The swift ass kicking we were looking for...

by Andrew Feinstein on Mar 16, 2009 1:32 PM MDT

Nuggets/Nets Recap...

Even though the Nuggets are having a great regular season, we've only had a few opportunities to say "well, they did exactly what they should have done against [opposing team name here]." Even though no wins should be taken for granted, a playoff caliber team like the Nuggets should crush an Eastern Conference team that's 10 games under .500, missing its best player and played on the road the night before. It's just nice to see the Nuggets realizing this, too.

Denver Stiffs primary concern at this point is the health of Renaldo Balkman who was in the middle of another great outing when he "strained" his groin. Balkman's injury aside (for the moment), you had to love J.R. Smith letting the game come to him en route to six three-pointers, four assists and zero turnovers. J.R. is now third all-time on the Nuggets three-point shots made list with the second place guy - Dale Ellis (one of my least favorite all-time Nuggets) - in sight by season's end.

And as a shoutout to Denver Stiffs loyal reader Mordecai - yes, I realize the Nuggets are back in first place in the Northwest Division!...albeit just a half game ahead of Portland and a game-and-a-half ahead of Utah. Seeing how they played tonight and considering the schedule to wrap up the season, there's no excuse for the Nuggets not to stay there. Good win, Nuggets!

Nuggets/Nets Preview...

By now, February 7th has become a memorable date to anyone who follows the Nuggets closely. On that date, the Nuggets got pummeled by 44 points by the Nets in New Jersey, marking first time the Nuggets had lost to a sub-.500 team with Chauncey Billups. Including that game, the Nuggets went on to drop four straight games to sub-.500 teams, lost nine of 17 games overall and had two three-game losing streaks. The Nuggets have gotten back on track somewhat by winning their last two games against sub-.500 teams by beating the Thunder and Clippers last week. But both of those games were at home and the Thunder and Clippers' best players - Kevin Durant and Zach Randolph, respectively - were out.

With the Nets making their annual trek to the Pepsi Center tonight (most likely sans All-Star Devin Harris who was inadvertently taken down by former Nugget Marcus Camby last night), the Nuggets have the opportunity to avenge that historically bad loss and put a bookend on this bad stretch during what has otherwise been a great regular season.

Even though the Nuggets are back on the winning track, they need a statement game that serves notice to the NBA, themselves and their fans that they mean business going into the playoffs. Let's hope the Nuggets have long memories and make tonight's contest that statement game.

Go Nuggets!!

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Comments

I'd have to say Baron Davis and even Camby are much better than Z-Bo.

by Anonymous on Mar 16, 2009 2:01 PM MDT reply actions

What the hell is Z-Bo?

I hope Devin Harris does play tonight. I want to whip them at full strength.

by Eric K on Mar 16, 2009 3:19 PM MDT reply actions

Hoping for a big game from Melo tonight. 35+points and 8+boards would be great.

by Anonymous on Mar 16, 2009 3:56 PM MDT reply actions

I find it hard to believe that you nor the national media has made note of us being a half game up again in the division. Sorry Andy, just think it is worth noting.

Mordecai

by Anonymous on Mar 16, 2009 4:12 PM MDT reply actions

Nugs need to get back on track and storm in the playoffs so we can all stop thinking about the Broncos...

by Chris on Mar 16, 2009 5:04 PM MDT reply actions

One quick note... the nuggets are the winningest pro team in denver right now...Go Nuggs.

by 1NUGS1 on Mar 16, 2009 5:09 PM MDT reply actions

I also think its funny when the nuggs are down you guys kick them... Now that they are up Andy you have little to say. When your team loses it's at least 30 post on this website now that they are winning... no one is kicking GK are anyone on the team... are at least saying great coaching good GK.....you guys are sad!!! GO Nuggs!!!

by Anonymous on Mar 16, 2009 10:55 PM MDT reply actions

Anonymous - That is because we here at Denver Stiffs don't like Karl, and losing 9 of 12 games will get you a fair amount of comments on any blog especially one where the coach is on the hot seat. The Nuggets are only flirting with their potential at this point in time so I would expect the comments to be somewhat inanimate until we once again make some noise (if that is the case). Plus we haven't played any good teams lately. We are in a stretch where we just expect success being that almost all the teams we are facing are at the bottom of the league in wins. But everything depends on the playoffs. Win, most of us will shut up and be extremely satisfied with finally getting a playoff series victory after 6 years of visiting the postseason and never winning one single series. But lose, this blog will be blowing up, because we will have had it with Karl. Only time will tell but right now, a 3 game winning streak isn't bad and we should get 3 more too. And shout out to the Nugs taking back the division...for now. Lets hope it is permanent this time.

by Goldennugget on Mar 16, 2009 11:46 PM MDT reply actions

Hey anonymous - you're an idiot. wasn't andrew getting skewered the other day for complimenting coach GK most of the season??!!! read the blog before you critique it, asshole.

by maxie miner on Mar 17, 2009 12:15 AM MDT reply actions

props on the dale ellis dislikes. I never liked him, it always seemed like he was just in here for a paycheck and trying to get his next contract, not that there is anything wrong with it, as it is a business, but as a fan who contributed to his sallary it always makes you feel used.

by AN from dubai on Mar 17, 2009 12:54 AM MDT reply actions

maxie miner you're such a kid.... I read andy's blog but I am talking about right now... see a prime example is right now even though you are ahead in the division you still have nothing good to say. Goldennugget I totally understand what you are saying and nice shout out to the nuggs. Just seem like you guys wait for one bad thing to go wrong and you all are throwing the team under the bus. Be careful about wanting a coaching change... you guys could be the next suns!! LOL Well like I said before goooo NUGGS!!

by Anonymous on Mar 17, 2009 1:58 AM MDT reply actions

by sam on Mar 17, 2009 6:13 AM MDT reply actions

Anonymous

We, as basketball critics, want to be able to place a finger on what is going wrong. If it is someone's fault, we want to identify that person or issue, not just pretend it didn't happen. If something or someone in particular is continously dragging the team down we are going to call them or it out and let the world know. We appreciate having a voice because nothing sucks more than yelling at the TV and thinking, nothing is ever going to change.

When this team underperforms, we are not going to sit here and pretend everything is fine. "It's hard to find the roses when you're mucking out the barn." (There's you're non-basketball analogy Andrew.) And yes, we seem to get a whole lot of muck from this team.

We're fans, we get upset and passionate and want to throw things at Melo, Karl, and the guy who just threw the ball into the third row. But if they win in the playoffs I'll take everything back and cheer like the 13 year old kid I was when I first became a Nuggets fan.

by NugzD on Mar 17, 2009 7:04 AM MDT reply actions

On another note, I really like JR playing with that second unit. He also gets some good shots with the first unit, but the ball comes to him as a third option. With the second unit he made some really good decisions on the pick and roll. I don't care if we call him a PG or SG but he needs to have the ball.

by NugzD on Mar 17, 2009 7:09 AM MDT reply actions

This is the best idea the coaching staff has ever had...from today's Post: "Karl and his staff dusted off some film of Anthony from a few years ago, when his scoring average flirted with 30 and Andre Miller was the point guard. Anthony and point guard Chauncey Billups were given the film "to show how we need to get easier opportunities for Melo," Karl said."
When Melo and Miller played together, Melo was scoring 30+ points every game. He showed so much potential. Then came the brawl, followed by the AI trade and Melo has never been the same since. I really still blame the stifling of Melo's development on Isaiah Thomas. That brawl caused the Nuggets to take action and force the Miller for AI trade. It has been downhill ever since for Melo. If Chauncey can start playing like Andre played, things will start really looking good for the Nuggets, especially come playoff time. I think Chauncey can do this, he has the talent and the desire to win. We need Melo to play at the top of his game if we are going to advance deep into the playoffs.

by Anonymous on Mar 17, 2009 8:50 AM MDT reply actions

It was a good game, but to make Anon happy, I'll say Karl still didn't call timeouts and still needs to be fired!

Also, let's give some love to Jones. I don't think he should start, but he played a good game last night, for a change.

by KarlSucks on Mar 17, 2009 9:16 AM MDT reply actions

I like the way they handled the Nets the way they were supposed to. They still need to take a look at why VC had open look after open look behind the arc though. Dahntay Jones played a solid game with some pretty good dunks. I didn't know he could elevate like that. I thought Melo looked good in 1-on-1 defensive situations, as did Jones. Nene is scary at times with his athleticism at that size. Imagine if he was injury free, had played 3-4 full season already, and his confidence was through the roof. Anyway, the main flaw I see with the squad is that there is little to no movement on the offensive side of the ball. There is generally a maximum of 3 people really moving around and usually only 2 (pick and rolls, which by the way actually have gotten better with Chauncey). They have morphed from a defensive cheating team that ran up the score to a solid half-court defensive squad relying on good offensive talent in lieu of a what they really need which is a great offensive system that plays to the strength of their star. I hope it's true that they are studying film from when Melo was scoring an efficient 30 point per game. I'm not exacly sure how much it will help because Melo used to leak out for 4-6 points per game. But on the flip side, he used to get ton of oops from Miller after he would spin off of defenders. That was the only time a stale offense was effective at a high percentage. They need to create patterns for Melo to weave through and points for him to come up with easy assists (preferably to reliable three-point shooters).

by E on Mar 17, 2009 10:46 AM MDT reply actions

Amen to that Karlsucks. I like Jones because he jaws on and on at the opposing teams SG. Watch some of those replays and you'll see he talks a lot of ish. That gets to people, especially if they're playing tired and on the road.

JR was very smart last night, and he was playing with the flu. He let the game play out and didn't force too many 3's.

I did get upset when both Jones and JR left off covering Vince Carter. He made the Nuggs pay everytime they forgot about him. It shows that the team is preaching D because they were helping out on the weak side, and watching the passing lanes. They just fell asleep on a really good player, and that'll burn you everytime.

On a positive note, I noticed GK jumping oput of seat on the drive that resulted in Melo's Tech. It was nice that he sees and is frustrated when his players get abused and don't get the whistle.

by joelsopinion on Mar 17, 2009 11:17 AM MDT reply actions

Good call E, I hadn't noticed it, but thinking about it you are spot on about the alley-oops. That used to be a fairly common staple of our offense. Whether the lack of that play is by design or a side effect of a different offensive scheme or us not running as much, I don't know.

by Denverson on Mar 17, 2009 1:01 PM MDT reply actions

I am glad they are taking a look at old film just to get the clear reminder of how good Melo used to be, but honestly, the reason Melo used to be good is because he actually cared. When he first came into the league he had drive, motivation, confidence, ect. All this led to better opportunities on the court, because he wanted to prove something. I remember Melo used to be the most explosive player in the league off the dribble. He used to use that beautiful jab-step like nobody I have ever seen, then he would blow by the opponent and take it to the rim for a monster jam. When was the last time you saw Melo lay down a monster jam? I can't even remember the last time I saw him dunk. It doesn't really bother me that he can't dunk anymore, but his lack of explosiveness sure does. I think the only thing that is going to help Melo score more is when Melo decides he wants to prove everyone who is doubting him wrong. This doesn't mean just pull up for 4 more ill advised shots a game. It means actually moving off the ball, making sharp cuts to the hoop, reincarnating the jab step, and most of all just bringing back the passion and drive he used to have for the game. I am not trying to rag on Melo but it just seems like when he first came in the league he was right up there with anybody, for Christ's sake he was leading the league in scoring before the suspension, and he should have won rookie of the year too. But now, he is scoring 10 less points per night and not even in the discussion with Wade and Lebron. I think the video, like I already said, is a great idea, not so much for the fact that it will help Melo see what he used to be doing to score but that he will see how good he used to be and it might motivate him to come out and be that good once again just in time for the playoffs.

by Goldennugget on Mar 17, 2009 2:10 PM MDT reply actions

The idea that Melo needs to return to the days of scoring 30+pts per game is missing the big picture. In those days we had no reliable interior offense since Camby couldn't effectively post anyone up, Andre Miller's three point shooting was as bad as his passing was good, JR hadn't developed into a weapon, KMart and Nene were always hurt...

I do think letting Melo and Chauncey think more about getting him easy buckets is a good idea, but people need to stop thinking Melo should be this DWade/Kobe/Lebron-type of scoring machine. He needs to keep playing his game offensively and continue to exert more energy on the boards and in defensive stops. We're a better team overall when Melo has 20/10 games than when he has 30/3 like he used to.

MJKeenan

by Anonymous on Mar 17, 2009 2:30 PM MDT reply actions

I agree with MJKeenan. Basketball is a team game, and I hate it when fans are only thinking of individual glory. The Nuggets are a better team now that Melo is no longer focused on scoring.

by Anonymous on Mar 17, 2009 7:03 PM MDT reply actions

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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.