I've lived in Colorado my entire life without falling in love with the Nuggets. I've been to playoff games, owned jerseys, watched every game, but I've always had one leg in the wagon, one out. In truth, that's why this blog is about the NBA and not the Nuggets: while I love the NBA, I'm always on the fence with the Dank Nuggs.
I was going to give myself 10 games this season to decide whether or not I'm going to drink the Koolaid, but after their emphatic opening night win over the OK City Sonics, I'm already leaning there.
Everyone on the team looks like they're ready to play and win. AI with 14 dimes and 7 steals doesn't seem like Philly to me. Melo is getting close to unstoppable on the offensive end. Diawara and Kleiza were the the opposite of unwatchable for the first time in their careers. K-Mart is going to change the face and attitude of this team, in a very good way.
Drastic improvement has been made to the Nuggets front-court. Last season, they're 4/5 rotation was constantly injured (Camby, Nene) or undersized (Najera, Reggie Evans...the nutcracker). With the addition of K-Mart and the assumed health and development of Nene,
the front court has heft, athleticism, size, and (surprisingly) defensive prowess. K-Mart logged 3 blocks in 18 minutes, while Camby had five in 35. If they can provide a strong base on the defensive end, the guards defense will shape up, too.
Eddy Najera has always been a smart and scrappy defender (crafty Mexican, if you will), but he's also a hard-working and savvy muchacho who provides defensive leadership on the floor. (Insert racist dishwashing joke here)
Watching him scold Melo is priceless. Factor in his two three-balls on Halloween night, after one all last season, and he's earning his money.
George Karl's preseason focus on defense is still a long time away from being a reality, but it feels like progress to hear K-Mart call the effort during the blowout "mediocre." Karl's plan is simple: play suffocating D while AI roams passing lanes, and being extremely aggressive on the break. They might not have a Nash or Kidd, but K-Mart and Melo are freight trains on the break, and AI isn't so shabby, either. This could work as well as the 7 second drill in Phoenix simply because Camby, Nene and K-Mark can be so effective protecting the rim. Once they get into a slowdown offense, they can ride the skills of AI and Melo in isolation.
All of this stems from defense, and I think Karl has the right idea for his talent.
Obviously, I could be extremely wrong. There could be a fight for minutes between Nene and K-Mart that will result in K-Mart getting benched in a double overtime game, and Nene's knee exploding. Anybody's knee might explode at any given time. JR Smith could get the entire team arrested on marijuana charges. Melo might slap David Stern. It's the NBA, for Christ's sake...who knows?
gleefully gloating over the pathetic showings of the Rockies and Nuggets over the past weeks. As with the Rockies, I couldn’t help but be disappointed: we’re better than this. The Nuggets are a better basketball team than they were Wednesday night, just as the Rockies aren’t the JV of baseball, as Boston fans would suggest.
