Posts for category ‘denver nuggets’

[Editor's Note: Rashad Mobley has reported on the Wizards with media credentials since the 2008-09 season for Hoops Addict. He occasionally contributes to Truth About It.net, providing excellent analysis and a different perspective from his up-close coverage of the team.]

Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith ended the third quarter, by missing consecutive 24-foot jumpers, and his numbers going into the fourth were anything but impressive. He had made one of his six shots, and he only had four points, as his team held a slim lead over the Washington Wizards.

Things certainly did not get any better when the fourth quarter initially started, because Smith picked up an offensive foul trying to run through Nick Young, and then a technical foul for a delay of game violation. Still, Nuggets coach George Karl never removed him from the game, and despite some momentary frustration, Smith stayed composed.

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Ok, it was just one game … two games counting the win against Minnesota. With a 107-97 win over the Denver Nuggets, the Wizards have won two games in a row for just the sixth time all year (three has yet to be accomplished). Is it a reason to think this team just might do something crazy and sneak into the playoffs? Absolutely not. Is it a reason to get excited? A resounding yes.

Energy, effort, hustle and hunger were the themes tossed around the Verizon Center Friday night, the obvious reason why Wizards fans, even those who came to see Baltimore’s Carmelo Anthony, stood up and cheered for a brand of basketball that’s rarely been seen this season, if at all.

“I told guys at shoot-around, ‘We gotta play like a pack of mad dogs,’ and that’s how we played tonight,” said Flip Saunders after the game. The new guys, Josh Howard, Al Thornton and James Singleton set the example and led the way. “Thornton at 6’7″ can play like 6’10″ rebounding-wise, and Josh can play bigger, and of course Singleton. Those are energy guys,” the coach continued.

Thornton can score too, netting 17 of his 21 points in the second half. He arrived in D.C. at 2 am on Friday, and wasn’t able to participate in that morning’s shoot-around, but dug deep and found a way to play some damn good defense against Anthony. “Once Carmelo gets in a groove and gets in jab steps going, he’s very hard to guard. So, I just tried to get in him and frustrate him a little bit and make him take off-balanced shots,” Thornton said. Melo had 23 points in the game, but only five in the second half and zero in the fourth quarter. He shot 1-10 in the second half.

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[photo source: flickr/dskciado]

This is Eduardo Alonso Nájera Pérez, a Mexican victim. Probably not of the swine flu, but definitely a victim of capitalist America’s NBA luxury tax, which is designed in a rather socialist manner to penalize those who spend more money.

Many have wondered where Denver would be if they still had Marcus Camby, who was sold to the Clippers for a 2nd round pick. But watching the energy, hustle, and scrapiness of the Nuggets, led by the Birdman Anderson, it’s easy to see how a big like Nájera might fit better than the frail Camby.

Nuggets coach George Karl hated to see the Big Mexican sign a 4-year $12 million contract with the Nets this past summer, but Kiki had an edict from cost-cutting owner Stan Kroenke (even though anyone might question giving that much to a 32-year old). Still, Kroenke and his wife, a Wal-Mart heir, are both on the Forbes billionaires list (Kroenke is ranked 205 and worth a meager $3 billion).

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All you really need to know about the Wizards’ loss to the Nuggets on Friday.

One moment, Andray Blatche is going to the basket aggressively. Blatche, a wiry big man who relies too much on his guard skills, thinks he can comfortably slide by the smaller man and float up a scoop shot.

But then comes the feathered wing of a flying Birdman.

No Way.

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Well, to go from partying in DC one night, to this the next. Ahh, the life of an NBA baller on a sucky team.

Well, at least Andray Blatche has that $2,739,669 he’s making this year…..with $9,780,992 coming over the next three years.

But sheesh (pulls at collar), that Nuggets game got ugly fast. The Wiz had a seven point lead midway through the first quarter, but that lasted about the time it takes to microwave a burrito.

Dunk after dunk after dunk later, the Wizards were left with a 21 point loss that seemed closer than the game actually was.

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Jeff from CelticsBlog.com is doing the grunt work to put together a comprehensive NBA preview from bloggers ’round the ‘sphere. The Atlantic Division Preview was first, the Southwest Division was second, the Central Division was third, and now the Northwest Division is out. Here are the highlights from the participating bloggers for each team, click on the blog links to see the full team preview:

Denver Nuggets

[Pickaxe and Roll]
I think there are different answers depending on whether you are talking about the goals of management or the goals of the players. Management has clearly been geared towards the future. The Camby trade revolved around future cap flexibility. They traded their first round pick for a future first round pick. Older players Camby and Najera have been sent packing in exchange for younger players. Management would never admit it, nor should they, but I do not think they expect anything other than another first round exit at best from this squad. Prediction: 47-35

[The Nugg Doctor]
The goal for this team is to not be content just making the playoffs, but to finally advance in the postseason. For five straight seasons the Nuggets have been one of only four teams in the league to make the playoffs in said consecutive years and are the only team to have not made it to the conference semis. Prediction: 44-38

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Well, the Wizards are in the midst of a brutal February where they’ve lost their first 5 games of the month, 6 losses in a row overall, as well as in 8 of the last 10 games. And while their early season play without Gilbert Arenas has surprised everyone, for some to the point of questioning the value of Arenas, this latest futility is no surprise. What has become evident is that no squad can overcome the level of injuries felt by the Wizards, and that dangerous NBA teams need a guy who is able to command points in the hoop.

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About That Nuggets Game [live blog]

With 5:41 left in the 4th quarter, as Linas Kleiza was hitting two FTs to push the Denver lead to 12 at 96-84, Carmelo Anthony, who at the time had 40 points, checked back into the game.

Normally, I would not blame a team for bringing their superstar back to the court with a 12 point lead. Five minutes and forty-one seconds is a lot of time….we know this is the NBA. But, it’s the manner in which the Nuggets carried out the remainder of the game that makes me object. Denver’s intent was not so much to put away the game as a team, rather so ‘Melo My Man could put on an individual show and go for an individual achievement.

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Just kidding, kinda.

1st Quarter

The game started off well enough. DeShawn didn’t take and miss the first two shots of the night as he did against the Nets; and he seemed primed to guard Allen Iverson while Gilbert Arenas started off on Yakhouba Diawara (who wasn’t exactly a driver, but was sure content with hitting a couple early 3s). The faulty scoreboard was also resolved, and Gil came out with the black compression sock, rather than white.

Well, with about 9 minutes left in the 1st quarter, there was a clock malfunction and a considerable delay. Arenas proceeded to jog up and down the court to keep warm, at the end of which, Kenyon Martin had some words for Gil, probably more knee advice (maybe someone could just give Arenas a list of those who have, or are trying to overcome knee injuries and this season can just be one big nationwide consultation tour). When play resumed, Gilbert got immediately pick-pocketed by Marcus Camby. These weren’t good signs of things to come.

The first quarter ended close with the Nuggets up 28-26. Lucky for Wizards because they did not know what to do with A.I., he was able to penetrate at will. DeShawn had no chance of staying in front of him, really wasn’t even making A.I. work. Antonio Daniels seemed to do a better job when he got in at the end. But we definitely aren’t seeing the AD of last year’s playoffs or season. He really should start being the first player off the bench, coming in for Gil from now on…probably 7 minutes into the game.

Side Note: Not that shot form predicates shooting ability, well it kinda does…but Reggie Miller would be the king of all exceptions [one of my favorite basketball sequences ever]. The point, Nick Young’s shooting form: not sure I like it. His trigger seems a little slow, deliberate. But if he can consistently hit them, that’s cool. I’m just afraid his offensive game will be defined as “streaky” as he develops.

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No keys to the game. No window love. Just go…..go win Wizards.

Gilbert Arenas has a new blog post and yes, he knows that it was a bad shot last night against the New Jersey Nets. All is forgiven.

Plus, he covers it all in this entry [his knee, his talk with Kidd after the Nets game, the celebrity blogger award, and A.I. being back in the phone booth]….thanks to Gil for being more the informer and less the entertainer for a change.

I’ll be at the game tonight, but will take notes. Go Wizards.

Oh yea…actually, there is one key to the game: The Verizon Center Crowd.