Nuggster: A Denver Nuggets Fanatic Blog

Nuggets Among Leading Vote-Getters in 2007-08

2008-05-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

"Denver is the only team in the league this season to have three players rank among the Top-20 in All-NBA points received." - from the Nugget's Home Page.

The whole article is here:

Nuggets Among Leading Vote-Getters in 2007-08

Given that this is no surprise to me, because we do have amazing talent on this team, the only question is if the Management and the Coaching Staff are going to be SMART enough to win more games and get past the 1st Round of the playoffs this year.

Seriously, I'll take half of George Karl's Salary to coach this team and I'll do better than him. ;)

NuggSter

Lakers Own Nuggets, Sweep Season & Series

2008-04-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Well, overall, all things considered, it was an Ok season for the Nuggets. 50 Wins in a Season for the first time in 20 years is not bad for a team who lost 2 of it's supposed Starters for majority of the season.

When it comes to the Nuggets against the Lakers, it is plain embarrassing. We might as well have been the Miami Heat out there, they would have probably at least tried harder. I'm not saying that the players didn't try, I'm saying that I figured out the Lakers Offense but George Karl didn't. Hell it even took 83 games for Karl to notice that we had a mismatch against the Lakers. AI, who had a hot hand in game 3 was benched etc. etc.. Karl was probably too excited that his Son was on a Lakers squad that could go to the Finals. Anyway please see all my other previous posts on what I would have done differently.

I am still confident to this day that: "IF I WERE COACH OF THE DENVER NUGGETS, WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN 60 WINS AND OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS AS WINNERS". There is simply no excuse for a team with this amount of talent to not do well, especially against a team comprised of mostly mediocre players like the Lakers. As I mentioned in my post, all we needed to do was recognize and defend their "FAKE & PASS or DRIVE & PASS until they HIT THE OPEN MAN OFFENSE".

If you would like to see my other suggestions for this Denver Nuggets Team, just look at my previous posts. Sometimes I wonder if the Denver Nuggets have any Analysts or Coaching Staff with Brains, or at least some Basketball IQ. Too bad they don't do any research on the internet because we fans had a lot of ideas for this team, oh well.

And with that, with the END OF THE DENVER NUGGET'S SEASON, I END THIS BLOG, and depending on what moves are made during the Off-Season, I'll decide on whether or not to BLOG about the Nuggets again. If Coach Karl is replaced with someone that has FIRE and an emphasis on D, and most especially can control the likes of AI and Anthony, I'll definitely be back.

Till then, I will tuck my tail between my legs and run away like the EMBARRASSED NuggSter that I am.

To the DENVER NUGGETS PLAYERS:

AI & MELO: I specifically hoped (in my previous posts) that you would not try to do it yourselves and to trust in your talented teammates. AI's assists went down and Melo took TOO MANY JUMPERS with a lack of effort to ATTACK THE RIM OR PASS THE BALL. Melo I think you should be humbled by this experience and defer the leadership of this team to AI, learn from him for a couple of years and then take over when AI says you are ready. With Melo as the leader, and everybody FOLLOWING the LEADER, everyone is taking contested jumpers, not attacking the rim, not hitting the boards, not passing the ball and so on and so forth.

MARCUS: I think everybody hates that you take those long shots that are literally that. With your height and athletic ability you should be dunking the ball.

Everyone Else: I really like this team, I just wish it worked out Defensively for you all. I think it is a mix of a lack of good coaching and leadership that did this team in. Kleiza and JR have shown that they can be All-Stars if they put their minds to it.

IF THE NUGGETS PLAYED AS A TEAM: THEY COULD EASILY BE LIKE AN ALL-STAR TEAM.

At the end of the day, we the fans felt like we wanted it more than they did, and we go home to our normal lives after the losses while they go back to being pimpin' millionaires and who knows, maybe they were tired of the season and wanted to "chill"?

I actually wish we didn't make the Playoffs instead of getting sweeped like this, it is more embarrassing & Nuggets Fans will never hear the end of it from the Laker's Fans.

Let's just hope for the best for next season, maybe we can land defensive minded players like Raja Bell who was with AI in the Finals in 2001 and led the Suns to a Win over the Spurs.. Wishful Thinking...

Embarrassed NuggSter

Nuggets Bend Over for the Lakers

2008-04-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it doesn't seem appropriate for a Nugget's Fan to say it, but hey, what else can you say? We were dominated by these Lakers 3 times this season, and now we give up winnable games another 3 times to set ourselves up for what is possibly the only sweep in the first round of the Playoffs. That is "Bending Over" in my book.

Here are some points to ponder:

* If coach Karl is telling the players to do things that they are NOT doing, shouldn't they be mouthing off to each other and calling each other out?

* Why did it take Coach Karl 83 games before he noticed that we are mismatched with certain teams like the Lakers?

* Does Coach Karl want his son and the Lakers to advance is that why he is not coaching this Talent-Filled team?

* Early in the season, I suggested that the Nuggs especially AI-Melo put some set plays together a la Stockton & Malone but much more potent, but NNOOO.... 1 on 1 or just settling for the jump shot is SSOOO much better.. =P'

* Before the Playoffs started, I suggested that the All-Star Nuggs AI & Melo don't try to do it themselves but what do they do? Yup! Settle for the jumper with no passes, over and over and over and over... well, you get the idea.

* After Game 1, I suggested that way to beat the Lakers is to learn how to defend their FAKE & PASS or DRIVE & PASS until they hit the OPEN MAN Offense. But NNOOOO... let's look stoopid and just let the lesser players make OPEN shots. When I say lesser players I don't mean Kobe, I mean these guys making the OPEN shots that didn't used to make them.

* I put all of these suggestions on Melo's Blog too, obviously who am I for "Professionals" to listen to but, I think I was right, don't you? So either I am being ignored or Melo doesn't read the comments on his own BLOG.

* Don't the Denver Nuggets have Analysts & Coaching Staff? Why have they not figured these things out??

* How can a team with at least 5 players that can score 30 in a game get swept over and over again by a team with only 2 players that can score 30 in a game, albeit one of them can score 81 but hey, not every night.

* Everyone keeps deferring the leadership role to Melo but here's my thing: Melo is young, he is obviously still making a lot of mistakes. Why not defer the Leadership of the team to the veterans like AI and Marcus until such time Melo has matured, learned from the veterans and is ready to take over. Right now I don't see anyone being the true floor leader of this team, if it is Melo, then everyone is following the leader and just settling for jump shots time and again.

I could go on and on with all of my thoughts on these, but it makes no difference, I am just talking to myself to keep my sanity.

Well folks, it could be the end of this season, this opportunity & possibly this team since Management may see the problem as being certain players and not the coaching staff.

I'd love for us to get at least 1 win but I think it is too late for that already.

Prove me wrong.

Embarrassed NuggSter

Denver Deserves to Lose to the Lakers

2008-04-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I am still the Nugget's biggest fan, although it is tough for me to watch them waste their talent.

The Lakers are doing the same thing that I described below: Fake & Pass until they hit the open man. The Nuggets are doing the same thing that kept on getting themselves in trouble, settling for jump shots, lousy attempts from camby, lousy 3 point shooting, free throw shooting, lousy defense and dumbass offensive fouls. It isn't only frustrating that the Analysts and Coaching Staff have not figured it out, but it is even more frustrating that the Players themselves are not able to see it, despite it happening over, and over, and over and over...

The only difference is that Kobe actually had a good game.

I actually watched the game live this time, what a waste of time.

If the Nuggets think they still have a chance after this I will admire their spirit because historically when you're down 0-2, stick a fork in yo'self cuz you're DONE.

What could have been. I honestly believe I could have coached this team better. Really.

The worst part of it is I had to endure seeing Kobe shake his head again and now he has a new one where he had a soft Gay hand after making a 3 then pulled a Reggie Miller and put his Gay gun back into his holster.

In summary, Go Utah?

How the Nuggets should defend the Lakers

2008-04-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here are my (Non-Expert) thoughts on how the Nuggets should defend the Lakers:

While analyzing most of the Laker highlights I noticed 1 thing that stood out like a sore thumb, all 5 Players are doing what Ginobili is so good at doing:

* Fake + Pass
* This continues until they hit the open man,..

Basically what is happening is the player with the ball makes a fake to get their defender off balance or in the air while other defenders off the ball are either watching the shooter or looking at the basket (basically distracted) while their man gets open and receives the pass from the shooter and WALAH! Open shot.

So the key to defending this would be for all 5 players on defense to always stay in between the ball and their man until such time that the ball is already up above the rim. I would suggest that the defensive player falls back just a little bit so the pass is made then SURPRISE! Steal!!

I hope the Nuggets figure this out because this is how the Lakers are getting so much more assists, then, I hope they are willing to apply this to their next games.

That way, there is NO WAY that the NUGGETS will LOSE AGAIN.

Again though, I am just a fan, so all I can do is Hope and Pray for my Favorite Team to get the Lakers back for all season.

NuggSter

Denver Nuggets meet expectations, Lose in L.A.

2008-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well, did I call that or what? Ok, we weren't that bad at the 3 point line but everything else that I called to be a problem came true:

* 14 Missed Free Throws - We lost by 14.
* The Lakers got 13 more assists.
* We were mismatched, - how many times have you seen Anthony Carter being pushed in by someone taller like Radmanovic? - Stoopid Coaching move, or lack thereof.
* No Nene yet..
* We got owned by Gasol, first the Olympics, now the playoffs.. dang!
* All this after getting swept throughout the season, that's pretty much all the fire we're gonna get from the guys I guess..

on the positive side, our stars did their job, and so did our 6th, 7th & 8th guys.

We will continue to lose if all of these continue, PERIOD.

Great, now that the games are all televised I have to watch them lose. =P'

NuggSter

Nuggets Win 50 for First Time in 20 Years, Now What?

2008-04-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

The last Home game against the Grizzlies was not that important anymore after the Nuggets learned that Dallas beat New Orleans so the Bench basically finished off the Grizzles to get to the big 5-0.

Now What??

We face the Lakers who have OWNED us 3 times this year, that is what.

Hopefully our Denver Nuggets are Mad about this because it is going to take all of our guys to smell blood to beat the Lakers.

We haven't been outplayed by Kobe, we have been outplayed by the Lakers. By analyzing the stats of the 3 Losses to the Lakers, here is what I noticed:

* The Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 2 out of the 3 games, and
* The Lakers had plenty more assists in all 3 games, which means, they are playing as a team, and we are not.

Even with AI scoring 51 in one of the games, it was all for naught because we lost the game, and I hope AI & Melo realize that and don't try to go it alone. They have so much talent on this team, it is a waste not to take advantage of that.

They say that the Lakers have a deep bench, I say we have the best bench. We have 2 guys coming off the bench that could score at will on any given night and we have Najera who can do everything you ask him to.

Here are my recommendations for our Denver Nuggets, whether anybody on the team sees them and does anything with them or not, I just need to say it:

* AI & Melo Need to attack the basket and either get high percentage shots or get the taller Lakers in foul trouble

* We need to make our free throws, if we lose by 3 and missed 13 free throws, it truly a shame,

* AI & Melo Need to get everyone involved, and not try to do it all themselves, like I said, it's about the team not the individual, of course there are going to be times when the stars will do what they do but that is not all the time,

* The starting 5 needs to be adjusted to Match-Up with the Lakers, I say put AI on Point and JR at Shooting Guard to put some height and athletic ability on Kobe,

* 3 Point Shooting is where we have struggled all year, both on Offense and Defense, if practice makes perfect, why aren't we practicing these??

* AI, Melo, K-Mart, & Camby need to have set plays like Pick & Roll, .. with both players being able to finish it would be very potent and something that you can repeatedly rely on,

* Everybody needs to take it to the whole, the Lakers are taller, but we are more athletic, we can get the higher percentage shot or get the foul,

* The Nuggets stand around watching when they see that AI or Melo are going to work on making a shot, instead of running towards the rim to either RECEIVE A PASS or get the OFFENSIVE REBOUND they just stand around watching and start walking in the other direction, this is why we get SEVERELY OUTREBOUNDED some nights, yes, even you Melo, when AI is working on his shot you should be GOING TOWARDS THE RIM, everyone should, unless there is an opposing player hanging back for a fast break,

* PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE - 3s and FREE THROWS for heaven's sake. I mean c'mon, really? Professional players should be making their Free Throws,

* Here is the Key: The DENVER NUGGETS are going to need to want it as much as we the fans do and show us what we KNOW THEY CAN DO. IF EVERYBODY HAD AS MUCH HEART AS AI, WATCH OUT CELTICS.

* Having a healthy Nene would be a great boost and BONUS, we certainly need his size and ability underneath and above the rim!!

Anyway, I have lots of ideas for the Denver Nuggets to keep winning, does it matter? Not Really. Unless Coach Karl identifies these problems and fixes them, we will see out Denver Nuggets exit in the first round again.

If only I could be coach,.. ;)

NuggSter

Nuggets Beat Streaking Rockets and Make Playoffs!

2008-04-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Awesome, Player of the Week AI lead the way!

Well, it has been a roller coaster ride for the Denver Nuggets and their fans. At least there is a happy ending, for now.

Allen Iverson, my second favorite player in the world after Michael Jordan (Sorry AI) really came through as one if not the leader of this team. AI did everything for this game, with 33 points, 7 Assists, and get this: 7 Rebounds, and wait, it gets better, 1 HUGE Block!

See Here:

That, my friends is why I like my Man AI, he wasn't born with all the advantages in the world like Shaq, or Lebron but his Heart makes up for it.

Things have been coming together for the Nuggets lately, well, most of the time. Everyone is entitled to have an off game and I believe Melo had 1 or 2 during these last couple of games, then, the DUI incident which is Stoopid, with a capital F. Sorry Melo but what if the Warriors Won? And what if you weren't able to play? Or worse, what if you got hurt, or you hurt someone? Don't you think that was stoopid especially knowing that you can afford to get a driver??

I'm in Guam dude but if you fly me over there I'll freakin drive you around no problem. Shiznit.

Anyway, what next for our Denver Nuggets? Playoffs Baby!!!!! Hey how we got here wasn't pretty but we are here, and we need to Play Like there is No Tomorrow! We are bottom seed, so basically we will be playing the top team in the West. This of course is unless the Hornets beat Dallas and Denver beats the Grizzlies, then we'd be 7th!

Either way, we will most probably get either the Lakers of the Hornets, both of which have beaten our Denver Nuggets most of the time this Season. If I were coach, I'd be studying why these teams have been beating us already..

I'm not coach though so for now, I'll just have to hope and pray that our Denver Nuggets get past the first round this time.

We will need EVERYBODY to step it up and help our Floor Leaders AI, Melo & Camby! C'mon K-Mart, JR, Najera, LK43, Nene!, you too Chucky, Steven and the new guy!

I absolutely Love it when JR, Linas and Najera comes in and boosts the team! That is great, our Bench will be the difference this year!

NuggSter

Nuggets blown out again by Jazz

2008-04-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the formula for disaster:

20% 3Point FG + 60% Freethrows = Embarassing Loss.

I don't know about you but if I was a Professional Basketball Player I would not shoot this bad.

Here we are again, gave it right back to Golden State. =P'

Even if we do get to the playoffs, I'm not sure we can beat the better Professional teams.

Let's hope for the best again for the last 2 games at the Pepsi Center.

On paper, we should not have a problem with Houston but, on paper is different from what this team has been about all season, even with the injuries and all.

Frustrated NuggSter.

Nuggets Win Must-Win Showdown with Warriors

2008-04-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

In what was probably the biggest Regular Season Game for our Denver Nuggets, the stars aligned, namely Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and an awesome performance off the bench by JR Smith.

Our stars outshined their stars, that is what happened. Realistically, it could have easily gone the other way, Golden State got plenty more Rebounds, Assists and Attempts than our Nuggets did. If Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson had hot shooting hands that night we could have been in big trouble.

My point is this: It was not a pretty win, but I'll take it! Although to beat better teams, we cannot get outrebounded like that and we need to take better shots by passing the ball around better. I am glad though that the Free Throw percentage was a little better, if it wasn't we probably would have gone down the wire with them where the Warriors are the most dangerous.

Overall I'm happy with this win, I just hope that our team fixes their problems and remember that we still owe the JAZZ, and OKUR for tearing us a new one the last time we played them.

Put K-Mart on OKUR and don't let him make any 3's. Seriously.

NuggSter

Nuggets Finally Win One Gimme in LA

2008-04-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

So our Denver Nuggets finally take care of business and Win one Supposed-To-Win, so what? Golden State won too which means that we are still tied for 8th.

There are a lot of good things to mention about the game but, the bottom-line is if the team doesn not consistently take care of business then we will be rooting for some other team come playoff time.

The reality of the matter is that after tomorrow's game against the Warriors the Nugget's have the tougher opponents for their last couple of games of the season.

I have a CHALLENGE for the DENVER NUGGETS: Don't let the WARRIORS score more than 100. Can it be done? YES. Do I think the NUGGETS can do it? No. I'd love to be wrong though.

NuggSter

Sonics get Revenge, Nuggets continue losing streak

2008-04-06T21:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the game isn't over yet but, statistically, we could have won again by making our Free Throws.

Obviously the Sonics wanted this one more. Maybe our Denver Nuggets would rather just watch the Playoffs on TV or something..

Embarrassed NuggSter.

Denver lives up to my expectations, Lose a Supposed-to-Win Game

2008-04-06T04:24:00.000-07:00

This is exactly why I don't get my hopes up. As I've said over and over again:

"This Denver Nuggets Team can BEAT ANY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE, but they can also just as easily LOSE TO ANY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE." - NuggSter.

If the Nuggets weren't doing this all season we probably would be in the TOP 3 of the WESTERN CONFERENCE but, noooo... we want to have a MEDIOCRE record with all this talent. =P' - Obviously I got my hopes up again.

I was not able to watch the game so I am unsure as to what exactly was the reason that we lost at HOME to the KINGS without ARTEST AND BRAD MILLER, but what I WILL SAY IS this: A usual culprit is poor 3-Point Shooting AND we MISSED 10 Free Throws and lost by 3.

End of story.

What happens happens, we can only hope for the best but expect the worst.

By the way, can anyone tell me what happened to AI? How did he play so many minutes but do so little (stat-wise)? It looks like Melo (47 Points) and Kleiza were the only ones that wanted this one.

Frustrated NuggSter.

Nuggets Stay Strong At Home, get win over Suns

2008-04-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

After blowing a 22-point lead last night, it looked familiar when they once again allowed a 14-point lead to slip away, but this time it had different results. It is pretty safe to assume that the heroes of this game are the All-Stars, especially Melo's last 2 Rebounds.

Overall we rebounded better this game than last, in which we got out rebounded like we only had players that were 5'5". Just kidding, but pretty close 50-30 is pretty bad. Tonight is was 45-45 so it gave us a chance to get the W.

Overall, I shouldn't complain since we protected our own and continued the Home Winning Streak but we had that first game in Phoenix too. Who let's a 22-point lead slip away? I mean really?? I don't know if that is bad coaching or bad attitude? It's just bad something.

Coming up, a couple more games that we are supposed to Win. Let's see if our team can get back on track.

NuggSter

K-Mart's Blue Light Special Leads Denver Nuggets to 5th Straight

2008-03-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Man, what a roller coaster ride.. Just when you think that our favorite team had already given up they decide to show up and show signs of life.

Again, I refuse to get my hopes up as much as possible because we still have a lot of tough games left to play beginning with 2 against the surging Suns.

I think this would be the biggest streak we've had this season of 5 straight including 3 on the road.

The Bottom-Line is that our Denver Nuggets are finally showing us what they are capable of. They are doing what we expected them to do all season, and for some reason they always seem to perform better with their backs against the wall.

What's been most impressive as of late has been the play of K-Mart and the Nugget's bench. This team is finally showing it's depth, whether it is because coach Karl is just now realizing what he has on the bench is the reason, or if it is the bench themselves that don't want to be watching the playoffs from home, it doesn't matter.
All that matters is that our team is going to get through this adversity and come out on top, and in the playoffs.

About K-Mart, I've always been wondering about when he was going to be more aggressive. Whenever he dunks the ball it is very fast and he has his elbows above the rim which would make it hard for anyone to contest and he has a pretty decent jumper as well.

This shows that we have at least:

5 Players that can score at least 30,
4 Players that can score at least 35,
3 Players that can score at least 40,
2 Players that can score at least 45, and
1 Player that can score at least 50.

Now that is some pretty impressive Offense, although it is the other side of the equation that we are yet to see any type of consistency on which is the Defensive end.

Our Denver Nuggets are responsible for putting themselves in this position, so it is only proper that they come out and take care of business. If they won a lot of games that they were supposed to, we would probably be in the top 4 or 5 of the west.

For now, let's hope that our Denver Nuggets Continue on their winning ways.

Honestly I think if AI didn't get his broken finger hit that early and had made his shots this last game would have been a blowout. Oh well, like I said, we have a lot of options of offense.

Let's hope Shaq doesn't bully Camby in these next 2 games too much, he's got a couple of hundred pounds on him.

NuggSter

JR catches FAYAh! to help the Nuggets finish off the hot Grizzlies

2008-03-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

JR gave us 27 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast & 1 stl in 21 minutes. What?

C'mon, I've been saying this for the past couple of months:

"Put AI on Point and Start JR at Shooting Guard!" - see details below in "If I Were Coach of the Denver Nuggets".

Ok so we got another win which makes it 3 in a row, again, now historically I would have expected us to lose the next one which would have been against Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks but in an odd twist of fate we are going to get the Mavericks without their leader.

Now I expect that we should be able to blow them out of the Pepsi Center but, I will not get my hopes up, for 2 reasons:

1. Historically, the Nuggets, haven't won more than 3 in a row this season, maybe we get lazy, maybe we just don't want it, maybe we're just tired, whatever the reason is, that's how its been.

2. Watch for the rest of the Mavericks to bring their "A" Game while we start off slow and barely keep up. ( I would love to be wrong on this, seriously )

In a perfect world our All-Star Team Denver Nuggets will win by 30. In the real world, we'll probably barely get the win, if we get it at all.

I'm still just hoping for the best for our favorite Team the Denver Nuggets.

My Message to the Nuggz:

AI - AI you continue to inspire us, your efficiency is under appreciated, although you will always be underrated compared to the likes of CP3 or Nash because of the assists category. Don't worry, CB is just jealous, but like I keep saying, you can easily get a dub-dub every night in pts/ast if you wanted it.

Melo - You are still the Man Melo. I think you are still not as agressive as we want to see you though. Like AI said, with your height and athleticism, if you wanted it, you'd easily get a dub-dub in pts/reb every night. Also I wish you took it to the hole more often, especially when you miss more than 2 jump shots in a row. Help Camby get the ball.

Camby - You sir are a monster, the only thing I don't get is why you choose to take so many low percentage jump shots? At your height and capability you could easily either take a quick fake, then dunk it, or just dunk it on anybody. Sometimes you dissappear, like in Philly, what happened there?

K-Mart - You have been making the difference lately K-mart, keep it up the team really needs you especially without Nene. Help Camby get the ball.

JR - Dang, you could be so good. You are good, but I think coach is still worried about your decision making, but just keep playing smart and bring it every time you get on the court, man you are something else. I seriously think you can be the 3rd All-Star on this team, show us JR.

AC - You've been doing a solid job on both ends of the court, keep workin on those 3 pointers because consistency is what we lack.

CA - I hope you get more minutes and are able to show us what you bring to the team. Keep working on your 3 pointers too cause I haven't seen you make a lot. I know you just need to get your groove back.

Najera - The unsung hero. Your hard work is very much appreciated and remains vital to the team winning games. Your 3 point shooting is very much a bonus too, way to find ways to contribute to the Team!

Hunter - Sorry you haven't been getting the minutes but hey, I believe you have the capability to do so much with your height and athleticism. Just keep working on your game and I hope you'll get more minutes.

Diawara - I think you can be a stopper. I think you could be a clean "Bowen" type player, you can also hit the 3. I hope you get more minutes too.

TG - Sorry don't know much about you yet. Hope you get a chance to show yourself.

Nene - I hope everything is fine and you are getting healthier and better everyday. Come back as soon as you can Ok? Your team misses you and we the fans miss you too! I honestly believe we would be at the TOP of the WEST right now if you weren't out!

NuggSter

If I Were Coach of the Denver Nuggets

2008-03-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

I by no means am an expert at basketball nor do I claim to be good at it or anything of the sort. I do though understand the game and have a passion and love for the game probably only matched by the likes of MJ or AI.

If I were the coach of the Denver Nuggets, these are the immediate changes that I would make:

AI would start as Point Guard. - He is still the most effective assist machine on the team because defenders all expect him to shoot. also the team's record is something like 24-4 when he get's a double-double in Points & Assists.
AC as backup Point Guard. - He would get his minutes by giving AI a rest, at least 3 minutes per half, so AI is fresh to finish off the 4th.
JR would start as Shooting Guard. - He brings more height, offense AND defense to the perimeter. High risk, high reward. He has been playing smarter lately, he is worth the risk.
We can blow any team out of the court with AI and JR in the Back Court. AI and JR are too proud to let the other back court get the better of them, and can you imagine the speed? Woohoo! This doesn't even have to be every game, but at least when playing teams with taller more athletic shooting guards like Kobe or T-Mac.
Use Diawara more as the "Bowen" of the team and have him lock down the luck offensive player of the other team.
ANY Player that is 0 for 5, will come out of the game to sit down and think about it. ANY PLAYER. It doesn't have to be 5, it could just be too many jump shots. The "Sit Down" rule should be if you miss 3 jumpers, you need to TAKE IT TO THE HOLE.
I would have the team practice EXTRA hard on THREE POINTERS & FREE THROWS. If we make these we lessen the chance of any close games that translate to losses.
Improve perimeter Defense, see AI and JR above for taller shooting guards above.
Have Melo, AI, Camby work on go-to set plays like PICK-&-ROLL a la Stockton & Malone, these could be very potent, but NOOOOOO>>>... I'm just a fan, who's gonna listen to me?
Convince AI and Melo that they need to work on other facets of their game and prove doubters that they are not One-Dimensional Players. AI could easily get a dub-dub in Points & Assists every night and Melo could work a little harder and get a dub-dub in Points & Rebounds every night. It's a lot of pressure on them yeah but they are the most consistent players on the court most of the time, and that is why they are called the Dynamic Duo.
Talk to Nene and decide on whether he is coming back this season or not. Make it clear to the team as well so they know where they stand and what they need to do with what.
Coach Carl has been doing this lately, well, somewhat but, I'd try to give more playing time to JR, LK43, Najera, Diawara & Atkins. See the "Sit Down" rule above for application.

BASICALLY I WOULD HAVE AN OVERALL SMARTER APPROACH TO EACH AND EVERY GAME. IT'S ALL ABOUT MATCH-UPS, RECOGNIZE THEM AND PLAY THEM ACCORDINGLY, LIKE A GAME OF CHESS. If this means that your starting 5 changes once in awhile depending on who we are playing then so be it.

Oh well all I can do with all this is blog about it and use it when I play NBA 2K8 on my playstation. =P'

NuggSter

Dynamic Duo torches Toronto with 69 Points

2008-03-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

In another game that the Nuggets were merely supposed to win, at least we won. Although, again, Golden State won as well so, we did not make any ground on the 8th spot in the playoffs. Also, this has been what the Nuggets have been doing, winning 2 or 3 games before losing to any random team, whether they are good or bad.

Aside from AI and Melo's Defense, I would like to give props to Marcus for coming back and getting 15 Rebounds on the Road, and to K-Mart for his excellent Defense on Chris Bosh.

I've got to say, K-mart has been stepping up lately, if only everybody on the team picks up from this new sense of urgency. Also I really wish that Coach Carl starts to do his job a little better.

NuggSter

Nuggets Bench show signs of life, Finally Win on the Road Over the Nets

2008-03-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

We are lucky to have pulled off this win. According to the BoxScore we got outrebounded again (by 12) and we missed a whole lot of free throws, again. We are lucky that AI, JR, Kleiza & Najera had that run in the 4th that they did. Otherwise we would just continue to fall out of the race.

If we continue to play like this, especially against stronger, more consistent teams, we will definitely not make the playoffs, .. and if we do, we won't go far.

Why is it so hard for Coach Karl to identify and address the problems of this team? Why aren't the leaders of this team doing anything?

Oh well, an ugly Win is better than an Ugly Loss I suppose.

We'll see what happens next.

NuggSter.

Nuggets still inconsistent, lose to Pistons and Philly.

2008-03-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I think I hit rock-bottom with this last lass to the Sixers. Without being able to watch the game, the problems were obvious. Marcus didn't show up today (wassup Marcus?) & we missed a lot of free throws, enough to have won us the game.

I just can't get over how inconsistent our team can be. From winning by an average of 35 pts per game to getting blown out, then losing to a sub .500 team. In these past 2 games why is it that the 3rd quarter is the only one we do a good job?

What is that I smell? Oh that is the smell of De-Feat, and it stinks..

Unfortunately at this rate we will not be seeing our Denver Nuggets in the Playoffs this year. It seems as though our team just does not have the desire and toughness that the likes of the Houston Rockets have to make a run.

What's left? I'm gonna have to decide on who I'll be rooting for in the playoffs..

I feel bad for AI because:

1. his new team is not likely to make the playoffs, his old team is,
2. his old team beat his new team, again.

Oh well, at the end of the day we are just fans and they are still superstar millionaires that get to play ball for a living. So I imagine that I feel worse than they do because my passion for basketball is my escape from the real world where I continue to struggle with and now I have nothing to root for.

To the Denver Nuggets, sorry, I've lost hope for this season, until further notice.

To my fellow Denver Nuggets Fans, I'm not quitting on the team, I am merely being realistic.

Go Nuggets for Next Year!

NuggSter

Nuggets break their own record in Blowout of the Sonics

2008-03-17T17:35:00.001-07:00

Well I gotta say that this how us fans imagined how good out Denver Nuggets team really is. The only question is can they keep it going and remain consistent to make a playoff push?

It remains to be seen and a good test will be coming up on the next road trip to the east coast. First up, the Detroit Pistons who are not as good as we are Offensively but Defensively they are good. They have at least 3 shotblockers on their team so we really need to play smart, keep passing the ball, get the open man and go to the hole.

Then, AI and the Nuggets will be visiting his old team the Sixers who are still below .500 but are making the playoffs, not to mention that they are on some sort of winning streak. The Nuggets need to support AI and and show the Sixers that AI made the right choice and went to a better team. If they control Iggy, they'll control the game. JR vs. Iggy sounds good to me.

Anyway, this past blowout, one word. Wow. Take in the fact that not one Nugget played for more than 27 minutes, makes it even more amazing. Could it be that the Nuggets are finally getting it together?? Let's not get our hopes up just yet and see what happens on the first road game and first real test since the Nuggets started blowing out other teams.

Here is some video for your enjoyment of our last "show-time" showing.

AI hurt, Melo struggled, Nuggets still blow out Grizzlies

2008-03-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't post anything on the loss in San Antonio because it was disappointing and positive at the same time. It was a game that went back and forth, neither team played exceptionally well and it came down to San Antonio's experience as it all fell apart for the Nuggets in the last 2 minutes of the game. All I could really say about the Nugget's stats are that there weren't a lot of assists so I imagine there was a lot of 1 on 1 action as opposed to team basketball. Good thing the rest of the Nuggets were more than enough to handle the Memphis Grizzlies who I think are dee-dee-dees for trading Gasol. ;)

With this win the Nuggets officially got their best 64-Game start in 20 years. So let's for a moment appreciate that they have improved significantly since AI arrived in Denver. Let's also appreciate that the WEST is crazy this year. Everybody improved, and there are a lot of improved teams in the west. Even with their best start in 20 years, the Nuggets are STILL on the outside looking in,... WHAT??

To put it into perspective, in the East, AI's old team the Sixers are still 3 games below .500 and they would still make the playoffs if they were to play today! That is how lopsided the EAST and WEST are this year. Frankly I don't think it is fair that the Sixers would make the Playoffs and the Nuggets wouldn't. I think the playoffs should have the top 16 teams, period.

Anyway, this win was a given, a supposed to win, but didn't mean too much because again, the Warriors and the Jazz won too so we didn't gain any ground.

Let's not get our hopes up but the Nuggets NEED to win ALL OF THEIR UPCOMING GAMES especially the ones that are supposed to be easy to have a chance. Otherwise they will be spectators come playoff time too.

I don't think a team with that much talend and pride would want that to happen so we should see some better effort, I hope.

NuggSter

Nuggets Continue Inconsistency, lose to Jazz

2008-03-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

There is still 6+ minutes left in the game but, the Nuggets are still down by about 26 so unless Jr or LK43 go on a shooting spree, stick a fork in it cause it is done.

Just as I had anticipated, our Achilles' Heel is exposed once again, and we are beaten from the 3 point line from a good 3 point shooting team in the Jazz.

It's times like these when you can't help but put the blame on Karl, the Team Leaders and the overall desire to win of this team.

This is a prime example of the roller coaster ride this has been for us, the Fans of the Nuggets.

In the meantime Utah wins, Golden State wins, and we are still on the outside looking in, facing the possibility of an early end to the season.

Seriously, who REALLY wants to WIN? I guess I do. ={

All we can do is hope that the next teams they play don't make their 3 pointers..

NuggSter

Nuggets Stop Defending Champ Spurs 11-Game Winning Streak

2008-03-07T23:37:00.000-08:00

WWWOOOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! That was an awesome show of poise and teamwork by our DENVER NUGGETS! You should have seen me jumping and yelling in front of my TV! I think this is the happiest I have been all season as a FAN. =D

2 BIG WINS IN 2 BIG GAMES IN A ROW. YES!!!!

Melo had a tough first half but he came out determined to turn it around in the 2nd and that is what he did, he kept fighting, that's the way to do it Melo. Especially when he kept taking it to the hole, good job, great job. AI kept us going all game, but I have to give credit to my boy Najera as the unsung Hero of this game. Najera and JR ( again ) had excellent games coming off the bench.

Negative: again, FREE THROWS. It would have been a BLOW OUT if we had a respectable FREE THROW PERCENTAGE. It has been below 70% in the past 2 games. C'mon guys? REALLY?

I think the Minister of D was kind of out of it today too. Everyone is entitled to one of those once in awhile though, he still held it down.

THANK YOU TO OUR DENVER NUGGETS FOR MAKING US PROUD!! =)

NEXT UP, THE JAZZ, ON THE ROAD, TO WIN WE NEED TO CONTAIN IVERSON'S OLD TEAM MATE KYLE KORVER and the OTHER 3 POINT SHOOTERS.

Inside I'm confident of Boozer not getting his way against Marcus, K-mart, Melo AND Najera,.. NO WAY. NEVER LEAVE KYLE KORVER, NO BREATHING ROOM, PERIOD.

WHAT MORE IF NENE WAS BACK!!?? We would definitely be a SCARY TEAM! It's OK THOUGH, WE HAVE ENOUGH TALENT AND HEART ON THIS TEAM TO WIN EVEN AS IT IS. PLEASE COME BACK SOON NENE.

WELCOME BACK TO CHUCKY ATKINS, I HOPE YOU START MAKING YOUR SHOTS.

JR & Najera, KEEP IT GOING GUYS WE NEED YOU, YOU TOO LK43, WAKE UP!!

LET'S KEEP IT GOING NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Nuggets Finally Eclipse Suns at the Pepsi Center

2008-03-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is what we have been waiting for, well, more like, wins like these for more than 3 in a row. Basically more than a 1 or 2 game winning streak. =P'

Melo and AI showed us why they are All-Stars with their showing for this game. AI was, well AI, what can I say, the player with the most Heart and Talent per inch in the world I would say. If he were as tall as Kobe or McGrady, then you might as well just throw the towel in when you play against him. Melo, Wow. He just showed us what he is capable of when he puts his mind to it. He is scary good when he plays like that, attacking the rim and crashing the boards like there is no tomorrow.

There were many good things about this game. A couple of other brighter spots were JR Smith's awesome shooting (START HIM AS SG WITH AI AS PG), AC's excellent D and double double, Marcus and K-mart are their usual efficient selves and everybody's contributions off the bench were crucial too.

I'd have to say that the only NEGATIVE for the Nuggets this game was the Free Throw Shooting. I mean c'mon?? 9 missed free throws? What if it was a close game? That's 9 points that could have won or lost it for us! There is a reason why they call them FREE THROWS guys, you are professionals, get them down please.

MAY I POINT OUT THAT AI HAD ANOTHER DUB-DUB IN POINTS & ASSISTS = WIN. (23-3??)

THE BIGGER QUESTION IS: Can the NUGGET's pull it together for this stretch and continue to WIN SOME GAMES so our season doesn't get cut short? It remains to be seen. DO THEY WANT IT AS MUCH AS WE THE FANS DO? HOPEFULLY, WE'LL SEE.

TOMORROW WE GET A CHANCE TO BEAT THE TEAM THAT HAS ELIMINATED US IN THE FIRST ROUND MORE THAN ONCE. KEEP THAT IN MIND GUYS. OFFENSIVELY THEY HAVE NOTHING ON US EXCEPT THEIR OCCASIONAL LUCK FROM THE 3 POINT LINE WHICH WE NEED TO DEFEND. PLEASE? PUT SOMEONE ON GINOBILI!

LET'S DO THIS NUGGETS!

NuggSter

AI already has double-double = WIN!

2008-03-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

With more than 5 minutes remaining even taking into consideration that the Suns are an explosive team and can come back really quickly, I'm going to go out on a limb because:

AI dub-dub in Pts/Assists = WIN.

I'll talk more about the game Melo, AC, JR and everybody later!

Go NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Nuggets continue inconsistency, Lose to streaking Rockets

2008-03-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

Well, like I said, expect the worst. If there is one thing that we can count on, it is the consistent inconsistencies of our Denver Nuggets.

It was televised, but I am glad I didn't watch it. Overall it was a bad shooting night especially for the All-Stars that are supposed to be leading this team. Without being able to watch the game, I assume that they too a lot of jumpers. =P'

Another thing that struck me is that Camby only got 8 rebounds. Seriously, this is not the way to get it together and go on a run.

The Houston Rockets are playing good ball, they are where we want our Denver Nuggets to be. Oh, well... I could keep putting my thoughts on this blog, camby's blog, melo's blog, but it seems as though it's not being read by those who can do something about it.

Next up, the seemingly struggling Phoenix Suns. No matter though, it's up to the Nuggets when they decide on working hard and getting a win.

If this pattern continues, I soon won't have anything to blog about because we won't even be making the playoffs this year. Oh yeah, almost forgot, now even the Sixers beat the Clippers by 26, whereas we were barely able to hold them off. =P'

Frustrated fan,

NuggSter

All Stars AI and Melo Lead Nuggets to Ugly Win over Clippers

2008-03-02T02:02:00.000-08:00

Things are not looking good for our Denver Nuggets. In a game that they should have won easily, they looked slow and off target, especially from the 3 point line. They gave up individual career highs again and almost lost to a severely depleted Clippers team that is one of the worst offensive teams in the league.

Like I have said before, the Denver Nuggets are the buffet line of career and team highs for their opponents.. =P'

This is a first time in awhile that I have been able to watch them on TV and let's just say AI was the only one who truly impressed me, and Melo at specially at the very end of the game. Camby was quietly getting his double double on but that was pretty much it.

I WAS MORE EMOTIONAL THAN MOST OF THE PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY MORE THAN COACH KARL. I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND THAT. I'D BE SCREAMING AT THEM ONCE THE LESSER TEAM STARTS TO COME BACK. BUT NO,.. IT WAS UP TO AI AND MELO TO DECIDE THAT THEY WANTED TO WIN THE GAME AT THE VERY END. WHEN THEY GET THE LEAD THEY SHOULD NEVER WANT TO RELINQUISH IT. AI, MELO and MARCUS SHOULD BE SCREAMING AT WHOEVER IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB DEFENSIVELY EVEN IF IT IS ONE OF THEM, ESPECIALLY SINCE KARL ISN'T.

This week we play the best teams and we will truly see if the rest of the Nuggets want it as bad as AI does, simple as that.

I say put AI on point, and start JR Smith as shooting guard. This would be my starting 5:

SF Melo / PF K-Mart / C MC / PG AI / SG JR

This will do a couple of things:

Increase our height around the perimeter,

Be able to match the height of taller shooting guards,

Improve perimeter D with better height and athleticism,

Give AI an opportunity to get over 10 Assists with his points, {22-3? with those stats}

Keeps opponents guessing, everyone knows that AC wants to pass and doesn't like to score, so ultimately it would improve our offense even MORE.

Not to mention that a fast break with AI and JR would be much more potent than AI and AC because all of the players would already know that AI will be taking the shot. The only disclaimer is that the 10-10 rule would need to apply to JR too. He will need to take it to the hole 10 times and get 10 free throws before he takes a three, unless he is really open, .. or he's got the HOT HAND.

Bottom-Line: We as fans can only do or say too much. With this tough week coming up with all the top teams that we will be playing, all we can do is hope for the best but expect the worst, unfortunately. If their last game was any indication of their heart and desire to win, I'll have to be pessimistic. We hardly beat the Clippers and the Pistons beat them by 30 today.

If we don't keep winning, we won't even make the playoffs, and AI's old team the Sixers will, how sad is that? =P'

Hopeful Nugget Fan,

NuggSter

Nuggets finally win, here is the Good News, Bad News

2008-02-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Good News / Bad News for the Denver Nuggets

The win was a Record-Setting Win / It was against the Sonics

We Finally Won a game we were supposed to / The Utah Jazz and the Portland Trailblazers Won too

We ended the losing streak / We are still in 9th place in the Western Conference

The Nuggets played like we've always imagined they could / Watch out, next game might be the opposite =P

I could go on, but I won't. I'll just hope and pray that our Denver Nuggets finally realize what they are capable of and put it together if not for themselves, for all of us that believe in them.

NuggSter

Nuggets lose at home to Denver native Billups and the Pistons

2008-02-25T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well, .. the good news is that we weren't blown out. The bad news is that we're on a 3-game losing streak. The even worse news is that the season is slipping away from the Denver Nuggets this year.

As a fan, I'm emotionally drained watching all this talent go to waste.

I really wish we as fans could do something to help our team.

For now, all I can do is hope that we get out of this and we still make the playoffs.

I need a drink..

Go Nuggets.

NuggSter

Nuggets Blow 23 Point Lead, Lose In Milwaukee

2008-02-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, I get the point. I was right.

On that note, I would like to make a couple of points that I have been saying over and over:

The Nuggets Achilles' Heel is the 3-Pointer, plain and simple - They need to learn how to make them , AND defend them, otherwise, we're going nowhere
At this pace, we will not even make the playoffs, and it looks like the Sixers will
The Nuggets are now known as the open buffet of career nights, for opposing players, which to me as a competitor equates to having no pride whatsoever
I hope Kobe doesn't realize that he can go for 100 against this team

I feel depressed, this sucks..

NUGGETS give us fans something to cheer about please? Throw us a bone maybe? No?..

Go NUGGETS?

NuggSter

After Beating the Team with the Best Record, the Nuggets Lose to a team with one of the worst.

2008-02-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Thank You to the Denver Nuggets for proving my point (below) on my earlier post.

Thank God the game wasn't televised on ESPN or TNT so I couldn't watch it because I would be soooooo friggin' p@@#$$d. We got beaten by a team with almost an opposite record of ours. Wow. After the win over the Celtics, I thought we were going to end the season with a Bang, little did I know we had a dud, as illustrated to in this cartoon. =P'

Anybody who watched is welcome to share what they saw tonight.

My only question is WTF happened?? I mean c'mon really?

Oh well, on that note, let's just hope that we still make the Playoffs. The funny thing is, if AI was still with the Sixers in the East, they probably would have a better chance at making the playoffs right now. =P'

Go NUGGETS!

Frustrated Fan,

NuggSter.

AI, Melo Lead Nuggets deal Celtics First Loss in West Coast

2008-02-20T04:16:00.000-08:00

AI finished with 28 points, 9 assists & 7 rebounds to pace the Nuggets. Pretty impressive for the smallest guy on the court don't you think? That shows us that he's got more heart than everyone assumes. Melo had similar stats with 29 points, 4 assists & 7 rebounds. With a total of 6 players in double figures the Nuggets made me proud to be a fan today. As I said earlier, this may have been just another game to them but at this point in the season, with the tight race in the West, whether they admit it or not, this was a statement game.

There were goods in bads in the game but all that matters is that we got the win. The Nuggets have accomplished what no team in the West have been able to so far this season, beat the top seed with the best record in the league, the Boston Celtics.

The DENVER NUGGETS won this game as a TEAM with almost everyone who played contributing significantly to the win. Most especially great play on defense again from Marcus and K-mart. LK43 had hot shooting coming off the bench as well. If only we could play like this every night,.. ** Wishful Thinking...**

I've said it before, and I'll said it again, with the talent on this team, we can WIN against ANY TEAM, but with the inconsistencies on this team we can LOSE to ANY TEAM as well.

Let's hope that this start is a sign of things to come for the remainder of this season.

The time to start winning consistently for the Denver Nuggets is NOW.

GO NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Eventual "Superman" Dunker Dwight Howard OverPowers Nuggets

2008-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Just days before winning the Slam Dunk Contest with his now famous "Superman" Dunk, Dwight Howard showed us what he is capable of. 24 Rebounds and 23 Points, yes, in 1 game. This is unfortunately what gave the Nuggets another loss leading to the All-Star Break. For the Nuggets, it was more of the same inconsistency, this time our Minister of D-Fense might have gotten bit by the bug.

At any rate, for now, let's support our All-Star Duo who are STARTERs tonight and hope that after the break we can finally see what this team is capable and made of.

Right after the break, we will possibly defend our home against the best team in the league, with Garnett back. This is what I call a statement game. If our NUGGETS lose this game they might as well give up on anything more than the first round of the playoffs, if they get there at all given how the West is in a tight race right now.

As fans, we can only hope.

Go NUGGETS!!

Nuggets Blow-Out the Cavs On The Road

2008-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Winning on the road is one thing, winning big on the road is another. Both teams were shorthanded but I believe LeBron was reminded tonight of how better Melo's team is. Although the Nugget's just won a game that they were supposed to, they had a very good game by winning by 30 points and by getting everyone involved.

The trio of Melo-AI-JR Smith lead the offensive attack while AI distributed the ball well with 13 assists.

I think my challenge to my long time favorite player AI (even before Melo) somehow got to him because if I am not mistaken he is averaging a little over 10 assists per game over the last 5 or so games since I blogged about my challenge to my idol.

If that is the case and he is putting his mind to it, and shooting for the double-double in points and assists, it is just a matter of time before the Nugget's go on longer winning streaks and AI gets the same respect that Nash gets from NBA Analysts, except for those ex-players that carry any kind of bias against AI. You know who you are. ;) Who knows, if you play like that in the All-Star game there might be another All-Star MVP Award for you AI. Imagine how easy it will be to get assists with Kobe and Melo to pass to. =D

GO NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Melo Unloads 49 on Wizards for Easy Win

2008-02-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

In one of his best offensive games in a long time, Melo scores 49 against the Washington Wizards. I won't go into detail on this one, because actions speak louder than words. Instead I'm attaching the video for y'all to enjoy.

By the way AI had another Double-Double in Points and Assists in "one of the easiest games of his career".

Up next, another game we should win against a team that is even more shorthanded than we are.

Go Nuggets!!

Nuggets hope for win streak leading to All-Star Break ends

2008-02-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

As you all know I said earlier, they should have put someone on Korver. He still managed 27 points with 3 3-Pointers so obviously Coach Karl didn't put Diawara on him. Korver also iced the game with 2 free thows in overtime.

I don't know what to say, I just wish sometimes what I say is read and taken seriously by someone on the Nuggets..

For now,.. all I can do is continue to be a fan share all my thoughts on my team on this blog.

Next up is another game that we are supposed to win.

Go NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Melo's Double-Double and the Answer's last second jumper in Road Win in Portland

2008-02-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

In what may have been the biggest regular season game for the Denver Nuggets, our All-Stars shined like no others on this night. Melo had a monster double-double and AI hit the most important shots of the game, twice. All this was without the Minister of D-fense mind you, and don't forget about Nene either.

Bottom-Line, it wasn't pretty, we didn't dominate it, but we fought throughout and emerged victorious. What does this mean? It gives the Denver Nuggets the momentum heading into a head to head with the Division Leaders Jazz and it shows us what the team is capable of even without some of the key components.

I really hope Marcus is better and comes back to us soon so we can have a better presence down low.

Next up we measure our Denver Nuggets up with the Division Leaders Utah Jazz who have been winning since they acquired AI's ex-teammate on the Sixers 3-Point specialist Kyle Korver. Guess what the Nugget's Achilles' Heel is? Yup, the 3-Pointer. We'll need to sick Defensive Specialist Diawara on Korver if we want a chance to win this one.

Let's just hope that Coach Karl has a plan on how to contain Korver.

Let's keep it goin' NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Camby out, Najera out, AI and Melo double-doubles in 20th Win at Home against the Bobcats

2008-02-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

The Nuggets are now 20-1 when AI gets a double-double in 24 Points and 13 Assists (he even managed to pull down 6 rebounds!), and this time without Camby, Najera and Nene. It helped that Melo is back from his ankle injury and was able to come back with a double-double himself of course.

Could AI and Melo have gotten wind of my challenge to them? Them being my 2 favorite players in the world, I challenge both of them to show us that that they are more than 1 dimensional players, we all know they can score, but...

Here is my belief:

If AI continues to get double-doubles in Points & Assists, and Melo continues to get double-doubles in Points & Rebounds, they will lead the Nuggets to more wins, and they will get the respect that they deserve from their critics. For as long as all they bring to the table is scoring, they will only be viewed as selfish players who hog the ball. Of course there needs to be continued improvement on defense too, but if they shoot for those dub-dubs night in and night out we should start to see some longer winning streaks, get deeper into the playoffs and who knows, even win a Championship!

Good job again from Linas Kleiza who seems to be getting back into a rythm and congratulations to Steven Hunter for finally showing some signs of life. From what I've seen from him he can be a younger Marcus Camby if he wants it and continues to work on it, maybe the Minister of D-fense could work with him on that.

For now, I hope AI, Melo and Camby see this and consider some of my ideas.

I would still like to see some set plays between these awesome players. With the talent available on this team, they are only limited by their own creativity and determination.

Go NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

AI's Double-Double is Nuggets Winning Formula

2008-01-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

I've said this over and over on different forums, even Melo's Yardbarker Page. Basically with this win on the Road (finally) against the Grizzlies, the Nuggets now improved to 19-1 when AI has a Dub-Dub in Points and Assists. The only loss if I am not mistaken is his very first game with the Nuggets.

My suggestion to my favorite player AI is to go after the Dub-Dub because I'm no genius but with that stat of 19-1 it is a virtually guaranteed win, so why not?

It translates into about 3 assists per quarter, and with all the attention he gets, it should be easy, provided that the recipient of the pass makes the open shot. It will turn him into more than just a scorer, and more than a 1-dimensional player and most importantly, the Nuggets will keep winning! Win-Win situation don't you think?

Winning Formula: AI > 10 pts + AI > 10 ast = WIN

Simple right? Not really, AI needs to first find this blog, then AI needs to challenge himself to do this for the team. He has proven to the world that he can score, now he needs to prove that he can make his team better and win. Think about it, THE FORMULA WORKED EVEN WITHOUT MELO, NENE AND ON THE ROAD EVEN.

If I know him and his desire to win like I think I do, this is what he wants, and he is capable of doing it.

If you in any way can get him to read this, please do, for the Nugget's sake.

Go NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Nuggets Blown Out by the Hornets

2008-01-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - MLK

Without Melo and Nene, we had little hope. Without Camby doing his thing, we had no chance in hell. Why? I don't know since it wasn't televised in my area but if any of you know please let me know. In the meantime, I'm sure CP3 showed us all why he should be an All-Star.

For now,.. we need to support the guys who are left out there.

Go AI?

Go NUGGETS!!

NuggSter

Nuggets lose another on the road to Nowitzki, Mavericks

2008-01-27T23:40:00.000-08:00

We only lost by 5, but we still lost. We could have made 2 or 3 more shots, or we could have made more free throws to get the win but, hey, at least we didn't get blown out considering that AI's usual help on Offense didn't show up today. It was unfortunate that both K-Mart and Kleiza weren't able to continue their excellent play on the road.

Usually Kleiza plays very well when it is a televised game, so it was an even bigger surprise to me that he didn't play too well. This is the 2nd game in a row that was televised that I scheduled my recorder to record which I will not watch because I hate watching the Nuggets lose, period.

At any rate, I hope Melo comes back for the game against the Best of the West because AI can't do it alone. Well, maybe if he could maybe play them all 1-on-1 and beat them one at a time? ;) At this rate, with our losing streak on the road, and playing the best team on the West, I don't think anyone expects the Nuggets to win. For me, I hope they do, I really do, but I'm not totally confident they will.

Go NUGGETS!!

Nuggets Win another game without Anthony over Nets.

2008-01-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

For the 2nd game in a row, Martin and Kleiza scored at least 20 each to help Iverson's 30 and the Nugget's Offense. The only other bright spot on the offensive end for the Nuggets was Najera's 12 points off the bench.

AC was 1 for 8, JR was 1 for 7 and Diawara was 0 for 3. Again, we shot a horrendous 21.7% from the 3-point line, which obviously is the weakness that I have been mentioning over and over again. We didn't have a lot of assists either.

Luckily what we did get is a Win.

Not being able to watch the games leaves me only room for speculation so all I can hope for is that Karl is doing something to address their issues.

For now, we are back on top of the Division, but next up is a road game in Dallas which will not be easy enough to win with these problems that we have.

As a fan, all I can hope for is the best especially because the last time My DENVER NUGGETs played a game on TV they got blown out by the Lakers.

Here's hoping for the best, Go NUGGETS!!

#6 NuggSter

Nuggets Defend Home without Melo & Nene.

2008-01-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

Linas, K-Mart and Camby picked up the slack for Melo who is out due to a sprained ankle. To be honest, it was an unexpected surprise to me. AI was his consistent leave-it-all-out-on-the-court self with 29 pts to lead the Nuggets, and same goes for the Minister of D-Fense Marcus who had another Monster game.

I was thinking, if they can't win WITH Melo, how the hell are they going to win WITHOUT him? Well, the answer was simply that the guys who don't usually step up did tonight. Also, the Hawks didn't quite shoot as well as they did the last time they played the Nuggets.

Although as I was afraid of, another career night happened for one of the opposing players wherein Josh Smith got what I believe to be his first Career Triple Double. As I stated earlier, "THE NUGGETS ARE GAINING THE REPUTATION AS THE TEAM WITH NO DEFENSE THAT ANY PLAYER CAN GET A CAREER NIGHT AGAINST."

We still shot poorly from the 3 point line but luckily they didn't do that much better.

All that happened was we won a game that we were supposed to win, yes even without Melo and Nene. I still can't believe we got swept by the Lakers,.. especially by Vujajic and Fisher. =P'

I hope that Linas realizes that this team needs him to be consistently agressive like he has been playing lately.

All I can do as a fan is hope for the best and wish that coach Karl cares for this team at least half as much as I do and does something to fix our issues.

6 NuggSter

Anthony and Nuggets Fall to Lakers.

2008-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

One of the hardest things on a highly emotional fan like myself is taking in the disappointment. If it weren't for Martin's return the Nuggets would have been completely depleted in the front court. The Lakers have now swept the Regular Season Series with the Nuggets, literally using the Nuggets as a broom, winning by an average of about 16. Granted, the Nuggets are without some of their key players but, hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again: THE NUGGETS ALWAYS GET BEAT BY THE 3-POINT LINE, whether it is making them or defending them. Another thing that seems weird is that there is always 1 person on the Lakers squad that absolutely rips the Nuggets a new one. Last time it was that Vujacic guy that came off the bench and scored like 200 in the 4th quarter! This time it was Fisher that was like a sniper killing the Nuggets one by one by making what seemed like 50 3 pointers. =P' I always wait for the next televised Nuggets game (because the networks seem to like the Spurs / Lakers / Cavs and a couple more) so you can imagine how excited I was waiting for it to show on TNT. Then you can also imagine the trauma of getting blown out and swept by one of the teams I appreciate the least.

On a positive note, Nene's tumor has been removed and it was caught very early so Nene should be recovering. Thank You God.

Uh oh,.. here we go with the Negatives, I just hope I am able to stop:

As I've said before, the NUGGETS are more often than not beat by the 3 pointer. They need to learn how to make them AND defend them.
Who the hell was defending Fisher?? hint: I didn't watch the delayed TNT Telecast.
Now the NUGGETS have a reputation for being the team that can give you your Season or Career highs. I can just imagine guys on the bench of other teams excited to play the NUGGETS because they can probably score 30 or 40 for once. =P'
Obviously Karl doesn't see any reason to concentrate on the NUGGET'S weakness but hey, he's happy that his son on the Lakers scored 1 point. =P'
Nene is still out.
Najera is also injured.
Now Melo is out on a sprained ankle too.
If AI is as passionate as I think he is, he is very frustrated right now.
Nothing new here... I might as well stop.

For now, I am just going to hope that this injury bug finally gives the NUGGETS a break and leave us for awhile so we can get our Shtuff together.

Hopefully Karl is smart enough to start with:

G Carter, G Iverson, F Martin, F Kleiza, C Camby

I hope JR and Von Wafer gets a lot more playing time out of this at least too.

I'm not coach though so whatever.

GoooOOo NUGGETS?..

Iverson bails out the Nuggets for a Series Sweep over the Wolves

2008-01-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

AI made a couple of plays at the end to finish off the Wolves. The Answer is definitely the Hero of this game for the Nuggets.

Here are the problems though:

The Nuggets gave up an early 14 point lead in the first half,

The Nuggets allowed 60 points in the first half on about 60% shooting,

Of course Nene and Martin are out and noone knows when their comin back,

Who knows when Hunter will be able to help,

Coach Karl publicly doesn't seem to believe in his own team!

From ESPN:

"I feel like a thief tonight," said Karl, whose team finished 4-0 against Minnesota this season. "We weren't the better team, but we won. I'm happy we don't have to play them again. If we did, we would probably lose."

WTF!!?? How the hell does a coach say that about his own team??! I would understand if Pat Riley said it about the Heat but Karl on the Nuggets??!! Ok maybe that is not what he meant but he could have been more specific don't you think? If he means considering they are short-handed or considering how lousy our play was we would lose if we tried that again, .. then that's how he should have said it.

I d0n't know about you but it is really hard to win when your own coach doesn't believe you can win.

Then, our next stop is at the Lakers, where Karl's son plays, so who is he gonna support? The Nuggets or his son's Lakers?? =P

As for us,... We really could use a road win especially against the Lakers who have manhandled us in previous meetings.

Go NUGGETS!!

#6 Nuggster.

Nuggets End their 2-game skid and the Jazz's 4-game winning streak at home.

2008-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to LK43 and the Minister of D-fense Marcus Camby, the NUGGETS had this game under control for most of the game.

Way to step it up Linas Kleiza! You and JR need to bring it every night so AI and Melo get help on offense. Good Job! =)

Mr. Marcus, holy c*&#! What a Monster game that was. 24 Rebounds and 11 Blocks!! Nice. You sir are a Stud. =D

The only thing I was hoping for was for AI to make a pass to Camby so he would get his 10 Assist for a Double-Double and MC would get another Triple-Double!

Anyway it was a good win for us.

GooOOOO NUGGETS!!

Nuggets need a lot of work if they want to go further in the Playoffs.

2008-01-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

The difference between our Denver Nuggets and the Elite Teams in the League right now is well represented by this photo of the difference height between AI and Yao. Although AI has a better chance of dunking on Yao then the Nuggets have of beating the Elite teams right now. =P'

Things that the NUGGETS NEED to work on in my (non-expert) opinion:

3-Pointers, defending them and making them
Learn to Never Expect the referees to make the call
Learn some Triangle Offense a la 90's Bulls and some Pick & Roll a la Stockton & Malone
Get everybody back, well at least Martin & Nene
Melo, Camby & AI should keep shooting for those Double Doubles, Melo & Camby in Points & Rebounds and AI in Points & Assists (7-0)
and the rest of the Nuggets to show up and want it as bad as AI, Melo & Camby want it.

It's a pretty tall order but hey, all we can do as 6th Men is hope and wish.

GoooOOOO NUGGETS!!

No Heroes for the Nuggets Today.

2008-01-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of close games lately, a little too close for my taste because sometimes it is good for us and on the opposite side of the coin sometimes it is bad, like today.

Basically we got out shot from the 3 point line AND surprisingly from the Free-Throw Line. =P'

There were no heroics from our Nuggets this time in the closing of the game though,.. but hey,.. what can I say, you literally Win some and you Lose some. Today was that some.

If I were coach, I would have my players (the 3 pointers e.g. AI, Melo, AC, Kleiza, JR etc.) MAKE at least 100 3-Pointers every practice as well as Free Throws. When it comes right down to it, they are "Professional" Basketball Players who get paid to do what they Love. Why not be sure to be Professional and be able to do the things expected of you.

Bottom-Line: We lost by 3. The outcome could have been different by a better 3 point Percentage or a couple more Free Throws.

Go NUGGETS!!

Nene out indefinitely, Nuggets get win over Magic.

2008-01-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to another Double-Double from our Favorite Forward in the League MELO with 32 points and 11 rebounds, we were able to get another win from one of the surging teams in the Orlando Magic.

Speaking of Magic, there was a little Magic when Dwight Howard tried to intercept an Alley Oop to K-Mart and he accidentally tipped the shot in. I wonder how they assigned those points? Does anybody know? If you do let me know ok? =D

AI and AC had similar stats for this game with 21 pts each, 5 rebounds each but AI had 2 more assists with 13 while AC had 11. Pretty damn good for the backcourt huh?

The Bad News is, Nene is out indefinitely to attend to a medical matter, while we the fans and the team pray for him and respect his privacy we can't help but feel the loss, again. The Nuggets are just going to have a harder time realizing their potential without one of our vital components in Nene who one of our 3 BigZ that makes our front court one of the best in the league.

For now, let's just pray for him and his family and hope for the best for our Nuggets going forward.

Go NUGGETS!!

Nuggets first loss of 2008

2008-01-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

One Stat: The Suns were a smokin' 20 of 31 3-pointers, holy C*$#!. That could beat any team I don't care who you are.

End of Story.

By the way as I had mentioned before, we need to learn how to defend the 3s because that's how the Spurs beat us last year.

Go NUGGETS!!

AI scores 38 and dishes out 8 to show his old team the Sixers what they are missing

2008-01-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Just as I hoped, the Nuggets continue to roll, led by AI's awesome 38 points and 8 assists. I'm pretty sure Mo Cheeks is missing AI right about now.

Camby nearly had another Triple-Double but was shy 3 blocks with 7. Anthony was his usual self with balanced scoring and rebounds, AC had 15 assists and the Nuggets had a total of 15 blocks for this game! No defense my A%$! Eat that Charles Barkley! =D

Next up! The Phoenix Suns on the road! Expect a fast pace and some high scoring which is what we NuggSters Love! =D

We are undefeated in 2008, that is the best way to look at it so let's keep rolling Nuggets!

Let's hope for an ECLIPSE tonight as the NUGGETS BLOCK OUT THE SUNS! =D

Go Nuggets!!

Celtics, Pistons and Blazers are hot, but don't count out the Nuggets yet!

2008-01-05T03:36:00.000-08:00

With all the hype surrounding the hottest teams like the Celtics, the Pistons and the Blazers, nobody is even noticing that the Nuggets are almost completely back to full strength and things are slowly coming together. 2 nights ago they were able to get a win against the defending champs in the Spurs and what is even more amazing is is that the Nuggets beat the Spurs at their own tempo and style of play.

Everyone keeps dissing the Nugget's Defense but now with their Bigz back in the lineup they even put the Spurs defensive stats to shame with the number of Blocks, Rebounds and Steals they had.

If they are able to keep doing what they are doing on a consistent basis before we know it they are going to start a buzz, but I'm sure all the doubters are still not going to think too much of them. It's better to be the underdogs anyway. ;)

Soo,,.. are you ready for the Nuggets?! Ready or not here they come!

Welcome back Martin and Nene! Camby missed you dearlyand we did too! Now we have what I consider the best front court in the NBA, but hey, AI and Carter in the backcourt are no joke either! Also with Kleiza, Najera and JR and the rest of the boys coming off the bench don't underestimate them either!

Up next? AI's old team the Sixers are coming to town and we should have nothing to worry about. ;)

Go NUGGETS!!

Iverson held to 13, Nuggets Lose at home to Warriors

2007-12-31T18:56:00.000-08:00

I had a feeling something like this would happen. Don Nelson is just too good of a coach to let the same thing happen to his team twice. Sure enough he put Baron Davis on AI and AI all of a sudden was contained. Someone had mentioned that AI wasn't feeling well but that would not coincide with the fact that he logged the most minutes of any player on the Nuggets for this game. Does that make sense? At least we all know that we do need his scoring to win and not just base it all on stats like if AI scores more than Anthony they lose? dee-dee-dee! duh...

Again, this game came down to coaching, Nelson knew what to do and Carl did not make any adjustmenst to alleviate the problem they were having the whole game.

Anyway, why can't Carl have a rule of thumb, if any one of the starters or players for that matter (anyone, even one of the dynamic duo) goes 0 for 7 or 1 for 10, take them out! Put somebody like JR or Kleiza that can bring in energy and points. Let them sit on the bench so they can think about what is going on and let the coach know when they are ready to go back in. Hey, didn't Von Wafer score 40+ points in a pre-season game or something??! Everybody keeps saying that our Bench isn't as good as others well that's because they are not given enough opportunity! Even the Denver Nugget Bench is full of Talent!

Things like this are what the Denver Nuggets are missing. Next up are the defending champs the San Antonio Spurs. Let's just hope for the best and expect the worst. Works for me..

Bottom-Line: You can't do the same thing over and over again against good coaches, you need to mix it up. Maybe something like this as a starting lineup in the 3rd Quarter to mix it up:!

3rd Quarter Nugget Starting Lineup:

C Camby
F Nene
F Najera
G Kleiza / Von Wafer / Jones - whoever is ready to go
G JR Smith

This kind of adjustment will throw any defense off don't you think? Anywho, I am not coach for I am merely the NUGGSTER.

Go NUGGETS & HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

Nuggster

Denver Nuggets Win on the Road against Warriors!

2007-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Being the Number 1 Fan of the Denver Nuggets, I really hope that they can start to get something going by now. This was a pretty good win on the road against the 2nd Highest scoring team in the NBA lead by who else? The best scoring DUO in the NBA! Next up, they need to come out with even more energy to defend their home court against these Warriors. We need to learn how to defend the 3's, that's how we lost to the Spurs last year, remember?

Anyway, kudos to the DENVER NUGGETS for this good ROAD WIN.

After defending their home against the Warriors, I believe we have a test against the Spurs,.. please please NUGGETS show them what we (6th man) can do!!

Go NUGGETS!!

Denver 125, Milwaukee 105: Camby Block Party!

2007-12-27T05:12:00.000-08:00

This is how we (Nugget's Fans and 6th Men) have been envisioning our team to be playing! Finally, Nene is back and is looking good if I do say so myself. 11 pts and 7 rebounds in like 17 mins.? Did you see the monster jam? We have a pretty damn good team when we are at full strength. All we need is for Martin to get back and for all of the Nuggets to stay healthy and have fun!

Melo, 4th double double in a row. Take that Charles Barkley(I used to like him by the way but too much stupidity is comin out of his mouth as of late about AI and Melo), not a Superstar my A@#. That goes for AI too, he has done more than Charles was ever able to so that's just jealousy. ;)

Minister of D-fense (Marcus) Holy Moly! He might as well be Homeland Security! He is showing us why he should be an All-Star. Did you guys see the 3 pointer??!

Please help out and vote for AI and Camby, I'm not worried about Melo. ;)

Now we need to see our team play like this on a consistent basis, no matter who the opponent. If that's the case, bring us the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs and Celtics!

Go NUGGETS!!

Linas Kleiza Buzzer Beater!

2007-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Linas Kleiza is the 2nd Unlikely hero for the Denver Nuggets in the last 3 games. It was pretty awesome he recovered the loose ball then looked up at the shotclock on the OPPOSITE side of the court, turned around and shot the ball and it was a beauty! (see earlier post on previous buzzer beater) Wow what a Christmas gift.

The even better gift is that one of the superstars on the team, Melo had mentioned on his blog ( http://www.yardbarker.com/carmeloanthony ) he cares about us the fans and really thinks of us as the 6th man. I honestly didn't expect that of Melo, but hey, that's what happens when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME get it ASS U ME? he he.. Thank You, thank you very much. ;)

Just when I thought to myself after Melo's first double double a couple games ago, holy crap I think he's been reading our comments!! =D He just confirmed it in his blog. What else can I say but WOW! Melo actually cares what we think and say! That shows a lot of sincerity and maturity for a young guy who is considered one of the Elite in the League. For that, we will become even stronger 6th men for Melo and our Denver Nuggets team.

Go NUGGETS!!

Nuggets Win 112-111 in Double-OT! WOW!

2007-12-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

As I always say, AI will always be AI. He carried the team offensively practically the whole first half. Then came in Chucky Atkins, who gave us a taste of why he is there and what he can do for the team. Then, after a 2 for 17 first half, Here comes MELO! It almost seems like he read my entry on his YARDBARKER BLOG and showed me what he can do if his jumper is off!

37 POINTS and 16 REBOUNDS! Nice work MELOOOOO!!!!!!

The hero of the game was Anthony Carter who made the 15 foot jumper with 4 seconds left.

This was a TOTAL TEAM EFFORT. Finally the rest of the Nuggz showed up with AI! Now only if we can do even better and beat the Blazers in Portland! I would be setting myself up for disappointment though because if there is something that is for certain about the Nuggz, they are inconsistent.

We can only hope that they play like this every night. Let's get our revenge against the Blazers!

GO NUGGETS!!

Woes continue..

2007-12-17T17:03:00.001-08:00

I'd like to say that I've given up, but I know me and I just won't give up. Bottom-Line is this team has the talent, although they obviously don't have what it takes to win as a team. My personal thoughts are that there are 2 main factors, the coaching and the rest of the team's desire to win.

They continue to show brilliance at times and mediocrity at times,.. again they are inconsistent.

Basically I'm hoping that I'll have something to blog about in the coming weeks... ={

K-Mart Closed, Nuggets Lose.

2007-12-16T03:05:00.000-08:00

Well,.. as usual, AI was the only one to show up tonight, I don't know what else to say. Granted he didn't get a double double but you need others to make shots to get assists don't you? Anyway I'm gonna try not to feel down about this one because K-Mart was suspended because of a flagrant foul from the last game. Whatever. Looking at the rebounds Spurs 40+ to Nuggets 29 is an obvious direct effect of the small lineup.

So much for my high hopes for this game. Anyway, on to the next one!

Go NUGGETS!!

3rd in the Western Conference!

2007-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

The Nuggets now have the 3rd best record in the Western Conference only behind The Defending Champ Spurs and the Explosive Phoenix Suns. Not too shabby for a team without 2 of their injured starters in Chucky Atkins (PG) and Nene (PF) don't you think?

I hope for everyone to get healthy, begin to get some consistency and most of all KICK ASS!!

Go NUGGETS!! =D

Denver 105, NOH 99

2007-12-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

This is another one of those "ugly wins". I posted in another blog that Anthony needs to snap out of it. Hey he must of heard me because there was no better time to snap out of the slump than the 4th quarter where he scored 14 of his 32 points! Welcome back Melo!! =D

Utah also lost today which gives the Nuggets a 1 game lead over the previous Division leader. It also places the Nuggs at a tie with the New Orleans Hornets for 3rd place in the Western Conference. That is pretty good and I am hopeful that we start to become more consistent. There is only one way to find out, to see how we do against the Defending Champions, the same ones who have eliminated the Denver Nuggets in the first round for how many years?

I know AI will come out to play, as for everybody else, that is where we lack consistency. AI will be AI, if Anthony continues his recovery from his slump, Camby is the usual Minister of Defense, Najera does what he does, Martin continues his surprising comeback play and most importantly we get a third scorer hopefully in Martin, JR or Kleiza, we should have no problem beating the champs. That may be a tall order but hey, with this roster, it Can be done.

Go NUGGETS!!