I don’t know if u watch a lot of the Suns but the Suns blow double digit leads in a span of two minutes. It has happened before and Alvin Gentry didn’t want to risk a meltdown. It wasn’t to disrespect the Nuggets it was just to make sure the Suns don’t blow this game. Anyway beat LA

should have fought back…

Well Marc Spears from Yahoo just said Melo barring a miracle heal will miss next 2 games and return next tuesday against Dallas. Add this to the long list of Melo speculation but one thing I have learned is not to get optimistic about Nugs returning from injury this year. Got this from Spears twitter

There are 4 games before the break all against top teams so it would be nice to see Melo back soon. Then again Melo is in the all star game. This game exposed why Melo should never have gotten hurt. When we were getting stops the Nuggets went cold and whenever they hit a big shot to stop our run we quit playing D. If the Nugs put the Hornets away when they should that game never goes into OT where Melo went down. No 20 point scorer in this game equals no win. But the Nugs are now 5-11 when they don;t score 100 points and they must be able to win more with defense, Melo or no Melo. The only reason I feel we are not competing with the Lakers record is because the Nugs are often playing exceptional defense or exceptional offense but they rarely play solid on both ends of the floor consistently. At home we are usually able to get big scoring runs when we need them and that didn’t happen tonight.

All I can say is the Nuggets must try to avoid another lull following the recent hot streak of wins. The next 5 games are pivotal. I’ll take 3 wins any way we can get them. Too optimistic?

Afflalo was extremely aggressive, led the team with 8 free throw attempts on 7 shots and had 2 blocks and 2 steals. Graham had 13 and 7 in 21 minutes but shot too much. Lawson made all all of his 3 shots and 3 free throws but only played 20 minutes. JR went to the rim quite a bit and notched 5 assists. The supporting cast is raising their level of play while Melo sits out

you need to go watch the altitude rebroadcast…Melo was being interviewed by Hastings and Marlowe for a good 20 minutes…

lets not go down this road again eh?

grant hill lost close to 5 years off of his career from playing on a sprained ankle. orlando lost a ton of money paying a max contract for a player that hardly played. melo also lost time this season because of a knee injury. the loss is due to denver’s 2 bad habits. getting off to a bad start and allowing the opponent back into the game. this happens for one reason. nuggets failed to execute in the half court offense. steve nash is a great player but is very limited on the defensive end. denver failed to force the issue in the paint on offense. there is nothing wrong with playing hard and physical without being dirty or flagrant. nuggets on too many occasions will not post up the opponents guards. teams like golden state, nawlins, clippers and the rockets have some small guards that denver can exploit. shot clock management, setting solid picks and making the extra pass force opponents to use energy on defense and has a negitive effect on the offensive end. nuggets can make thing easy on themselves by playing smarter.

it clearly looked bad when he landed on it… he also has been known to play through injuries…. last year he had elbow problems all year, played through a game w a broken hand… hes a warrior, it must be serious if he isnt playing

He’s claiming that Melo won’t tough it out or play through pain because he wants to protect his scoring title or all star appearance or something. It doesn’t make any sense to me either.

The decision whether or not he plays goes way beyond just him.

irresponsible journalism. You can’t have it both ways, if you want to be taken seriously and get press credentials then you have to do serious work and be a responsible correspondent. Posting something on a media outlet, which is supposed to be the number 1 read Nuggets site, that is based purely off of speculation and conjecture is just poor. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but you can’t call out a player, “If your reading this Melo”, for an opinion that has no factual evidence to support it.

Melo has never given any reason to believe that he would not play hurt. It sounds to me like he wants to play, it sounds to me when I read between the lines that he’s telling Karl that he can play and someone else, someone you know like the trainers perhaps, is telling Karl he can’t play. I said in the thread that even if Karl knows he’s not going to play its still advantageous to us if we act like there’s a chance he might play because it means the other team has to prepare for that. If Melo could go, he would go. I’m sure of tat. I’ll take his istory of being a tough player who wants to play over your surmising from your single viewpoint in the stands

My rebuttal…
Fellow Stiffs,

I knew calling out Melo’s toughness would start a fire storm here, so allow me a quick rebuttal and take this for what it’s worth.

- I’m not a journalist, I’m a fan advocate. My job here at DS is to comment on the news, not break it. And until that changes, readers need to understand that what’s written here is opinion and not news.

- Even though I’m not obligated to do so, I still adhere strictly to the rules of journalism – i.e. I don’t say something is a fact unless I absolutely know so or see it with my own two eyes. Note that I was clear that I didn’t want to start a rumor and explicitly wrote that I’m not in the locker room to be making fact-base judgment calls on the condition of a player’s health.

- Am I questioning Melo’s toughness as a fan? From the fan’s perspective, you bet. Last I checked, fans are allowed to question the toughness of the players whose salaries we pay for. Am I suggesting he’s purposely faking it? No. I’m saying that the situation is fishy, that’s all.

- Melo is the best player on team (maybe not the most valuable, but certainly "the best") and we’d be nowhere without him. That said, he can be a bit of a diva and always has been. Any true Nuggets fan knows that. This doesn’t mean I don’t love him as a player, I just call it like I see it. Again, in my opinion.

I don’t expect anyone to agree with my opinion on Melo’s injury. But please keep this rebuttal in mind when you reply to this game recap.

At the end of the day, I love a good debate and love being proven wrong. Especially by my fellow Stiffs. Remember, this is a family fight and we all want the same thing: for the Nuggets to win! And we need Melo back sooner than later if that’s going to happen…

I hope there is some kind of tongue-in-cheek thing going on here or some level of humor I don’t get.
Oherwise, its just a cheap shot at Melo for really no good reason.

Since you have already taken credit for JR’s’ turnaround, is this some attempt to motivate Melo?
Melo not tough??!! Really. That’s false. As others have already stated he’s played through elbow and knee injuries all last season. I don’t believe for one minute that Melo doesn’t have the heart or guts or whatever to be out there.

If he can’t cut or jump, he’s ineffective.

I think you owe Melo an apology

because he said many times that he wasn’t coming back until he was 100 %. Probably just poorly worded, but he left the impression with me that Andrew expressed.

andrew isn’t a journalist guys. this is a blog. he does a damn good job “tricking us” by having the scoop on what’s going on with the nuggets by doing his research and having good relationships with the right people. but at the end of the day, he’s just a guy writing about the nuggets. so he’s allowed to have his opinion without being called out for bad journalism.

that said, i’m personally disagreeing with andrew on this one. i’ve played sports for years and over the course of those years i’ve sprained each of my ankles. at the time of the sprain, i never thought they were bad injuries and i even played on them right after, because i felt OK. it wasn’t until later that i realized how bad the injury was, and even with physical therapy (i was out for 5 weeks all told and should have been out for more but i refused to not play in my final college games my senior year) my ankles have never really felt the same, and i can’t play on them without taping them/wearing braces. ankle injuries tend to be chronic, and i’m sure melo is just as pissed as we are that he wasn’t out on the floor. i’ve been there, and i’m sure he felt fine, he may even have tried to practice, but i bet planting and pivoting on that foot just didn’t feel right and he had to sit out again.

i don’t think anyone’s lying to us, i don’t think there’s a conspiracy, and i don’t think melo is being a diva. everyone wants melo to play just as badly as melo wants to play. i think he’s just got himself an injury that takes a bit longer to heal than he hopes and i’m sure his worst nightmare is going out before he’s ready and getting himself a season-ending injury. hell, that’s my worst nightmare for this team too.

i think we should just be patient and see what happens.

so andrew: don’t be too harsh on melo just yet, but good job starting a fire! ;)

and my fellow commenting fans: don’t be so hard on andrew. (and you should take this as a compliment, because i don’t know if you’ve read other blogs but they’re nothing like this one. well done to both you and nate)

I don’t understand why Melo keeps saying it wasn’t a very bad sprain at all and will be ready for the next game, then doesn’t play. Every game he missed from this injury, he said he was going to be ready to play for. It’s a little confusing how a "much less serious ankle sprain than ones" Melo has had in the past is keeping him out so much longer than normal.

 I saw the game, it certainly didn’t look like it was a minor sprain. Missing more than a week indicates it was a mild sprain at least, if not serious. A serious sprain could mean 3-6 weeks. We’re already going on two weeks now. So what was reported as a minor sprain was actually already at least a mild sprain. I guess making each opponent prepare as though Melo will play, can be advantage. I guess I understand this. I just hope it’s not far more serious than is being let known.

So we know two things for sure: Melo has stated multiple times that “I’ll be ready” shortly before the last 6 games in a row. Melo has not played the last 6 games. So, Melo is saying he’s good to go, but ends up not playing. This leads me to believe that Melo feels as though his ankle is right, but he’s not showing it in drills and evaluations by the trainers. So two possibilities:

1. Melo’s ankle is still bothering him to the point where he isn’t able to produce the same quickness off the dribble as he was earlier in the year. He says he’s ready to go, feels good, but because he hasn’t demonstrated that ability, the trainers hold him out. The Nuggets have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Jazz and are second in the West by two games. Trainers are being extremely cautious.

If this is the case, I do not expect Melo to play again before the All-Star break.

2. Melo’s ankle is NOT bothering him to the point where he’s not making the cuts, but trainers are still being cautious. Melo says he’ll go, goes through some practices and the staff isn’t seeing dropstep spins at 1,000mph, just 950mph, and they don’t think it’s good enough. Again, if this is the case, and the trainers are the ones holding Melo out – and not Melo himself – I would not expect Melo back before the ASB.

Whose decision is it in the end, though? A trainer’s, or a player’s? If it’s (and I suspect it is) a PLAYER’S decision, in the end, MELO is the only one keeping Melo out.

All I know is that the Nuggets, while they have been able to hold their own against the lesser teams of the league, are going to plunge in the standings if Melo misses this critical upcoming 6 game stretch.

Melo didn’t play, the Nuggets could have used his scoring. That’s obvious, but there’s nothing we could have done about it. As for the players on the court, I saw some good things and some bad things last night. The bad things are usually more prevalent in a loss, so I’ll start there.
The guys are tired. Shots were clanking off the front of the rim all night long and the extra effort on the boards just wasn’t there. No one seemed willing to step up and take the scoring load. We passed the ball so many times, often with open lanes in front, that it seemed as though guys just had to throw a ball up to beat the shot clock.
Chauncey – No free throws? It was obvious that he wasn’t as aggressive last night as usual, he only drove a few times to the rim (and didn’t get the calls he should have) but seemed like he was too willing to settle for the pull-up three.
JR – It seems that everyone picking on JR shooting the ball too much finally got him to stop chucking it, to the demise of the team. On a night when we needed JR, or anyone, to score a handful, he didn’t seem to want the ball. (Damned if you do, damned if you don’t JR. Just keep ballin’)
Nene – Come on big guy. Honestly, what opponent is big enough that you can’t back him down, or quick enough that you can’t spin right by him? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? I didn’t think so. Buck up little camper, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be bulldozing into the lane. Out with 6 offensive fouls? Better than 6 ticky-tack fouls. At least you should get to earn them.
Birdman – Dood. Blocks are sweet and all, and it’s kinda your calling card – but we strong defense and stronger rebounding. When those guys head fake, you’ve got ‘em dead-to-rights, not the other way around. Don’t let ‘em pull you in.
Afflalo – Love the hustle. Love the hustle. Love the hustle. But make your free throws.
Lawson – These other teams don’t respect you. You know what that means. Seriously, drive the lane, force the contact, make the bucket. After the third time they’re so preoccupied with you that any pass you make will be an assist. That’s just the way it is. It’s the Law son.

No comment on the Melo “fake” injury. The only guy in powder blue giving it his all was Rocky. No hustle, no sense of urgency, no team play, no driving to the rim, nothing but 48 wasted basketball minutes. karl should have rested the starters for the whole damn game if that’s how they were gonna play.
AA’s hustle on the D, albeit brief, was nice to see. Too bad he wasn’t conecting any shots.
Nene played like the Boogie Man was waiting in the paint for him.
Ty kept passing up shots, WTF LAWson?
CB1 and K-Mart look tired as all hell.
It would have been nice if the Refs would have called a second violation on the Suns every now and again. I swear they camped out in the paint, and made it difficult for the Nuggs to get any inside game going. Then again the Nuggs didn’t look all that interested in driving to the rim.

They had no energy, especially Billups. Like I said before, Martin and Billups can only do so much. I was hoping J.R. and Affalo could step it up, but it didn’t happen.

I’m no longer calling Andersen “Birdman”. Every time I see him with the ball, I always cringe and hope he doesn’t do anything stupid. He’s been turning the ball over more then usual too, so that should raise another flag. Somebody needs to work with him and the damned pump fakes. Crap is getting old.

Overall though, they lost because the word “Defense” wasn’t in their minds. Very upsetting.

There isn’t much basis behind Andrew’s stance rather than his own observations. Personally as a fan I wouldn’t question a players toughness or manhood unless I didn’t have any respect for them. It’s a conspiracy theory and shouldn’t really be the focus of the game recap which is unfortunate. It reminds me of the Rick Riley stuff that went up here earlier and should be separate from the Nuggets basketball game talk.

Last night was rough for us Nuggets fans.

- No Melo again, get blown out at home by a Western Conference playoff team that usually stinks on the road

- Kobe hobbles on a bad ankle all night and scores only 5, but the Fakers manage to eke out a 2-point win over the Bobcats

- The Jazz win their 7th straight game

- The Mavs overcome Monta Ellis scoring 46 on 17-23 shooting

Did anything go right for the Nugs last night? Ridiculous how fast things can turn around. Seemed like we were on top of the world on Sunday after spanking the Hated Spurs on ABC.

I don’t know what to think, frankly. I can see all sides of this one. I guess I lean a little towards believing that the injury is worse than he wants to admit.

At this point I would almost say that I wish he’d just skip everything until the All-Star break, and then also skip the All-Star game itself, and come back hopefully totally healed for that Cavs-Wiz b2b.

But , I think that upcoming game against the Mavs should pretty much be considered a playoff game. There are only 3 games against the Mavs on the schedule for the whole season, so there’s not going to be any 2-2 split this year. The Nugs desperately need to beat the Mavs in both remaining games.

If he doesn’t come back until the Dallas game, or later, and still decides to play in the All-Star game I am going to be pissed off. These games are all crucial for seeding, and Billups is playing through not being 100%. Since when have you ever heard a legit superstar tell the media that he won’t come back and play until he is 100%? The coaches didn’t even say that, Melo did. Do you think that Kobe Bryant is at 100%? With his sore ankle and broken finger? Melo, I love you man, but come on! We aren’t expecting 40 a night, but at least putting out the effort for you teammates should not have to be asked for! Let’s go! And if it’s really that bad, you better freaking take the days off and not play in the All-Star game, or something really is wrong with this whole situation.

Is a good thing. Chauncey didn’t rush back and look at the results. Prior to the Spurs game, he’s been terrific. Sure, we’d like Melo to come back, but I don’t want to see him struggle like Andersen. As much as I’d hate it, if it means we have to wait till Tuesday for Melo, then so be it.

on the bench the other game….

Damn, there’s a lot of freaking out going on in here…

What is JR’s pregame thing that he does with the fans during intro’s? I haven’t seen it before.

bad game against a good team on fire(shooting wise last night). No Melo is finally having an effect on the players but Melo needs to be 100%. I am aware a 3 game losing streak by Super Bowl Sunday is very likely w/o Melo. But even that would at worst tie us for 2nd in the West and we are still better than the other teams competing for that slot. With a fresh Melo coming back the 2 seed should be ours. Hopefully Kobe plays on his busted ankle and fucks himself up resulting in A) the Lakers being far easier to beat in the WCF and B) proving Melo made the smart decision…oh and C) making ESPN cry for 48 hours straight.

I’ve been reading for awhile and decided to join. I don’t think Melo is faking it, probably just playing it safe. I’d rather drop a few games in mid season and finish strong with a healthy Melo then win a few more games now but lose down the road because Melo still isn’t right

But upon further review, I would swear it was written by Mark Kizla.

The game Wednesday was a let down. All of the sudden the Nuggets are just another team. And, I’m not going to lie: I don’t get excited enough about average teams to post on sports blogs and whatnot. I’m a Nuggets fan and always will be, but man. The game had me thinking I was some sort of fool for believing in this team in the first place.

But I’m not a fool. And the Nuggets are still contenders. They had a bad game against a decent team. Which is better than the last time I was disgusted with this team, having a bad game against an awful team.

I want to make this point: Melo can have awful shooting nights just like anyone else. Sometimes Denver can do good without him in the line-up. But when the team is flat and cold, there is something to be said about the fact that Melo will find his way to get points.

Denver did pretty good without him. But for this team to challenge LA, they need a healthy Melo. I think this should be obvious to all.

Peace,
FA