is pretty far down the list of worries in Portland right now, even with the addition of Miller. Chemistry comes from the top down, and while the top might have been Pritchard or Nate a year or more ago, it belongs solely to Brandon now.

I think chemistry could be a definite concern for Denver, but then that’s just the mud I’m throwing back over the fence. The author’s last sentence sums it up.

the nuggets are going down!!!!!!!!!!

As the #2 rivalry for us. But there is of course no question that the Fakers-Blazers games are #1.

although I do have to call him to task on a couple.

1) He says that the Nuggets upgrade at both starting SG and backup SG. I can go with Smith as an upgrade to Jones as a starter, but how is Afflalo an upgrade to Smith as a backup? Personally, I think that exchanging Jones for Afflalo is a wash – Jones was better defensively and I think Denver will miss that even though Afflalo is probably a slight offensive upgrade.

2) He claims that Wally will be a defensive upgrade over Kleiza. Hey, Linus was not the greatest defender in the world. But if the Nuggets do actually sign Wally, they are not getting better defense….

3) Ty Lawson the best PG in this year’s draft? He’s a good young talent and Denver was smart to trade for him, but c’mon….

That said, I think there will be some epic battles between the two teams this year.

I guess thats what develops between your players when they can all share drug/arrest/jail/dui/murder stories.

Two many egos spoil a good team.

Have fun trying to get the ball to Nene.

Link

when there is always someone serving a jail sentence

There is no rivalry here.

The nugs are good. They’re in our division. But i have no hard feelings or anything. I was routing for them last year after the blazers were eliminated.

further from the case. On-court chemistry, however, is of vast importance, which is one of the Denver Nuggets strongest qualities. After shipping out me-first gunner Allen Iverson for the team-oriented Chauncey Billups, it all came into place in the Mile High City.

Chris Andersen’s past drug addictions, J.R. Smith’s thggish lifestyle, Kenyon Martin’s brash personality, and Renaldo Balkman’s DUI are of no value whatsoever; it’s all sideshow bullcrap. Once they’re on the court, they play with a winning mixture of skill, drive, and intensity on both sides of the court.

All Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien needs to do now is fill out the ballclub’s roster, with a high-scoring reserve wing (e.g., Wally Szczerbiak) and a third-string pivotman (e.g., Robert Swift) potentially filling those voids in a cost-effective manner. Yes, Szczerbiak is a stiff on defense; however, Linas Kleiza had the same flaw, so it’s a moot point.

Also, swapping Dahntay Jones for Aaron Afflalo — who should start over Smith for the purpose of balancing the first and second units — is a wash. A multitude of people overrate the defense that was played by Jones, who was overaggressive and prone to committing mindless fouls on the perimeter.

We win 54 games: It’s a nice start for our young team.

They win 54 games: NEW FRANCHISE RECORD.

The games will be lots of fun to watch, and they are a good team. I’m glad Billups got to show how valuable he really is. I’m also a big fan of Nene.

Mortimer