The weather here in Denver is basically a white out right now … the weather “experts” are predicting maybe 18 inches by tonight … I wonder if the Nuggets will be able to fly out to Portland tonight or have to wait until tomorrow.

Girlfriend laughed at it as well. What a surprise.

Any chance we could get some Nuggets season schedule analysis? I kinda miss that from the old PA&R/

It almost feels like the NBA doesnt want Denver going as deep as they did last year, no one is even picking them as a top 5 team this year. I know other teams made additions but I think the free agents we have now are better than the players we lost. And not to mention Ty Lawson is VERY underrated, he is a baller. Everyone says aslong as the Nuggets stay healthy, but that goes for every team. I just wish they would give us some credit for once.

I understand some favoritism is warranted to the NBA’s marquee franchises. And perhaps they deserve it for the tickets they sell, the sponsorship they draw and the TV ratings they improve. Frankly, I’m ok with some favoritism thrown their way.

I would sleep a lot better at night if I could convince myself to feel this way — I feel very strongly the opposite. But regardless, I think when a single franchise has made it to the championship round nearly 50% of the time throughout the league’s existence, that’s definitely too much favoritism, from any point of view. The Lakers get to the NBA Finals more frequently, percentage-wise, than the Yankees get to the World Series. It discourages me from wanting to continue following basketball.

The NFL seems to be the league that really gets this right. in 43 Super Bowls, the team with the most appearances? The Dallas Cowboys, with 8. Less than 20%. The NFL really strives for parity in a way that the NBA clearly doesn’t, and I think the NFL is a much, much better league for it. Fans of just about any NFL team can logically feel like their team has a fair shot at getting to the Super Bowl eventually.

Too bad I don’t like watching football nearly as much as I like watching basketball.

if denver is truely a championship team and i think they are then the schedule is not a primary concern. they need to worry about themselves. the season chicago won 72 games one of the teams they lost to was denver’s worst team in history. nugs have no choice to band close together and excel with teamwork. their schedule will only make them better come playoff time. the bench players will need to come through in a huge way.

You really think the league schedule makers are biased? That’s sad.

First of all the Lakers play at Staples Center which happens to be the home of the LA Clippers and the LA Kings. It also hosts the X-Games, the Grammy’s, the World Figure Skating Championships and a ton of other events/concerts, etc. (Yeah I know the X-Games are off season) Each season the Lakers have a “Grammy road trip” which is the equivalent of the Bulls Circus trip or the Spurs Rodeo trip. The Lakers Grammy trip is usually the longest road trip any team has each year. They also play on the West coast which means they travel more miles than almost any other team.

The schedule makers have to factor in all events at Staples Center, other teams schedules (East coast teams are usually on a long trip which makes this even tougher), and mandatory dates off like Christmas Eve, the All-Star game weekend, and the NCAA championship. Teams even have to provide 4 open Mondays and 4 open Thursdays for Network games.

Also they have to adhere to rules of the CBA as outlined here by TrueHoop….

“Teams cannot play back-to-back home games on consecutive nights, nor can they play three games on three consecutive nights. Also, under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams must not play a game on a day during which they’ve been on a flight that crossed two time zones. The Agreement also regulates when games can be played on holidays, and states that no games may be played within 48 hours of the NBA All-Star game.”

Of course there are advantages to playing a lot of easy/home games early (as outlined above) and there are advantages to playing a lot of easy/home games late as well (conveniently glossed over above). I am sure the Lakers wouldn’t mind resting some players late in the season in easier games to get them physically ready for the playoffs without giving up position/seeding. You can make a case for either argument. What you can’t make a decent case for is the league making a biased schedule simply because you can conceive of a reason why they would do so.

The fact of the matter is the league has their hands full scheduling teams games without the added element of a conspiracy (which would involve way too many people to keep a lid on). Considering the issues involved at Staples Center in general they probably have a very tough time every year with the Lakers. In fact their schedule is usually home heavy early each year, probably for the same reasons I outlined above.

Like I opened with above (way above actually, man I get going sometimes) if you honestly think the league would conspire with their scheduling to favor the Lakers given all of the difficulty they already have as outlined above, coupled with the fact that they run a billion dollar business that can not afford a scandal in the wake of the Tim Donaghy situation, and the inherent difficulty in pulling off such conspiracy then I feel sorry for you. That is really sad.

I am an Angel fan and most of us feel there is a Yankee/Red Sox conspiracy every year as well. However deep down we all know that is a load of crap. I just can’t believe you felt the need to try and fool yourself and everyone else here as well.

On another note, the Moon landing was a hoax and Elvis is definitely still alive. (Andy Kaufman too)

Let me start this by stating up front that I’m a Spurs fan, so I hate the Lakers as much as anyone. But I don’t think the NBA has really done the Lakers any favors with their schedule. First of all, as other people have stated, the NBA is probably one of the most difficult sports leagues to schedule for because NBA arenas are used for way more functions than basketball, the Spurs have their Rodeo trip, the Lakers have the Grammy trip, and then of course there are all the single day events that occur at all the NBA arenas. So although I think the NBA does try and help out its premier franchises at times, particularly with some officiating, I think they’ve got enough to worry about with just making a schedule that logistically works without trying to help one team over another. Second of all, I think the Lakers actually have one of the tougher schedules this year. I read on one of the Lakers blogs where they have the most back to back games this year, which is certainly a disadvantage. Furthermore, I think having so many home games against easy teams at the beginning of the schedule is bad for a team like the Lakers. An easy beginning is helpful for a young team that needs to gain confidence, or a team trying to figure out how to incorporate a bunch of new starters. The Lakers are the defending champs, they change out one starter with a veteran who knows exactly the role he’s being brought in for. They hardly need a quick start to gain confidence or chemistry. It would be far better for them to have an easy schedule down the stretch so they could rest players to stay healthy and fresh for the playoffs, or make it easier to stay afloat while they wait for an injured player like Bynum to make it back to the line up. Think of it this way, a soft stretch of the schedule is like the NBA’s equivalent of the NFL bye week. Would you rather have the bye week early in the season, when your team is fresh and healthy anyway, or later in the season when you’re getting a little worn down and dinged up?