Denver Stiffs

i dont even think the Lakers are a great team

808inDenver - February 4, 2012 reply

As long as Bryant/Gasol/Bynum are there. Yes.

buffallo soldier - February 4, 2012 reply

WTF kind of misquote is this?

Karl actually said in the paper

“when you don’t play well and have a chance to beat a GOOD team, it’s the sign of a GOOD team.”

Good is not great.

Nuggets are good not great. Lakers are good not great.

REALLY 808

blew any credibility on Karl.

george is also afraid of Bynum. I'm sure he instills that fear in the team as well.

Everyone else in the league has figured out bynum is a ninny.

my gf's favorite player AAA

always good for 1 travel/double drible and 1 step out of bounds a game…LOL

808inDenver - February 4, 2012 reply

I am a AAA defender

But this is pretty accurate. He was looking good for a bit. And then he disappeared.

>sigh.<

We can rebulid him.

Nothing wrong with him.

MRI shows he does NOT have a sprain. That is good news.

Just a brutal game all around.

But it wasn’t a panic-mode-inducing type of game. We just played badly overall and were still in it at the end. My only concern was the execution on that last play but hopefully just a lapse in judgement by Al. Just re-watch the tape and look at what went wrong and we’ll be fine on the days we get a reasonable amount of rest imo.

Agaliarept - February 4, 2012 reply

It was a good play.

I’m not sure of the mathematics, but assuming Al hits that shot 1/3 of the time, a three there is better than a 66% 2 point shot. Al had a good look, and was very smart in stepping back beyond the three point line.

rxmart2 - February 4, 2012 reply

I disagree.

He was off-balanced, played tightly by World Peace, and had plenty of time on the clock. He spent the entire second half taking guys off the dribble and he rushed that shot. Like I said, I had no problem with him getting the last shot and I obviously don’t know what the drawn up play was supposed to be but I think Al could’ve gotten a better shot.

I can’t find the tweet now (because I follow 1,200 people) but I know a reporter was tweeting something like “Yikes, I think he makes that shot MAYBE 10-12 times out of a 100 in the gym while guarded”.

Agaliarept - February 4, 2012 reply

agreed

with apologies to anyone who already heard me say this multiple times in the game threads

I think this was a heroic effort by the Nugs tonight. The Lakers were rested and waiting while the Nugs were arriving in the middle of the night after the Clips game. The Nugs were just fatigued, and that’s why the shots weren’t falling. Everything was clanging off the front of the rim because of dead legs. If it hadn’t been for that, the Nugs would’ve won easily.

The schedule makers handed this one to the Lakers in advance.

tough loss

But as acceptable as a loss could be. Looked tired and still almost pulled it out even without moz. Hope he’s ok. We all just gotta dig in as this montg is going to be rough.

Kevin #3 - February 4, 2012 reply

3 losses in 4 games is unacceptable

as is 3 kevins. wtf

TyLawesome - February 4, 2012 reply

i thought the first clipper game and the memphis game were unacceptable

Because they had the game in hand. But tonight they just looked dead and flat, buckets not included. Happens to everyone in this screwed up schedule. So tonight is disappointing but semi acceptable. Just gotta try to bounce back against a Portland team that is even more inconsistent than we are. And 3 Kevins seems ok to me

Kevin #3 - February 4, 2012 reply

i believe all 3 games were in hand, and we couldn't pull out any of them

late game execution is gonna haunt this team

TyLawesome - February 4, 2012 reply

ill keep saying it until the playoffs

Is rather have these issues now and try to work through it now than in the playoffs. Even if it means losses. Co.disenfranchised building and the like. Just need to get through tomorrow and the rest of this month and,well build up to the playoffs

Kevin #3 - February 4, 2012 reply

Kevin

That seems to be the consensus tonight – even though they lost, they were “there” and it seemed very different than those other losses….

mtnmagic22 - February 4, 2012 reply

We are anonymous, We are Legion, Fear us……..

Tomorrow's game doesn't look either

In Portland on the tail end of a back-back-back, while traveling for the third straight day, in the snow? I really hate this stupid condense schedule

Colsportsfan - February 4, 2012 reply

doesn't look good*

Colsportsfan - February 4, 2012 reply

I missed the 2nd half of this game...

funny thing is, the final score doesn’t really surprise me. Nuggets just doesn’t know how to finished games.

Colsportsfan - February 4, 2012 reply

This game, it felt like we were beaten.

Whereas I think we actually lossed the games vs. the Clips and Grizz – games we absolutely should’ve had but squandered. Tonight, we were not playing well, and we could’ve stolen the game to make up for one of the other losses… and we failed.

neumdaddy - February 4, 2012 reply

respect

Laker fan here – just curious, when the Suns are in town do you call Nash 94 and Hill 105? also, if you really believed there was ANY ball on Nene’s foul on Bynum, time to switch to you bifocals dude – the Lasik didn’t work.
btw, 116 yr. old Fisher had 10 points to your boy Gallinari’s 6. respect…

Hows fishers 8 ppg and 4a career wise? nothing without kobe

5baker5 - February 4, 2012 reply

i guess you wouldn't know...

will Fish make the HOF? – nope.
will his jersey be retired? – no way
will he always be remembered for a series of clutch shots in huge games? – ohhhh yeeeeah

Lakers really aren't going to retire Fish's jersey?

Agaliarept - February 4, 2012 reply

yur a Fisher fan, really?

Bynum was fouled, just as

Fisher fouled Lawson on the final play. It goes both ways my friend. I don’t think anyone on the Nuggets would be sad to see these guys in the playoffs, especially with the crazy minutes LOLbrown is playing their old geezers.

rxmart2 - February 4, 2012 reply

bynum is also playing a ton

He played the first 16 minutes or so straight. Injury risk right there.

Monkfish - February 4, 2012 via mobile reply

Perhaps it would

go both ways if I had said something like “Fisher didn’t foul Lawson on that last play”. I was responding to Timmons assertion of “lots of wrist”. try to keep up.

Wow, a douchebag laker fan???

Shocked!

love4nuggets - February 4, 2012 reply

That little post is as

snot nosed, slimy, self contemptuous as any I’ve ever seen on this blog.

Congratulations, you showed us your ass.

to urkiddingrite

Not to mention condescending

yep and I'll add

essentially pointless

you can tell the Lakers have fallen off a bit

in the previous 2-3 seasons we’d be over-run with Laker trolls on a day like this. Pretty pathetic showing.

fascinating

hmm, self-contemptuous, condescending – perhaps you should look those terms up before attempting to use them.
snot-nosed, slimy? it’s nice to see that your blind hatred of another team doesn’t keep you from making an unbiased, reasoned argument.

My hatred is not blind, sir.

I embrace it with my eyes wide open, and my heart full of contempt.

pathetic

Where’s the rest of the troops? In the old days there would’ve been a whole shitload of you dicks coming in here.

It’s like you assholes don’t even care anymore.

Don't forget humorless

All teams fans talk trash to each other.

It is only Lakers fans who get all butthurt, despite the massive recent success and multiple championships.

It seems a little insecure to battle about silly name-calling.

You seem familiar.

It seems you’ve posted here before under a different name. The schtick about supposedly giving respect but not doing that at all.

Curious.

Putting aside (or actually ignoring)

the ad-hominem attacks, I agree with this point – every team has fair-weather fans, but the Lakers have more than most.
by and large, among the worst fans in professional sports.
but I take a page from Kobe’s book here – I just play my game

I thought Fish was older than that!

Derek Fisher is 37 years-old. Andre Miller is 65 years old. Are you happy now? And speaking of Lasik, perhaps you should schedule an appointment as you missed (what was in the parenthesis). Respect… who is this guy Ali-G?

Nate Timmons - February 4, 2012 reply

You owen Ali G an apology

*owe

not true Nate – saw it just fine: (lots of wrist, maybe all wrist)
what was in the parenthesis prompted my comment. there was nothing “maybe” about it.
in any event, my original question was genuine. I understand Kobe hatred, he’s one of the most beastly players to ever take the court and with great beastliness comes great hatred. but hating on Fisher? – never understood it. throughout his career, he’s made up for his lack of athletic gifts by an extraordinary amount of hard work and hustle, some amazing clutch shots and he seems like a truly good person. I thought that there’d be maybe a little friendly back & forth here and I was careful not to throw any names around. nevertheless, from this short post I’ve been on the receiving end of:
Snot-Nosed, Slimy, Self-Contemptuous, Condescending, Douchebag, Troll, Pathetic, Dick and Asshole.
am I butthurt? – nah. pretty funny really, but i did expect a little better. I know better now.
oh and Russcot? good comment – cracked me up.

That's how they are on this site man.

To be fair, Fish is in the top three all time floppers of the NBA. Just sayin.

Thanks GK

and yeah… he is
although not as bad as Vlade was

Lucas Navarrete - February 4, 2012 reply

Fire GK

Ridiculous inbounds play.

What a bummer

I hate the Lakers. I hate Bynum. Tomorrow’s going to be tough; that’s going to be an annoyed Portland team. The bounce back is needed.

blubomber17 - February 4, 2012 reply

With Moz Out, Nuggets Will Need a Little "Bounce" Against Portland

Tough game, but this was clearly one of those “schedule” losses, flying home at 3am off a game the night before in LA. Would really like to see Gallo bring something in these games – - he seems over reliant on standing outside and firing stiff-legged 3’s when he is tired. Nuggs fought hard so nothing to be depressed about. Clearly shows that a rested Nuggets team is better than the Lakers (who were rested last night), which is great news for this team. Okc is going to win the Division, so it is all about getting a Top 4 spot IMO. I keep thinking Chandler will be a nice addition, particularly on nights like this that Gallo doesn’t have it.

yes yes and again yes

when Gallo is off his shot, Karl refuses to play him and Gallo doesnt know how to regain confidence after a few missed shots.

That is exactly when Chandler would make a great sub and would contribute more than Rudy or AAA.

BTW, why does Karl always bench Gallo when Gallos shot is off but continue to play Rudy or AAA when they are not effective?

Look for tonights game to be strictly small ball.

The Harrington shot was fine, but really in that situation Lawson needs to get in the paint and either score or get a great look for someone. I know Fisher fouled him, but if Lawson’s gonna be co-leader of the team (with Gallinari) he’s got to be able to manhandle one of the worst starters in the NBA in a crucial situation.

atomiccafe - February 4, 2012 reply

the nuggets have superior athleticism at the wing position

and the lakers are not a fastbreaking team.

so, i was puzzled by Karl’s decision to not have guys like lawson, afflalo, miller, and gallinari crash the offensive glass.

ignign*kt - February 4, 2012 reply

well, not wing position but all perimeter players

ignign*kt - February 4, 2012 reply

bad 4th qtr rotation.....played 3 guards most of the time

I’m sorry, but once the Lakers slowed down the tempo in the 4th with the Nugs not having the legs to run anyway, Miller and Lawson should not have been in together down the stretch. Miller was guarding Kobe and although he did the best he could bu Kobe hit enough buckets, got to the line, and found the open man on the double team when AAA could have guarded him one on one. Plus Lawson was way sloppy the last 5 minutes along with Miller with costly TO’s. I diasgree with benching Gallo in crunch time, he is a 6’10 shooter who can handle the ball AND drive to the hoop, as well as your best % FT shooter, regardless of what happened in the 1st 3 qtrs, he needs to be in there in critical moments. I’m getting tired of coach’s schizoness when it comes to rotations, looked great the night before against the Clippers, clueless against the Lakers, especially in the 2nd half when Kobe is going off in the 3rd. Plus, he ran Miller and Lawson into the ground enough to pretty much guarantee a loss against Portland tonight in an already tough situation. I don’t think Coach Karl is capable of making consistent good decisions in tight games anymore, and last night he below .500 for his career in games decided by 3pts or less. Of course if the Nuggets shot better and didn’t miss 10+ layups and dunks in addition to not knocking Bynum on his ass, this would all be moot. I need a break…may skip watching them tonight, 3 nights in a row up until midnight after shoveling snow the past two days not feeling good!

gallo's eye

he said his eye was still blurry coming back from the locker room. don’t know if we really want him out there when he can only reliably see out of one eye.

nugz4rollz - February 4, 2012 reply

actually

it doesn’t say it persisted. so maybe it was fin.

nugz4rollz - February 4, 2012 reply

heard Karl's postgame comments after I posted, he said it was still blurry afterwards

so i take that part back, unless he was using as an excuse to not put him back in

That snot what I saw

I thought we played some good team defense. We stifled Kobe on a 7-23 shooting night, and limited Gasol to only 10 shots (5-10). Of course, you’re going to pay the devil one way or the other if you trap Kobe, but I’d rather Goldilocks try to beat us than Kobe at this point. Miller was surprisingly effective on Kobe on 1-on-1 situations when they didn’t bring help. Our reserves played very well again (Miller and Al), while Rudy sucked and only provided 2 PTS/1 REB in 20:53 MIN (spit). The Lawson/Miller lineup was effective, especially since Lawson couldn’t do much driving in the lane with 2 7 footers in there. If Lawson can’t drive, he doesn’t really create off pick & roll, PNP etc. so having Miller in there was great.

The main problem was that our ‘paid’ stars didnt perform. Affailo and Gallo were 4-16 for 13 PTS in over 53 MIN. That’s just not getting it done, and Nene wasn’t much better. That’s the issue right there as it was in Memphis – “stars” imploded into a supernova.

Damn just checked Basketball Ref

Arron Affailo has a 10.8 PER currently – 10.8!!! And we’re paying this guy, what, $8M+/season. That’s a gdamn tragedy at the moment. Even Ray Felton, currently stinking it up on a nightly basis in Portland, is higher. Defensive win Shares are a paltry 0.4. UGHH

look, both AAA and Ray are stinking up courts

would still take AAA in a heartbeat over Ray because Ray has a Napoleonic Complex and he’s a dick to boot (hope my language isnt too rough but I WAS raised in Brooklyn and I’m frankly censoring myself)

I agree

think Felton sucks. He can’t hit an outside shot to save his life.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm tweet from Marc Spears

Nuggets waive forward Demarre Carroll.

Ill Will coming back or is Masai making a move?

CombatChuk - February 4, 2012 reply

Interesting

Especially since Moz’s injury — though just a sprain — will likely keep him out for a few weeks and that would make some room on the active roster. So. Something is up.

weeks, do you know for sure?

if so, terrible news. Moz is about our 10 best player but 3rd most important player

I don't know for sure

Someone above said it wasn’t even sprained.

Ankles are weird. From personal experience, though, ankle injuries that hurt like hell right away tend to be the ones that heal pretty quick.

It is the tweaks that you are able to finish playing the game on that end up lingering for a while.

I’m just guessing from the pain he was in that he’ll miss some games.

makes sense

my experience, I have rubbery ankles and sprains healed quickly.

A real problem here is that if Moz misses games, his very delicate progress takes a hit

Nuggets fans

I wasn’t happy with the loss, but I tend to agree that it stinks a whole lot less than the Clippers and Memphis losses, as the Nuggets played like shit offensively all night but were able to play good enough defense to stick around against a rested Lakers team.

Not looking forward to tonight’s game. If there was one game on the schedule where we could have used a pen to scribble down a prediction of a loss, it is this one.

That said, I expect to see some fight from the Nuggets and Miller to play amazing and to see our hearts broken by yet another close loss.

Look for a Special Game From Miller

And, I would expect some minutes from Manimal with Moz out. On these back to backs, Nuggets need some instant energy…

Yes

It’s so frustrating with Faried. Karl isn’t wrong about Faried not being ready to play at the NBA level. We’ve all seen it.

But you know what? You don’t have to have a summer league and preseason and understand the fine points of offensive and defensive rotations to have a nose for the ball and help your team by collecting rebounds.

Even some short stints here and there would help. Not to mention his speed and athleticism is perfect for the second unit.

Still, don’t think Faried will get any meaningful minutes until next year.

I agree

If I were the coach, I would play Faried 15 or so minutes with the three mandates being: box out of defense, pay attention to defensive rotations, and just worry about what you do best – REBOUNDING. Don’t even worry about your offense, out side of setting screens and working the O-glass.

We could really use another interior rebounder and defender.

I think george should tell ManiFreak to be like Rodman

Don’t do nothing else, just get boards.

Exactly

Focus on boards, both D & O, screens on offense, and defensive rotations. Who gives a F if he can score.

actually 5-8 min of faried last nite after mozgov went out might have been interesting

suspect that he would give bynum fits under the hoop, just because he is so active.

in general, faried isn’t ready to play much, but inserted in special circumstances might yield some good things

Karl Has Said Manimal is Going to be a "Player"

I think he fears giving Manimal meaningful minutes, and he produces some big moments, becomes a fan favorite, and he will be forced to play him like he was JR. But, I agree with the above, if they clearly define his role, rebound, play defense, get loose balls, DUNK, he could be a real asset for 15-20 minutes a game. Kind of the old Birdman role. He’s going to make mistakes, but might as well give him some minutes so he can learn and grow. Plus, I think the other players respond to him – - you can’t discount how much the whole team can be energized (and the other team deflated) by a special dunk.

Turn the Manimal Loose – -particularly on back-to-backs…

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/17112337/postups-recent-coach-changes-may-foreshadow-ouster-of-some-gms

Masai Flying to China to Meet with Chandler and His Reps - Looking for Multi-Year Deal

With AAA’s uninspiring play and Gallo’s current inconsistency from game to game, the signing of Chandler is almost becoming a must. Chandler can play so many positions, has a nice offensive game, is young, and is a GREAT perimeter defender. Really hope we can nail down Chandler for 3 or 4 years.

agreed, slowly but surely,

I’m falling in love with Masai

Thoughts on the game

Since i was there last night.

Nene: I was disappointed with his soft performance.

Late game situations: Why was Andre Miller guarding Kobe Bryant? We should have had AAA or Gallo guarding Kobe
As for Gallo, I know he was struggling, but he should have been out there in crunch time instead of Rudy. He’s not getting paid 40 Mil to sit on the bench in crunch time.
Al Buckets was on fire late in the game. He made two three pointers in a row and on the next possesion Rudy jacks up a 3. We should have kept feeding Al the ball.

The turning point of the game was when Mozgov got injured. I know it’s an ankle sprain, but if Moz is out for 10 or more games, we should seriously consider getting a veteran center.

I would have liked to see more Brewer on Kobe

Yeah, he was in foul trouble, but….

Anyway.

I can’t be bothered to get that angry about the Nuggets. I think we all know that as good as this team is, they are just that, a good team.

We all know this is a tough month and have, hopefully, tempered expectations accordingly.

Late game situations: Why was Andre Miller guarding Kobe Bryant? We should have had AAA or Gallo guarding Kobe

Giving Karl credit here because it worked. Miller was harassing Kobe and getting in his face. They also brought double teams forcing Kobe to give it up. The defense played on Kobe was the last of our concerns, and in fact, a nice call by GK because it totally worked.

Fair point

Still would have like to see someone taller on Kobe. Maybe if we had gallo on him, Kobe wouldn’t have made that pass to bynum

As a long time Miller supporter

Even I was like “whaaaaaaa” when GK put Miller on Kobe most of the second half. I didn’t think he could check him. turns out, he did a fantatstic job; mainly when Kobe tried to post him up but Miller stood his ground and didn’t give him any room in the post, forcing tough turn-around jumpers. I was kinda surprised as well it worked out that way. Kobe finished with 20 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB on 23 shots (7-23), you take that every time. And I believe that last pass to Bynum he was double-teamed, Bynum didnt score anyway and we got the ball back.

Regardless, the real issue was the game was lost by our paid players sucking + Fernandez. Its disturbing.

Alley oop

I was talking about that Alley oop Bryant threw to bynum

That was just an amazing pass that even Kobe makes only one time out of six

I’ll take that defense on him all day.

Oh I see

Yeah hard to stop eveything. We can’t compete with them inside its tough to stop all those interior passes – especially when Mozgov goes down. We could really use a Kendrick Perkins type interior beast to shore up the defense and rebounding down low.

give it up to a wide open fisher or underneath to a wide open bynum

yeah, that was effective

You pay the devil 1 way when you play the Lakers

At the end of the day, Kobe goes 7-23 and Gasol only takes 10 shots. Our defense was fine. Of course when you bring a double on Kobe someone will get free. That was Goldilocks mostly. Fisher only took 7 shots while making 4 for 10 PTS. Really not that bad.

that's bs...defense on Bynum wasn't fine

he didn’t have to work for most of those points until the end and was open more often than not

Yeah I agree

But thats not a Kobe issue thats an interior defense issue

When the double team came, it wasnt from the guy guarding Bynum!

It was from Affailo or Fernandez mostly -

When you double, you have to rotate.

Most of the late game doubles were by Al, who was covering Gasol. Nene would rotate to Gasol, and whomever was on MWP would drop down on Bynum.

Most of the double I saw were with guards.

Bynum got easy shots because he huge and gets good position down low.

It depends on what point of the game we're talking about.

I thought we were discussing the fourth, where Kobe was running PnR at the top of the key with Gasol.

Or the double can come from up high

Leaving the opposition’s PG/SG open. Thats mainly why Goldilocks had 13 points on 10 shots

1st half and 4th qtr I agree on Kobe

but he did most of his damage in the 3rd, should have kept AAA on him

Agree to disagree

I’ll let rookie Goldilocks take those outside shots over Kobe anyday. I think Karl got this rotation right.

Even if you disagree

Limiting the Lakers to really 91 Points was just fine and this game was for the taking if our paid players played even average. That’s my issue, and its clear to me. Not going to roast Karl on this one because Kobe was limited, and so was Gasol. You cant stop everything wth 3 good players who can score. The game was lost on our lack of offense by those two aforementioned players + Fernandez, who was horrible.

affalo had him most of the 3rd.

think miller didn’t come in til the 4-5 min mark.

Yeah thats true

Miller checked Kobe for the rest of the game when Affailo sat down I think.

The main turning point lasted all game

And that was no production from Affailo + Gallo equals loss against good teams. It’s really that simple. When your bench plays better than your starters, that’s usually not a good sign. A disturbing characteristic which keeps popping up lately time & again.

Al

We should have kept feeding him the ball late in the game.

This was the whole game

Big Al hitting shots and w four minutes left he doesn’t get the ball again until his last heave

Even the ESPN announcers were like “why dont they go to Al”!

Instead Lawson for 3 with a clank
afflalo for 3 Clank

99% of all humans would’ve kept going to Al but not Dre or Ty

Crazy stupid ball down the stretch. Just plain and simple stupidity.

Rockridge1 - February 4, 2012 reply

plus a ton of missed layups and dunks

nene missed 3 in a row on the same damn possesion, but as usual if he would have just tried to dunk it he would at least get to the line and get one FT..

Nene

The dude needs to stop being soft. Seriously.

He got his money

He will never have to play hard again.

Which

is very sad

I just heard on 104.3 that Moz is fine.

They did an MRI and he does not have a sprain. This coming from Sandy ‘you shut the hell up’ Klough but that’s what I heard.

Moz

Hopefully he just misses a couple games

so, if its not a break,

or a sprain, then what the hell is it?

injured

thanks for clearing it up Russ:(

Anytime, sir!

(I believe it’s a sprain, but as to how severe, not sure)

When Gallo has a good game we usually win...

Conversely…when Gallo can’t hit the side of a barn… We generally lose.

Nuggburg - February 4, 2012 reply

Gallo has to figure out a way to stay confident even after he misses 3 shots

thats a mind set issue not an ability issue.

u have to find a way to run screen/roll with gallo

with 2 7 footers inside, gallo really can’t drive from the outside as he can against smaller teams

miller just blew by kobe at least twice on offense, which really surprised me

kobe was 7/23, so the holding kobe in check wasnt the issue.

have a hard time believing that they couldnt diagram a better play than what they ran on that last possession. it was clogged inside, but no way in hell did we need harrington shooting a stepback 3 in that situation. would like to have seen harrington or even gallo try to take the ball inside. wasn’t harrington getting inside at will the 2nd half?

here's why miller on kobe was an issue

despite the bad shooting night, kobe was abusing miller one on one in the 3rd quarter (miller was returning the favor, to be sure). In the 4th, every time Kobe got the ball Harrington would come over to double him, leaving scrubs like World Peace and Fisher to hit uncontested 3s.

Center position

We need to trade for or sign one if moz is out for awhile. I’m not cool with Kofous starting at the center position.

If only Kmart hadn't signed with the Clips......

Kmart

I’ll pass on him, We need a center, not a power forward.

Yeah but our power forwards

play center…see: Nene

Nene

Nene might play center, but he doesn’t have the mindset to

Ah the joke past you by :(

The point is that Nene is not a center, and we have him playing center.

nene had the two best seasons of his career at center.

Oy vey... I give up

It wasn’t a slam on Nene. It was a comment of a player being played out of his position.

I know

I’m just saying it’s not as out of position as everyone here thinks. It’s not like he’s been going crazy when he starts at PF this year.

George might have to retrieve the Birdman

From his long stay in the Doghouse.
Unless they sign someone. Why does GK think Buckets is a backup center.

Nuggburg - February 4, 2012 via mobile reply

because It's GK

I hope Masai and Josh are watching closely. We have lost so many games that come down to the wire.

Well we won 4 close games in a row

then we lost 3 close games. So the past 7 close games we are….4-3

Nuggburg - February 4, 2012 reply

I'm

not counting the Wizards because it’s the Wizards. We should have blown them out.

Yep Nugg,

when you get into close games, you’re likely to go 50 – 50. I guess one exception is this year’s OKC. But the idea is to avoid one possession games.

Remember, propaganda notwithstanding, the success rates for “stars” in crunch situations is less than 40%. Avoid whenever possible.

re. success rate for "stars"

Yup, that’s totally true, though you’d never know it listening to all the commentators, “You need a star to carry the team at crunch time…”

OKC will regress in close games eventually.

Postgame

Did anyone see Kobe’s slight diss of Karl?

No

Plz elaborate.

it was posted somewhere earlier

but i don’t have an exact quote. apparently, when asked if Karl’s defensive strategy bothered him, Kobe said that Karl’s teams have never beat him in the playoffs. It was said to be have been said on an Altitude broadcast, but I haven’t seen/heard it personally.

All that being said, if Kobe did say that, he’s unfortunately, absolutely right. Until GK and the Nuggets prove him wrong, he can say stuff like that.

nugz4rollz - February 4, 2012 reply

Not much of a dis, really

I mean, Kobe is a great player and an even greater asshole. He could have done better.

Respect.

Exactly Fly!

Your line should be the subtitle of his biography and the epitaph on his tombstone

BTW, in keeping with what Fly suggested

I’ve seen Kobe as a grade A penis for a long time, sneering, contemptuous, a complete schmuck. I’ll go further, if you like Kobe, really like Kobe, doesnt make you a bad person but you should really do a little self reflection

Kobe

The Douche should have been T’d up last night.

See

I do have a lot of respect for Kobe and his game.

But he can only be that successful by being such an ass. The way he remarks to the media, his actions on the court, his demeanor in commercials is that of immense swagger and confidence and the absolutely certainty that he is the best player on the court at all times.

That confidence can translate into spectacular shots and amazing performances, but also leads to alienated teammates and massive amounts of vomiting from fan of other teams.

Apparently Michael Jordon was just as much of a jerk, but his handlers were able to coach him into being more affable for the sake of his marketing endeavors.

Highly successful people in business and other fields often score very highly on psychological assessments for sociopaths.

yup to you & sgiustra both

Kobe is so completely unlikeable, I can never understand how he gets any endorsement deals, especially after the rape case.

Fly, I've heard your point before,

you present it very well. I dont believe a word of it – that is that being the dick he is helps his game elevate.

It shapes his game for sure, but I dont think there is a necessary relationship between being very competitive and being a grade a schmuck

It's up in the recap ...

Nate Timmons - February 4, 2012 reply

I have said it before and am now convinced this is the answer for our title hopes

Trade for Anderson Varejeo

Trade;
AA
Koufus
2013 #1

Get:
Varejao

Sign:
Wilson

Lineup/Rotation:

Gallo
Nene
Varejao
Fernandez/Chandler
Lawson

Bench:
Miller
Chandler/Fernandez
Al
Mosgov

End of Bench:
Brewer
Faried
Anderson
Stone
Hamilton

This is the answer, lets do this! Get on board Stiffies

I would rather give Miller and Bird and a pick for Garnett

Problem is that Boston is looking better and I don’t think they will trade anyone. I agree Verijo would help but not if GK will not play him.

I thought Kufos looked great and Karl put him on the bench w 7 never to return. Who knows what they are thinking sometimes.

Rockridge1 - February 4, 2012 reply

GK will play AV, he is a really really good DEFENSIVE player and REBOUNDER

very underrated.

I like Garnett to but don’t want to go with a smallish lineup where Nene is C. We need to utilize our size.

That is a good point and I agree that Nene needs to be PF

I wish we had a tough verteran to lead down the stretch cause Al doesn’t demand the ball and Dre doesn’t seem to have it. Another seasoned Vet would help

We need a strange cosmic twist and something good to fall into our lap like the brewer/ Rusy trade

Rockridge1 - February 4, 2012 reply

A problem I am seeing is the double edged sword of Al Buckets

He is playing really well on offense but when he is on the floor we struggle in the paint on D and in rotations along the perimeter. I don’t think a championship contender is a team that relies on Al for 30 minitues a game. We need to play him about 15 and win with defense so we don’t have to depend on his offense.

Veteran leadership is fine - it's our strength

We need leadership (and performance) from our ‘star’ players – that simple. if the best bench in the NBA (us) could be supported by a good starting lineup, we’d be set. Sadly, we’re 1 tough interior player short and too much inconsistency from our paid player like Gallo and Affailo. That’s the MAIN issue.

not a bad scenario

but I gotta say, I have a lot of hopes for Mozgov and think that his injury was the turning point.

For all of the good players we have, pretty much all of them are replaceable while we really dont have a satisfactory replacement for Moz. If he develops more and plays consistently, he could end up being our MVP

I like the Moz too but...

I am worried about his bad hands, catching and finishing in the paint. He will get better on D but right now gets burned on quick moves…(see bynum matchup). Right now with no dominant teams in the West we have a very nice window as the argument can be made that we are the 2nd best team in the West, but the truth is, there are 4-5 other teams right there with us. This bumps us up to championship, there I said it championship contenders…and we still have Moz do develop and learn under Vareajo. Who could score inside against us with the Brazilian Bouncers patoling the basket?

very pursuasive

I’m not sold on Moz. I just think there are good signs with him. Notice how much better we are when Moz is even moderately effective in only about 20 minutes. He’s not good, not yet, but he’s so valuable.

Tell you what, If Masai did not insist Knicks include him in trade, he’d be starting for Knicks, Knicks would have used cap space for a PG instead of Chandler and the East would look totally different. Moz is not good, he’s valuable.

well said

no question we are not there with OKC

and, yes, there are many contenders for #2.

Given everything though, I am pleased with where we stand.

Just wish our losses were more definitive so I wouldnt have to go thru the pain of close losses

First Mozgov needs to heal

Tthat looked like a grade 2 sprain. And I don’t expect him to be full strength for a while, I hope I’m wrong about that.

Nuggburg - February 4, 2012 reply

sorry, Cleveland would laugh at that offer and hang up.

Verajao will cost us Moz and this year's #1, and maybe more

Is it me or has anyone else ever commented on Bynum's

post “moves?” Seems to me that he constantly uses his elbows in a way that the league has mandated as a serious foul.

Its one of the most flagrant and dangerous moves I’ve seen a NBAer make in years.

I agree with you.

Bynum throws his ’bows into the defender, and also uses them to hook. But, because he keeps both hands on the ball, the hook will never be called.

this may sound funny

but the nuggets just missed an incredible number of layups last nite. there are lots of plays where nene, koufaroo, or gallo try to lay the ball up when it appears they could go strong with both hands to dunk. nene, in particular, is able to spin free a lot. going up to dunk is more likely to draw files, as opposed to trying to lay it over bynum.

its so easy to 2nd guess after watching the game, but gallo and affalo have to find real ways to contribute every night.

files=fouls!!! not enuf cawfee yet!

yes, I think its a sign of

lack of focus. Its like a guy who carefully builds up a row of standing dominoes only to tip ’em over when he gets up to go to the bathroom

Just noticed how close the scoring was Q by Q

FINAL
Team….. 1…. 2…… 3…. 4… Total
LAL……. 23…21… 28… 21… 93
DEN….. 21… 20… 27… 21… 89

yeah, that was a "coin toss"

and, for most teams, most times, such games are overanalyzed because that’s what we do.

But really, the games vs Lakers havent proven one team is better or even played better. Lots of games have gone that way.

I'm glad

There isn’t a lot of Stiffs bitching about Karl’s rotations last night.

I think Karl coached a pretty good game. The reason Denver lost was pretty clear: Nene missing several lay-ups and Gallo disappearing on offense.

Just a few more made buckets — something the Nuggets are good at as the second highest FG% team — and Denver has this.

The defense was pretty solid all night. Yeah, Kobe and Bynum got theirs, but whatever. The problem was offense, lack thereof.

I would agree, but as much as I don't want to,

I think we need to give some credit to LA’s defense. Most especially, I feel that MWP had an outstanding defensive game on Gallo. He’s strong enough to keep Gallo from going to the hole, and Gallo seemed to just stop driving.

I agree

Lakers D, especially World Peace, was fantastic.

Agreed that MWP brang it on defense

He’s really regressed on offense the past couple of years, but his D is still very sound. We also must remember that Bynum is putting up near Dwight Howard-like numbers this year. Lakers are still dangerous with Bynum playing as well as he has.

I hope we dont face the Lakers in the playoffs, because I dont think we match up well against them. They have two 7-footers who can grab rebounds, score inside, and we cant check them. Furthermore, that height prevents Lawson front attacking and scoring at the rim, so we become too perimeter oriented.

If Lawson can't attack the rim

He’s very ordinary as a PG in a halfcourt set. His strength is his driving to score or drive & dish. His jump shot’s not bad but he’ll never be a pure PG. nothing wrong with that but against the Lakers or a team with beef + height inside he wont shine.

We have seen it at times,

But for Lawson to take the next step we all want, hope, and feel he can make to become “elite,” he needs to be able to consistently hit 12-15 foot jumper. I imagine that we will see many more teams sagging off of him – and our other perimeter players – as the season goes along, unless our team can show the ability to hit the mid-range jump shot at a much more efficient clip than we currently are.

would rather have seen him shoot the pullup jumper last nite over fisher

than kick it out to harrington like he did.

still think harrington should have blown by artest, and tried to challenge bynum at the rim

he got by artest at will several times in 2nd half

As far as playoff matchups....

I’d love to face the Lakers. I think Denver matches up fine.

I mean, even if you grant World Peace shutting down Gallo, it is a complete fluke for Nene to miss four fucking lay ins one foot from the rim.

Denver can beat LA in a playoff series. Denver is a better team. They didn’t play good last night, but in a seven game series without crazy travel and weather delays against a team with multiple days off, Denver wins the series.

Agree to disagree for the reason mentioned

We’ll get out rebounded and Lawson will get neutralized. We can get sucked into a half court game easily against the Lakers. That’s not to say we couldn’t beat them last night, and we have a MUCH better bench. But with Bynum playing so well, I just don’t see many easy baskets inside, and that worries me.

Agreed Fly, only a fool would bitch about Karl's rotations

so… Karl has way more confidence in Rudy and AAA than is merited. Karl has less confidence in Gallo and even Brewer than is merited.

Even when available, Karl doesnt use Moz enough and there is no reason to play Moz at certain designated times and just about never in the 4th quarter. Why, we dont need blocked shots and rebounds in the 4th quarter. height is always good in basketball?

You know, we are really deep, until we are not. Did we look like a deep team yesterday?

Karl needs to utilize a lot of players as a hedge against fatigue in this odd schedule. But Karl should also hone in on his main 8 or even 7 and they need to be in in the 4th quarter and play lots of minutes in the playoffs.

That core has to include starters, Miller, Al and I would opt for Brewer over Rudy. And, Moz must be included in important situations or we will never beat OKC, Lakers, Portland in a series.

Well

Not saying there isn’t a problem with Karl’s rotations. I just think poor shooting — something the Nuggets are usually pretty good at — was more to blame than the coach last night.

Trust me, I was right there with pitchforks and torches after Denver gave up consecutive losses after double-digit fourth quarter leads. That’s totally on Karl.

Last night? Not so much.

i agree Fly but

do you have an extra pitchfork lying around somewhere?

Crazy trade

I’m not sure if Cleveland would go for it but here it goes

Nuggets receive Varejao and Ramon Sessions

Magic receive Gasol and Bynum

Lakers receive Howard and Miller

Cavs receive Turkoglu and Kofous (maybe throw a first round pick in there.

Orlando's big mistake was not getting a pure PG like Miller to feed Hioward in the post

Half the time he wastes away on offense while the perimeter players chuck all game. Howard might get 13 shots and half of those are o-rebound outbacks. If they had signed Miller and ditched Jameer Nelson, they might have had a chance to win it all. They have nobody to feed the post, and like 5 or 6 chuckers outside (Richardson, Turk, Reddick, Lewis (sine traded), Arenas (same), Piterus (same), Anderson, nelson etc).

The GM should have brought in someone who could feed the post well – like Miller – and another credible big man. Instead, Dwight became an island unto himself down low, surrounded by a multitude of chuckers who cant pass. Shame that window has closed.

Nash would have worked even better

But sadly, they hung onto Nelson and the chuckers

Difference being they could have signed Miller in FA

Whereas Nash would have cost an arm & leg.

cleveland gets nothing there, whatsoever

I'm just messing around

The ESPN Trade machine won’t let you trade players who signed this offseason.

Until March 1st

CombatChuk - February 4, 2012 reply

Then

I can put together better trades

What about this

Nuggets get Varejao and Sessions

Cavs get Stoudamire and Shumpert

Knicks get Nash

Suns get Miller, Kofous, and Gibson

Knicks wouldn't take a rental on Nash

Even if they “extend” him, he’s got maybe a couple of years. Silly trade.

neumdaddy - February 4, 2012 reply

Karl's Rotations

I am not a GK basher, and respect how he gets his teams ready to play. BUT, I do think he gets a little stuck in his pre-planned rotations, and obviously likes “his guys” on the court at crunch time. That being said, he has shown a willingness to bench Bird, Gallo and AAA when they are not playing well, has give Moz more minutes when he is producing, and did play Manimal some in the 4th against the Clips. . I think he is coming around. This 66 game schedule changes everything, and Karl has been a bit slow to adjust to the demands of a 66 game schedule. He needs to go deeper with his bench, for longer minutes, on these nutty back to backs…

Know what would be a funny .gif?

Gallo face-palming after missing a dunk last night.

He was fouled on the play, but he should have finished and he knew it. You can see how frustrated he gets when his shot isn’t falling. I’m pretty sure the frustration just makes him shoot more and eventually he just gives up and starts passing the ball.

Hopefully the extra rest last night will help him bounce back tonight. If the Nuggets go 2-1 on this b3b, that’s pretty good.

But: don’t count on it.

Gallo was smacked in the face by MWP on that play

that’s why he was grabbing his face

Jeffrey Morton - February 4, 2012 reply

So he was smacked twice by MWP?

Don’t remember that.

yep...he was smacked a couple times by MWP...

Jeffrey Morton - February 4, 2012 reply

Gallo was hit in the face twice

IIRC

I only saw one, then

That one where World Peace got him in the eye.

Didn’t realize the dunk attempt was foiled by such serious goonery.

as I recall he shot free throws after that attempt

Jeffrey Morton - February 4, 2012 reply

Yes, Artest hit Gallo in the face TWICE

The first time there was no foul called. Artest is still a bit of a dirty player. You heard it here first.

LongWindedHank - February 5, 2012 reply

I think the nuggs are working on getting a big man.. who? pryzbilla?

5baker5 - February 4, 2012 reply

Nene's fellow countryman, Anderson Varejeo, Get on board Stiffs!

See above, I am serious.

That's gonna be SideShow Bob and ChiaPoof

The hair alone will give them height advantage

Im all for it unless all brazil natives are soft... we already have one

5baker5 - February 4, 2012 reply

imagine the poster for these guys

The Brazilian Bouncers will not let you come into the paint, Fear the hair

x