With all this talk of the Nuggets needing a superstar and the obvious collapse as of late i thought of something that may seem unlikely but not impossible.
If we miss playoffs lottery suggets we may net somewhere between the 12-15 pick, if we were to couple that with Wilson Chandler and either MOZ or Kosta would that be good enough top land a top 5 pick and potentially that "Superstar"
Let me know Nuggets Nation
This is the second of a three-part series that examines the differences between this season and past seasons, the empirical impact of the compressed NBA schedule, and finally examining which teams understand the schedule and what their adjustments have been.
The Nuggets are mere hours from facing their toughest foe of the season for the first time and hopefully will continue to create what could be a great basketball rivalry with the Oklahoma City Thunder for years to come. The Thunder embody so much of what Denver is trying to accomplish: division leader, bona fide championship contender, possible perennial powerhouse. However, while the Thunder have been a consistent force to be reckoned with all season, the Nuggets have faltered as of late. Nuggets Nation is antsy, but fear not, this Denver team can and will compete for a championship.
As Charles Barkley once said, "I didn't even know he was still in the league!" T.J. Ford came out of Texas University as the No. 8 draft pick, he was a little undersized, but he had dashing speed which would enable him to play pretty well in his first season. His athletic ability alone enabled him to get up and down the court with blazing speed. However, as mother nature progressed, Ford regressed. He is now a backup and tiny contributor to an otherwise solid Spurs team, averaging just 4.2 points per game and 3.8 assists. Despite the fact that he is only in his seventh year in the league, Ford has lost the zip on his speed and is now only a below average point guard because he can't play in a half-court set very well. Is Ty Lawson doomed to follow a similar path?
Ever wanted to see a visual representation of a player's shots? Maybe which players are the best dunkers, the most clutch shooters, or the best offensive or defensive units?
Introducing Basketball-Reference's "Play Index +". You'll never want for another stat again.
Being originally from Minneapolis, I have been to NBA games before. I have lived in Colorado for 9 months now, and have had a chance to make it to the Pepsi Center for a game. My wife for Valentine's Day decided to brought me via Groupon tickets to the game against the Suns and we went for the first time. Below are some quick thoughts about the game experience:
1. Parking (A) -> I was pleasantly surprised how easy finding a parking spot was, and how reasonable the parking prices were. I have been to NBA cities where the $10 parking I paid for, would have been $20 or $30. I could have parked somewhere else not too far away for cheaper, but was hurrying to get to the game on time.
2. The Game (B) -> The game was entertaining, and really that's the most important element of going to a professional sporting event. With Gallo and Nene out, I was worried about the product that I would see on the court. There was some sloppy play at times, and some solid play at times. Crowd favorites Birdman and Rudy Fernandez did not disappoint, so that was pretty fun. As a general NBA fan, I am a little dissapointed that Nash and Hill both got the day off. While I am in favor of a shorter NBA season (60 games), it does stink that the nature of the schedule has been causing injuries, and some of the big players to take days off. I haven't had the chance to see Nash live and was looking forward to seeing him play. To me, expectations were low with having 4 of the best players between both teams out, but the game exceeded those low expectations which was nice.
3. The Pepsi Center (C-) -> For how new the Pepsi Center is, it is a disappointing arena in a couple of ways: the food, and the technology. This arena feels like it was built in the 1990s in some ways.
My thoughts on the food situation: I went to the game on Valentine's Day and because of some factors, my wife and I didn't have enough time to eat anything before the game if we wanted to make tipoff (interestingly, most fans did not follow our cue, and the building was more full in the 3rd Quarter than it was in the 1st). There just isn't much of a food selection, and the food is really unhealthy. I am not a health nut, but I have seen better options at NBA games, and have experienced better options at Rockies and Broncos games.
I usually laugh at people when they complain about the overall experience at a game and mention the food. The old me, the me that went to 20+ baseball games, 1-2 NFL games, 20+ basketball games, etc., would NEVER eat at the game. Too expensive, not enough choices, and dumb, dumb, dumb. Well, I finally got into a situation where I wanted to eat dinner at the game, and Nachos was my best bet.... They were monster nachos, so I guess it had that going for it.
One last criticism of the Pepsi Center beyond the food: the scoreboards and video boards. The video board was all pixely, and the promotions screen above it was straight out of 1980s, because the Metrodome had similar graphics. The technology needs an upgrade in my opinion in the building.
I sat in the nosebleeds, and they were pretty good seats, on top of the action as opposed to feeling pushed back. I see these seats on slower nights go for pretty cheap on Stubhub, Flashseats, etc., and I wouldn't hesitate to sit there again. I think the Pepsi Center is better than the Target Center by a longshot, but for a building built less than a decade ago, I would have thought it would be more up to today's standards.
Overall Experience: (B) -> I am giving my trip a B overall. The team was fun to watch (which is why I was going to the game in the first place), the parking was easy, and although the atmosphere was just so-so, I think it was pretty good for a weeknight, against a bad team, and on a night were everybody and their mom typically do something other than going to a sports game. I am going to check out the game against the T-Wolves on the 20th, and hope to get to a game against a bigger team like the Thunder to see a more live atmosphere.
Last week my buddy took me to the Golden State game and we sat in the second row below the basket. Killer seats, bad game!
The one major issue that I came out of that game with was we have NO half court game and if were not running were not wining. I think this is a big problem with Karl coached teams especially in the playoffs where every game becomes a half court game.
We do not have a player that can create his own shot. Gallo is probably the closest but he needs to learn to play with his back to the basket. With Gallo out all the guys just stood around waiting for something to happen and then when the clock would wind down we would chuck up a 3 pointer.
Is it time for the nuggets to make a move for a true scorer or a guy that can create his own shot? I think so.
A couple of moves that could help improve the nuggets:
Trade 1: with Atlanta
Mozgov + 7 million trade exception from Felton plus a 1st round pick for Josh Smith
or
Nene for Josh Smith
Trade 2: Golden State
Miller/Bird plus a pick for Monta Ellis
or
AAA + trade exception for Monta Ellis
or any other mix for Ellis.
Trade 3: Memphis
Hamilton/Bird for OJ Mayo
or
AAA for Mayo
Trade 4: Minnesota
Hamilton/Bird for Beasley
or
Some other mix for Beasley
I would like to get either Mayo, Smith, Ellis or Beasley as long as we keep TY, Gallo and Nene.
Thoughts?
In case you havent noticed, I really blow my stack when I hear/read that we have no closers and that other teams do. Then of course people love to go into list of great closers.
I know its B.S. and that 1) we close out games just fine and 2) other teams great closers arent so great. I just know it.
But I needed a rough and ready group of stats, so that I could be corrected. I found a pretty good site - 82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm
It only goes up to 09 but we get a pretty good sample.
So without any further ado here are the list of closers that we have to have to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Well I would love to have Ray Allen for that last second shot, wouldnt you? But at 15 for 39 for a .385 pct, that isnt a very good choice. Knockdown FT shooter only makes 4 out of 6 with 1 assist and 2 turnovers. Stinks, no?
His team mate Paul Pierce would be much better, no? Well, no, not really. At 11 for 32 this all time closer only connects on .344 of his shots. He does a good job of going to the line, making 15 of 17 FTs and dishing out 9 assists though he undoes some of that with 3 turnovers.
How about that tremendous offensive player, in his prime years, Tracy McGrady? Wouldnt he be great as a closer? Well he has hit for 9 FGs. Unfortunately he's had 32 attempts for a % of .281. He has drawn enough fouls to take 8 FTs and making all 8. Then he added an unremarkable 3 assists and 1 turnover.
On Miami, hey we all know that LBJ is not a very good clutch player but Wade, well, there we really have a Jerry West like talent who is unstoppable on that last shot. Surely Wade would show us what a closer does, right? Well, no, not really. Wade hits on 11 for 40 for a pretty crappy % of .275. He has gotten to the line pretty often making 13 but he has missed 4 times. He also has a pretty ordinary 3 assists and 2 turnovers. Not that good overall.
Why not move to the cream of the crop? How about last years hero, Dirk Nowitzki? Well, at 12 for 37 for a .324 success rate, Dirk doesnt look to be that all world. He has drawn some fouls hitting 13 but he's also missed 5 shots in that last 10 seconds for a pretty average FT rate. The 1 assist doesnt impress especially when you factor in 3 turnovers.
So maybe we have to move up a notch to the player I consider the greatest PF of all time. Tim Duncan has 9 FGs but in 23 attempts he only sports a .391. His 6 for 7 at the line is OK and, just like Timmee, he would have more assists (3) than turnovers (1). But really nothing special.
How about going to a former fave here in Denver. How about Melo? Well Melo does impress by making 13 out of 27 for a .481. But really thats only a little above his lifetime % and above the league wide %. He's also only made 7 out of 11 FTs with 1 assist and 4 turnovers. It seems like its about 50% success rate, maybe less. Is that anything to lust after?
I got it. Why dont we bring in Mr Big Shot himself? Chauncey Billups we all know is a cinch in these situations. Unfortunately the ghastly 6 for 37 gives him a frightening .162 rate that is only leavened by the very good 18 for 19 at the line. No surprise he would tally more assists (6) than turnovers (2). Success rate seems to be at about 33%, nothing to really to brag about.
But if we only had the Michael Jordan of this era, the great Kobe Bryant. How could you miss? Well maybe you couldnt miss but he did, plenty of times as his 14 for 56 shows. Any math genius could see that that is a 25% FG% barely aided by the 12 FTs in 15 attempts which are somewhat messed up by the 1 assist (a shock, really) and 5 turnovers.
But still for years to come, you'll have to read and hear how small market teams without "superstars" cannot hope to compete because they, we, dont have closers. Just grin and bear it. Me, I just throw darts at the TV because, unlike Elvis, I dont own a pistol.
Its clear by the number of injuries and lethargic play that something is happening to the Nuggets this season. My theory is that basically their bodies are breaking down because it can't handle the strain of their tempo night after night.
As a past nearly elite-level long-distace runner, during my training I can recall a similar issue happen to me. When I continually did maximum training for long periods (4 to 6 months of varied runs of 50 to 80 mile/week), eventually my body would shut down at certain points as it couldn't produce enough reserves to keep up with the energy and vitamin requirements it needed to sustain that level. Usually this would happen after 4 to 6 months of serious training, at which point, my overall performance would decrease or be flat for quite a time (four to six weeks). I would find that after I overcame these lags, my body would eventually recalibrate my energy requirements, and began to modify its physiology to allow me to use and expend energy more efficiently than before. This would eventually lead to a sudden and unexpected surge in performance that would allow me to push my performance for 3 to 4 month. Then I'd stay at this higher plateau for about a year, before hitting another lull. I recall these cycles happening about five times over the course of 8 years.
I think this is likely the problem Karl is having now pushing his team to keep up the torrid pace, both on offense and defense, which is not sustainable, especially given the concentrated training cycles. My assumption is that the team is at a critical juncture in terms of performance, given their style of play, and may have peaked for this period. Perhaps in about four weeks, their bodies will have adapted to their current workload and they can have a surge in performance that can carry them for the season. My assumption is that if they kept their core team intact, with a lighter schedule next year, they could probably produce better results that could carry on for the whole year.
My biggest concern is Lawson, who I'm not sure can continue at the same pace indefinitely, without a severe physical letdown. I notice that he is definitely not the same player on back to backs as during the initial night. I think its important that we recognize that players are humans (albeit very talented) and plan accordingly.
I fell asleep Saturday afternoon and missed most of the first half of the game at Indiana. I felt as if the guys who wore those old uniforms, I think they were the first ones that were Nuggets uniforms (discounting the 1949 team) instead of Rockets uniforms, those guys (Dan Issel, David Thompson, Bobby Jones, Ralph Simpson, The late Marvin Webster, Byron Beck, Claude Terry, Gus Gerard et al.)would have blown out the current Indiana team. I didn't clue in right away that the Indiana team was wearing their throwback uniforms too. The thing that clued me in was the thought "hey I didn't know they still used the 'hand on the ball P' logo". Then I realized they were having throwback night too. I remember the Pacers that used to wear those uniforms; Mel Daniels (built kind of like Elton Brand but far better skills, would have been an NBA all-star, one of the most underrated players ever), George McGinnis (a great scorer before he got to the Nuggets), Bob Netolicky, Don Buse (didn't look at all like a basketball player but could handle the ball and shoot, sort of like Steve Nash only a way better shooter) and Darnell Hillman (the undisputed king of the afro hairstyle). Later on they show some old guy standing on the court and lo and behold it's Darnell Hillman! Who would have ever recognized him? He was the leapingest 6' 9" guy you ever saw (Well maybe Blake Griffin jumps better but that's it) and he actually played for the Nuggets a little bit on the downside of his career. It's a shame that they couldn't have broken out the red, white and blue basketballs for the night. In fact I think they should adopt a rule that the Nuggets, Spurs, Pacers and Nets are allowed the option of playing their home court pre-season games with the red, white and blue ball. Then when fans demand more they would be allowed to play their regular season games with it and before you know it the whole league would be using it. If you ever saw a game with the red,white and blue ball you'd wish they were all played with that ball. You can see the spin on the ball and you can tell where the ball is coming off on rebounds. Back in the ABA days, the Pacers were a team that you wanted to go see; them and the Colnels and the Nets/Squires (whichever Dr. J was playing for). It was the biggets heartbreak ever when those Nuggets lost the ABA championship series to the Nets. Nowdays they try to credit Dr. J for that championship but it was really a guy named Jon Williamson that won that final game for the Nets. We've never been to a championship series since. Saturday was quite the trip down memory lane But it was disappointing that Darnell Hillman was the only ABA guy we saw that night. I hope when the Nuggets have their home throwback night they can show more of the guys I mentioned.
Showing 1 - 10 of 1,876 Older
