This is the last game of the Denver Nuggets Eastern Conference road swing. Time to get a last win before the Nuggets play a couple division foes at home. Oh … and the team we are facing is the New Jersey Nets.

 

I don't care about the Nets (14-34).

I really, really don't. This season has been partially ruined for me because I watched 16 full Nets games this season trying to scout the players the Nuggets would get in return. I swear my eyes started bleeding midway through game 16. Enough already. I'm glad New Jersey's absentee owner Mikhail Prokhorov (Nets fans call him "Proky" another  tidbit I shouldn't know about their team) finally put an end to this madness. It was making me very bitter about the business of basketball. Made me quite cynical.

Fact is, I know far too much about the Nets because of the protracted trade talks between the teams. So much needless information about rookie Derrick Favors limited offensive game and potential “upside”. Too much about Troy Murphy‘s expiring contract. Far too much about how much coach Avery Johnson likes Kris Humphries. I shouldn’t care that Billy King is their General Manager. I sure has heck shouldn’t care that Adrian Wojnarowski acted as their in-house PR firm.

For that matter, there is no reason that Nets fans should be knowing as much as they do about Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke … let alone how much Chauncey Billups wants to stay in Denver and how much Rip Hamilton wants out of Detroit. There’s no reason Nets fans should care about Al Harrington‘s bloated mid-level contract or how much playing time Renaldo Balkman gets.

Lets face it, the only time we should care about what the opposing team is NOW. Tonight when we are facing each other head to head. Yet, I know there will be some leaked article to either Woj or Ken Berger about something regarding Carmelo Anthony, and it will bring up all these ill feelings again.

There's something quite telling in the fact that both the Nuggets and the Nets suddenly started playing better when the trade talks lessened. There's something telling in the fact that rookie Derrick Favors is starting to find his NBA legs. There's something telling that Chauncey Billups is acting like the leader he IS without the constant specter of trade talks looming over his head. Hey folks! We have BASKETBALL to watch. Good basketball too. Look at the way the Nuggets have played since the trade was nixed by "Proky". They have won five of their last six since the trade talks were ended … eight of their last ten. Wow.

Point being. I will tell you to watch out for Humphries and Favors on the offensive boards. I will let you know that Brook Lopez is a good player, but he may be a bit overrated. I will inform you that you need to watch out for Nuggets villan Sasha Vujacic and veteran point guard Devin Harris. I’m telling you this not because of their potential involvement in player movement … but because they are playing tonight and you ACTUALLY need to watch that. Oh, and watch for Anthony Morrow at the three-point line.

Right now, that is a good thing.

 

Nuggets of Wisdom

Al Harrington will be out for tonight’s game for the Nuggets (28-19). Kenyon Martin will play and this is the second night back for Chris Andersen (welcome back Bird). This is another one of those dreaded “second night of back to back” games and it seems as if the Nuggets always get these on the road for some reason. It’s very important to not get distracted by the faux-hoopla surrounding the game. If the Nuggets block all that out it should be a game the Nuggets can win. It’s been a good road trip so far, and I hope the Nuggets can continue with their post nixed-trade roll. Despite the fact the Nuggets lost to Philadelphia last night, the squad lost no ground to the Thunder who lost to the Heat.

Oppositions take: Nets Daily