Nuggets Among Leading Vote-Getters in 2007-08

"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

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

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

If I Were Coach of the Denver Nuggets

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Use Diawara more as the "Bowen" of the team and have him lock down the luck offensive player of the other team.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Improve perimeter Defense, see AI and JR above for taller shooting guards above.
9. 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?
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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

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

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

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:

1. Increase our height around the perimeter,


2. Be able to match the height of taller shooting guards,


3. Improve perimeter D with better height and athleticism,


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


5. 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

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

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

Nuggets Blown Out by the Hornets

"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 Defend Home without Melo & Nene.

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

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

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.

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:

1. 3-Pointers, defending them and making them
2. Learn to Never Expect the referees to make the call
3. Learn some Triangle Offense a la 90's Bulls and some Pick & Roll a la Stockton & Malone
4. Get everybody back, well at least Martin & Nene
5. Melo, Camby & AI should keep shooting for those Double Doubles, Melo & Camby in Points & Rebounds and AI in Points & Assists (7-0)
6. 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!!

Denver 125, Milwaukee 105: Camby Block Party!

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!!