My goodness I've never seen such poor defense displayed by a team like this before. I hate this team not b/c they are Rockets rivals but b/c they don't play any defense. Not only did they let the Bulls shot a season high in FG% yesterday but they let the freakin Bucks of all team to come back from a 23pt deficit to win. I thought their defense last year was bad, but this year might be a little worst. It boggles my mind that some media(Barkley), think this team is a playoff contender. You can't win sh8t with defense like this. Most overrated team in the NBA today.
Where is that nuggets fan? That team sucks big time, while I believe their salary is among the highest in the league. Both GM and head coach should be fired.
How can you say they have the worse defense in the NBA? They have the reigning defensive player of the year and the best center in the West!
Watching the game, it's clear their biggest problem is mental. When they fall apart...they REALLY fall apart. Two techs right before halftime, which allowed the Bucks to cut it to 14, and then the defensive meltdown in the third, and then another tech in the final minutes. Hot heads all around. I could definitely see them missing the playoffs.
They are a very inconsistent team, if everyone feels cooperative and happy on that team, they could go far, but with Melo, AI, Kmart, J.R. Smith, Camby...at least one of them is usually lazy or moody
I didn't see the game tonight but you said it! They need to break up that team and rebuild and/or dump George Karl. It's got to be at least one or the other. Anybody can see Karl doesn't get the best out of their talent on a consistent basis. I can't think of who they could bring in but a new coach has to be part of their makeover IMO. [I'll be honest and say I dislike George Karl a lot].
Nuggets has the 3rd highest payroll, lol, what a joke. It's pretty sad their 2 stars aka Melo and AI can't make their teammates better. We should feel lucky to have Yao and TMAC comparing to Nuggets. At least both Yao and TMAC can make their teammates better even when they struggle in scoring category.
I think Karl is a proven coach, but they got a bunch of immature hotheads on that team. As far as their defense, they are actually 5th in defensive efficiency, surprisingly enough. They play at the fastest pace in the league, which means the games are usually going to be high scoring. I'm not sure if their style of defense will work in the playoffs, though. They are 15th in field goal defense, and bottom five in defensive rebounding. Their strengths are forcing turnovers and not putting opponents on the line. I think to be a good playoff defensive team, you need to be very good on the boards, and good at getting stops in the half court.
Karl has been a good coach throughout his career but sometimes the game passes people by and/or sometimes the coach and players on a team just don't mix. I'm not sure which it is with Karl but he just isn't getting anywhere near the results he should be from a team that talented. I'm not too sure what type of coach Denver needs but I think it has to be a guy with a fantastic NBA resume or a guy who was very successful as a player. AI and Anthony need someone who is an even bigger presence in the locker room than they are. George Karl seems to be a guy who has to have self-motivated guys because he just does not have the clout nor the ability to motivate people.
I was hoping they would trade for Zach Randolph.......they could've qualified for the Special Olympics then...
I like your idea, Dave. Sincerely, Larry Brown, current unemployed NBA coach with a fantastic NBA resume and a coach who doesn't shy away from being a bigger presence than his players.
JVG should be a good fit. Nuggets are a bunch of arrogant losers. They need a police aka JVG to kick their ass.
Allen Iverson is NOT a winner. He has the heart, but not the mentality. For all his skills Carmelo still doesn't know how to play in the flow of a game or control the tempo. Help defense (Camby) wins you DPOY awards, real man to man defense wins you a spot on SportsCenter everytime you contest a shot and are posterized (Yao). Blaming Karl for the weak defense is easy to do, but the fact is this has always been a very overrated team. I don't think anyone in the West fears them in a 7 game series.
Yeah, that's the keyword - they're inconsistent. And they've just never developed that team leadership and chemistry that translates into postseason success. They have all the talent in there, and despite what Charles Barkley would like you to believe, they are actually one of the best defensive teams in the NBA on a PPP basis (#5 prior to tonight). They have dynamic scoring in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony and youngsters like Smith and Kleiza. They just haven't gelled and put it all together well enough to gain any kind of consistency. They just suffered the kind of collapse that our own beloved Rockets suffered a couple of times themselves this season while they were trying to find their way.
You can blame Goerge Karl for it. Denver has good defensive players--Camby, AI, Najera, etc. There is no reason why they shouldn't be this bad on defense.
They aren't. This was a fluke. Like I said, the problem is inconsistency and lack of chemistry. The Nuggets have a reputation for being a bad defensive team (and deservedly so given their recent history), but this year, they are actually pretty good. People just don't notice it because they are so fast paced and run so much. Look at it this way: The Rockets are the 2nd best defensive team in the NBA, and have been so for a long time (I don't think they ever fell out of the top 5). But even these Rockets got blown out by the Sixers, and then later on suffered a monumental 4th quarter collapse to that same team.
