I'm kinda suprised that Big Shot Bob hasn't showed up this series. He usually steps his game up in the playoffs. Nuggets4, what do you think is the problem with Billups? Is it his age or something else? He doesn't require much athleticism.
Age. Plus, I can't remember where I'm stealing this from but someone said "Last year Billups rubbed off on the Nugs. This year the Nugs rubbed off on Billups." GREAT post, but I'm late for a meeting. I'll try to answer this tomorrow. Short version - I expect some pretty big changes this summer. I think JR's gone. It wouldnt' surprise me to see Nene go either.
You misread the title. It didn't cal him Knee mac. It said his plea for help for a plea for knee mac to help.
Honestly, call me crazy, call me a homer, but I think we beat the Jazz in 7 if Karl is coaching. That said, it's a moot point. The Jazz have outplayed us in every game and deserve the win. We got a bad break. Oh well. I also think with Karl coaching we lose in the second round anyway. Karl makes a difference, but not enough to take the team back to last year's levels. Do I think they'll blow the team up? I think they'll listen to offers. Honestly, I know NOTHING right now -- and I have to stress that because I know I've had little leaks for you guys before. I know NOTHING. I think JR's gone. I think the twitter incident was the last straw. I think Nene will be available. As I mentioned elsewhere on this board, I think KMart is shopped. And yes, I think they listen to offers for Melo. I don't think they shop him, but I think they're listening. The Nugs front office is pretty damn high on JR. Karl is pretty damn low on him. That said, I don't think we can consider Karl a part of the team anymore. Just looking at the interview on ESPN with him was sad. Part of me hopes that he retires and just enjoys life for a while instead of dealing with these knuckleheads. That said, as a Nugs fan I'd love to have him back. I know there were numerous instances in the past where Karl tried to get rid of JR only to have the front office overrule him. As for what we could get in return, I have no clue. JR's value is probably all over the chart. I don't think it's a stretch to say that athletically he's a top 10 player in the league. Mentally? He's ahead of Deshawn Stevenson. That's about it. Find a team that's similar to Denver and values physical assets more than mental, and he could get a decent haul. Find a team like Houston that does it's homework and values mental ability and you're getting a future 2nd. They'll probably find something in the middle. I really think Melo's going to explore free agency in 2011. I think if we don't get something going next season, he's as good as gone. This could be a Bosh-type scenario.
No, he just ran into a buzzsaw named Deron Williams as opposed to having the luxury of playing against Derek "I should have retired two years ago" Fisher.
I dont think its a stretch to say that they would have beaten the Jazz if Karl was coaching. Dantley and Karl look to be opposites when it comes to personalty when coaching and how much Xs and Os experience does Dantley have when trying to draw up a play for the Nuggets? Karl has proven himself to be one of the better coaches over the past 20 years in the league for good reason. Toss in the injuries to Okur and Kirilenko should have made this series even more winnable for the Nuggets. Dantley was pretty much tossed into a really tough situation its no surprise he hasn't been able to keep this team together. But as I mentioned earlier the core of the team is the same, the one that made it to the WCF last year they should have been much more composed and focused themselves as players in this series. I could be wrong but didn't the Nuggets get JR for cheap from Chicago? Like I want to say a 2nd round pick and a scrub player? While his value as a player has shot up in recent years in Denver its a bit surprising to hear that Denver brass is so high on him. They got him for cheap and got a huge return on their investment if they can improve the team even further with him being the centerpiece of a trade they should IMO. He can win you a game when he gets hot but I've also seen him lose games too. I agree on your assessment of his athleticism and like Martin wish he took it in more into the paint instead of settling for jumpers. At least his jumper isnt as bad as Martin. His value is hard to peg he can always be a 6th man candidate if he was a bit more consistent and got his head on right a bit more, but at this point if he hasnt done it already its hard for me to believe that he will all of a sudden now this far into his playing career. I am not sure if they should blow up the team but compared to the other teams in the west the Nuggets have relatively stood pat. Only the Jazz have done less to add talent onto their team in the past year or so and the Nuggets do not have the young talent that can keep improving like the Thunder or Blazers (minus injuries) to be able to not add anyone and still be better than previous season. The wheels can fall off the Nuggets quickly if Billups starts to decline faster, he has declined a bit already but is still a top PG in the west. He really changed the team last season but seems to not carry over that same mentality this season. I think you said earlier that last season he rubbed off on the team and this season the team rubbed off on him. It seems true. Can the Nuggets be able to blow it up though and rebuild around Anthony quickly? If its going to take more than 2 seasons I think they should just start from scratch rather than waste 2 prime seasons of Anthony's playing career. I dont think the Nuggets are that desperate yet though. They still have 1-2 seasons of being a top contender in the west IMO. They really need to shore up their shooting guard spot. Afflalo was a good replacement for Jones but both of those guys are a bit undersized and not really offensive threats compared to the other shooting guards in the west. Lawson, Smith, Andersen do make a good bench trio but Smith needs to go first even if its just for a late first in this years draft. They can build their bench through the draft (do they have their own picks this year?) Will they be able to lure someone with the MLE? Did they use their MLE to sign anyone last season? I think they really need to get someone at that 2 guard spot and bring Afflalo off the bench instead. Having Smith as a starter will be poison of course with his shot selection but even someone like John Salmons at the 2 would help this team tremendously. Sorry I havent really looked at their cap situation I figure its probably not too good considering how they let Camby go just to save money (not a terrible move but I would have tried to get at least an actual pick out of the clippers not just a conditional swap) If things are bad I think Melo may look at all his options in 2011 to be honest I was a bit surprised he didnt follow suit with his fellow draft mates and sign only a 3 year extension to be a free agent this year but he was in a better situation than all of them except for LeBron so it also made sense that he wanted to stay. Nuggets4 I am curious to hear what you think is the most pressing need(s) for the Nuggets this summer? Its not the offseason yet for them I think they will last till a game 6 in SLC. Game 5 tonight will be very intriguing to say the least to see how they come out and play I honestly think that if they win a tough game tonight it will be more beneficial to them than having a blow out victory.
You guys are kidding yourselves if you think that's the reason. You obviously aren't very familiar with Martin, Melo, or JR.
that's even worse. Really? Tmac with JR Smith and Melo? don't they have enough people who pull up for 3s on fast breaks?
True. He has to win a few rings before he earns the right to say things like, “ I ain't goin' to a gun fight with butter knives no more!”
