No sooner did I click "Publish" on last night's blog demanding the Nuggets move quicker with the Carmelo Anthony trade did a text come to my Blackberry from ESPN saying that the deal, in fact, had been finalized.
For those who were under a rock the last 18 or so hours and missed the Worldwide Leader's never-ending coverage of the biggest trade of 2011, here's how the deal broke down:
Denver received sharpshooting young forward Danilo Gallinari, versatile youngster Wilson Chandler, point guard Ray Felton, project big man Timofey Mozgov, New York's first round pick in 2014, a couple 2nd rounders and $3 million.
The Knicks, meanwhile, land the biggest fish in the deal by acquiring Anthony, one of the game's great young scorers. Alongside 'Melo, New York gets what's left of Chauncey Billups' rotting carcass, former New York foil Anthony Carter, Candice Parker's husband Shelden Williams and forward Renaldo Balkman(whom Knick fans will remember as the guy they booed mercifully when the Knicks selected Balkman with the 20th overall pick back in 2006). The Knicks also get former 2-time NCAA champion Corey Brewer from Minnesota, while the T'Wolves get back forward Anthony Randolph and big, fat, Eddy Curry.
So, who got the best of this deal? Well, time will answer that question after Anthony finally suits up as a New York Knick. While the real "winners" and "losers" won't truly be determined until this whole thing is finished playing out, here's a breakdown of who benefitted and suffered from last night's blockbuster. (Note: The winners and losers are in no particular order of importance.)
WINNERS
1. Carmelo Anthony: You have to tip your hat to the kid for successfully strong-arming his way to the place he truly wanted to be. He did what he could to stall out the Nets until the Knicks could come with a reasonable deal and now he's the new face of New York basketball. 'Melo's scoring, personality and swagger make him the best young matinee idol New York has seen since Derek Jeter and the fact that the Knicks are in the playoff race gives him an even better chance of becoming a Big Apple icon. Obviously, the reputation behind New Yorkers and their demands for instant success will put added pressure on Anthony, who didn't have to deal with nearly as big a fish bowl in Denver. Still, Melo wanted to be a Knick and he played his hand beautifully to make that happen. However, as you'll read later, it isn't all handshakes and Hallmark cards for New York's newest second coming.
2. LaLa Vasquez: In a lot of ways, 'Melo's new blushing bride made out to be a bigger winner from this deal than her star husband. By moving from Denver to New York, LaLa becomes the Tri-State's next Joumana Kidd. Granted, LaLa was already known to New Yorkers from her run as a VJ for MTV, but now she's associated as the main squeeze to New York's Next Big Thing. Brace yourselves, people: LaLa is about to take over New York. She's going to be all over your television. She'll be doing work for MSG. She'll be dropping bombs with Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97. She's a deep Knicks playoff run from being "That Girl" in the country's biggest market. Remember how Jason Kidd's wife was everywhere when the Nets went on their Finals run? History is about to repeat itself.
3. Denver Nuggets: While none of the spare parts Denver received in exchange for their star player are nearly as skilled as 'Melo, the sum of those parts do George Karl's team a lot more in the end. Gallinari's just 22 years old and he's in the middle of a season that saw him average 16 and 5 for the Knicks. Maybe he won't be the next Dirk Nowitzki like some of his press clippings predicted, but would it be so bad if he was the 2nd coming of a young Peja Stojakovic? Wilson Chandler, meanwhile, is only 23, and was averaging 16 and 6 with New York. Ray Felton was playing at an All-Star level for the first quarter of the season and he's just 26 and averaging 17 points and 9 assists. Mozgov gives the Nuggets size, even though he'll probably never pan out to be anything more than a poor man's Bill Wennington. With this deal, the Nuggets got younger(which is saying something, since the Nuggets were already pretty young), saved a boatload of money, and have the opportunity to further along the rebuilding process with some of these picks they've acquired(especially if they acquire more picks by swapping some of their New York haul).
4. New York Knicks: Pundits will say the Knicks gave up too much for Anthony, a guy who would have probably signed with New York in the offseason anyway without having to give up anything, and that very well may be true. The Knicks, however, couldn't afford to be cavalier with the thought process that they were going to get 'Melo one way or the other. GM Donnie Walsh is angling for an extension and the best way for him to grab one would have been to land Carmelo. If Anthony ends up on the Nets, the torches and pitchforks of Knicks faithful looking for Walsh's head would have been outside his door by nightfall. As much as this trade thins out the Knicks, the fact remains that the Knicks have two of the fifteen best players in the NBA on their squad. Does it make them better in the East? Right now, no. They aren't better than the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics or the Chicago Bulls and they don't play good enough defense to be above the Orlando Magic. However, the acquisition calms down the masses in MSG and if, IF, Melo's presence helps land Chris Paul next summer, it will be worth every penny.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Hold on, hold on, hear me out. There's a chance, a slim chance but a chance nonetheless, that Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph turn their careers around in Minnesota. Again, it's unlikely, but it's possible. You see what a change of scenery did for Michael Beasley? You see what Kevin Love is doing in 'Sota? Alright, alright, Randolph and Curry aren't as good as them, but Randolph's 21 and he still has potential even if, at times, he seems destined to be another one of the NBA's great young tragedies. As for Curry, he's a 28-year old expiring contract. Yes, he's out-of-shape and worthless, but if Minnesota can dangle him to grab something more worthwhile, the price to get such a trade chip was just an equally worthless young bust in Corey Brewer.
6. Chris Paul/Deron Williams/Dwight Howard: Those are 2012's Big 3 free agents and they now possess the blueprint on how to get whatever they want if they find themselves disenfranchised with their current arrangement. If Howard gets tired of Stan Van screaming in his ear and feels like he can be the next Shaq in L.A.? Now he knows what to do. If Deron wants to beat CP3 to the punch and find a new home with the Knicks, he can follow 'Melo's lead. If all the wheeling and dealing New Orleans has done to try to convince Paul to stay isn't enough, Paul can go back to his trade demands from earlier in the year. Carmelo's successful departure from the Rockies now allows the young free agents-to-be to carve their own niche in finding a way out of Dodge. Now, granted, I don't think Howard is aggressive enough to demand out of his situation in Orlando. Yes, the Magic are in cap hell after agreeing to take on the contracts of Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, but unless Howard can go to a L.A. or a Boston, he's not going to find too many situations better than what he's in. The same can't be said for CP3 and Williams. The Jazz lost Carlos Boozer last year and have begun life without longtime coach Jerry Sloan. The downward spiral may be forthcoming and that might be all Deron needs as a reason to skip town. The same goes for Paul. The Hornets got off to a fast start but, without another big piece to complement Paul, they aren't going to do damage out West. Plus, Paul will no doubt be feeling the pressure from Amare Stoudemire and Anthony to come join them in New York. Given where he's at now, that's going to be hard to turn down.
6. The NBA: Basketball matters in New York again! The Knicks were already the 6 seed in the East after a surprising start but now the NBA has one of its most marketable stars in a large market. The Knicks might not be a powerhouse yet but, with 'Melo and Amare and coach Mike D'Antoni's frenetic offense, they are ready-for-primetime. Plus, with 'Melo in the East now, Commissioner Stern gets a few more Carmelo vs. LeBron games to televise. Like the Knicks, the NBA will benefit the most from Chris Paul joining forces with Melo and Amare. It will make the Knicks a powerhouse again as well as allow the league to what it has been wanting to do for a while now: Contract the Hornets. Melo to the Knicks adds revenue to the league's bottom line simply because, if the Knicks can make an ugly bastard like Patrick Ewing and a choke artist like Latrell Sprewell marketable, imagine what they can do with Anthony.
7. Los Angeles Lakers/San Antonio Spurs/Oklahoma City Thunder: The longer this Melo saga dragged on, the less of a threat Denver was going to be to the West's Big 3. Still, all three teams have to breathe a sigh of relief that they don't have to deal with Carmelo as often as they used to. Denver was always a team, on paper, that could have been the best in the West, but it had far too many headcases for George Karl to reel in. Now, they'll spend the next couple of years rebuilding, opening the door for the Clippers to fill the void as the NBA's next "coulda, shoulda, woulda" team. (Note: The Clippers would be winners here, too, but they are, in fact, THE CLIPPERS!)
LOSERS
1. Carmelo Anthony: Wait, how can Melo win AND lose, you ask? Well, he gets kudos for finding a way to fufill his dream of playing for the Knicks. The problem with that dream is that, by forcing his way to New York via trade, the Knicks don't have a team now that's even close to as good on paper as the one Melo just left. Denver might not have gotten the job done during Carmelo's time there, but you can't fault them for trying. They brought in Kenyon Martin, Chris "Birdman" Anderson, traded for Allen Iverson, then flipped Iverson into Chauncey Billups, they stole J.R. Smith and got another steal in drafting Ty Lawson out of UNC. If you compare what the Nuggets did to compel Melo to stay against what Cleveland did to build around LeBron, it's not even close in it going in Melo's favor. Now, Anthony is the lead dog on a two-man team. On top of that, who's playing defense for the Knicks? Amare was once one of the most athletic big men in the league, but knee injuries and surgeries have made him into the latest version of Antonio McDyess. Billups is still steady, but he's past his prime and the Knicks were probably better with Felton at the helm. Anthony's arrival to New York only has significance if they land Chris Paul next year. Yeah, it's a nice coup for the Knicks, but who is stopping Derrick Rose at the point or keeping Dwight Howard from dominating inside in the playoffs? Nobody.
2. New Jersey Nets: Ouch. When the Nets swung and missed on LeBron and D-Wade and even Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer this offseason, they at least had the Knicks to share their misery with(eventhough the Knicks did land one of the Big Six in Amare). Now, they not only have to swallow the fact that they missed out on Carmelo despite having the superior deal, they have to watch Melo light it up for their rivals across the river. Plus, who's coming to New Jersey now? You think Chris Paul is taking New Jersey over playing in New York or even staying in New Orleans? Doubtful. The same with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. That leaves New Jersey with nobody to make their franchise face if and when this team moves to Brooklyn. Quite sad, isn't it, that a team with an aggressive billionaire owner and the most recognizable rap figure of the last 30 years can't reel in one young cornerstone to build around? Maybe Derrick Favors morphs into the next Karl Malone. Maybe Brook Lopez bounces back from his sophomore slump. Maybe Devin Harris moves up another notch. Still, it has to be disheartening that the fate of the franchise rests on three big maybes, instead of one sure thing.
3. Amare Stoudemire: For four months, Amare was the NBA's Frank White. Now, he gets to be the poor man's Shaq to Melo's poor man's Kobe. The presence of Anthony obviously takes pressure off Amare to carry the team and you have to think Amare wouldn't have pushed for Melo to come to New York if he didn't know it meant he'd have to take a back seat, but Amare was an MVP candidate for a portion of the season and, while Melo won't exactly reduce Amare to mop-up duty, it's tough knowing that he'll never be the big man on campus like he was the first half of the season(especially since he took a back seat for so long in Phoenix).
4. New Orleans Hornets/Utah Jazz/Orlando Magic: Be afraid. Be very afraid. Now that the Knicks have become significantly more enticing to potential free agents, it just got a lot harder for these three respective teams to keep their free agents-to-be. As I mentioned before, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Dwight Howard all have legit reasons to bounce after next season. The most likely of which is Paul since a. his team is being run by the league, who would have a more vested interest in seeing the league's best point guard in big market instead of drowning in New Orleans(yes, pun intended) and b. he's already played the "I want out" card recently. The Hornets may be better than CP3 anticipated but they are far from a contender. Maybe the bright lights and paparazzi isn't appealing to Paul and he'll choose to go the Kevin Durant route and stay put, but what about an outgoing poster boy like D-12? You think Dwight Howard doesn't want to have his thousand-watt smile on billboards in Times Square? You think Deron Williams doesn't want to go from the House That Mormons Built to rubbing elbows with Donald Trump in the big city? It's going to hard for these three teams to compete with what New York now offers, especially since there is very little time to whip their respective teams into something capable of competing with the Knicks.
4. NBA beat writers/ sports media outlets: So, um, NOW what do we write about? With the Melo trade over with and no other big names on the Trade Deadline docket, there's going to be a lull going from Carmelo 24/7 to covering the rest of the league. Baseball's a month or two away and football might be gone for a while, the only thing anyone bothered to write about for months was about Carmelo Anthony's future. Now, his future is his present. Sure, we can dip into what's on the horizon for the aforementioned Big Three of 2012, but we have 18 months to do that. All of the excitement has been diminished now that Anthony finally got the deal that we saw coming since Halloween. You know what that means? Prepare for farfetched rumors and sports talk radio producers filling air times with what-ifs and conjured up nonsense.
5. Ty Lawson: When Chauncey Billups went on the trading block, you would have thought it would have been that Denver wanted to free up the starting point guard gig for their young point man. Now, Lawson finds himself blocked by his former Tarheel teammate. Granted, Raymond Felton is a free agent after the season and Lawson could always take the job next year, but what happens if Felton plays his way onto the team next season? Time was, Lawson was the speedy alternative to the slow and plodding Billups, but Felton has the jets that can equal Lawson's, and with all these extra guards from the Melo deal, it will be tough to find room to play both UNC alums together.
Showing posts with label Denver Nuggets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denver Nuggets. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Garden State of Mind
Haste makes waste.
It's a cliche I've been hearing since I was a small child and it's one that seems to apply to the Denver Nuggets' steadfast efforts in getting at least something of note for outgoing All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony. I don't fault the Nuggets in being aggressive in trying to move 'Melo before the trade deadline in February, but common sense tells you that, if a man makes it public he wants to play for the Knicks, he's probably going to drag his feet in agreeing to go anywhere other than New York.
Now, you'll find no bigger fan of the state of New Jersey than yours truly. I was born and raised there. My two favorite TV shows of the last decade have been "The Sopranos" and "Jersey Shore". "Garden State" is one of my favorite movies. However, even I know playing in Newark(where I spent the first decade of my life), even on a short term basis, is nowhere close to as appealing as playing in Madison Square Garden. There are reports that 'Melo's reluctance to sign the 3-year, $65 million extension that the Nets(and before them, the Nuggets) are offering is the latest road block to getting a deal done. Well, no shit, Sherlock! The man wants to play for the Knicks! The Nuggets will say publicly that the reason they won't strike a deal with New York is because the Knicks don't have the draft picks to offer that New Jersey does(which is bullshit because the Knicks could easily pilfer a first from some team wanting to add the services of young forward Anthony Randolph). The real reason Denver won't deal with New York, to me, is because they blame the Knicks(more specifically Amare Stoudemire and well-known cheerleader Spike Lee) for wooing 'Melo into wanting to leave Denver.
Maybe they're right. Or maybe Denver wants to paint New York as the villians as reasoning for not taking what seems to be the better deal. The current deal on the table from New Jersey has 'Melo and Chauncey Billups going to the Nets in exchange for a couple first round picks, All-Star point guard Devin Harris, promising rookie big man Derrick Favors, sharp shooter Anthony Morrow and a couple of guys who will be selling foot-long Chicken Carbonara subs at Quizno's within a couple months(the Nets would also get a semi-fossilized version of Richard Hamilton in exchange for the overpaid Twin Towers, Johan Petro and Troy Murphy). Now, Harris is solid point man with the ability to fill it up, but where does he fit on a roster that already has speedy playmaker Ty Lawson at the point? Are the Nuggets going to play both of them at the same time and try to overwhelm teams with their speed? As for Favors, he's still a couple years away. If he can't beat out Kris Humphries for playing time in New Jersey, where is he going to find minutes behind K-Mart, "The Birdman" and Nene?
The Knicks, however, will be serving up highly-touted forward Danilo Gallinari(who suffers from the classic Big Apple media overhype but is still further along than Favors is and fills a bigger need as a solid shooting small forward), Wilson Chandler(who is putting together a solid season and would really help the Nuggets with his ability to play multiple positions), rookie Landry Fields(like Gallo, another guy who is nowhere near as good as his New York press clippings, but still a decent two-guard) and perhaps a first rounder the Knicks would squeeze out in a deal for Randolph. That's not a better deal than the Harris/Favors poo-poo platter? For one, the Knicks are a 6 seed in the East(I know, hardly a huge accomplishment since the 7 and 8 seeds are both drastically under .500), while the Nets are barely afloat at 10-28. How can you expect 'Melo to be attracted to the idea of being shipped to a team that is 18 games under .500 and is two years away from moving to Brooklyn. Would a foursome of 'Melo-Rip-Billups-Brook Lopez turn things around and perhaps have the Nets sneaking in as a 7 or 8 seed(and in turn, getting annihilated by Miami or Boston in Round 1)? Maybe. Is it more alluring than being "The Next Big Thing" in the country's biggest sports market and teaming with Amare to become a poor man's Shaq and Kobe? Hell no!
So, look, Denver, let me save you, the hard-working fellows at ESPN who cover the ESPN, and the fans chomping at the bit for a deal to get done some time and aggravation. 'Melo's not going to New Jersey. He wants what every kid who grew up in the Tri-State area with the scant hope of playing in the NBA wants: to play in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. You can try to sell him on the eventual move to Brooklyn. Jay-Z can try to hustle 'Melo with his silk tongue and allusions of grandeur, but even Jigga knows there's nothing like playing in the Garden. Do the right thing, Denver. Quit cutting off your nose to spite your face. Make the deal with the Knicks. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.
It's a cliche I've been hearing since I was a small child and it's one that seems to apply to the Denver Nuggets' steadfast efforts in getting at least something of note for outgoing All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony. I don't fault the Nuggets in being aggressive in trying to move 'Melo before the trade deadline in February, but common sense tells you that, if a man makes it public he wants to play for the Knicks, he's probably going to drag his feet in agreeing to go anywhere other than New York.
Now, you'll find no bigger fan of the state of New Jersey than yours truly. I was born and raised there. My two favorite TV shows of the last decade have been "The Sopranos" and "Jersey Shore". "Garden State" is one of my favorite movies. However, even I know playing in Newark(where I spent the first decade of my life), even on a short term basis, is nowhere close to as appealing as playing in Madison Square Garden. There are reports that 'Melo's reluctance to sign the 3-year, $65 million extension that the Nets(and before them, the Nuggets) are offering is the latest road block to getting a deal done. Well, no shit, Sherlock! The man wants to play for the Knicks! The Nuggets will say publicly that the reason they won't strike a deal with New York is because the Knicks don't have the draft picks to offer that New Jersey does(which is bullshit because the Knicks could easily pilfer a first from some team wanting to add the services of young forward Anthony Randolph). The real reason Denver won't deal with New York, to me, is because they blame the Knicks(more specifically Amare Stoudemire and well-known cheerleader Spike Lee) for wooing 'Melo into wanting to leave Denver.
Maybe they're right. Or maybe Denver wants to paint New York as the villians as reasoning for not taking what seems to be the better deal. The current deal on the table from New Jersey has 'Melo and Chauncey Billups going to the Nets in exchange for a couple first round picks, All-Star point guard Devin Harris, promising rookie big man Derrick Favors, sharp shooter Anthony Morrow and a couple of guys who will be selling foot-long Chicken Carbonara subs at Quizno's within a couple months(the Nets would also get a semi-fossilized version of Richard Hamilton in exchange for the overpaid Twin Towers, Johan Petro and Troy Murphy). Now, Harris is solid point man with the ability to fill it up, but where does he fit on a roster that already has speedy playmaker Ty Lawson at the point? Are the Nuggets going to play both of them at the same time and try to overwhelm teams with their speed? As for Favors, he's still a couple years away. If he can't beat out Kris Humphries for playing time in New Jersey, where is he going to find minutes behind K-Mart, "The Birdman" and Nene?
The Knicks, however, will be serving up highly-touted forward Danilo Gallinari(who suffers from the classic Big Apple media overhype but is still further along than Favors is and fills a bigger need as a solid shooting small forward), Wilson Chandler(who is putting together a solid season and would really help the Nuggets with his ability to play multiple positions), rookie Landry Fields(like Gallo, another guy who is nowhere near as good as his New York press clippings, but still a decent two-guard) and perhaps a first rounder the Knicks would squeeze out in a deal for Randolph. That's not a better deal than the Harris/Favors poo-poo platter? For one, the Knicks are a 6 seed in the East(I know, hardly a huge accomplishment since the 7 and 8 seeds are both drastically under .500), while the Nets are barely afloat at 10-28. How can you expect 'Melo to be attracted to the idea of being shipped to a team that is 18 games under .500 and is two years away from moving to Brooklyn. Would a foursome of 'Melo-Rip-Billups-Brook Lopez turn things around and perhaps have the Nets sneaking in as a 7 or 8 seed(and in turn, getting annihilated by Miami or Boston in Round 1)? Maybe. Is it more alluring than being "The Next Big Thing" in the country's biggest sports market and teaming with Amare to become a poor man's Shaq and Kobe? Hell no!
So, look, Denver, let me save you, the hard-working fellows at ESPN who cover the ESPN, and the fans chomping at the bit for a deal to get done some time and aggravation. 'Melo's not going to New Jersey. He wants what every kid who grew up in the Tri-State area with the scant hope of playing in the NBA wants: to play in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. You can try to sell him on the eventual move to Brooklyn. Jay-Z can try to hustle 'Melo with his silk tongue and allusions of grandeur, but even Jigga knows there's nothing like playing in the Garden. Do the right thing, Denver. Quit cutting off your nose to spite your face. Make the deal with the Knicks. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Not So Fast, My Friend
At the beginning of the season, I tabbed Lakers-Cavs(with the Cleveland LeBrons winning in 7) as my preseason championship pick. When the playoffs started, I stuck by my prognostication, with the only change being Cleveland winning in 6. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the Finals.
The NBA's favorite batch of hoodlums, the Denver Thuggets, er, Nuggets has emerged as the team nobody wants to play....and not just because they don't want to get jumped in the parking lot.(Side note: It's hard to feel sympathy for a guy whose retort to being called a "thug" is saying that he plans on "taking care" of the situation in the type of discreet manner that leads people to assume someone's getting punched in the mouth. That being said, the Cubes-KMart tiff essentially boils down to one man's perception of what a thug is and another man not trying that hard to veer from that perception. Though the fact that Mark Cuban would call Kenyon Martin a "thug" when he has an alleged domestic abuser as his starting point guard and a pot smoker who opposes the national anthem as his small forward doesn't really given Mouthy Mark much of a leg to stand on. P.S. If you're man enough to yell at another man's family after a playoff game in which your team had been getting smoked the entire series, then you should also be man enough to apologize to the man face-to-face and not through your blog.) The Nuggets, led by possibly the most underrated coach in NBA history in George Karl, have shown the right blend of front-court toughness(thanks to Kenyon "Baby, I'm A Thug" Martin and the Brazilian Ben Wallace, Nene'), offensive aggressiveness(courtesy of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, who haven't met a shot they didn't like) and veteran leadership(Detroit castoff and hometown hero, Chauncey Billups). With their series with Cuban's Mavs all but over(Game 6's potential clincher comes Wednesday in Denver), the Nuggets will have time to gather their thoughts as they await either a hobbled Rockets team or an underperforming Lakers squad.
Assuming the Lakers wake up and eliminate a Rockets team now led by the always combustible Ron Artest and point guard Aaron Brooks(which, much to my chigrin, is NOT Saints' legendary quarterback Aaron Brooks.....bummer), the Nuggets would appear to be a tougher test for The Lake Show than the H-Town bootknockers have been(that's a 90's R&B reference....KING ME!). For one, K-Mart and Nene(provided they both are healthy...which is always a crapshoot) are the type of physical, gritty intimidators that would scare the piss out of Lakers bigs' Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Look what K-Mart has done to Dallas' Mr. Softee, Dirk Nowitzki. He's brutalized Dirk to the point that he's gotten Mark Cuban aggitated and rushing the court....THAT NEVER HAPPENS!(Ok, that's a bit of sarcasm, but nonetheless, K-Mart is a tough guy to deal with....NOT a thug, though.) Another key mismatch would be Billups against the two-headed inept monster of Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. Now, Fisher's old and Farmar just plain sucks. While Aaron Brooks was a well-known scoring tour de force at Oregon, Fish-Mar has made Brooks look like Oscar Robertson as of late. Billups is a big, physical guard who likes to use his big body to fend off defenders and drive the lane. Outweighing Farmar by about 20 pounds and being younger than Fisher by about 80 years, it seems likely that Billups will be have his way with the duo which will allow him to either score at will or dish off to his bruising bigs inside.
The other key matchup will, of course, be 'Melo vs. Kobe. While 'Melo is a rising star, he's not on the same atmosphere as The Black Mamba. The key difference here though would be that 'Melo has a solid supporting cast of wing players like the sharpshooting Smith, the rangy Dahntay Jones and the bulky Linus Kleiza, whereas Kobe's supporting cast(Trevor Ariza, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton) are talented but have the tendency to disappear in key spots(see last year's Finals or more recently, Game 4 of the Houston series). With the size and skill to defend admirably inside, Denver will force Kobe to take over more than ever(which, for those scoring at home, the Lakers don't do so well when Kobe's shot count goes above 24). Already banged-up with a lithany of injuries as well feeling the effects of a rigourous Olympic schedule and an NBA odometer that's continuing past the 1,000 game mark, Kobe might not be up for another long series against a team as gritty as the Denver Crips, er, Nuggets....sorry.
That would lead to an upset special that absolutely nobody saw coming and bring us to a conselation NBA Finals that might be more entertaining than the one everyone had drawn up early in the season: Nuggets vs. Cavs. The main drawing point is going to obviously be 'Melo vs. LeBron squaring off for the first time since high school. Heralded as the second coming of Bird vs. Magic, Anthony and James came into the NBA in 2003 amidst much hyperbole. The rivalry started off quick with LeBron taking the Rookie of the Year but 'Melo taking his Nuggets to the postseason. LeBron would inevitably sky past 'Melo, taking his team to the Finals a couple years later and winning his first MVP this season. However, despite the discrepency in notoriety, the matchup is closer than some would think. First, unlike Kobe, 'Melo has the thick frame and younger legs to at least stay with LeBron on defense(whereas Kobe's thin frame makes him look like Eminem to LeBron's 50 Cent). Never the best defender in the world, 'Melo can be motivated by the fact that he knows LeBron well and by the fame that toppling LeBron on the world's biggest stage would give him. There's also the story of Karl, who was successful with Seattle(bringing them to the Finals once) and Milwaukee(coming close numerous times), returning to the Finals after sitting on the sidelines as NBA's most combustible coach. Cavs coach Mike Brown will also be making a 2nd attempt at getting a ring and he knows that a taking the title here would give him and the Cavs an upper hand at retaining King James come the end of next season. There's also the story of Chauncey Billups, Denver's forgotten son, who spent the first few years of his career as a journeyman combo guard with no place to stick before emerging with the Pistons. After being traded in a salary dump for Allen Iverson, Billups can show up his former employer by taking home another ring.
Now, of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves. By no means am I suggesting that I'm picking the Nuggets to win it all or even get past L.A. in the conference finals. However, having watched my Hornets get dismantled by 58 points at home by the Rocky Mountian Crime Family, I'm aware of what these gangsters, er, Nuggets, can do. Everyone loves an underdog....even if it comes from the most unlikliest of places.
The NBA's favorite batch of hoodlums, the Denver Thuggets, er, Nuggets has emerged as the team nobody wants to play....and not just because they don't want to get jumped in the parking lot.(Side note: It's hard to feel sympathy for a guy whose retort to being called a "thug" is saying that he plans on "taking care" of the situation in the type of discreet manner that leads people to assume someone's getting punched in the mouth. That being said, the Cubes-KMart tiff essentially boils down to one man's perception of what a thug is and another man not trying that hard to veer from that perception. Though the fact that Mark Cuban would call Kenyon Martin a "thug" when he has an alleged domestic abuser as his starting point guard and a pot smoker who opposes the national anthem as his small forward doesn't really given Mouthy Mark much of a leg to stand on. P.S. If you're man enough to yell at another man's family after a playoff game in which your team had been getting smoked the entire series, then you should also be man enough to apologize to the man face-to-face and not through your blog.) The Nuggets, led by possibly the most underrated coach in NBA history in George Karl, have shown the right blend of front-court toughness(thanks to Kenyon "Baby, I'm A Thug" Martin and the Brazilian Ben Wallace, Nene'), offensive aggressiveness(courtesy of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, who haven't met a shot they didn't like) and veteran leadership(Detroit castoff and hometown hero, Chauncey Billups). With their series with Cuban's Mavs all but over(Game 6's potential clincher comes Wednesday in Denver), the Nuggets will have time to gather their thoughts as they await either a hobbled Rockets team or an underperforming Lakers squad.
Assuming the Lakers wake up and eliminate a Rockets team now led by the always combustible Ron Artest and point guard Aaron Brooks(which, much to my chigrin, is NOT Saints' legendary quarterback Aaron Brooks.....bummer), the Nuggets would appear to be a tougher test for The Lake Show than the H-Town bootknockers have been(that's a 90's R&B reference....KING ME!). For one, K-Mart and Nene(provided they both are healthy...which is always a crapshoot) are the type of physical, gritty intimidators that would scare the piss out of Lakers bigs' Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Look what K-Mart has done to Dallas' Mr. Softee, Dirk Nowitzki. He's brutalized Dirk to the point that he's gotten Mark Cuban aggitated and rushing the court....THAT NEVER HAPPENS!(Ok, that's a bit of sarcasm, but nonetheless, K-Mart is a tough guy to deal with....NOT a thug, though.) Another key mismatch would be Billups against the two-headed inept monster of Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. Now, Fisher's old and Farmar just plain sucks. While Aaron Brooks was a well-known scoring tour de force at Oregon, Fish-Mar has made Brooks look like Oscar Robertson as of late. Billups is a big, physical guard who likes to use his big body to fend off defenders and drive the lane. Outweighing Farmar by about 20 pounds and being younger than Fisher by about 80 years, it seems likely that Billups will be have his way with the duo which will allow him to either score at will or dish off to his bruising bigs inside.
The other key matchup will, of course, be 'Melo vs. Kobe. While 'Melo is a rising star, he's not on the same atmosphere as The Black Mamba. The key difference here though would be that 'Melo has a solid supporting cast of wing players like the sharpshooting Smith, the rangy Dahntay Jones and the bulky Linus Kleiza, whereas Kobe's supporting cast(Trevor Ariza, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton) are talented but have the tendency to disappear in key spots(see last year's Finals or more recently, Game 4 of the Houston series). With the size and skill to defend admirably inside, Denver will force Kobe to take over more than ever(which, for those scoring at home, the Lakers don't do so well when Kobe's shot count goes above 24). Already banged-up with a lithany of injuries as well feeling the effects of a rigourous Olympic schedule and an NBA odometer that's continuing past the 1,000 game mark, Kobe might not be up for another long series against a team as gritty as the Denver Crips, er, Nuggets....sorry.
That would lead to an upset special that absolutely nobody saw coming and bring us to a conselation NBA Finals that might be more entertaining than the one everyone had drawn up early in the season: Nuggets vs. Cavs. The main drawing point is going to obviously be 'Melo vs. LeBron squaring off for the first time since high school. Heralded as the second coming of Bird vs. Magic, Anthony and James came into the NBA in 2003 amidst much hyperbole. The rivalry started off quick with LeBron taking the Rookie of the Year but 'Melo taking his Nuggets to the postseason. LeBron would inevitably sky past 'Melo, taking his team to the Finals a couple years later and winning his first MVP this season. However, despite the discrepency in notoriety, the matchup is closer than some would think. First, unlike Kobe, 'Melo has the thick frame and younger legs to at least stay with LeBron on defense(whereas Kobe's thin frame makes him look like Eminem to LeBron's 50 Cent). Never the best defender in the world, 'Melo can be motivated by the fact that he knows LeBron well and by the fame that toppling LeBron on the world's biggest stage would give him. There's also the story of Karl, who was successful with Seattle(bringing them to the Finals once) and Milwaukee(coming close numerous times), returning to the Finals after sitting on the sidelines as NBA's most combustible coach. Cavs coach Mike Brown will also be making a 2nd attempt at getting a ring and he knows that a taking the title here would give him and the Cavs an upper hand at retaining King James come the end of next season. There's also the story of Chauncey Billups, Denver's forgotten son, who spent the first few years of his career as a journeyman combo guard with no place to stick before emerging with the Pistons. After being traded in a salary dump for Allen Iverson, Billups can show up his former employer by taking home another ring.
Now, of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves. By no means am I suggesting that I'm picking the Nuggets to win it all or even get past L.A. in the conference finals. However, having watched my Hornets get dismantled by 58 points at home by the Rocky Mountian Crime Family, I'm aware of what these gangsters, er, Nuggets, can do. Everyone loves an underdog....even if it comes from the most unlikliest of places.
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