Will the Denver Nuggets Still Win the West?

About a month ago, I debuted this blog. The vast majority of my views on that day and for many days following were focused on a post I titled, “Why the Denver Nuggets Will Win the West”. Today, I am seemingly the laughing stock of the world as the Nuggets sit with a 10-10 record (on pace for an even 41-41 record for those of you who couldn’t do the math) and have played overwhelmingly average. They are 7^th in the Western Conference standings and are already 5½ games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Midwest Division, while allowing an astoundingly high 100.5 points per game.

George Karl with a familiar look of disappointment

Yes, there is reason for alarm at this current time but let me say this: I AM NOT BACKING DOWN FROM MY INITIAL STATEMENT!! I believe with all my heart that the Denver Nuggets will still win the Western Conference. Remember, I never said that the Nuggets would be 1^st place in the Western Conference at the end of the season. But I do believe they will be representing the West in the NBA Finals.

Any fan of basketball has to know that it is a game of runs. The Denver season has been evident of that, seemingly being a string of terrible games and then a string of great games. I still feel like the Nuggets’ big run is in the works and will begin late in the season.

What I will do is list my top 3 reasons that have led Denver to be in the position that they are in now. But before I begin I have one last thing to say.

Any of you idiots who have uttered the words in life, on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or whatever, “George Karl sux” or “Fire George Karl” need to sit down. Where were you last season during the playoffs when the Nuggets were taking the Lakers to Game 7? All you fair weather fans need to realize that just because everything isn’t going YOUR way you are not justified in all of a sudden deeming yourself the smartest basketball fan and call for someone to lose their job. I don’t hear ANY of the players even remotely hinting at any discomfort with George Karl’s coaching and if anyone were to be vocal about it, it’d be the players.

Top 3 Reason the Nuggets are Struggling

#1) Danilo Gallinari- In hindsight, Gallinari’s stats have been what Denver expected. 15.2 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. But taking a closer look in how he is getting those points is a little alarming. Gallo is putting up about 13 shots per game, while only making around 5. His FG% this season is an abysmal .375, and from 3-point range he is even more dreadful (.286). The stats are impressive, but the efficiency is lacking.

#2) Ty Lawson- Much like Gallinari, Lawson received a huge contract right before the season began and he is now underperforming. The stats are there (13.8 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 2.0 steals per game) but the efficiency is not. Lawson is shooting .413 from the field while putting up 13 shots per game and his free throw percentage is a pathetic .603. He is often struggling to get into the paint and finish his layups, which I find to be completely mental. If you received a $48 million contract, I think you’d feel a little pressure too.

Lawson has struggled thus far

#3) The Nuggets can’t close out games on the road. Denver is an impressive 5-1 at the Pepsi Center with that one loss being a nail-biter (98-93 finish) against the defending champs, the Miami Heat. But on the road, the Nuggets are a very below average 5-9. Other than the embarrassing blowouts against the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio, Denver is losing road games by an average of 6 points per game. The inability to close out these very necessary and winnable games is a little alarming. What may be more alarming is that the Nuggets did in fact lose to San Antonio by 26 and LA by 19. Those teams are the teams that I am claiming Denver will beat in the playoffs, and unfortunately not all playoff games are going to be played in the Pepsi Center.

The Nuggets can still rise above the early struggles

Do I believe that the Denver Nuggets can right the ship? Absolutely. Our bench has looked promising all season long. JaVale McGee has shown signs of being an absolute monster. Iguodala is still just learning the ropes in Denver and has still been impressive at most times. Kenneth Faried is beginning to emerge as an All-Star in the NBA. And Wilson Chandler, a potent scoring option with height, has dealt with a hip injury all season long. Things still look promising for this young team. Don’t give up on them yet. They will win the West!

Hats. I Love 'Em.

I remember a couple years ago I was searching for a very specific Colorado Rockies hat online. It was difficult to find and I ended up stumbling upon a forum with people in search of specific hats they wanted. What I read strangely discouraged me.

There were a lot of people saying that they thought people these days who wore fitted caps with their flat bills are absolutely stupid. That they weren’t wearing “real” hats. I know it sounds silly, but from an early age I thought the style of flat bill fitted hats looked awesome. Sure, they didn’t do the best job of blocking out the sun but they got the job done and, in my opinion, looked more stylish while doing so.

Hats are hats

Of course there are people who disagree but it seems like those who do are just extremely critical of my opinions. They act like I’m murdering the history of hats. I’m sorry; I didn’t know the sacredness of wearing hats and maintaining a curved bill. It’s just ridiculous what people take such offense too, something as small as how to wear a hat and what it means. Is it illegal to wear a flat bill fitted cap?

This also beckons the point of the acceptability regarding what team is being represented on the hat. If you’ve ever met me, you know I wear hats… a lot. And I sport mostly my beloved Colorado sports team’s colors. But why is it so wrong if one day I want to wear a Kansas City Royals hat? It matches my clothes and I like changing things up.

I bring this up because when I recently went shopping on Black Friday I bought a Chicago Bulls hat. Yeah, everyone can express their disgust in me. You can say, “Ugh, you say you love the Nuggets but wear a Bulls hat? You’re just not a true fan.” But I’ll just let arguably the best NBA player in the league, Kevin Durant, speak about why people wear hats after he sparked controversy while wearing a Chicago Bulls hat just like me: “People don’t wear hats because of the team they like, they wear hats because they look good. And that’s the only hat I had that day and that was the shirt I had on”

The newest hat in my collection

Mr. Durant, you took the words right out of my mouth. I’ve never been super high maintenance on how I dressed, ever. I’ve worn basketball shorts or jeans from Costco almost all my life. But the one thing I’ve always enjoyed doing was matching hats and my clothing. Why can’t I do that without receiving flack from people who say they are “true sports fans” or people who have deemed themselves as the hat wearing etiquette police?

So I’m starting a revolution. People of the world, let’s tolerate all hat wearers! Even the people who know nothing about sports. Yes, it’s a little more embarrassing when they wear hats and simply are oblivious to what they are representing, but if it’s what they like, why not let them rock the hat and look good?  There is not doubt that I have my own preferences of what kind of hats are best, what it requires to wear a certain hat. I always want to at least know the players of the team I’m representing with the logo I wear, but everyone has their own cup of tea.

They're just hats people, let’s have fun wearing them.

Alright Knicks, I See You

I really don’t know what it is, maybe I’m becoming a softie, but I’m honestly beginning to root for the team I had once so despised. The New York Knicks have always held negative connotations in my mind because of the ordeal involving the Denver Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony. They were always envisioned as “the enemy”. Whenever I watched them play, I would spitefully look for ways to criticize Melo and think to myself, “Yup, there is the Carmelo I’ve grown to know”. But something has changed this season.

There hasn’t been a ton of opportunity for me to watch the Knicks, but what I have seen has impressed me. The season first started with the news that All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire would start the first six weeks of the season on the injury list. Then shortly after, Hurricane Sandy hit New York and left great damage in the city. Maybe that was the start of my sympathy towards the Knicks. And ever since, the team has banded together and played with a very admiral passion and team-game.

It would simply be unfair of me to not acknowledge what is going on in New York. The Knicks currently stand at 6-0 in the early goings of the season, heralding the only undefeated record. They have handled the Heat, pesky Philly, Dallas, and Orlando teams, and just defeated the experienced San Antonio Spurs in a comeback effort. They aren’t playing the selfish basketball everyone expected with a Carmelo Anthony-lead team, but rather are stretching the floor and allowing role players to play their parts.

Role Players like JR Smith are doing their jobs

This rejuvenated team is currently living out the early Cinderella story in the NBA. I’m weary of making a huge deal about it yet, but there is need for recognition and applause. It seems as if newly signed PG Jason Kidd is giving every last bit of his 39 year old body for this team, averaging a respectable 8.7 points per game and 3.0 assists per game. Tyson Chandler is playing with his normal tenacity averaging a near double-double every night (10.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game). JR Smith, also a former Nugget, has proven to not only be a very strong and consistent scoring option off the bench but also just a solid all-around player, averaging 18.0 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and an astounding 2.0 steals per game. Even players like Raymond Felton and Rasheed Wallace, yes I said Wallace, are playing above their expected abilities.

Melo is handling his business as a leader this season

But what can this be attributed to? It almost hurts me to admit it, but Carmelo Anthony has seemingly turned into the leader that everyone in the NBA has waited to see emerge. He is playing to his normal offensive abilities, but also has shown strides in his rebounding game averaging 8.2 boards per game, almost 2 more than his career average of 6.3 rebounds per game. And he seems okay with not needing the ball to go through his hands every possession. The last San Antonio game was very telling of how Carmelo has allowed this team to progress. He scored a measly 9 points on an abysmal 3-12 shooting night, yet collected 12 rebounds and 3 assists in the process while playing 41 minutes. It’d be impossible to say that he didn’t contribute to the comeback victory against the Spurs while playing about 85% of the entire game. Something about his mentality and effort has changed drastically.

Now, I’m not saying the Knicks will find themselves as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference by the end of the season. I wouldn’t even be shocked to see them drop out of the top 4 seeds. But I do see the makings of a promising team. I think letting Jeremy Lin go to Houston and not paying him that absurd contract was the right move. Having role players to fit the mold of the team like JR Smith, Raymond Felton, and Tyson Chandler also is proving its worth for the team. And the questionable signings of aging players like Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace may be the exact veteran experience the Knicks needed. But above all, I am extremely impressed by the mature mentality that Carmelo Anthony has displayed during the season so far. That is saying a lot coming from a Nuggets fan, with all the bitter feelings he left behind in Denver.

But one huge question still remains for this squad. How will they respond when Amar’e Stoudemire returns to the lineup?

Can Amar'e coexist with this team?

It’s really hard to imagine feeling sad or afraid of the direction your team will go when talking about a perennial All-Star like Stoudemire, but I really feel like there are a lot of question marks around how he will fit. I could say that he is a professional and will fit in seamlessly, only helping the team with his abilities. But he isn’t that kind of player.

Stoudemire constantly needs the ball in his hands. The problem with him is that he is an average defender at best, with a thirst for taking possessions away from teammates. That is the way he has always operated.

So what are the options? The Knicks might just have to play into the original plan of feeding the stars, Melo and Stoudemire, and hope for the best. OR, I know how crazy this sounds, trade Stoudemire to a team in-need of that type of player. Now that makes things tricky because of the current no-trade clause in his contract, so that option seems very unlikely. I just don’t know what will happen with this team when he returns which makes the outlook for a little foggy.

But nonetheless, the New York Knicks deserve credit for what they have proven in the early goings this season, undoubtedly with the title “Best Team in the NBA”. Do I see this excellent play persisting? Most likely not. But I will acknowledge them as a possible threat in the East, and applaud Melo for his efforts as a leader. 

Denver Broncos Week 10 Matchup Preview

Denver Broncos (5-3) at Carolina Panthers (2-6)

The Denver Broncos squeezed out a win last week against the Cincinnati Bengals mostly behind the arm of Peyton Manning. The only alarming thing about it was that the team was put in a late hole largely due to 2 costly interceptions that Manning threw in the second half. One may have been a communication error between him and emerging wide receiver Eric Decker, but the other was solely on Manning himself. Still, even in that ugly win, we were able to see what a Peyton Manning run team can produce. A never-die attitude where players play above their abilities because they know their quarterback can lead them to victory. It’s safe to say I’m very excited for Denver’s championship probabilities.

Preview:

The Panthers were also one of those teams, much like the Bengals, projected to be very successful this year that have yet to impress. They currently stand at a below average 2-6 record which is good for 4^th in the NFC South. They're practically out of the playoff race already, barring any sort of miraculous undefeated remainder of the season.

Cam Newton sulking at another close loss

But that may not be their biggest concern. Their franchise piece, 1^st overall pick quarterback Cam Newton, has been struggling this season. Statistically, his passing ability must be put to question. He is completing passes at a decent 57% clip, but has posted only 6 touchdowns compared to his 8 interceptions while having a very mediocre QB rating of 77.7. Mentally, Newton has been under severe scrutiny. He has often been found sulking alone relieving himself of his leadership duties at the end of games that the Panthers lose, and acting as if he is “Superman”, literally, at the end of games that the Panthers win. He has been described as immature, childish, and self-centered by many NFL analysts.

With that in mind, the Broncos bring in the exact opposite of what Newton is behind center. I’ve already made it clear that I have a huge case of Manning-fever at this point, so I won’t draw that out. But the Broncos come into play on Sunday with a nice 3-game winning streak behind them. During that stretch the Broncos have averaged an astounding 33.3 points per game while scoring in a variety of ways, including special teams. 

It is crucial for a team on a roll like this to not surrender any sort of momentum. After going through the extremely rough beginning of the season, Denver has a much friendlier schedule in front of them and need to take advantage of teams that have proven to be mentally weak down the stretch like the Panthers. In their previous 4 losses, Carolina has lost by a total of 10 combined points. A startling number that may point to the lack of ability to close out games or even take leads. This mental weakness will undoubtedly be something that the savvy Broncos shoud try to take advantage of quickly.

3 Keys to the Game:

#1: Cam Newton must be contained. Even though I criticized Newton on his performance this season, he is still a threat. His offensive productivity is something a defense can’t sleep on. Broncos OLB Von Miller stated earlier this week that he plans on doing the Panthers QB’s signature Superman dance if he is able to sack the Newton. Although the idea of that excites me, I would prefer to have anyone else who gets near Cam avoid being a hero, and maintain containment on the explosive quarterback who can make plays happen with not only his arm, but his legs as well (347 rushing yards with 4 rushing touchdowns this season).

McGahee must show up this week

#2: The Denver Broncos run game must show up this week. Last week may have been one of the worst performances of Willis McGahee’s outstanding tenure with the Broncos. His longest rush for the day went for 12 yards, but he had a measly 66 total yards on the ground on 23 carries. That is simply unacceptable. It was evident that although the Cincinnati defense still keyed on McGahee throughout the game, they were more confident in dropping defensive backs in coverage and not respecting the play-action of Manning because of the poor running performance.

#3: The Denver safeties must stop the deep ball. With receivers like Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell and Cam Newton’s explosive arm, the Panthers always have big play ability. Smith is averaging 16.6 yards per catch and LaFell averages a hefty 18.4 yards per catch. That means the safeties of the Denver secondary will be tested throughout the game. I have been, and will continue to be, critical of Mike Adams and Rahim Moore. Yes, they have a serviceable 92 total tackles together, but I contribute a good chunk of that total to the amount of deep balls they allow to be caught. Pass deflections and sure tackling are key for these two in order to quiet the dangerous Panthers.

Prediction:

Although the Carolina Panthers have a bright future ahead of them, I think their playoff chances are completely doused this week. The Broncos should come at the Panthers with a much more prepared running attack against a team that allows 119 rushing yards per game (20^th in the league). I expect Newton to be under pressure all game from the aggressive duo of defensive end Elvis Dumervil and outside linebacker Von Miller. Long story short: Newton won’t be turning into Superman this week as the final seconds end.

Manning will be sharp and ready to go against the Panthers

Final Score: Broncos 38 – Panthers 21