This is the second of a three-part series chronicling the time I spent last week with Nuggets head coach George Karl and following the team from Chicago to Milwaukee.  Part 1 featured my formal interview with our team's coach and Part 2 details the next two days thereafter.  Part 3 - coming this weekend - will be my analysis.

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This is the first of a three-part series chronicling the time I spent last week with Nuggets head coach George Karl and following the team from Chicago to Milwaukee.  Part 1 follows my first day with Karl and the team, and the formal interview I conducted on Monday after Nuggets practice.  Note that I'm just recapping what happened, and not doing much analysis (that will come later in Part 3).

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The Kamenetzky Brothers of the L.A. Times' Lakers Blog picked my brain on the upcoming Nuggets season in a Question & Answer format. Click here to give it a read and follow the jump for a snipet.

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Around here I often refer to him as J.R. Swish, but George Karl prefers, "good J.R. and the bad J.R." What to make of one of Denver's most controversial players?

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We got a taste of what Billups could do last season, but what can we expect going forward from Colorado's homegrown talent?

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More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

Kenyon Martin's defense will again be counted on for the Nuggets in Round 2.

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Admittedly, I stole this idea from At the Hive and I wanted to bring you, the reader, more insight on the Nuggets than perhaps you are use to.

So, I reached out to Mike the Nuggets Examiner, Jeremy of Roundball Mining Company, and Andrew of Denver Stiffs to get their thoughts on my SEVEN questions heading into Round 2 against the Dallas Mavericks.

(Head over to their sites for more detailed previews and other insights to Nuggets basketball!)

Here are their thoughts ... Q&A style to my Billups inspired 7 Questions:

1.) First, let’s keep this short-and-sweet (because we have more work to do against the Mavs), but what does it mean to you for the Nuggets to be in Round 2 for the first time since 1994? Heck, I was only 12 years-old at the time.

Mike - Nuggets Examiner: "Yeah, I was fifteen and I had never seen anything quite like NBA playoff basketball.  I remember going to a few of the Western Semifinals games against the Jazz and just being amazed at how crazy the atmosphere was.  It’s funny but the thing I remember most was all the dunking going on in warm-ups.  It got the crowd so fired up before the game had even started.  I think they need to bring that back.  Maybe Sonny Weems can have an impact on this series after all."

Jeremy - Roundball Mining Company: "To me it is somewhat bittersweet.  On one hand it is great to be able to watch how this team has grown and I am excited to see how far they can go.  On the other hand it is a reminder of how terrible this franchise has been for a long time.  Although I enjoyed the first round victory as much as anyone it is pathetic that this is such a milestone.  Advancing past the first round should be a regular occurrence."

Andrew - Denver Stiffs: "I was a senior in high school when the Nuggets beat the Sonics in 1994, and attended both home games.  Game 3 in particular was the best live sporting event I’ve ever been a part of in my entire life.  That being said, my memory goes back a bit further to 1988.  That was the last time the Nuggets won a playoff series on their home floor.  So I’ve now witnessed two Nuggets series victories in person: 1988 and 2009.  That gives you some perspective on how much this franchise has struggled between the end of the Doug Moe Era and the beginning of the George Karl Era."

2.) Does it mean anything that Denver was 4-0 vs. the Mavericks in the regular season?

Mike: "Only that the Nugs match up pretty well against them.  But Dallas is a completely different team now.  Something clicked with them on offense – they move the ball so well now and have no trouble finding open shots.  They stretch the defense very thin.  Also, Jason Kidd is knocking down threes with regularity.  And when things aren’t working it’s pretty easy to throw it to Dirk and let him go to work."

Jeremy: "If anyone is claiming Denver will win this series simply because they won the season series they are crazy.  Both teams are playing much better than they were at any point this season and both teams are fully healthy, which was not the case in three of the four games.  Perhaps the Nuggets hold a slight mental advantage, but you better believe Dallas knows they can win this series.  What is important though is both teams developed tactics that will be utilized in this series.  For example hopefully Denver established how they can deal with the high screen action the Mavs run with Dirk."

Andrew: "It means a little.  It means that the Nuggets know they can beat the Mavericks in their gym so confidence won’t be a problem in this series (as I’m afraid it will be should the Nuggets face off against the Lakers in the WCF).  Also, a lot is being made of the Mavericks not having Josh Howard for two of those four games, but the Nuggets were without Carmelo Anthony and Nene (each missed one game) for two of the four games, as well."

3.) What must Denver do on offense to be successful against Dallas? And what matchups are you looking forward to?

Mike: "It’s pretty clear-cut what the Nuggets need to do on offense: pass the ball.  They’re a great offensive team when everyone’s playing unselfishly.  But they’re mediocre when they get into one-on-one basketball.  I’ll be interested to see how well Dallas guards Carmelo Anthony.  I don’t think Josh Howard can hang with Melo physically.  Billups-Kidd will be interesting as well.

Jeremy: "Denver needs to do more of the same although I would like to see some more points in the paint.  The key to me is Carmelo Anthony.  If he plays the way he did against the Hornets, Denver will have no problem scoring points.  In round one Melo finally started making teams pay for doubling him by executing quick accurate passes or driving past the help defender into the middle of the lane to get to the rim.  Dallas will definitely double Melo, especially in the post, as Josh Howard cannot handle him one-on-one, and he will have to punish them for it.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing if Melo can continue his sterling play.

"Dallas has no one who can cover J.R. Smith (then again who does?).  If he can get matched up with JJ Barea just put points on the board and head to the other end of the floor.  Chauncey will post better numbers than Jason Kidd although Kidd does tend to hold Chauncey below his averages.  If Kenyon is aggressive he can make things difficult for Dirk and Nene has a big quickness advantage on Erick Dampier."

Andrew: "Dallas has no interior defense so Carmelo Anthony – and yes, Denver Stiffs has been beating this drum for two seasons now – MUST take the ball to the rack rather than settle for all those mid-range jumpers.  The same goes for J.R. Smith.  If Melo and J.R. could somehow combine for 12 free throw attempts per game, this series is over in five games.

"Beyond that, the two most intriguing matchups are K-Mart vs. Dirk and Chauncey vs. J-Kidd."

4.) What area would you like the Nuggets to focus on defensively? And again, what matchup are you looking forward to?

Mike: "The Dirk-Kenyon matchup will be key.  I see K-Mart getting into Dirk’s head a little bit, which doesn’t usually work in the Mavs’ favor.  The Nuggets usually defend pretty well when they don’t have to expend a lot of energy down low.  Dallas’ ball movement will be a tough test for the Nuggets D.  Communication will be everything.  It seemed like San Antonio just got dizzy trying to keep up with Dallas in that last series."

Jeremy: "Dallas has a lot of weapons and as I mentioned above the key play the Nuggets will have to stop is the high screen by Dirk.  The Mavs set great screens and Dirk will (try) to knock the defender off of Kidd, Terry or Barea.  If Denver traps, Dirk is open.  If they switch then Dirk is being covered by a guard.  Denver had some success trapping the ball handler and rotating the other big up to Dirk, but that causes problems too and I suspect the Mavs will be ready for that scheme.  If Dallas is just going to post Dirk up or put him on the wing, Kenyon can make life tough on him, but that high screen scares me.

"The other key will be if they can contain Barea.  So far no Nugget defender has proven they can keep him out of the lane and if his three point shot is falling he can be a terror.

"I will also be interested to see how well Dahntay Jones can cover Jason Terry.  Jones was great defending the pick and roll, but he will have to chase Terry through a hoard of screens and to me Anthony Carter is better suited for that role."

Andrew: "The Mavericks primary scorers – Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry – overly rely on their jumpers.  So as long as the Nuggets aren’t giving them easy layups and keep a hand in their faces on those perimeter jumpers, I’ll live with it.  As noted above, the K-Mart vs. Dirk matchup will be the most intriguing defensively."

Continue reading after the jump where we get into predictions ...

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I was fortunate enough to have a couple of minutes with Sonny Weems after his home debut with the Colorado 14ers.  I may or may not have edited out a reference to Alabama instead of Arkansas in the last question and he may or may not have laughed in disbelief when I may have mentioned Alabama, but I am not going to admit to anything.

Jeremy:  You had a groin injury in training camp.  Was this the first major injury you experienced?

Sonny Weems:  Yea, I pulled my groin when I was a senior in college.  I just had surgery when I got drafted and it was a long process of trying to get it healed and I think right now I am 100% and ready to play.

Jeremy:  Is that the only major injury you have ever sustained or have you had any other injuries?

SW:  No broken bones, that’s about it.  Just a couple of weeks you’ll be back.  This is the only thing I have had that has kept me out for a while.  I am just happy to be back.

Jeremy:  What is it you are hoping to get out of the D-League?  What is it you are looking to work on?

SW:  You know I am just trying to build my stamina back up.  I have not played in almost eight months so I am just trying to get up and down, run up and down the court, play a little defense and help the 14ers win.  I think I can bring something to the 14ers.  They were good before I got here I am just trying to add a little more spice.

Jeremy:  You are from Arkansas.  Is that the only place you have ever lived?  Is the snow new to you?

SW:   I used to live in Memphis when I was younger and it snowed in Arkansas, but not like this.  That’s what I was telling the people back home it snows in Arkansas, but it does not get like this.

Me:  Thanks a lot, I appreciate your time.  Good luck and stay healthy.

Sonny:  Alright, you’re welcome.

Thanks again to Sonny for taking a couple of minutes to chat and make sure you check out my scouting report on he, Cheikh Samb and James Mays.

We have a little pre game treat for you today.  At the Hive, a great New Orlenas Hornets blog, and I have done a little Q and A in preperation for the big Thanksgiving night conflagration between the Hornets and Nuggets.

Enjoy!

Pickaxe and Roll:  Before the season I believed that if any team other than the Lakers was going to represent the Western Conference in the finals it would be the Hornets.  New Orleans experienced a 2-5 stretch before their current three game winning streak.  Their five losses include games against Atlanta, at Charlotte and Sacramento.  Was that 2-5 stretch just an early season blip or are there issues that were revealed that might plague the team all season?  Do you fully expect them to be a top two or three seed at the end of the season?

At the Hive:  The Hornets' biggest issues this year have been over-fouling and poor perimeter defense. Now, the perimeter defense seemed like it took a turn for the better the last few three games. That said, our last three games were against Oklahoma City (twice) and the Clippers. So Denver will be the first real test to see if the defense has returned to last year's levels. Over-fouling I feel is a small sample thing that will correct itself as the season goes on. 

I still expect the Hornets to challenge for the two or three spot at the end of the season. Houston will obviously be the biggest competition, since they could potentially lock the Hornets out of the top three by winning the Southwest Division. As the team is constructed now, the biggest flaw would be our bench. I really can't see GM Jeff Bower failing to make a move down the road for a point guard if the poor bench play continues.

Pa&R:  Tyson Chandler's numbers have dropped off quite a bit from last season.  Is that dropoff apparent in his play or is it just a matter of dealing with a small sample size?

@tH:  He started off really slowly due to a sprained ankle. But one thing that worries me: he doesn't get his "tip out" rebounds very often. Last year, that was one of his biggest strengths. Even when he didn't have rebounding position, he would rely on his athleticism to leap up and tip rebounds back out to the perimeter. This year, that's been sorely lacking. It could be that he isn't getting as much lift off his injured ankle. That's my hope any way. If his problems persist through December, the Hornets might be looking at a serious issue since Tyson is by far the best rebounder on the squad. 

Pa&R:  While the James Posey addition was made primarily for his post season experience, but has he provided what the Hornets were expecting from him so far in the regular season?

@tH:  Oh, he's been amazing. Seems to come up with the timely trifecta every single night. The biggest thing with Posey is that even on his "off nights," he's worth having on the floor. He makes up for poor shooting games with terrific hustle and man defense. Having him guard guys like Kobe and LeBron has been a huge improvement over Peja, as you might imagine. 

Pa&R:  Even though the Nuggets won 50 games last season I contended that there was little to no intimidation factor.  No teams were saying, "Crap, we have to play the Nuggets tonight?"  I believe the Nuggets are better this year than last year now that they are focusing on playing attentive defense, actually moving around on offense and having added a point guard who can shoot and defend in Chauncey Billups.  As a fan of an elite team how close are the Nuggets to being a team you dread playing?

@tH:  Hmm. Interesting question. The thing that worries me most is Chauncey Billups, the defender. Billups absolutely torments Chris Paul. I know a lot of that must be credited to the Detroit Piston's excellent help defense. But Billups stays in front of his man as well as any player in the NBA. To me, that's really impressive since Billups isn't the quickest guy in the world himself. His footwork on D is what helps him accomplish it, and Paul has been stymied by it. As far as the rest of the Nuggets, I feel pretty good that J.R. Smith is coming off the bench instead of starting. The Hornets' bench struggles to score, but is up there with the best defensive units in the league. Between Devin Brown, Julian Wright, and James Posey, I feel confident that the Hornets can limit Smith. 

Thanks to At the Hive for the great insight.  Hopefully he is right about Chauncey being able to hound Paul.