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 Denver Nuggets may have been grasping at straws when they traded for Trey Lyles, the 6’10 forward from the University of Kentucky, but the formula seems pretty sound. Select a one-and-done Freshman from Kentucky with a top-15 pick, and just wait for greatness. Lyles numbers were rather pedestrian last year as he averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, but unless he’s an outlier, good things are coming. 1) Since 2010, there have been 14 one-and-done Kentucky Freshman taken in the top-15 picks of the NBA draft. Those include names like John Wall, Devin Booker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist,... Read More

With the 13th Pick of the NBA Draft….. When the Commissioner announced that the Denver Nuggets had shipped the 13th pick to Utah for Tyler Lydon, a stretch-four from Syracuse, and Trey Lyles, a 6’10 kid with potential from Kentucky, it wasn’t quite the blockbuster deal fans were looking for. Further selections of Vlatko Cancar, a 6’8 forward that’ll most likely play overseas for a while, and Monte Morris, a 6’2 glue guy just looking to make the roster, will hardly increase ticket sales either. Lydon has some upside, and Lyles could provide some insurance in case Danilo Gallanari leaves... Read More

If you are watching the NBA finals, it’s obvious that the Golden State Warriors are the best team in basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a distant second, and the Denver Nuggets are not in the conversation. The current Nugget squad is talented, young, and well coached. The only problem is that they’re a perennial ninth seed. Beating Golden State seems like a reach, but we don’t have to be the Prom Queen, we simply want to be invited to the dance. Here are five free agents that could get the Nuggets to the playoffs. 1) The Nuggets need a big-time player and they need him fast. As far... Read More