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

Lakers Own Nuggets, Sweep Season & Series

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

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

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

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.

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?

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