Some quotes from Brian Shaw and Wilson Chandler on tonight’s game at Pepsi Center:

Brian Shaw on the new-look Lakers:

“They have a lot of new faces, a lot of young players, and they are a lot more athletic. With [Steve] Nash being out and obviously Kobe [Bryant] being out, you’ll see a lot more of Steve Blake, as well as, Jordan Farmar handling the ball for them and running the team. With the addition of Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson, and Nick Young it gives them some scoring punch off the bench. Also guys that can bounce back from a back-to-back better than some of their elder statesmen that won’t be playing.”

Shaw on wanting his team to take advantage of the back-to-back Lakers:

"They still had to fly in here and got in here, I'm sure, pretty late. We do want to take advantage of that, put the pressure on them right from the jump-ball. We have to focus on not allowing them to score easily and make them work for everything they get. I think they're leading the league in bench scoring, so when the starting five goes out you can't relax because they take it up another level when those guys come in."

Shaw on his former teammate Kobe Bryant, who is battling back from an Achilles injury:

"It's kind of funny, he's still not at the age that I was at when I ended my career, playing with him [as a teammate]. Some of the things he used to laugh at me about: how long it takes to recover from injuries and things of that nature, he felt like he was invincible at that time and I used to always tell him that ice will be your best friend. He didn't think he had to ice back when he was in his young 20s. So now it's come full circle and it's been nice to see him mature into the person that he is now."

[Writer's note: It's never fun to hear someone talk good about Kobe … haha]

Shaw on having Wilson Chandler available tonight:

"I have an extra little twinkle in my eye, knowing that we'll have [Chandler] out there for however long it is. If it's 15-20 minutes, that's 15 or 20 minutes more than what we've had him to this point in the season. I'm looking forward to him getting out and having an opportunity to play with his teammates."

Wilson Chandler on what should be his first action of the season:

"I'm just going to go out and try to get a rhythm and try not to focus too much on everything, just try to play loose."

Chandler on if his hamstring had any setbacks this week in practice:

"I haven't felt it at all."

**

This writer, as most here know, will be happy to see Chandler back out on the floor. He gives the Nuggets another scoring option to pair with Ty Lawson and his defense will be a much needed addition to this team. Chandler said he’s hoping to see 20-25 minutes tonight and we’ll be paying close attention to how he looks in what should be his first game of the season, at home at the Pepsi Center.