After what seemed to be an eternity, the Denver Nuggets finally break their five game losing streak by defeating the Indiana Pacers tonight 113-109. Led by a fantastic effort by Corey Brewer, Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo the Nuggets are back on the winning track.

There was a moment during the end of the first quarter where I thought the Nuggets run of futility would never end. The Nuggets called a time out and, upset about several non-calls on fouls and out of bounds plays, Guard Andre Miller slammed down the basketball in frustration. Garnering a technical. What happened, however, was the Nuggets proceeded from that moment on to re-ignite their will, their drive and their toughness and find that extra level of fortitude that they haven't possessed since they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers at the beginning of February. Going from 13 down to tied the game at 60 going in to the second half.
Star of the game status could go to many players. Yet, because he provided so much energy and a spark to the Nuggets starting rotation, Corey Brewer deserves that status. Coming off the sad occasion of his fathers death, Brewer seemed to play the best he has since the Nuggets played the Milwaukee Brewers in January. He finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. He also played great defense on Danny Granger . After lighting up the Nuggets for 17 in the first quarter, Granger finished with only 26 total points by the end of the game. Great defense and great energy from Mr. Brewer. Our deepest condolences from Denver Stiffs on the passing of your father.
Second and third stars of the game go to Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo. AAA is continuing his good play from the Golden State game. He ended the game with 23 points and 5 rebounds. More than that though, he hit a big shot in the closing minutes to expand the Nuggets lead to 4 which effectively ended the game right there. Also, he played respectable defense on Paul George and helped out on Granger. Keep this up AAA and people will start regaining their faith in you. Ty had himself a nice game and ... GASP ... drove the ball to the hoop against a stacked defensive interior. This proves it CAN be done folks!! Eureka! Ty finished the game with 27 points and 2 assists (the poor assist numbers show that Denver was shooting a high percentage on their jumpers tonight). Good for Ty. Keep doing that son, and the Nuggets will be just fine.
A couple sour notes. Nene Hilario left with a calf strain and seems to be out for a week. You get sick and tired of these injuries, and it makes it even more remarkable that the Nuggets managed to pull this one out with three starters injured and not playing. Al Harrington was stone cold for most of the night, and quite frankly looks like he could use a very long rest. He had 10 points (on 4-18 shooting). While he did do respectable work on defense (6 rebounds), at the end David West could get any shot he wanted (22 points on 10 of 11 shooting)...
...that is until David West remembered he was David West and missed a key free throw down the stretch and made the bone-head play of the night by throwing away a pass intended for Darren Collison into the back court. It wasn't even close. That's the David West we know and love from the Hornets. The Pacers have now lost three in a row, and the rigors of the compressed season are starting to catch up with the Eastern Conference' surprise team.
Aside from all that, Kosta Koufos again did good, competent center work and kept his rep up by steppin' up against Roy Hibbert in tough duty with Nene out. K2 had 7 points and 7 rebounds. Hibbert finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds and was virtually a non-factor in this game.
Overall, it is such a relief to be rid of that god awful stench of losing. The Nuggets needed this, and quite frankly a panicky fan base needed this. Now the Nuggets can proceed to the next game, against the Phoenix Suns, with a little bit more swag yo. While it will again be tough with Nene out of the lineup, they key to remember is winning begets winning. The Nuggets needed to "remember" how to win games. Now that they have been reminded, the test is to keep the momentum up with a brutal stretch of basketball games coming up.
Congrats on the win guys! Lets make it two in a row!
Twitter: @jmorton78 https://twitter.com/#!/jmorton78
mortonagency@juno.com
0 recs | 224 comments
Super excited that we won a game !
Go Team!
SDcat09 - February 11, 2012
I loved our pace in the game
Maybe we should wear our throwbacks for the rest of the season
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
^^^This!
Russscot - February 11, 2012
those throwbacks were sweet.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
Yes they were
The U.N. Fab Five - February 14, 2012
So happy to be so wrong
shame on me for picking Pacers by 10
Jeff, thanks for nod to Brewer because he has been such a pro and provided a great spark tonite. He gets game ball
But really encouraging is that AAA is coming back to ol’ self.
If that continues, Feb may be bad but not brutal
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
it had to be Brewer
He sparked the team when no one else could seem to do so
Jeffrey Morton - February 11, 2012
i'm betting he was playing for his dad
and good for him to have such an awesome game!
DeezNuggs - February 11, 2012
And I'm betting
he will continue to play for his dad. I’m so proud of him. I just like him as a person. Great find Masai
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
agreed
the trade for him and rudy was originally being held up over masai’s insistence of getting brewer in the package. couldn’t have made a better move.
DeezNuggs - February 11, 2012
Brewer is a great locker room guy
and I feel like he’s the type of guy found on winning teams.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
anybody here?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
.....yes
Jeffrey Morton - February 11, 2012
No
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Maybe
SDcat09 - February 11, 2012
do you guys work on these
exchanges offline?
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
There's a secret forum
Where we discuss Stiffs protocol and memes.
They don’t invite me, either.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
We just figured
you were busy with your nitpicking hipster prankster club.
SDcat09 - February 11, 2012
bazinga!
Russscot - February 11, 2012
i knew I should have copyrighted that term!
I’d have so dollars right now.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
and by so dollars I mean so many.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
Andersen's value
With Mozgov out, and Nene injured early, Bird still got a DNP-CD. Which was probably a smart move by Karl, even with Harrington going 4-18. It seems there is virtually no use in having him on the team anymore, with Faried/Koufos/Harrington/Mozgov all seemingly playing better.
cessair - February 11, 2012
i wish they'd make a decision about him already
it seems like we are shopping him but i don’t know what we’d want or more importantly be able to get for him
Squito - February 11, 2012
The decision's probably already been made.
But there’s no way we can trade him away straight-up. He’s a package deal throw-in if we can get a trade stirred up this year. And if not, he’s a surefire amnesty candidate. It’s too bad, because I really enjoyed the old Bird, but this is how the game works. He’s a little-to-no value guy on the roster; it’s just a matter of when his time’s up in Denver, not if.
neumdaddy - February 11, 2012
I think that Karls inclination is
to play Bird at home
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
Wilson Chandler
I love the way Brewer is playing and I’m afraid that he won’t see the floor much when Chandler comes back. I’m hesitant to bringing Chandler back. I would like to know what you guys think?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I think a lot depends on
whether he wants to be here for at least the next few years, knowing he will most likely be coming off the bench, or if he wants to sign just for the remainder of the year so he can become an unrestricted FA. If the latter, I would play hard ball with him, and look to enact a sign and trade in the off season.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Fair point
I just don’t want Brewer to be stuck on the bench. Marc Stein is saying that Chandler most likely will sign just for the rest of the season. I say sign him to the veteran’s minimum if he will only play this year with the nuggets
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
If he only wants to sign for this season,
from what I understand, the Nuggets would hold all the cards. Because of the late date, he can’t sign a qualifying offer and become a FA without the Nuggets being complicit. If he doesn’t sign on our terms, we would still hold his rights next season.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
and we can sign and trade next off-season right?
Squito - February 11, 2012
that's why
I say sign him to the minimum if he’s only going to play this year for us
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
do you think that would piss him off?
and would that hurt our morale/camaraderie?
Squito - February 11, 2012
Possibly
but I’m not going to pay him a bunch of money just for a couple months of the sseason
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
season
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I think we're basically in agreement,
but you should consider the value of not signing him to a one year deal.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
then we shouldn't sign him at all
because it’s becoming clear he won’t sign a long term deal here
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Well, that's if we credit ESPN for any knowledge :p
I’m willing to wait and see.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
I'm just saying
that I don’t think he will re-sign here long term because he will be coming off the bench
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I'm pretty sure he does want to start at some point.
But then again, I don’t know what he’s thinking. At this point, I trust Masai to make the right move for the team. I am convinced he sees this as a long term project, with the goal of a (more than one?) championship at the end. If he can convince Will that he would be a valuable piece of that future playing in a kinda James Harden role, then we might see a long term deal. I also don’t think that Masai would hamstring himself by signing Will to a “remainder of the season and then you walk for nothing” deal.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Injuries
With the way players are dropping this season, the more talent you have on the bench could be a good thing.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
I get that it could help us
I just don’t want to overpay the guy for two months of basketball
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
The way I understand it
And Russscot knows this more than I, is that the Nuggets have significant leverage here and won’t have to overpay too much.
And, the contract would be prorated.
My concern is largely with chemistry and minutes, not the money. And my concern with injuries makes me think having the talent would be good. The money thing is up to the Nuggets FO. The playing time up to Karl.
We’ll see. But I like the idea of bringing him back.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
Yeah
I guess it could help us
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Fortunately
You won’t have to.
Unless your last name is Kroenke.
In which case, could I borrow $10,000?
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
If my last name were Kroenke,
I would give you the 10k…just for being you
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Aww, shucks.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
If he only wants this year with the team,
I would rather hold onto his next year rights, and then work out a deal with another team. That way, we don’t have to worry about him messing with the chemistry, and we can get value for him. If we let him sign for just this year, he can walk for nothing at the end of the season.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Brewer will still get his minutes
When he plays like he did tonite, he really helps us get the W.
Chandler makes us better because he adds depth. But yeah Brew and Rudy might lose some minutes. All those guys have position flexibility. Koufos is an example of a depth signing that is paying off. Guys get injured, I think Chandler helps us get into the playoffs.
Nuggburg - February 11, 2012
Hope so
The U.N. Fab Five - February 14, 2012
agreed
I don’t want Chandler to play at the expense of Brewer. Is Chandler a better player – probably, but he doesn’t match Brewer’s infectious energy and intensity.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
Nuggets should just try to get what they can for his rights
without signing. It’s becoming more and more clear he wants to test free agency
Jeffrey Morton - February 11, 2012
even if he's an RFA I am pretty certain a team will overpay for him
Jeffrey Morton - February 11, 2012
probably the Raptors!
All Day Jay - February 11, 2012
wocka wocka
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
Love what Brewer is doing but he is not the player that Will is
so what? Why cant we have both, at least for this year?
Isnt it clear that we dont have too much talent?
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
+1
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
We can
but I believe George Will play Chandler and Brewer will just rot on the bench.
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
It's not Brewer I'm worried about
I’m worried how much GK would cut Gallo’s minutes with Chandler here
Jeffrey Morton - February 11, 2012
I've been saying the guy who needs to lose minutes to Chandler
Is AAA.
But more games like tonight and I might go back on the bandwagon that isn’t interested in adding Chandler. I waiver. Three days ago I was totally coveting him.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
if anything
in my opinion (which i might get shot for saying this) the minutes for chandler should from andre and big al’s. that is, of course, unless they can prove that their hot starts to the season were not flukes.
DeezNuggs - February 11, 2012
*should come from
DeezNuggs - February 11, 2012
Not a bad opinion
Between Dre, Al and AAA, I think there is 20 minutes we could wrangle up for Chandler without bruising too many egos.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
Interesting opinion
I agree with this. Al and Andre are the oldest on the team and they appear to be slowing down because of their age
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
this recent slew of games in February
may really be showing their age. will be interesting to see after the All Star break.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
agreed Jeff
that’s why I say don’t sign him.
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
See
I think it is pretty clear that Karl likes Brewer. He’s an energy guy and Karl likes that.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
this
once you’re in w/ Karl, you’re in a pretty good spot. We know Karl loves hustle, and Brewer clearly brings it. I think his minutes may drop a little, but unless Il Will is phenomenal, Brewer will still seen enough play.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
Of course
Karl has still left Brewer on the bench in some inexplicable situations. So. I don’t pretend to know the mind of Karl.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
well yes,
but he’s gallo there too, so it’s not like corey is singled out as the end of the bench guy.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
Brewer
I was getting a little nervous because he wasn’t out there late in the game. then Karl brought him in and prevented me from having a heart attack
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
and replaced the ineffective 'Dre!
that did give me a heart attack
Russscot - February 11, 2012
I was shocked
that Dre wasn’t in the game when it counted. Do you think Karl is beginning to read our comments?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Or maybe beginning to actually watch the game as it plays out :p
Nah…couldn’t be that
Russscot - February 11, 2012
that was awesome!
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
that's true
look at all those minutes Karl gave to Najera #headscratcher
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
Brewer isnt fruit and
he can sub for Gallo occasionally and even SG. If Brewer has value, he will play
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
The DP is reporting Nene out for most likely a week with a calf strain.
I really hope Moz is ready to go against Phoenix, or small ball will be the only choice. (Although the Suns wouldn’t be a bad team to go small against)
Russscot - February 11, 2012
how is gortat doing this year?
Squito - February 11, 2012
Solid, if unspectacular.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Gortat
I think Nash is the one who is making him llook good
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
most definitely
K2 should be able to keep up gortat, other than the gortat i don’t feel like PHX has much of a post game…
Squito - February 11, 2012
Don't forget about the other Lopez brother
Eh…he’s a stiff in the truest sense of the word.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
side show bob #2
varejao is always #1
Squito - February 11, 2012
Are you saying Varejao is a stiff?
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
no that varejao is side show bob #1. since he was first in the league
Squito - February 11, 2012
I figured that
But I had to be sure.
Carry on.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
no
he’s saying that Varejao is side show bob #1
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
doesn't matter now
Varagina is hurt bad
InboundingLobPass - February 12, 2012 via mobile
I think if Moz is back
we should start Moz and K2 or Moz and Faried
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Woudn't mind Moz/Faried starting,
but Faried needs to pay close attention to Frye, since all he does is stand out at the 3pt line
Russscot - February 11, 2012
good point
I wouldn’t mind with either Moz and K2 or Moz and faried
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I would be concerned with a Moz/K2 pairing,
only because they are both conditioned and coached to stay near the paint. I could see Frye exploiting that tendency to the maximum – whichever one was guarding him.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
I'd like to see Brewer guard Frye
His speed and length would be essential. K2 or Moz don’t have the lateral quickness to stay with him on the perimeter.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
when is moz supposed to come back?
i’d rather be cautious than rush it
Squito - February 11, 2012
Not sure, but he was on the bench in uniform tonight,
so I’m hopeful that that is a good sign that he’s close (Sorry, couldn’t find a way to sneak in another “that” in that sentence)
Russscot - February 11, 2012
I WANT MY RUSSIAN BACK!!
Kevin L - February 11, 2012
just had an image of the austin powers
chili’s baby back ribs jingle scene, but replaced that with moz in the snow drinking Vodka! hilarious
Squito - February 11, 2012
hilarious in your head maybe...
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
so we wont have our front line until Moz gets back
its not fair
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
Even with Moz back,
we’ll still be missing two of the three…GAH!!!
Russscot - February 11, 2012
yes and really
the time it’ll take to get back in shape, really they wont be clicking for another 5 weeks.
Thats why this and any other win is so key. Another concern is that tiebreakers can do us in since we’ve been bad against the West.
sgiustra - February 11, 2012
Hopefully
Karl plays Faried extended minutes then. Although I’m okay with Moz and Koufos getting the start
nugzin2040 - February 12, 2012
Karl pilkington is g.k.'s long lost son
ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown - February 11, 2012
leprechauns prefer to be called gnomes
karl pilkington on gnomenclature.
Patrick KB. Nugget - February 12, 2012
Lol
ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown - February 12, 2012
Phoenix is crushing the Kings on the boards
fluke?
Russscot - February 11, 2012
also they're up 11 going into halftime and
steve nash has 0 points.
Squito - February 11, 2012
How many assists does Nash have?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
6
Squito - February 11, 2012
or 6 :p
Russscot - February 11, 2012
He didn't specify
how many tonight.
You weren’t far off.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
that's pretty good for a half
he’s getting other guys the ball. that’s what he does
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
14 gazillion
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Wow
put him in the Hall of fame right now
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Allstar.
Kevin L - February 11, 2012
I think it's well deserved
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
“Lifetime Achievement Award”.
Kevin L - February 12, 2012
Nah
He’s putting up pretty good numbers and he’s keeping the suns from sinking
TheMozgovCocktail - February 12, 2012
But the Titanic still sank.
Kevin L - February 12, 2012
OT: How about those Bobcats
They are awful. I feel bad for Kemba Walker
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Worst team in the history of worst.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
3-24
That’s just pathetic. Michael Jordan, what are you doing?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
i think MJ forgets that no other current players in the NBA have is drive or work ethic
(sans Kobe). i believe this leads MJ to overvalue talent and potential upside in players that isn’t really there. some of his management and personnel decisions have been pretty terrible. just my opinion of what he’s doing wrong
Squito - February 11, 2012
*his
Squito - February 11, 2012
All of his
personnel decisions have been awful. So far
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
The Wizards would like a word
SDcat09 - February 11, 2012
Even the Wizards, who admittedly stink,
crushed the Bobcats – in Charlotte
Russscot - February 11, 2012
They have more talent
than the Bobcats do. I will never understand why they traded gerald wallace
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Jordan is awful at making personnel moves
See Kwame Brown
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
and the chandler trade to dallas
Kevin #3 - February 11, 2012
was that chandler for diop?
Squito - February 11, 2012
I believe so
What the fuck was that trade about
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
LOL
i’m just thinking about that trade and it’s fucking hilarious.
Squito - February 11, 2012
I think
the Gerald wallace trade was worse. What did they get for him?
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
a can of tuna
some spray cheeze, and a box of wheat thins, I think.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
easy cheese FTW
Squito - February 11, 2012
Michael Jordan
Love him as a player, despise him as a GM
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
he's playing for the draft
Prolly wants Barnes to play with Walker, which would be pretty badass.
InboundingLobPass - February 12, 2012 via mobile
Jordan
he’ll probably just pick another Kwame Brown
TheMozgovCocktail - February 12, 2012
“he Vanilla Gorilla” Joel Pryzbilla.
Kevin L - February 11, 2012
The.
Kevin L - February 11, 2012
yeah so basically the definition of a stiff
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
maybe in your head...
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
One week from tomorrow
Denver plays the Thunder.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
nugz will get on a roll
and be on a 4 win streak right into their meet w/ OKC with max swag. Don’t know if Nene will be back though, which could hurt us.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
A 4-game win streak would be awesome
But without Nene, it will be tough. Even with him, Denver is going to have to find a way to score points, as Ibaka owns the paint.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
will be interesting to see how faried develops while Nene is out
as much as i love Buckets, I want Faried to have is breakout game and start showing that he’s a difference maker in the team’s long term run.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
I love faried
he really helps us on the boards and defensively. His offensive game is still very raw though
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
he got a huge Offensive board and everyone was like
InboundingLobPass - February 12, 2012 via mobile
It's gonna be on national television too
It’s just sad we won’t be full force when we play them
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
'twould be sweet to beat them at less than full strength, though :)
Russscot - February 11, 2012
yeah but
I want us to be full strength against them. That would be one helluva game
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I will pass along your desire to Gallo's ankle.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
Thank you
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
it goes without saying that the OKC game is where
we need to send a message that we aren’t scared or intimidated by them. not sure who our ‘enforcer’ is this year though
Squito - February 11, 2012
nene had a lot of friction w/ Perkins in last year's playoffs
with him likely out though next week, don’t know where the hard play will come from. Maybe Big Al will picture Kleiza’s face on Westbrook and take him out.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
haha. i would love to know what linas said to him.
yeah without kmart this year we don’t have a mean dude.
Squito - February 11, 2012
Mozgov
he needs to be our enforcer.
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Really like Moz's foul on Griffen
Some of the best enforcers in hockey are big Russian dudes.
Fly Agaric - February 11, 2012
That's why is I say Mozgov
he needs to put Westbrick on his ass when he drives to the hoop
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
maybe kosta can do it
Squito - February 11, 2012
I don't see him doing it
Bynum got in his face the last time we played the Lakers and he didn’t want any part of it
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
I wouldn't want anything to do with Bynum either.
NuggBuckets - February 12, 2012
Yes! Eff Westbrook
Drago will defeat him if he tries. Kendrick Perkins will step in but I think Mozzy will not let Perkins intimidate him. Can’t wait for Mozzy to come back. He was starting to gain confidence until he got hurt versus the Lakers. As was the team believing in Mozzy…DRAGO….He will crush you!
Viruth Cheng - February 11, 2012
Gallo's ankle
needs a twitter account, like Gronk’s ankle
Russscot - February 11, 2012
Gronk
His ankle sure didn’t look hurt while he was dancing
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
havent you ever been knicked up
then drank some and then danced goofily?
sgiustra - February 12, 2012
I don't drink
TheMozgovCocktail - February 12, 2012
another losing streak
and you may join those of us that do
Army of Nugs - February 12, 2012
he's not old enough.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
I just want us to get into the playoffs
we can ball with anyone when we are fully healthy
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
yes
we may have a bad Feb but we WILLl squish many teams when we’re healthy
sgiustra - February 12, 2012
I'm watching the nine o'clock news
and this ditz just butchered K2’s name
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
Let's Think Long Term
Instead of fretting over which of our young players is going to suffer from too few minutes, we should look hard at moving Harrington’s sizeable contract while he still has some appeal for a team currently in the hunt. The brutal schedule and siege of inuries has diminished our potential for a long run in the playoffs this year,so let’s give ample minutes to the mix of young veterans and rookies who represent our core, give Chandler 2-3 years at a sane price and lock up Ty.at asap..We will need a high quality backup for Ty come next season but that should be doable. .
rhaustin - February 11, 2012
I disagree
I still like Al coming off the bench. he gives us a legit scoring threat coming off the bench. he is just playing too much right now that’s why he’s struggling. As for Chandler, he will probably not re-sign long term here because he doesn’t want to come off the bench.I still hold out hope that we can have a long run in this year’s playoffs
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
we wouId have a shot if karI wasnt the coach.
i was iffy on re signin andersen, and didnt want to pay affIaIo way more money than any other team couId pay him. you may Iike the team now because they just won a game, but ppI were sayin Iets ext. karI because of that run foIIowin the meIo trade. you have to Iet them get through a fuII season and pIayoffs before makin any more big moves.
aI’s pIayed great, but we wont have many more oppurtunities to dump his saIary, he is IikeIy to decIine and take up money that couId be used for other things, if you beIiev aI is goin to make the difference for this team in winnin a titIe then dont trade him. try to see if you stiII wouId want aI in 2 seasons.
you may Iike aII the pIayers but that’s no reason that they are aII goin to reach their upside, at some point havin too many pIayers who pIay simiIar roIes works against you, because they dont get the room to find their game. it’s about cIarity, affIaIo is gettin the oppurtunity to step in to a bigger roIe with gaIIo out and have more offensive oppurtunities.
Rys - February 11, 2012
One thing to remember is that next year, if I'm remembering correctly,
is only partially guaranteed in Al’s contract, and not guaranteed at all in the last two years. So, there really isn’t a lot of risk keeping him, as I don’t see him bringing a lot in return because of his age.
Russscot - February 11, 2012
plus
Al is still a legit scoring threat off the bench
TheMozgovCocktail - February 11, 2012
ah, oh yea, k then dont trade him.
Rys - February 11, 2012
I agree Rys
and I like what you are sort of saying – that we need to stay ahead of the curve, be proactive – rather than wait until its too late to make good moves.
We do however need to see what this core can do with a healthy squad including Moz, Gallo, Brewer and possibly Chandler, before making any substantial changes
sgiustra - February 12, 2012
makes logical sense
but is why I could never be a GM. Even as a spectator, I love these guys too much. Big Al for all his boneheaded decisions, leaves it all on the court for the Nuggets. Guys like Brewer & Rudy too. I couldn’t make that type of move myself, but I guess that’s why they pay Ujiri the big bucks to make decisions like that.
nugz4rollz - February 11, 2012
I agree on moving Al
Like him as a player, but if it’s possible to move him I’d be in favor of it. Still shoots a little too much for my liking, and in the long-term is likely to decline.
nugzin2040 - February 12, 2012
I was at the game tonight!
I must be a good luck charm or something!
All kidding aside here is my roommate and I’s assessment of all the players:
AAA: Arron played really well throughout the game made some huge shots towards the end. This is the AAA I know and love! He quietly had a handful of point in the first half and really turned it up in the 2nd loved that he didn’t try to drive crazily to the rack too many times and I might have missed it, but I don’t think he traveled once!!
Birdman: Tears only tears I miss the birdman and his crazy mohawk
Corey Brewer: As mentioned above brought the energy tonight. Seemed a bit lost on defense to start the game, but really picked it up later on and is always hustling. After any play that doesn’t go his way he turns and claps his hands to gather (looks like he says damn or something to that extent). I really like this guy and my condolences for his loss.
Kenneth Faried: BADASS DUNK! That alley-oop from ‘Dre was off the chain! Good hustle as usual. Kid is gonna be good someday
Rudy Fernandez: His game was quiet tonight, but he is always cool and calm out there. I think he might be a little gimpy, but who isn’t on this roster right. I hope we keep CB and the Spaniard for a few years quality guys with hustle and are perfect glue types.
Danilo: Didn’t travel? Didn’t see him on the bench?
JHam: Saw him messing around with JStone on the bench and airballing fade away threes at halftime haha.
Big Al: Solid veteran performace, missed a lot but provided some good D on West. Pacers fans cheered for him when he was announced.
Nene: meh not much from the big guy solid slam in the 1Q after that went MIA obviously got hurt as was mentioned
KK: played well on Roy. Can’t shot block worth a dump… alters some shots tho and is being allowed to play a little more with less wistles
Ty: awesome penetration! Had multiple blurrrr moments and hit a few jumpers the routine 1Q three pointer didn’t realize he had 27pts though wow
Dre: solid backup tonight was obviously really frustrated and I think the slamming of the ball was almost a Chauncey get the refs to notice a little bit. Made more good shots and played smart for the most part looked disgruntled but I think it was from the lack of calls not playing time. (classic dre pass to faried on the oop. Once I saw he had it and faired was running I was like watch this everyone!!)
Timo: Sat on the bench never laughed or did much no shooting around pre game or at half
JStone: no burn sorta surprising as dre looked tired, but looks like brewer got some of his mins, which I didn’t mind
Overall, a really exciting game we went down 10-12 quick and I was think uh-oh here we go again. But I really think play from AAA and Brewer sparked the Nugz to a victory. Indy fans were pretty good cheered loudly for their time (I didn’t know pacers had fans?) Their organization reminds me of ours. Granger and co were lighting us up, but I knew they would cool off and sure enough!
crreid4444 - February 11, 2012
KK is our best shot blocker actually haha
5baker5 - February 12, 2012
I love that the Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Brewers reference Jeff.
And from the comments I went through no one else caught it. Brewer helped the Nuggets beat the Brewers. Haha Awesome.
The U.N. Fab Five - February 12, 2012 via mobile
Excited to get Wilson Chandler back into a Nuggets uniform.
Wilson is a very sound small forward, who has demonstrated his skills overall several seasons. He brings the ability to score and work within the team framework. It is true he didn’t do well in the playoffs last year against OKC. Take a look at the box scores for those playoff games, and there is plenty of blame to go around. When I think of that stretch of five playoff games for Wilson, I can make a parallel to the tough stretch that Aaron has had for most of this year. Aaron is now reminding us of the player he has been over the years. It will be the same way for Chandler. You can never have enough players with solid basketball skills on a team. At the same time, I have really enjoyed Cory Brewer’s fast paced attack. It’s going to be great to have some depth at small forward.
Ranchman - February 12, 2012
agree and I'll just restate
Before rumors of trade started in NY, Chandler was a borderline all star, outplaying Gallo, felton and every other Knick except Amare.
How many borderline all stars do we have to date? At most 2 – Ty and Gallo. Nene may get attention because of his position but his impact has not really been close to all star.
sgiustra - February 12, 2012
I'll just take a moment to convey my importance to the success of this team...
When I got busy in the first half, the Nuggets were down 13, and when I turned back to the game, they were tying it up at the half. I then fell asleep at halftime and woke up with the Nuggs up 12. As soon as I resumed watching, they promptly blew the lead, but ultimately won despite me. Also, the last game I missed? Blowing out the clippers in LA. I think I may have to take a loooong break from watching the Nuggs, for my sake and theirs.
Aside from this, good win!
love4nuggets - February 12, 2012
lol!
make sure to stay very far away from a TV
Jeffrey Morton - February 12, 2012
Haha will do!
love4nuggets - February 12, 2012
We won with only 14 assists, that's rare
It’s because we ripped down 14 offensive rebounds, Kouf leading with 4. We need to build on this and put wins together. But 25+ assists is what I’d like to see when we are clicking on all cylinders. Love the offensive rebounding aggressiveness from Kouf Faried and Brew.
Al Harrington needs to find his rhythm again. Keep taking it to the hole Al and get some dunks. Bang some more, get a bloody lip and the jumper will start falling.
Nuggburg - February 12, 2012
Feels good, man.
Nice to see the Nuggets battle back from that early double-digit deficit. Couldn’t have asked for anything more from Ty, and I hope AAA continues going in a positive direction with his performances.
I couldn’t be any happier for Corey. It was beautiful to see him return to the team, get the start, and have a huge impact on the game. Solid stat line, and played a huge part in turning around the momentum in the game.
Al these past 2 games has looked pretty bad. He looks worn out. It’s understandable with how much PT he’s been given during this hectic season, combined with the 13 seasons he has under his belt. It was going to happen eventually. Hopefully he bounces back.
NuggetsFan99 - February 12, 2012
Yes al and andre miller both look excausted
wouldnt mind giving them both 4 games off like dirk in different parts of the year
5baker5 - February 12, 2012
Not a bad idea.
Dirk definitely looked better after his break, especially at Denver a few days ago. Might be something the Nuggets should look into, especially if they (Al or Dre) aren’t producing much in their minutes.
NuggetsFan99 - February 12, 2012
Chris Dempsey Update on Wilson Chandler
I spoke with the Denver Post’s Chris Dempsey this morning on 104.3 FM about Wilson Chandler. He said that re-signing Wilson is the biggest “no brainer” for the front office. He did say the re-signing will get done. He believes the contract will be for 4 years and be between the upper $20 million and lower $30 million range. He went on to say that of the three players that went to China, Wilson’s departure was a “blow” as the team was “counting on him” to have a meaningful year.
Ranchman - February 12, 2012
Thanks for the update!
That’s really great to hear. I have faith Masai will get it done.
NuggetsFan99 - February 12, 2012
CBA update
Wilson pulled down 20 rebounds but his team lost to the worst team in the league. They hold a 1 game lead over the 9th place team but play the 2nd best team in the league to end their season(led by the great Stephen Starbury) while the 9th place team places the 2nd worst. I have no idea who holds the tiebreaker but I don’t believe Wilson’s team has clinched yet
Phil H. - February 12, 2012
According to wiki they have actually clinched already
well hopefully they will get swept
Phil H. - February 12, 2012
Ya i heard they clinched too
5baker5 - February 12, 2012
meh
Jeffrey Morton - February 12, 2012
iawtm
SDcat09 - February 12, 2012
I wouldn't mind Chandler at
4 year 20-25.
Anything past that is pushing it.
Also, here’s to hoping that AAA has a 3rd good game and yay for Brewer. I’m not sure we should resign him when the time comes with Chandler, Faried, and J-Ham, but for the time being, you gotta love Corey.
KevinAwesome - February 12, 2012
He's going to get an AAA type contract imo
$7-8 million a season. Even that, might not be enough to retain him. Highly valued player in the free agent market.
nugzin2040 - February 12, 2012
Brewer
i hope we keep him. I just love the way he plays. It just seems like he has finally found a home here in Denver
TheMozgovCocktail - February 12, 2012
*Gorilla
neumdaddy - February 12, 2012
I'd love
to have Chandler’s energy back; he’s a good guy, tough defender, has a pretty good mid-range shot that we miss so much and can play SG and PF too.
If we resign him, when could he play? March or even sooner?
ArturoVidal - February 12, 2012
Playoffs start Feb 22nd
They usually just take a one day break between games. Assuming they are swept in 3 or lose in 4, should be back before March. If they get swept, there will be a very small window for another team to make an offer sheet to him as well.
They do play a team in their last game that has nothing to play for (locked up the #2 seed). Decent chance they will rest players I imagine to avoid injuries. A win would be help secure a favorable match up. Probably a #6 seed instead of #8.
nugzin2040 - February 12, 2012
I'll be watching the Chinese playoffs.....Not
But it will be good to get Wilson C in a nugget uniform, even it’s only this year it’s ok, we got 2s and 3s growing on trees.
Nuggburg - February 12, 2012 via mobile
When afflalo plays like he did last year, he could be our closer... hopefully those 2 games werent a fluke
5baker5 - February 12, 2012
Man
i wonder if Andrew has eaten his crow about the nasty things he said about Brewer before the Melo trade…. dude can ball with the best of em
NastyNessy71 - February 12, 2012
If he hasn't, I'm sure he will
I know he wasn’t keen on anyone on the Knicks roster before the trade, and many of the ex-Knicks have proven to be excellent, coachable players.
OT: Hey Nate Timmons: I caught the first 15 minutes of one of those street racing movies, Fast and Furious or whatever that you like so much: Pretty fun. Not gonna lie, I liked all the stunts and car crashes and crazy driving and explosions. Gratuitous Michelle Rodriguez cleavage was a bonus.
Does this mean I’m a br0?
Fly Agaric - February 12, 2012
It means you're a cuz...
SDcat09 - February 12, 2012
I prefer Dom's sister
Michelle Rodriguez is pretty hot, but something about her just doesn’t do it for me
CombatChuk - February 12, 2012
Well thank goodness you guys
are leaving me with Paul Walker. Really I’m okay with it. Really.
SDcat09 - February 12, 2012
No way!
He is all mine! Wait, I mean Dom’s sister is mine. Shit…….
Army of Nugs - February 12, 2012
Hey I don't judge. You can have him
when I’m done.
SDcat09 - February 12, 2012
met her at a gym in NY back in 2004
Still looked good in person even after working out.
jd80229 - February 13, 2012 via mobile
her name is Jordana Brewster btw
jd80229 - February 13, 2012 via mobile
Sheeeeeeeeeee...ittttt
“Clay Davis”
mtnmagic22 - February 12, 2012
could it be her overwhelmingly masculine personality?
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
does anyone know about wilson chandlers team? if they lose the last game are they out
5baker5 - February 12, 2012
It's been reported they are already in
Dunno how tiebreakers and all that stuff go tho.
nugzin2040 - February 12, 2012
Milwaukee Brewers?
???
I read this and had to think about it for a few seconds. That’s how high the Bucks rank in my mind.
MattressKing - February 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Corey Brewer's
intensity > his recklessness.
NugNugz - February 13, 2012
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