The Nuggets go bush league (thankfully!)...

by Andrew Feinstein on Mar 18, 2009 11:56 AM MDT

Nuggets/Grizzlies Recap...

I watched the Lakers play the 76ers last night. After Kobe Bryant hit what seemingly was yet another game-winner in his career chock-full of game-winners, Andre Iguodala was able squeeze in a game-winner of his own, hitting a three-point shot in Trevor Ariza's face with no time left to seal the 76ers victory. As this was happening, Stu Lantz and Joel Myers (the Lakers announcers) were yelling "foul, foul, why aren't they fouling?!" And after the game, Phil Jackson pulled a John Calipari from last year's NCAA Championship game by claiming that he told Ariza to foul but apparently the instructions didn't take.

Thankfully for Nuggets fans, Kenyon Martin listens to his coach. Even though it's kind of bush league (in my opinion) to purposefully foul the opposing team when you're up by three with just seconds remaining in a basketball game, it's allowed in the rules and is absolutely the smart play. And Nuggets head coach George Karl did a lot of smart things tonight, especially with his substitutions down the stretch. And while it's unfortunate that it took almost an entire season for Karl to realize it, he finally gave Renaldo Balkman double the minutes that Linas Kleiza received. This is exactly how Balkman should be used versus Kleiza the rest of the way.

And while we're handing out props, big props go to Chauncey Billups, Nene and J.R. Smith for staying aggressive, and to Carmelo Anthony for finally shooting at least eight free throws in a game (for only the second time in 11 games). And let's not forget to give credit to Martin and Anthony Carter for stepping up big in the closing seconds, securing the basketball and preserving the Nuggets hard fought victory. Martin's block of O.J. Mayo with 11 seconds left might have been the biggest defensive play of the season for the Nuggets.

I must confess that well into the fourth quarter I was prepared to put the Nuggets play against sub-.500 teams back on the Stiff List. I was even going to fire Nuggetsadamus and suggest the Nuggets start bringing Rocky with them on the road, because they clearly have lost their way in these road games. But maybe tonight's game - not a great game but certainly an exciting game - will give them the confidence they need to regain their swagger on the road. I have to ask, though: when will the Nuggets learn that they can't take three-and-a-half quarters off against bad teams? All it takes is a few ridiculous miracle shots from your opponent - like we saw from Memphis tonight - and you're toast.

But reflecting back on the positives here. The Nuggets have now won 11 games this season after trailing by 10 points. This team can be infuriating and frustrating to watch (just ask my girlfriend who listened to me screaming at the TV for the last two hours), but more often than not, they know how to win.

Nuggets/Grizzlies Preview...

The Nuggets need to re-establish their dominance over the NBA's worst teams. What was once a sure thing, the Nuggets ability to win against bad teams on the road has been called into question with four straight losses to such teams (and six straight road losses overall).

That being said, the Nuggets have been solid against the Grizzlies, having won seven straight games over this franchise of perpetual ineptitude and rarely are these games ever close. And no, this doesn't mean the Grizzlies are due for a win against Denver. It means the Nuggets need to keep their focus strong, take care of business in Memphis tonight and get their fourth straight win.

Go Nuggets!!

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Comments

this is the time!!! Nuggs getting into the third spot. take that esh to the hole, play solid D, and pass the damn ball!!! GO NUGGETS!!!

by COballer on Mar 18, 2009 1:24 PM MDT reply actions

Let's go Denver. This is a very important win for getting that spell about winning on the road lately...

LET'S GO! PLAY AS A TEAM

by sepioes on Mar 18, 2009 3:19 PM MDT reply actions

I live in Memphis and I'm actually going to this game.

by Anonymous on Mar 18, 2009 3:44 PM MDT reply actions

Well not a good way to start. Scary because this is how the Sac-town game started and we never really closed that gap. Hopefully we can tonight though. And now that Oden is back, we really need to win all these types of games that we know we can.

by Goldennugget on Mar 18, 2009 6:29 PM MDT reply actions

Oh, I almost forgot. I heard a George Karl interview on 104.3 The Fan today, where he said something along the lines of "We have been really cocky at times and I think you won't see anymore of that the rest of the season, I promise we are going to play damn good basketball." I definitely like hearing some affirmation from a coach who rarely spews any. Hopefully he is right.

by Goldennugget on Mar 18, 2009 6:32 PM MDT reply actions

Game isn't over yet, but Karl, I have to admit, and was noted by the broadcast team, has made some great moves with his line ups this game.

by Denverson on Mar 18, 2009 8:33 PM MDT reply actions

That is what we call a "feel good" win ladies and gentlemen.

by Goldennugget on Mar 18, 2009 8:41 PM MDT reply actions

Melo stepped up at crunch time. I wish he was given the chance to do so, and given the ball, more often when the game's on the line.

I know Chauncy's Mr. Big Shot, and J.R. can get unreal- hot, but I'd take Melo with the ball and the game on the line every time.

by Anonymous on Mar 18, 2009 8:52 PM MDT reply actions

Great end game all around team effort. Everyone played their role...sweet. It would have been nice to see more of Birdman though.

Just unfortunate that it almost slipped away.

I am feeling real good about the next Rodman (Balkman) on the roster. I personally think he is going to be the difference maker in getting deep in the playoffs.

by Anonymous on Mar 18, 2009 9:00 PM MDT reply actions

I was at this game, and all I can is, props to Denver down the stretch. Memphis played great ball for 40 minutes, but Denver owned the last 8. Their defense was pretty good, and they knocked down some three pointers. To all of the Denver fans critical of Melo, you need to get a grip. The way that young man played tonight, especially in crucial moments of the game, other teams would gladly take him off your hands. The Memphis Grizzlies would pay the Nuggets top dollar for him. My advice to Denver fans is to be grateful for who you have. Other franchises only wish they were as lucky.

by Anonymous on Mar 18, 2009 10:28 PM MDT reply actions

Obviously not a good start but I'll take the victory. It was strange yet reassuring to see them use defense to claw their way (back) into the lead. I actually had positive thoughts about the first round for the first time. Hopefully Denver has some plays drawn up to get JR some open 3s come playoff time. I enjoy watching him make teams pay.

by E on Mar 18, 2009 11:13 PM MDT reply actions

Andrew, I think that your idea of Karl's move to foul on purpose at the end of the game as being "bush league" is only that way because you are a fan and want to see the most exciting finish possible, right? Because it has always seemed like the smart thing to do from my perspective if I were the coach. It would have won Memphis a national title last year and countless others in the past. And who knows, maybe it won us our game tonight.

by Goldennugget on Mar 19, 2009 2:25 AM MDT reply actions

Down 17 to the Grizz and someone used the phrase "deep in the Playoffs"? We shouldn't have to get it together in the last 8 minutes to beat teams like Memphis. "Down double digits to a lottery team in the fourth" is not a clear path to the championship. We squeaked this one out, so yay, but come on...

by keeperdesign on Mar 19, 2009 5:33 AM MDT reply actions

Keeperdesign

Don't know if you saw the Cavs against the Clips a while ago but there are times a good team goes way down against a bad team. It happens. The really good teams are the ones that grit it out and win anyway. I haven't seen that a whole lot from Denver this year, but they played hard and smart at the end of the game.

Balkman's arms have got to be 4ft long. I love, absolutely love the way he gets us a couple extra possesions per game. Those posessions are the Nuggets hopes in the playoffs. Without them we don't win.

Andrew, maybe its time to congratulate the Nuggets brain trust for picking up Birdman, Balkman and signing JR for the cheap deal he is in. Add Billups, Dahntay (in certain situations), and the fact they got under the cap without stripping the team and it's not bad at all.

by NugzD on Mar 19, 2009 7:25 AM MDT reply actions

team reminds me of a drunk driver. yeah, that's right. a weaving tailpipe smokin' cell phone in one hand drunken driver. sure he's only been slapped with a DUI one time, but he's made it to the next bar a thousand other.

carmello's post game interview was equally pathetic. escaping with a win is no excuse not to be disgusted with the continuation of this kind of play.

so, to quote from melo, why aren’t the nuggets "playing that way" (like they did in the last 8 minutes) the whole game? are they uncaring? are they lazy? do they think these teams are going to roll over and spread their basketball legs open for the mighty nugget pole? why do the nuggets not learn from their past mistakes? why are they not gearing up for the playoffs instead of playing below the potential of sub .500's? is karl screaming at them during time outs? if not, why not? what happened to the team that started preseason practice with 'defense first.' where is their sense of pride? why does an opposing player seem to get 30+ points against us every night? how can the nuggets reconcile memphis getting 35 points in the first quarter? how can they go home after that and make love to their wives? i mean, with the playoffs breathing down your neck, how do you get it up after a performance like that?
And DO NOT tell me it is ok because we won. That is the losers song and I don’t want to hear it.
The fact is, like the drunk who makes it to the next bar without getting a DUI, the only thing the nuggets have learned is that terrible performance is rewarded with ugly wins. I would guess 11 come back games from 10 points or less is something to be proud of. BUT – at this point in the season we not only should be the crest of the wave, we should BE the wave.
The nuggets are my team. So I guess I have to take what they put out. but I don’t have to like it.

So, make mine a double.

by SpokenWar on Mar 19, 2009 8:38 AM MDT reply actions

Hey Goldennugget -

As I said in the article, fouling Gasol was 100% absolutely the right thing to do, but it is a little bush league. I'd prefer to see teams play straight up defense in those situations rather than intentionally foul. But this is also Memphis' fault somewhat. They shouldn't have had the ball in Gasol's hands. The ball should have gone to a three-point threat so that the Nuggets ran the risk of fouling someone who puts up the shot and gets three FTs. What a game though!

All best,

Andrew

by Andrew on Mar 19, 2009 9:08 AM MDT reply actions

I'm just happy we're winning games we SHOULD win. If Karl keeps up his proper rotations and play calling (yeah I said play calling), I may be forced to acknowledge him in terms other than derogatory. That's yet to be seen though.

Balkman must be on stem cells or something. He had a groin sprain and comes back the next game? Either he's one hell of an athlete or just dedicated to work past the pain.

If the Nuggets brass can keep this core of players around for next season, and they develop some real plays for their big 3 offensive threats (Melo, C, JR) then this team will be even more potent. Hopefully less nerve racking also.

COMPLETE CHANGE OF SUBJECT

I was thinking about Andrew's post last week about Melo vs. LBJ and D-Wade and I had a ray of intelligent thought pass through my head. (A first!)
If Melo can cross train in the off season to run at the SG every now and again, then we could see a possible line up of:
C. Anderson
PF. Nene
SF. K-Mart/Balkman
SG. Melo
PG. Chauncey/JR

Having Nene play his natural position of PF would match him up against much smaller defenders, put the ball in Melo's hands more, give Balkman more minutes, and allow JR to be more versatile as a 2nd or 3rd scoring option. This would run the offense dirctly through the best scorer on this team, Melo. I'm sure you'd hear his name mentioned for all the right reasons.

by joelsopinion on Mar 19, 2009 9:11 AM MDT reply actions

start JR smith. i'm sick of reading "JR Smith added 20+ points off the bench" game after game. let the guy with the best athleticism on the floor, youth and intensity, ridiculous hops and first step driving to the hoop, get in a 3pt groove earlier in these games. if we're gonna beat good teams, we gotta stop eking it out in the 4th, but be up by 15 in the fourth. chauncey should be shootin' threes all game too. need that threat for four quarters rather than desperation in the 4th. someone tell Karl that 3s are worth 50% more than 2s.

by Keith Hartigan on Mar 19, 2009 9:11 AM MDT reply actions

NugzD, I have seen good teams lose to bad from time to time, but great teams beat the teams they're supposed to beat. Our problem isn't talent, it's A) desire and B) coaching. Every now and then Coach Karl wakes up and coaches, just like every now and then Melo dominates the way he could every night. Last night should have been a gimme is all I'm sayin'.

by keeperdesign on Mar 19, 2009 9:42 AM MDT reply actions

"NugzD, I have seen good teams lose to bad from time to time, but great teams beat the teams they're supposed to beat. Our problem isn't talent, it's A) desire and B) coaching. Every now and then Coach Karl wakes up and coaches, just like every now and then Melo dominates the way he could every night. Last night should have been a gimme is all I'm sayin'."

I totally agree. You look at teams like the Spurs and the Lakers ... those teams want to win night in night out. When they get to the playoffs, they don't have to up the meter in the desire aspect. They already got it. It's not a foreign concept to them. The last several years, the Nuggets approach has been that they don't really need to have the desire during the regular season because they can just turn in on in the playoffs. And looking at the rosters they've had, you can almost buy into it. You start to think, they have the talent to match up with any of these teams, maybe they can pull it off if only they up the intensity. But, year after year, we see that it's fools gold, and there's no way to just turn on the desire switch at the end of the season. This is the first season in a long time where it seems like the guys have more fire in their bellies, but I still wonder if they have enough to get it done come playoff time. That's where I think I am finally starting to agree that coaching is an issue. I actually think Karl is probably a pretty good NBA coach, and certainly better than a lot of people give him credit for, but our guys, more than teams like the Spurs and Lakers, need someone who can bring out the desire to win because it's not innate in them. I'm still not convinced that there's anyone else out there who could do much better with this group, because at the end of the day, these guys are who they are. Melo will have great days and lazy days, and we'll all continue to wonder "man, how good he would be if he played like *that* every night". That's the one thing where Billups is going to prove immeasurably valuable, because he has the fire to win and I think some of that is rubbing off on people. I also think that if they can get out of the first round, anything can happen because for the first time they'll have some confidence that hey, they can make it out of the first round.

by grantarchy on Mar 19, 2009 11:43 AM MDT reply actions

JoelsOpinion,

That's not a bad lineup actually. The only real question would come on defense - could KMart effectively guard their SG? They would also have to find another big to rotate with Birdman/Nene.

I think another option is to trade K-Mart, who I love, for a someone like Shaq who doesn't fit in Phoenix. That also let's Nene move to 4 and puts J.R. in the starting lineup. And people couldn't double both Shaq and Melo. Can you imagine a Chauncey/Melo pick and roll with Shaq and Nene ready for a pass off for a dunk?

by KarlSucks on Mar 19, 2009 11:45 AM MDT reply actions

Aspen - When we inserted JR into the starting lineup was when we went on that losing streak. It just didn't seem right when he was in the starting lineup, he tried to do too much. He is better and the team is better when he comes off the bench.

Joelsopinion - As much as I love Birdman and Balkman they are much better coming off the bench. Well maybe not Balkman. But basketball is a game of who can score the most points and Birdman and Balkman really can't score very well. Plus they both are energy guys who keep the 2nd fleet from falling asleep and actually play with more enthusiasm than the starters. I do think Nene at PF would be a monster because he is already dominating centers, I can't imagine what he would do to PFs. But the biggest problem with that is Melo playing SG. Melo is a big guy, I honestly can't tell much difference between him and a lot of PFs. He is a perfect SF, perfect. And Melo isn't that fast, even if he wanted to work out in the off season which he probably doesn't. But he just isn't a SG, and I think to try and make him one wouldn't be smart.

Keeperdesign & Grantarchy- I agree, I have been saying this forever. I am really intrigued at what happens this postseason. Karl has got us to a great place in the regular season but now a lot of us have realized this is a team that is capable of much more than just a good regular season record and Karl is going to have to exceed his expectations in order to save his job. I think if we don't win a round in the playoffs it will be a huge disappointment yet again because we have been a top 4 team in the West most of the year.

by Goldennugget on Mar 19, 2009 12:34 PM MDT reply actions

I like JR coming off the bench. Some NBA players just work better as starters and some work better as bench players. Just a gut feeling, no stats to back it up, but I think we play better with Smith coming off the bench and playing 25-35 minutes.

by Anonymous on Mar 19, 2009 1:36 PM MDT reply actions

Thoughts and musings:

1. Good playoff teams have great benches. We stop at three deep(Andersen, JR, Balkman).

2. Good playoff teams do ratchet up their intensity come playoff time. The Nuggets raise their level from disinterested to interested. The Spurs, Celtics, Cavs, Lakers are already at "really interested" and ratchet up to full blown intensity. It's too big a leap for the Nuggets.

3. It's hard to take this team too seriously. They are very inconsistent because they are coached inconsistently.

4. The team is not long enough to go deep into the playoffs.

5. Kleiza hurts us more than helps us. Bench him.

6. I think Avery Johnson would get much more out of these guys than George Karl does.

7. I would love to be proven wrong on all of the above except #6.

by nuffsaid on Mar 19, 2009 1:45 PM MDT reply actions

Goldennugget:
I agree that Birdman and Balkman are better suited for coming off the bench, but saying"basketball is a game of who can score the most points and Birdman and Balkman really can't score very well" is kind of relative isn't it? Who can score more has a direct relation to who stops the other team from scoring. I doubt you're questioning these guys value to the team but maybe it sounded better in your head than it looks on my screen. LOL

Another thought: Being "bad" in the NBA usually equates to being young and inexperienced as a team (years in the league plus the 'gel' factor) and I think this is the case moreso in the NBA than any other sport. To which point it seems: Teams that are known as bad because of their record in the NBA can quite possibly be playing some pretty good ball in the latter part of the season as they figure out their parts (such as the Grizz last night, hell of an effort by those kids). A bad team in baseball on opening day is likely to be bad in September too, and the same can be said about NFL teams I think (sure some bad teams can fool us with 3 or 4 game win streaks or hot starts, but in the NFL we usually know who the fakers are by 2/3rds of the way thru the season). The NBA is the most team oriented sport of the 3 (IMO) and when young players start to 'get it' and teams gel, they're waaay different than they were in the first month or two of the season.

What I'm saying is that we can't write off teams like the Grizz no matter what point of the season it is, and possibly moreso toward the end as rookies blossom and vets look to play hard and earn their spots for next year. That Grizz team has a lot of quality talent on it and can't be discounted. I wish we could have stolen Conley before they switched coaches and he was buried on their bench.

by Eric K on Mar 19, 2009 1:59 PM MDT reply actions

A note to the responses above...
I never said starting line up. I think that for certain stretches of a game that would be an effective line up. Melo is big, and I think he's relatively fast also. Not Flash fast but hey. Also a SG doesn't really need out of this world speed to make an impact. (Jeff Hornisack)(I know I just butchered his name spelling too) It certainly helps though. Also K-Mart seems to gaurd Kobe as good as you can ask someone to gaurd the leagues MVP. Why wouldn't he be able to any other SG around the NBA? Anyway it's just a pipe dream. If we see a line up like this it's because GK was fired...Like I said a pipe dream.

by joelsopinion on Mar 19, 2009 4:05 PM MDT reply actions

Eric K,

Your points about jelling are good, and about young teams getting more experience and improving, but saying basketball is more of a team sport than football or baseball? In basketball, having one elite player can keep you in the playoffs every year. Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, etc. have all played on some teams on which they were the only legitimate player and still made the playoffs. Jordan won championships with Pippen, later
Rodman, and a cast of guys who wouldn't get off the end of the bench for a lot of teams. The Detroit teams are the only teams since 1980 or so that really won without huge stars. Denver sucked every year until Anthony arrived, and hasn't missed the playoffs since.

In football, some of the best players wind up on bad teams and never do anything. Barry Sanders was one of the best rb's in history, what did detroit do? Or a team like the Giants beats a team like the Patriots not because of the star player but total team effort.

by KarlSucks on Mar 19, 2009 4:07 PM MDT reply actions

Good point KarlSucks, but if you look at rosters around the league you'll notice that just about every high seeded NBA playoff team has three really good players, Garnett/Pierce/Allen, Melo/Nene/Chauncey, Duncan/Manu/Parker, Kobe/Odom/Gasol, and what we're seeing more recently is that you need that "big three" to be competitive. Having just one good player doesn't guarentee a playoff spot anymore, ie Durant, Al Jefferson, Stephen Jackson. Even having just two good players might get in you into the playoffs ie. Dirk/Kidd, . And even the Pistons championship team in 2003 was loaded with high first round lottery picks, CB, Rip and Rasheed. Sure they may not have been Huge stars but they had huge talent. So really the arguement that even a team with just one really good player can make the playoffs isn't really that accurate. Until that is, the league does another expansion and adds more teams. That would dilute the talent pool because then the good players could go to more teams through free agnecy or the draft. I suppose that you say that the Heat this year are making the playoffs and all they have is D-wade, but you really can't discount what Jermaine O'Neal has brought to that team. Since the trade, is really when they took off. Additionally, Beasley's coming into his own a bit more. Which happens to rookies this time of year as Erik pointed out.

by emptytwo629 on Mar 19, 2009 4:46 PM MDT reply actions

Erik K - Yeah, it probably did sound a lot better in my head. I get that a lot though... Anyway, what I was trying to say is that whoever scores the most points wins the game and although Birman and Balkman are great defenders they will still get scored on where as on the other end when they are on offense they really arent' a scoring threat at all. I don't know what the hell I am trying to say, but mabye you see what I am saying.

by Goldennugget on Mar 19, 2009 9:35 PM MDT reply actions

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Joannah

http://2gbmemory.net

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 2:03 AM MDT reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.