Nikola Jokic is finally getting noticed.  A max contract, the first Nugget named to the all-star team since Carmelo Anthony, his team is in first place in the Northwest Division, fighting with Golden State for the top seed in the West, and he even has a cool nickname.  The Joker. A perfect take-off on his name: silly, clever, and like Batman’s nemesis, capable of taking over. But what about the other players?  With a record of 42-20, these guys should be household names, but they’re not.  While the lack of recognition could be due to time zones, market size, or Denver’s depth and rotations,... Read More

The Denver Nuggets are off to their best start in 30 years as they lead the Western Conference with a record of 29-13.  They’ve won twelve home games in a row, are 18-3 at the Pepsi Center, and have already had quality wins over Toronto, Boston, Golden State, and others.  And after the early returns from the NBA All-Star balloting, the Nuggets look to have their first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony played in the game back in 2010-11.  That’s right NBA Nation! The Nuggets are center stage, and Nikola Jokic is ready to represent. The only problem is, he may not be selected. Yes, I know that... Read More

The Denver Nuggets are off to a blazing start, but in a loaded Western Conference the Nuggets will have to fight off a cast of characters that include a 6’10 superstar with a unibrow, a disgruntled stud from Minnesota, Ricky Rubio’s man-bun, and some guy named Lebron in order to make our first playoff appearance since 2012-13.  A prediction of the 2018-2019 playoff seedings. Golden State Warriors – Analytics has the league playing at a faster pace, shooting more threes, and playing small under center. Umm, didn’t the Warriors invent that style of play?  Golden State has won 3 out of... Read More

One of the difficulties of trying to write a weekly Colorado sports article is focusing on the biggest story of the week, and timing it within the deadline provided.  Follow that up with the challenge of informing and entertaining the reader in 600 words or less, and the problem becomes compounded.  Within the last ten days the Colorado Rockies had a playoff series, the Denver Broncos played twice, the CU Buffs traveled to USC, the Colorado Avalanche were five games into the start of the hockey season, while the Denver Nuggets were just hours from their NBA opener. And that’s just Colorado! ... Read More

In the 2011 NBA draft, Cleveland selected Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick as other teams contemplated top talents that could help their franchise. Klay Thompson went number 11 to the Golden State Warriors, and Kawhi Leonard went 15th ending up with the Spurs.  But like most NBA drafts, the rest of the picks were filled with unknown names with questionable talent and hopeful aspirations.  At the back end of the draft Dallas chose Targuy Ngombo with the 57th pick, the Lakers took Ater Majok with the 58th, and the Spurs went with Adam Hanga at 59. Obscure players from places like Qatar,... Read More

The Denver Nuggets had a busy week as they inked Nikola Jokic to a five-year/$147 million max contract, and then lured Will Barton back to the team with a four-year/$50 million deal.  So, I hope that you were entertained by last year’s team that barely missed the playoffs, because they’re not going anywhere soon. Jokic, only 23 years old, was due to make a mere $1.6 million this season but the Nuggets aggressively signed the former second-round pick to a long-term deal to keep him off the market.  Combine the existing contract of 23-year-old Gary Harris (four-year/$84 million) and the probable... Read More

As the names were announced in last week’s NBA draft, players such as DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Luka Doncic, and others strutted to the stage in flamboyant suits and logo filled caps to shake hands with the commissioner and celebrate their early first round selection.  Michael Porter Jr. sat awkwardly at a table nearby waiting for his name to be called. Projected at one time as the top high school player in the nation and potential number one overall pick, Porter started to slide down the draft board over concerns of a back issue that sidelined him for most of his freshman season at... Read More

The NBA draft will be held on June 21st and the Denver Nuggets will have to wait to see who is available at pick number 14.  Assuming that no trades are made before draft day, my mock draft looks like this. Phoenix Suns – DeAndre Ayton (7’0 Center/Arizona).  Outstanding athlete for a big man, Ayton dominates the boards with his physicality and can still make the 10-footer to keep the other NBA centers honest.  Along with Devin Booker, the Suns finally have the makings of an actual NBA team. Sacramento Kings – Luka Donic (6’8 SG/SF/Slovenia). The Kings are the worst in the league at evaluating... Read More

              The first three picks in the 1993 NBA draft were Chris Weber, Shawn Bradley, and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. The three would go on to star in NBA Finals games, All-Star games, movies, and commercials.  The 14th pick in the draft that year was Scott Haskin, a 6’11 center from Oregon State.  Haskin would play only 27 games for the Indiana Pacers before being out of the league for good. When the ping pong ball solidified the Denver Nuggets lottery position last week, the plan seemed obvious.  Select the best player available to add depth to... Read More

The Denver Nuggets were a mere 4.4 seconds from making the NBA Playoffs.  Nikola Jokic had the ball in his hands and a one-on-one opportunity.  But like a microcosm of the entire season, Jokic and the Nuggets came up just short.  With a 112-106 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver will have to watch the playoffs from afar as the organization focuses on next year.  Here are five moves that can get us playoff bound in 2018-2019. 1. Do nothing. Okay, almost nothing.  Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris made great strides this year.  Under Michael Malone, Denver has improved... Read More