Denver Stiffs: FanPosts

New Stiff List is up!

2009-11-20T18:40:58Z

This week's Stiff List includes the Nets, A.I., the Spurs, T-Mac and David Kahn...

Pau F'ing Gasol

2009-11-20T14:57:22Z

TGIF Nugg fans! It feels like there has been a drought of games over this past week. The early stages of Nugg withdrawal are starting to set in and it hurts. Thankfully, we have a game tonight against the Clippers and one against the Bulls tomorrow. I see us winning both, and 10-3 sounds pretty sweet to me. However, a black cloud is forming on the horizon. A full, healthy Lakers squad has returned to the NBA.

The reason for this post is Pau Gasol. Last night he made his season debut and the Lakers handled the Bulls by 15 points. Pau had 24 points on 9-14 shooting, 13 boards, 6-6 from the line, and put in 35 minutes of work. He took scoring pressure off Kobe and helped the Laker offense run really smooth. To be honest, Kobe doesn’t scare me that much. At this point, I think his production is neutralized by what Melo does for the Nuggs. However, we have NO response for Pau. Frankly, that guy owns us. I love the Nene/Kmart/Bird front line, but they aren’t going to stop Pau. A constant discussion on this site is the acquisition of a big man, and lots of good ideas have been proposed. I don’t know what the Nugg F.O. office has in mind, but I do know that we play the Lakers twice in February (both in LA). We beat their behind a couple weeks ago, but it will be an entirely different story with Pau in the lineup. I love my Nuggs, LOVE THEM. But I think the Lakers are still the team to beat and I think the Nuggs have to add a decent big to get past them. Hopefully, I’m wrong about this. Or even better, hopefully the F.O. makes a fucking move, Kroenke shells out some luxury cash, and Denver picks up a decent BIG.

NUGGS UP!!

Back end of the Roster

2009-11-19T19:29:44Z

Has there been a better team at finding real talent at the bottom of the roster the last few years than Denver? A couple of years ago it was Von Wafer, who they let go to Houston. He didn't do much in Denver, but in Houston got 19 minutes and 10 points a game. Not bad for an end of the roster guy. Now on a two year, $10 million contract in Europe.

Last year it was Birdman and D. Jones. Birdman played well enough to earn a midlevel contract from Denver. Denver gave Jones an opportunity to prove himself, and despite some dirty plays, he is averaging 17 points and 4 rebounds per game.

This year it's Afflalo who is looking like he might play himself into the midlevel exemption.

The nuggets FO really deserves a pat on the back. Yes, Billups has been the biggest addition, but can you imagine where the team would have been without Bird, Jones, and AA? Players off the scrap heap that make important contributions to a contending team.

ALL-STAR VOTING LINK!

2009-11-11T16:49:21Z

Four members of the Denver Nuggets have made the official All-Star ballot: guard Chauncey Billups, forwards Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin and center Nene. Remember you can also do "write in" votes. Support the Nuggets and get out and vote early and vote OFTEN. Let's get the deserving Nuggets into the all-star game. Click here to get to the voting link on NBA.com.

The All-Star game will be in Dallas this year and the voting is brought to you by T-Mobile ... I actually just dropped T-Mobile and went with Verizon and got myself the Droid. Phone is absolutely awesome and I now have access to the world wide web any time I need. This is completely irrelevant ...

We need Nuggets Nation to get the vote out and get the deserving players into the game! If Yao Ming gets voted in I'm going to lose it!!!

You can vote daily until January 18th. (so vote daily!)

The game is February 14th at 7 p.m. mountain time.

Potential trades and Kleiza's rights

2009-11-19T11:49:19Z

Linas Kleiza has been absent from the Denver Nuggets and Lodo's bar scene for 3 months now, opting instead for getting trashed in Greece and moneybags full of Euros (Eurobags?).

Denver whittled away lots of trade assets in offseason moves, including most of their upcoming draft picks and even the rights to unsigned draft pick Axel Hervelle. Most of the tradable contracts are minimum deals and not of much value, so fans have been speculating on potential trades involving Kleiza's rights. From my understanding of the CBA and consulting with some more knowledgable heads on the subject, it seems clear to me now that Kleiza's rights or LK himself can't be traded for the forseeable future (while he is under contract), and even after that moving him remains kind of a headache.

Mark at ShamSports knows whats up, he clarified it for me and on a previous message board post a while ago. Here's what he said

No they can't.

Kleiza can be signed and traded (if he's not under contract somewhere, that is), and the Nuggets can match any offer sheet he gets as he's still a RFA. But they can't trade his Bird rights. You can't trade anyone's Bird rights. Never could.

Read the whole post here if you don't believe me

The same problem exists with Josh Childress' signing in Greece 2 years ago. Both he and Kleiza are still restricted free agents, with their rights held by Atlanta and Denver respectively. That means they can only be signed and traded or signed to offer sheets once they are no longer under contract in Europe. The Nuggets could match any offer for Kleiza, they could sign and trade him to someone if he were not currently under contract. Kleiza has an opt-out after 1 year in Greece, so if he wants to return to the NBA Denver could re-sign him then or sign and trade him to another team. Or, he could sign an offer sheet with another team, and Denver would have seven days to match. None of this can happen until he terminates his contract in Europe though.

Josh Childress tried to return to the NBA after 1 year in Greece. Both Cleveland and Milwaukee wanted to sign Childress, but it didn't work out for several important reasons which are relevant to LK's situation now. Milwaukee and Cleveland would have had to use their MLE to offer Childress a contract, which Atlanta could match and would have 7 days to decide whether or not to do that. During that waiting period Milwaukee/Cleveland could miss out on other free agents they wanted to sign while Atlanta made their decision. Dallas signed Gortat to a full MLE deal which Orlando matched just to screw with Dallas, after stealing away Brandon Bass while Dallas waited for them to not match the Gortat offer.

The other, more attractive option would be trying to work out a sign and trade deal with Atlanta. Milwaukee and Cleveland would rather do that because Childress' would be signed with his bird rights by Atlanta, then traded to them so they would still have their MLE to spend on other free agents. Obviously, Atlanta wasn't amenable to this - they have no reason to help out Cleveland or Milwaukee by giving them Childress. At the least they would demand something in return like a draft picks, cap relief, or a cheap role player or two.

Childress is making decent dough in Greece, so even though he probably would have taken a cheaper deal to return to the NBA, the politics and rules of the CBA prevented it from happening. It was a hassle, so both teams said screw it - Milwaukee signed Hakim Warrick and Cleveland signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Atlanta still holds Childress' bird rights, they will wait for a good deal to sign and trade him. Or, they will wait for him to sign a cheapo contract to return to the NBA, which they could match within 7 days if they wanted to.

Until then, everything is in limbo. Childress opted into the second year of his Greek deal and now he isn't a tradeable asset until next year, just like Kleiza. Bottom line, the Nugs can;t get anything for Kleiza right now. They can deal with trading him whenever he is done with Europe and chooses to return to the NBA. My guess is Kleiza will stay in Europe for at least 2 years, if he comes back to the NBA the most likely scenario would be back to the Nuggets on a pretty cheap contract. Anything could happen though, but LK cannot be traded until he's out of his Euro contract for now. Complicated, I know. Kind of a bummer too

Intriguing trade theory

2009-11-19T03:01:01Z

Hm.

I was thinking about how we all want the Nugs to go acquire a big man. However, many of us are really thinking about a relatively major move. So I was thinking, what about something minor? I mean, if we're going to make any adjustments to the roster, I think we should do it earlier rather than later. That doesn't mean, however, that I'm not in favor of making late(r) moves, but the faster we can get the newly acquired player assimilated, the better, right? Yes, I realize that it would be a risky to make a potentially destructive move this early in the season when things are going just fine, but that's why i'm talking minor moves.

Think about it, if we make any move at all, i'm willing to bet it won't be earth-shattering. So, if all we're going to do is swap minimum contract players to acquire a 7-footer or something, it would be best to do it early, no? If we're just talking a Graham or AC trade or something, I propose we do it now, and still have the option to change it up again when the deadline comes around.

And of course, if it ends up being something bigger, that can wait, but it's all speculation for us fans anyway.

The Stiff List

2009-11-18T15:45:41Z

I just wanted to comment on something about the current stiffs - the New York Knickerbockers. The idea of New York tanking the season to get the first pick, if I understand correctly, is quite null and void because that pick goes to the Utah Jazz to complete a Tom "Addicted to Mountain Dew" Gugliotta from way back, way back in the day. Consequently, we should be hoping that the Knicks start winning to some degree or the Jazz are going to end up with a top 5 pick making our division, already filled with the up-and-coming Thunder and the already challenging Blazers more tough. Also, should the Jazz continue to suck and find themselves in the lottery - that'd be two lottery picks in what is expected to be a strong draft. yikes

Ai might be a Nugget again

2009-11-18T14:43:06Z

I was reading the Denver post this morning and i read that coach Karl and the nuggets would consider getting Ai with a injury happened to one of the guards. you can read about it here. http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_13811769?source=rss

So In my view getting Ai would help us and hurt us. We get a great scorer. But we get less passes. Although we would have a killer line up. think about it

Starting

PG- Chauncey Billups

SG- Allen Iverson

SF- Carmelo Anthony

PF- Kenyon Martin

C- Nene

and our 2nd unit would be

PG- Ty Lawson

SG- Jr Smith/ Aaron Affalo

SF- Aaron Affalo/ Jr Smith

PF- Renaldo Balkman

C- Chris Andersan

or if Ai can get over his ego it could be

PG- Chauncey Billups

SG- Aaron Affalo

SF- Carmelo Anthony

PF- Kenyon Martin

C- Nene

and our second unit

PG- Ty Lawson

SG-Allen Iverson

SF- Jr Smith

PF- Renaldo Balkman

C- Chris Andersan

now that is a great line up.

What are your guys thoughts on this

Poll

Why is Petro in the NBA

The Nuggets are a good team, but....

2009-11-18T06:57:05Z

Great, not good teams win Championships. Early season wins are nice, but it all comes down to getting wins in April, May and June. Melo has been amazing so far! It's incredible how good he is when he is in shape!! Lawson and AAA have been stellar additions and have finally forced GK to do what we have all been screaming for, for a couple years now, and that is to put AC on the pine. He's a good locker room vet, but I can't stand his game.

BUT.......

A few things need to happen for the Nuggets to become great. Nene has to develop a mean streak and become an absolute enforcer inside. He is too big and too talented, to not be dominating. He also needs to stop with the weak finger rolls and just dunk the damn ball! Next, JR has to keep playing at a high level on both ends of the court and be the best 6th man in the game. Finally, the FO must add another impact big man to the front line. (Can you imagine our draft if they would have snagged DeJuan Blair in the 2nd rd instead of trading our pick.?? We might not be having this conversation if that were the case)

The Lakers are going to be an absolute monster when they get Gasol back. Bynum just keeps getting better and better each day, and by playoff time, Ron Ron will be nice and cozy with his role so they are going to be even tougher than last year. And lets face it, if the Nuggets are going to make it to the Finals, they will have to beat the Lakers. As the roster is currently assembled, we just aren't big enough to compete with them in a 7 game series. Sure we can beat anybody on any given night, but in a 7 game playoff battle its a whole different ballgame. The FO has to understand that with an aging Chauncey, the Nuggets window to win a title is about 2-3 years. We are so close to being great! I really hope that they understand this and do any and everything possible to bring in a QUALITY big man. And it's not just the Lakers that we have to worry about. There is Portland, and San Antonio in the West and potentially Boston or Orlando in the Finals.

So here are the potential players that could come in here and help give us a parade in June .

My pipe dream big man, which I know will never happen, because A, we aren't the Lakers and B, the Logo wasn't a Nugget, is the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol (3.3 in 09-10 & 3.5 Mil 10-11) He would be perfect, even the Grizzlies aren't that foolish to give up on such a quality young big man, that is making peanuts by NBA standards. Another decent footer would be the Wizards, Brendan Haywood (6 mil) but I doubt that the Clippers East, I mean the Bullets, would let him go. But who knows, because they are the Clippers East?? Oh and don't even get me started with the 9 million dollar trade exception that we let expire without using on November 3rd. Sure we would have been well over the luxury tax, but this is NBA/monopoly money and Silent Stan and his old lady are both Billionaires so cry me a luxury tax river. WE WANT A CHAMPIONSHIP! That could have been the final piece.

So back to reality.....

The potential list: Most of the players with the exception of Gortat, come from non contenders, or lottery bound teams that are much easier to deal with around the trade deadline.

Marcin Gortat Magic (5.8, 6.3, 6.7, 7.2 & 7.7) Large contract but fell in love with his game in the playoffs last yr

Marreese Speights 76ers (1.6 & 1.7 Mil) Huge upside, but I doubt Philly would give him up

Andray Blatche Wizards (3, 3.2 & 3.5 Mil) Same story as Speights

Jeff Foster Pacers (6 & 6.6 mil) Rebounding machine!

Hilton Armstrong Hornets (2.8 mil) Decent player at that price tag

Chris Wilcox Pistons(3 mil) Dunks in traffic the way I wish Nene would.

Ronny Turiaf Warriors (4.2 & 4.2) RT would be a nice addition

Fabricio Oberto Wizards (1.9 Mil) 34 years old but might still have a little bit left in the tank

Aaron Gray Bulls (1 mil) Young and big. Probably more of a long term project than a quick fix

Think about the big picture folks. It's going to take one last piece to put us over the hump. Lets cross our fingers, that the 3-headed front office creature is paying attention. Capish, Rex, Brett and Mark?!?!?!?

Go NUGS!!! This could get exciting!

Some interesting quotes from some other teams bloggers...

2009-11-18T04:44:57Z

Just some quotes from when I sent out some questions during ESPN's Daily Dime Live to bloggers

-----

[Comment From Chad: ]
Jeremy, what's going to happen when AC comes back? I'm a bit worried.

Jeremy (Roundball Mining Co./TrueHoop Network):
Chad, I think Carter is pretty much out of the rotation. He should only get some courtesy minutes in the second quarter or garbage time.

-----

[Comment From Chad: ]
Jeremy, question for the future, does Lawson replace Billups before or after Chauncey's contract expires/he retires?

Jeremy (Roundball Mining Co./TrueHoop Network):
Chad, I think Billups starts through the end of his current contract, he has a player option for 2012, but Lawson will be playing a lot of minutes. It will be interesting to see if Chauncey signs another contract after that though.

-----

[Comment From Chad: ]
Dan, coming from a Nuggets fan, do you think any of your Pistons bigs can be had? (Wilcox, Maxiell)

Dan Feldman (PistonPowered/TrueHoop Network):
Chad, probably Maxiell more than Wilcox. Wilcox can play center, which Detroit needs. And Maxiell has a longer contract.

-----

[Comment From Chad: ]
Zarar, coming from a Nuggets fan, any possibility that some of your bigs can be had?

Zarar Siddiqi (Raptors Republic/TrueHoop Network):
Everybody's on the table for the Raptors. Colangelo will insist that Bargnani is not, but it's year #4 for him now and if he was a clearly special player he would've shown it by now. I'd say the only untouchable is............can't really think of anyone other than Bosh, but if the team struggles mightily, then you know he's going to be part of a discussion. Too early though, this is a very tough stretch for the Raptors and things will get easier for them schedule-wise starting next week.

-----

Maybe you guys knew most of this already, but just thought I'd post it.

Appearing on 104.3 The Fan - 7pm MDT TONIGHT!

2009-11-18T00:21:00Z

I'm scheduled to join Sandy Clough on tonight's "Clough Talk" show a few minutes past 7pm MDT TONIGHT. Hopefully you can listen in!

Anthony Randolph

2009-11-17T22:44:31Z

There are some rumors blowing out of GS that Anthony is not a happy camper in Oakland (as well as Monta Ellis but we are set at pg). Yes I realize Randolph is not a big 7 footer,more of a body style of a stretched out Dermarr Johnson, and I also am highly skeptical that GS would even consider letting him go, but if it were possible we might be able to get him by offering some draft picks and a garbage guy like Allen. think of that lineup

Strarters

PG- Billups

SG- Afflalo

SF- Melo

PF- Martin

C- Nene

Second Unit

PG- Lawson

SG- JR/AC (the three guard line up strikes again...sigh whats sad is i have to put it in because we know Karl will use it)

SF- JR/Renaldo

PF- Randolph

C- Bird

Possible Bigs to Bring In

2009-11-17T20:09:11Z

We all know that we need another stiff - and so does the front office.

Since Denver is winning now, the FO isn't in a huge rush to bring someone in at the moment. They are waiting for the right move, and a bad move could disrupt team chemistry or morale.

Instead of writing up a far fetched wish list, I'm going to drop some names that we may actually be able to bring in. I'm also scoring each big, 1-10, for how easy it will be to get them and how well they fit our needs. (10 being the most likely/best fit)

The Stiffs:

DJ Mbenga - Chance: 3 Need: 7. He is averaging 3.9 rebounds in 11.1 minutes - good for a 16.8 RP40min rate. He has size, athleticism, and shot blocking ability to go with his rebounding. He has been a rotation player on a championship team, and has experience against Gasol and Bynum as well as the dreaded Magic and Celtics. Since he plays regularly for the Lakers, I don't know why they would trade him to a team they likely wouldn't want to see in the playoffs.

Nazr Mohammed - Chance: 5 Need: 8. A big body and proven rebounder and shotblocker. He is a world-class underachiever, remaining one of the few overrated-underrated guys in the league. 5pts, 3.5 rebs, and 1 block in a meager 11.7 minutes per game.

Dan Gadzuric - Chance: 6 Need: 6. Averaging about 3 rebounds and 3 points in 10 minutes. He has some toughness and athletacism, and played under Karl back when he was the coach in Milwaukee. He isn't part of the Bucks future plans, and could help us out this season in spot duty.

Marcin Gortat - Chance: 2 Need: 9. His minutes are up slightly from last year, and so is his production. Since the George Karl likes to go small, I couldn't see him playing any more than he does in Orlando. However, he is a competent big man and tougher and more hard nosed (no pun intended) than any other potential bigs on the Nuggets radar. I could almost see the Magic trading him to us out of contempt for L.A. - but they will hold on to him to face other stacked frontcourts in the East and as insurance for when Dwight gets in foul trouble.

Etan Thomas - Chance: 7 Need: 5. He is shorter than Petro but stronger and a more capable defender in the post than both Petro and Allen. He doesn't bring a lot to the table, but would be a solid alternative to nothing. Right now he's averaging 4 pts, 4.1 rbs, 1blk in 18 min a game with the Thunder.

Hilton Armstrong - Chance: 7 Need: 5. Perhaps a bit slighter in build than we need, he is a capable center that has shown some flashes of game in his time with the Hornets. He can be inconsistent, but again would be an improvement over Petro and Allen. 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15 mpg.

Other Notables: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Richard Hendrix, Dwayne Jones, Hamed Haddadi, Chris Mihm, Robert Swift

Anyone else have anyone they'd like to see land with the Nuggets as a 4th big?

Poll

Who is most likely to be wearing a Nuggets uniform by seasons end?

NBA Power Rankings, 11/17/2009

2009-11-17T16:54:50Z

The Denver Nuggets now occupy the number two (2) spot in the ESPN Power Rankings, second only to the surprising Atlanta Hawks.

Thoughts? Observations?

Personally, I think the Nuggets are ranked a little too high. I would rank us fourth or fifth in the league until we have some more solid wins against contenders NOT on the second night of a back to back. I understand that every team runs into buzzsaws like that and the winners play through it, but I really would like to see Denver's front line compete against one like the Magic's or Boston's and come away with a W before I am ready to tell them they're a number 2.

Everything else seems pretty gravy.

Analyzing Ty Lawson's future in Denver.

2009-11-17T16:53:36Z

After a period of absence from this blog, I come back.
Some of you might remember me, some of you might not (maybe Nate and Andrew will).

Well, I am going to try to preview Ty's future in this franchise, which is full of wishful thinking and certainly promising.

via www.nba.com

Ty aims to be the Denver Nuggets' point-guard of the future, making Chauncey Billups' retirement probably easier to forget than expected. But he is a different PG than Billups. While Billups is a pass first PG (at least that is what he is supposed to be), I see Ty more of an scorer PG, he is lightning fast and if he can improve his J to create better chances of scoring off the dribble, he can be a 25 ppg kind of PG. Denver can be a TERRIFIC team on transition and fastbreaks in the following years, with Ty, J.R, Melo, and Nene. I know we are already a fast pace kind of team, but with the addition of Ty into the lineup (removing an older and slower CB1) we can set a new era in NBA basketball.

Billups said the window to the championship might close after this year for our Nuggets, but I do believe that we can be a better team in a couple of years, and I think everything is on Ty's hands.

Future really looks promising in the Mile High City, don't you think?

Poll

Do you think the Nuggets will be better off with Ty in the lineup in a couple of years?

Is it acceptable?

2009-11-17T05:50:45Z

I was born and live in California. I have been a fan of the Denver Broncos since I was about 7 or 8. I watched the Anaheim Ducks and Angels since 1998. I have suffered with my two Anaheim teams and saw them win championship each. The first NFL game I watched on t.v. was the beating the Broncos took in the 1993 playoffs against the Raiders. I lucked into being blessed with the last years of Elway's greatness and see him and the Broncos win two superbowls. Now I've watched basketball from time to time and I've always cheered against the Lakers. For some odd reason I have hated the "local" teams in the area I live in. I can't seem to find any other team to follow and the California suck because I hate northern California (Warriors) and I'm not going to waste my time with the Clippers because I don't hate myself. Would I be a bandwagoneer to start watching the Nuggets and be a Nuggets fan?

Steven Jackson to the Bobcats

2009-11-16T18:10:37Z

Just caught this on NBA.com. Thought I'd share.

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/11/16/bobcats.trade.ap.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

He wanted a contender and he got Charlotte. They didnt want Iverson so....they opted for....Steven Jackson....? Cool. Either way Warriors are out of luck in the west (at least Brandon Jennings didnt dropp 55 on us) and I dont see much hope for Charlotte this year either.

Emeka Okafer in Gold and Blue?

2009-11-16T17:27:15Z

Looks like the Hornets might have him on the trading block. From the proposed trade mentioned here, the Hornets would ship him to the Kings for Kenny Tomas and his expiring $8 million contract.

http://dimemag.com/2009/11/nba-trade-rumor-emeka-okafor-to-the-kings/

Emeka is 6’10” and 250lbs. So while he doesn’t meet the seven footer status that many nugg fans are looking for (including myself), he would still be solid for defending the paint and rebounding. He has career averages of 10.6 boards and 13.9 points. Here is his NBA page as well with more stats.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/emeka_okafor/index.html

Figuring out how contracts fit in with trades hurts my head, so I haven’t done the math on what we could offer N.O. in exchange for him. What I do know is that Pau Gasol won’t be out all season, and sooner or later the nuggs will have to pick up a BIG that can do some rebounding and defending. So my fellow nugg fans, wha-da-ya-say about Okafor?

BTW, the Hornets have been a train wreck since that 58 point pounding we put on them in the playoffs. I’m pretty sure we took their soul that night.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu Waived

2009-11-16T01:19:12Z

I don't know why the heck I'm even writing about this, but Pops Mensah-Bonsu got waived by the Houston Rockets a couple days ago. I know that he's really a slightly taller, slightly more athletic version of Renaldo Balkman, who just got a contract extension, but Pops is an electrifying player that has the speed to run with Lawson on the break. He's more coordinated and skilled than Petro, and although he's smaller than Petro, I'd rather have Pops on, say, Bynum than Petro. Pops would help us on the boards and on the defensive end. Come to think of it, he's more like Chris Andersen than Renaldo Balkman.

Here is the link where I read the news: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/290578-something-abrewing-in-houston-pops-mensah-bonsu-waived

Poll

Do you think the Nuggets should sign Pops Mensah-Bonsu to a mininum deal?

Birdman's Tendinitis

2009-11-15T04:06:18Z

In watching the game last night on ESPN, the announcer indicated that Birdman has been dealing with tendinitis in the knees the early part of this season. I have not read anything in the Post about this, but it explains Bird's lack of hops and "energy" so far this season. I admire him for gutting it out, but when your knees ache, basketable becomes a lot less fun. Any concern here that Bird is dealing with tendinitis this early in the season? Does this bode well of the 5 year deal the Nuggs gave him???

PS - - I think Chauncey is dealing with some sort of nagging something too. He just doesn't seem quite as lively as he did last year. Good thing we have Lawson to push the pace...