Actually this is just an excuse to run with an open thread. If you happen to watch golf then feel free to provide your thoughts right here on the Masters. There's that Tiger guy and … ummm … some other golfers.

The Nuggets had an opportunity to keep the pedal to the metal last night against the Dallas Mavericks. It was a disappointing loss but not fatal. Sometimes this Nuggets team needs to be heartlessly and coldly slapped around and I think last night will provide enough motivation to not repeat the same mistakes.

One thing was apparent though, and that was the Nuggets seemed to miss injured forward Danilo Gallinari for the first time since his ACL injury against — ironically — these same Mavericks almost exactly a week ago. While the Nuggets definitely missed Gallo’s ability to hit outside shots and make free throws, the place they most clearly missed him was on the defensive end at the end of the game. Gallo would most assuredly been guarding Dirk Nowitzki, that would allow Chandler to shift to Vince Carter and Andre Iguodala to move over to O.J. Mayo. That would have provided the Nuggets with a much better defensive lineup than the one they fielded last night.

I knew there was going to be a game where the Nuggets missed Gallo, but I didn't expect that to be this particular game.

Andre Miller played the worst single game I’ve seen since JaVale McGee’s third and fourth quarter’s against the New York Knicks in December. Awful. I just kept thinking it couldn’t possibly get worse … but I was consistently proven wrong. Let’s hope Dre got that out of his system in time for the Portland Trail Blazers game on Sunday afternoon.

Have a great Saturday.