November 1, 2006 12:00 AM
Nuggets start here
This will be an interesting season for the Nuggets. They have great talent and a terrific coach and the chance to make some noise. But they still have enough problems that I think will plague them all season and will ultimately be their undoing. Here are a few . . .
1. Kenyon Martin. My belief is that he is such a killjoy that the Nuggets will never become a truely competitive franchise (as in Championships) as long as he is here. He is everything bad about the NBA rolled into one selfish, arrogant, self-absorbed player. He is a disaster in the locker room and poison both on the court and on the bench. It's too bad the Nuggets couldn't rid themselves of this walking disaster area.
2. I still question the maturity of Melo. He appeared to blossom over the summer playing with team USA, but I'm just not convinced whether he is leadership material.
3. Still no shooting guard or anyone, anywhere on this team other than Boykins who can put the ball in the hole. And even he has his cold spells.
4.Nene's knee. Untested, untried. It was an awful lot of money to give a guy coming back from knee surgery.
5. The ownership of Stan Kroenke. I just don't understand him. I'm a firm believer that the strength of a franchise starts in the front office. Pat Bowlen is a stellar owner. I'm a Mark Cuban fan. Sure, he's a little immature at times, but the guy knows how to treat his fans and put a winner on the floor. Stan Kroenke wouldn't know a Nuggets fan if one bit him on the nose. He has no connection to the fans or to the community. Kind of a strange way to own a team if you ask me.
So give me your thoughts on the upcoming Nuggets season. Can they last deep into the playoffs, or will they wilt as they did a year ago? Can Kenyon Martin change and play his heart out ? Or is he more like I maintain, unable to play his heart out because he doesn't have one?
Let me hear from you all about the season ahead.
Drew
November 1, 2006
8:00 AM
Chris from Littleton writes:
Without many changes to the roster, I don't see how there could be many changes to the season outcome. I predict the Nuggets will benefit from a mediocre division once again and finish up with an early playoff exit. They are just one step ahead of the Rockies.
November 1, 2006
10:40 AM
Bronco fan in SD writes:
Basketball season again already?...... That mean it is time for the Broncos annual choke stretch. I hope i am wrong though.
November 1, 2006
11:00 AM
Mike writes:
Stop Melo, Stop the Nuggets, not one thing changed in the off-season to give me any hope. We have no No 3 guard, no bench, etc.
November 1, 2006
1:10 PM
Fabio writes:
Basketball season is starting and baseball season is over. I can finally watch an entire edition of Sportscenter
November 1, 2006
10:20 PM
Tom writes:
Some thoughts for you Drew...
1. Anthony - Still incredibly immature. Enough of the cornrows and dangly things in the back of the head, eh? Grow up. Look like a man, not a 16 year old gangster. He could also stop padding his stats during garbage time. If he's scored enough to ensure a win, get off the damn court and give a bench player a chance. He is definitely NOT leadership material, and frankly, never will be.
2. Martin - I agree with everything you said. If only he could also stop saying "You know what I'm saying?" after every freaking sentence. That really grates on me.
3. Karl - This guy went what 32-8 down the stretch after taking over? Big deal. That was a long time ago. Who cares? He played weak teams with a home-loaded schedule. That proves nothing. He's an average coach at best. At worst, he's a lazy coach who does nothing to inspire the team. He would, however make a great spokesman for Hall's Cough Drops.
4. Andre Miller - Doesn't do anything except take bad shots and fire the ball to the rim for a alley-oop. Big deal. It's not a crowd pleaser anymore. It's as boring as the breakaway dunk. I want to see players SHOOTING THE BALL.
5. Camby - Unreliable. Always injured, it seems. Not a leader. He's made of glass, just like....
6. ....Nene. What a waste of good money. But I guess Stan has plenty. Why, oh why would a team want to handcuff itself for that many years with outrageous contracts like these. It's insane.
7. Kronke - He's not just screwing up one franchise (the Avalanche), but he's going for a two-for-one.
That is all.
November 1, 2006
11:19 PM
Jacob writes:
Tom's an idiot
November 2, 2006
12:47 AM
East Coast Bias writes:
Sportscenter? When does WSPN debut?
November 2, 2006
3:16 PM
Dwayne writes:
OK Tom
1- Melo, is leadership material. He proved his worth on a world stage. When Coach K speaks highly of a persons leadership it is no lie. Who cares about the cornrows.
2- Didn't know a players talent was based on the way they talk in an interview. The Nuggets need swagger, K-Mart's giving it to them.
3-George Karl isn't average. He isn't the end all be all, but he isn't average.
4-Andre Miller can stand to take better shots I agree,.
5-Look at the Nuggets record minus Marcus Camby. Teams eat them up in the paint when he doesn't play.
6-How is Nene made of glass. Dude blows his knee out on opening night, and he's made of glass, whatever.
7-Kroenke isn't screwing up either team. Under his watch the Nuggets have regained some respectablity back, and the Avalanche had one of the greatest seasons a hockey team could have in 2001. Stop blaming ownership for Forsberg, Foote, Blake, and Tanguay's departures. It's called a salary cap, in the NHL it's a hard cap, and the Avs were WAY over it. They didn't have the room to keep any of them. No matter how much you try to argue they did. That superstar line-up had to be sacraficed because of the cap. GET OVER IT!!!
November 3, 2006
12:07 AM
Tom writes:
Exactly what part of Anthony's crybaby approach to the Clippers game leads you to think Anthony is a leader? I mean....leaders don't cry about ref's calls, and they don't throw headbands and jerseys. They do ignore the refs and take over a game. Anthony is a complete baby, and will never grow up. He is a liability. I don't care how many points he scores. He's the most immature and selfish player in the league. He's also the most over-hyped. Kenyon Martin is a close second.
By the way....does George Karl even have a pulse? Imagine a decent coach in charge here at Denver and Anthony and Martin would be benched for at least the first 10 games of the season for sheer laziness.
Additionally.....why the hell can't a Nugget hit a 3-pointer? I think that is damn funny.
Don't even get me started on Miller's 0-for 11 from the field!!!
November 3, 2006
8:19 AM
Fabio writes:
East coast bias, you are right. Sportscenter is definitely most about the East Coast. It would be nice to see some good coverage around here. NFC East, SEC, Lebron, Yankees, you see all about them
November 3, 2006
9:34 AM
Tom corrector writes:
Why won't Tom acknowledge how wrong he is when he claims that Kroenke is "screwing up" the Avs? Kroenke funds the max payroll that the Avs can have, and before the cap, he funded a very large payroll. Kroenke is an excellent owner for the Avs... he supplies all the cash they can use. What more could he do? And as a second point, how exactly are the Avs "screwed up" anyway? In this salary cap world that initially hurt the Avs more than any other team in the league, and in an incredibly difficult division/conference, the Avs still managed to not only make the playoffs last year but also beat the heavily-favored Stars in FIVE games. And they remain a good, competitive team even right now as they work a new generation of youth ino the lineup (Stastny, Wolski, Richardson, Svatos, etc.).
Could you be any more clueless in your comments about the Avs, Tom?
November 3, 2006
6:30 PM
Dwayne writes:
So by your account Tom, Dwyane Wade is a cry baby to. He received a tech for arguing as well. If anything Melo is under-hyped. Dude makes several clutch shots last year with little fan-fare. LeBron makes the first of his career and the nation is all excited. Name me more than 10 players who DON'T complain in a game, that play significant minutes. Maybe you ought to take into account EVERYONE, before you single out one person.
November 4, 2006
2:07 PM
Tom writes:
Yep....Dwayne Wade is a crybaby, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Andre Miller.....
Even guys like Tim Duncan. I am completely sick of overpaid idiots pleading their cases to the refs like they're being accused of grand theft auto or something. Cripes sake....raise your freaking arm, acknowledge you fouled the guy and get your keister ready to start play again. What the league really needs to do is make the fouls maximum 5 instead of the current 6. Also....one technical foul should be enough to warrant being ejected from the game. If I bitched out my boss or supervisor once, I'd be fired. These overpaid knuckleheads have it easy.
November 4, 2006
2:18 PM
Tom writes:
Forgot my list of players that I feel do not complain much if at all....
1. Gilbert Arenas
2. Tony Parker
3. Earl Boykins
4. Chauncey Billups
5. Brad Miller
6. Dikembe Mutombo
7. Steve Nash
8. Caron Butler
9. Michael Redd
10. Troy Hudson
Good enough?
November 5, 2006
11:39 AM
Tom corrector writes:
Tom, still not going to acknowledge my point below about how wrong you are when claiming that Kroenke is "screwing up" the Avs?