The 2019-20 NBA Schedule was just released, and the calendar is full of exciting games and stars visiting the Pepsi Center this season. The Lakers with Lebron and AD, the Clippers with Kawhi and Paul George, Zion is coming, as are Harden and Westbrook. But I want you to circle November 19th as a game you may want to attend. The Atlanta Hawks are coming to town. Now, before you stop laughing, it’s true that Atlanta was only 29-53 last season, they’re not a playoff team, and while Trae Young is fun to watch, it’s hardly worth dealing with rush hour traffic for. But a few weeks ago, Vince Carter... Read More

For some reason, my editor frowned upon my original idea entitled, “Who Doesn’t Want a Threesome?” so, I dropped it to a duo. With Paul George teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, and Lebron having tacos with Anthony Davis and the Lakers, the question begs the answer: where does the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray rank among the NBA elite? The rules are simple.  Some guys are old, some guys are injured, but if you were starting a team tomorrow and had the choice of the following dynamic duos, how would they rank? Here’s how I see it. Lebron James and Anthony Davis—Los... Read More

The Denver Nuggets’ outstanding season ended prematurely last weekend as CJ McCollum poured in 37 points for the Portland Trailblazers, the Nuggets went cold and missed their last 15 three-point shots, and the Pepsi Center fans left the arena with a rare homecourt loss in a pivotal game seven finale. The defeat was disappointing, but the future looks bright as Denver’s young core of Nikola Jokic (24), Jamal Murray (22), and Gary Harris Jr. (24) showed that the team is formidable and on the rise. But if you’re thinking that the Nuggets should simply work on their shooting this summer, practice... Read More

The story became obvious as I sat down to write.  The Colorado Avalanche would eliminate the top-seeded Calgary flames in five games, and my fingers began to type.  Thoughts of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Philipp Grubauer raced through my head.  Memories past were of Stanley Cups, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Ray Bourque.  I would be sure to throw in Patrick Roy’s legendary playoff quote once said in response to an opponent’s trash talk. “I didn’t hear him because my two Stanley Cup rings were stuffed in my ears.” It was undoubtedly the story, the headline, the news of... Read More

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