Nuggets ... Denver's brightest franchise
by Nate Timmons on Apr 3, 2009 3:17 PM MDT
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When I'm driving home from the Denver Tech(nical) Center to my home in Downtown Denver I like to tune into the local sports talk stations and sometimes even call in to offer my two cents ... actually what I'd like to do on my drive home is bash my car into the rear bumper of the person in front of me and go down in a blaze of glory after that a la Grand Theft Auto ... instead I try to keep the road rage under wraps by listening to the local yahoos argue about sports.
My radio is usually tuned to 104.3 FM the Fan. What I have grown tired of hearing about is JAY CUTLER AND JOSH McDANIELS! I realize Denver is a Broncos town and I'm a Broncos fan, but THE NUGGETS HAVE 50 WINS!
They are having arguably their finest season ever. This is the fastest the franchise has ever reached 50 wins and I all I hear about it Cutler!
So, when I was moving couches yesterday in and out of my apartment I was relieved when I checked my phone to find that Cutler had been traded. The only problem now is that we are going to have to endure talk of, "Was it the right deal?" for months if not years to come.
I wrote this to a friend yesterday via email about Cutler ...
Shannon Sharpe said (head coach Mike) Shanahan wanted to trade him when he took over and it made Sharpe mad and he went out and channeled that anger into hard work and wanting to prove Shanny wrong. Now he's going to be in the Hall of Fame someday soon after revolutionizing the tight end position.
Cutler had the same thing happen here and he ran away from it instead of facing it like a man and taking on the challenge of proving McDaniels wrong. I don't want a QB who runs from anything except 300 lb nose tackles!
I truly believe this and do not regret seeing Cutler go.
As Nuggets fans we know Melo faced this same dilemma this past offseason. The Nuggets' front office assured Melo he was not going anywhere. And Melo faced a crossroads ... the same one that Sharpe and Cutler faced.
Melo chose Sharpe's path. He saw the team around him change overnight when Camby was shipped to the Clippers and instead of demanding a trade, Melo has faced the challenge.
Carmelo was given help with the trade of isolation-Allen for Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets have been steady inside with two gigantic gambles.
- Trading away Marcus Camby and relying on oft-injured Nene at the center position.
- Taking a chance by signing Chris Anderson and heading into the season with the Birdman as the only big man backup for Kenyon Martin and Nene.
The moves have paid off for the Nuggets thus far and this team is bringing hope to a city that suddenly finds most of its franchises rebuilding.
- The Broncos no longer have Shanahan or Cutler.
- The Rockies traded away their best player, Matt Holiday, to the Oakland A's.
- The Avalanche have grown old and no longer possess the league's top talent.
The Nuggets are Denver's best hope to bring home a championship. It seems rather far fetched when you think about it ... especially with the Lakers, Cavs, Celtics, Magic, and Spurs getting all the talk as the league's elite teams. But that is a good thing. Denver is sort of flying under the radar Nationally and they are completely inexperienced in the playoffs as a team ... at least at knowing how to win after game 82. But this is not the Nuggets of the past ... this team plays defense, shares the ball when they are at their best, and knows how to finish in crunch time with Melo and Billups providing most of the big shots.
But I wish I could hear more from the local media about the Nuggets. About all anyone wants to talk about is whether or not Jay Cutler will post the same numbers in the Windy City as he did in Denver this past season.
For me ... I'd much rather focus my attention on a team that is enjoying playing the game. The Nuggets' chemistry is undeniable. From player introduction rituals to high fiving and chest bumping on the court, you can tell these guys enjoy playing with each other.
So, it was no surprise last night when I was at the game, that the kid seated in front of me chose to wear a makeshift Kyle Orton jersey out of his Carmelo Anthony jersey.
Melo has shown he is up for the challenge and I can't think of a better example for Orton to follow as he rides into town.
(excuse the poor pixel quality ... cell phone snapshot)
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Excellent post
I said from day one Cutler should have channeled his energy into becoming the best possible player he could be and shoving it in McDaniels face. He should have been arriving at Dove Valley before McDaniels himself and leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of being the best quarterback in the NFL. It would have made McDaniels look like a foll. Instead he chose the polar opposite path playing the I’m the victim, my feelings are hurt, get me out card. I don’t want a guy like that leading my team, and if I’m a player on the Broncos I damn sure don’t want to play for a guy like that. I’ll settle for a less talented, hard working, student of the game type quarterback over a prima donna, stroke my ego type of quarterback any day of the week.
And you’re right. The Nuggets have become the premiere franchise in Colorado and I couldn’t be any happier about that. I remember struggling through the days of Junior Harrington and Kenny Satterfield starting for the Nugs and it is tremendous to see where they are at right now. The local media needs to stop focusing on all the pomp and circumstance off the field and start focusing on a team like the Nuggets who are actually providing great results ON THE FIELD or court in this case.
I am a hometown guy and will always support the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets and Buffs, but I am so, so tired of seeing all this hoopla getting covered outside of the lines of play when you have a team excelling in your own hometown.
by RyanBuff on Apr 3, 2009 4:26 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Junior Harrington
man he had some good games. He definitely made some money for himself, though. I wonder where he is these days.
Not sure where he is now
I know he caught on with the Memphis Grizzlies toward the end of last year though.
Good points!
I agree with your thoughts on Cutler as well.
Man, I remember being excited for Kenny Satterfield, Danny Fortson, and even Ryan Yarbrough (sp?) … sad sad times … really makes me appreciate this season. I almost don’t want this season to ever end I’m enjoying it so much and I know it’ll never happen the same way again … oh time…hahaha.
by Nate Timmons on Apr 4, 2009 11:39 AM MDT up reply actions
I believe you mean Vincent Yarbrough . . .
. . . and yeah, I foolishly and sadly was excited for him, too.
Lifetime CO Sports Fan
and I follow the Nuggets off and on. It’s remarkable what they’ve put together this year, and Nugs diehards have a lot to be proud of.
But I do want to stand up for my favorite of the CO teams, the Rockies. While it’s true that the Rockies traded one of their best players, Holliday, it’s not the end of the world. Many people are quick to jump on the “death of the Rockies” bandwagon, but it’s entirely too premature to declare them dead and gone. When healthy, the Rockies easily have one of the best offenses in the NL West even without Matt Holliday – a healthy Helton and Tulo, plus Iannetta starting every day and Taveras traded, more than makes up for any losses suffered by losing Holliday. Throw in Jimenez continuing to improve and an improved Morales, and you have one dangerous team.
So while I agree that the Nugs are obviously the team that is having the most success right now, the Rockies aren’t necessarily on the down and out.
And I also agree that the local and national media has spent entirely too much energy on the Cutler saga.
Anyway, I just wanted to defend my boys in purple; don’t want to start a fight with any fellow CO fans. And I’ll definitely be pulling for the Nugs against the Hornets!
"Admirably obsessive." - Uni Watch, March 24th, 2009
NA-34, HK
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