should continue to run like Usain Bolt when the opportunities present themselves, but be especially attentive to not turning the ball over in these circumstances. The fact that they are figuring it out in the half-court set means that they can be more conservative with passes that may be risky in a fast break.
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