Game 1 Highlights

Check out these custom highlights of game 1 done on youtube. Very good stuff.  The format of this video doesn't fit the page, so just click on this link if it bugs you.  

Convincing Fashion

The Nuggies pulled it off in convincing fashion tonight against their series foe; the New Orleans Hornets. With the final score being 113-84, Chauncey Billups went off for a game high 36 points which included 8 three pointers on only 9 attempts. Lets just say Denver finally got to see what "Mr. Big Shot" is all about. 

Chauncey took over the game-basically-the entire game. Scoring 16 points in the first quarter alone, and finishing the game with 20 more. This was a very good sign for the Nuggets, and we all hope that Chauncey can put a show like this every night, but I find that highly unlikely. The good thing is that it couldn't have come at a better time. Carmelo struggled mightily in this game early and often. In total Melo only shot 4-12. As a fan of the Denver Nuggets I am very concerned with Melo's play, but I am also amazed that we won this game despite him basically not even showing up. But, I will say that Melo shouldn't expect luxury every night, because I don't believe that Chauncey can pull this type of performance every night. Jump shots in the NBA are never a given. Just because one night you're just hot, doesn't mean that it will continue. Just ask JR that question. 

Speaking of JR, he also had a great night tonight. Like Melo, his night didn't start off too well giving up a few turnovers, and taking ill advised shots. The difference was in the second half though. JR just pulled the game away for the Hornets. Yeah Billups was hot, but it was JR that also fueled what was a 21 point run by Denver that pretty much ended the game for the Hornets. New Orleans did a very bad thing tonight in allowing JR to feel comfortable. If he gets comfortable, he can take over an entire series. That's bad news for New Orleans.

As far as what I believe will follow this game? I think that Karl had a very solid game plan to stop the Hornets, and I think that we'll see more of what we saw tonight. Karl decided to make Paul become a scorer. He would switch or trap any pick and roll that involved paul, and would limit Paul's options to one, which inevitably was score. Paul is still a pass first point guard, and he is not used to being the full load scorer for the Hornets. When Paul is at his best, he's getting a few buckets here and there, but also taking advantage of the defense focusing on feeding the rock to his teammates for easy buckets. Denver limited that second option. Another aspect in this game that I was glad to see was that the Nuggets were much more physical than the Hornets. The Nuggets beat the Hornets up from the opening tip, and about 3 quarters in, the tempers started to flare for the Hornets that led to some poor decisions. After a few techs, the game was about in the books, as the Hornets started making unforced errors and frustration fouls. The Nuggets actually were the mentally tougher team for once in a playoff game. Sounds crazy, I know. 

If the next game on wednesday goes any where near as well as it did tonight, I would expect this series to end quicker than most people thought. I mean, how many blowouts like this have you ever seen in the playoffs? Especially in the first game. That's not a good sign if you're a Hornet fan. I still stand by my prediction of the Nuggets in 5, but the Nuggets need to come out like they did tonight on wednesday, and don't take any game for granted. You lose one game at home, and the entire series shifts. Need to go 2-0 in Denver, and go from there. But overall, I was very pleased with the performance tonight, and I can't wait for wednesday to come. Until then, go Nuggs!

In the spirit of Jim Mora, were talkin' about playoffs, damnit! Not just winning games. The Denver Nuggets have done plenty of that in the regular season for the past 5 years, but when the wins need to come in the playoffs, it's a whole different story. I think the Nuggets add to their record breaking season, and finally make some noise in the postseason. 

I honestly cannot believe that the Denver Nuggets are the number 2 seed in the western conference. It seems like only a year ago we were just fighting to get into the playoffs. Oh wait, we were. If someone would have told me that the Nuggets would be the number 2 seed in the playoffs, have Chauncey Billups, and playing the number 7 seed Hornets, I would have slapped the hell out of them. Truly a remarkable turnaround for the Denver Nuggets, and no one could be more happier than I am. I've been one of the biggest followers of this team basically since they drafted 'Melo in 03. Let's just say that not all of the 5 previous years have been all that pleasant. I can tell you one thing though, my girlfriend loves it when the Nuggets play good ball. I'm a dick when they lose. Haha. 

So in the first round the Nuggets are facing the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets are 49-33 this year, and have been considered as a major disappointment after their fantastic 08-09 campaign. They're, of course, led by the best point guard in the NBA (in my opinion) in Chris Paul, and have a solid, but injured supporting cast in Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. David West is also a very good ball player, but he doesn't fit into the injured category. I really liked this team going into this year, but for some reason, they never gelled like they did last year. Injuries are a major part of it, but it's not like they're getting much healthier. Chandler is back from his foot injury, but has only played one game in the past month. 

As far as the matchups:

Billups vs. Paul:

I love this matchup. You have the old blood vs. the new blood. Billups' veteran savviness, vs. Paul's unbelievable skills. Chauncey won't be guarding paul all that much, because Dahntay Jones will have that assignment. On the other hand Paul will be guarding Billups, and I see this as a possible mismatch for the Hornets. I believe that Billups will use his strength and height to post up Paul on numerous occasions, which will inevitably get Paul into foul trouble. On the offensive side, Paul will have to go against Denver's version of Bruce Bowen in Dahntay Jones. Inevitably I see Paul doing most of his damage in the assist column, as I see the Nuggets trapping Paul out of Pick and Rolls to get the ball out of his hands, as they have done in the previous games. 

Advantage: Push

Jones vs. Rasual Butler

This matchup is about as boring as it gets, because basically neither of these guys will be guarding each other. I foresee Jones guarding Paul as I said before, and I see Butler guarding Melo for as long as he's paired with Stojakovich on the wings. Butler's a pretty decent shooter, and will probably be waiting on the wings to sink a few when Paul gets doubled, but I don't see him having that big of a series. If he does, the Nuggets will lose. Can't let the shooters get hot if you're a Nugget fan. 

Advantage: Push

Carmelo vs. Stojakovich

Again, I don't see Stojakovich guarding Melo. He'll probably be guarding Jones to start the game. As for Melo? He will most likely be guarding Stojakovich on the defensive end. Just get a hand in the guy's face early on, and Stojakovich will take himself out of the game real fast, if not the series. Dude is streakier than JR. Melo should have his best series to date against the Hornets, especially if Chandler isn't playing up to par. 

Advantage: Nuggets

K-Mart vs. David West

I think this is the most important matchup for the Nuggets. K-Mart needs to walk the fine line in the Paul/West pick and roll. Help enough on Paul, so that he doesn't get into the paint, but not too much so West has an open jumper. If there is any man that can do this, it's K-Mart. I've been critical of K-Mart all year long, but he will be very valuable to the Nuggets if he holds his end of the bargain. I think K-Mart is the X-Factor in this series. Still, West will get his points, and that's okay. Just need it to a minimum. 

Advantage: Hornets

Chandler vs. Nene

Coach Karl better drill this into his players heads: "Give Nene the ball!" We need this guy to gain his confidence back to where he had it at the start of the season. With Nene balling, this team is very hard to beat. Chandler, healthy or not will have a hard time guarding Nene. He's basically a carbon copy of Camby for all of you that don't know. Maybe a little more explosive than Camby, but you get the picture.  Lanky dude, but a good shot blocker. Nene has a huge size advantage, and is the much more physical player. 

Advantage: Nuggets

Bench vs. Bench

The Nuggets have one of the best benches in the league, and we can actually thank our current foe: The Hornets. New Orleans took it in the rear when  trading JR Smith to us for 2 2nd round picks (technically went to Chicago), and just handed the Birdman to us- thanks to a few drug convictions by the Birdman :) The Hornets have James Posey, Sean Marks, Antonio Daniels, and Hilton Armstrong. Easy choice here. 

Advantage: Nuggets

So, in my "unbiased" opinion, I think the Nuggets win this handily if they get on the Hornets early. Melo needs to feel comfortable early, and if he does so, I see this team going really far. As far as my prediction? I have the Nuggets in 5. Win the first two at home, steal one in New Orleans, and finish it off here at The Can. 

Blinded by the Light

Jay Cutler is a baby
and he got traded tonight
Blinded by the light
the Bears gave up too much for Jay
and we got the better end of the trade
Blinded by the Light

So it's official! The Denver Broncos have traded Jay Cutler and a 5th round pick to the Chicago Bears for, count them, TWO first round picks AND a third AND Kyle Orton. I love this trade and I think we came out as the winners and the Bears will ultimately regret doing this. My phone has been ringing off the hook and all my fellow Broncos fans have been yelling "Cutler for Kyle Orton!?!?! Are you kidding me?? Man we screwed up." Now, to the untrained eye I can see their displeasure but let me break to you why Jay Cutler is overrated:

1) If everyone would stop jerking off to Cutlers arm strength and actually look into the numbers then Cutler is nothing special. Cutler was 16th (that's dead middle of the pact) in the league in QB rating. Guys like Shaun Hill, Seneca Wallace, Matt Schaub and rookie Matt Ryan all had better ratings... He was also 15th in the league in completion percentage, 8th in touchdowns (despite throwing more then any QB last year except Brees) and a blistering 18th in yards per attempt. So what did Jay lead the league in? Well, he was 2nd in the league in interceptions, right behind the interception king Brett Favre, and he was 3rd the league in total passing yards. But trust me folks, don't buy into total passing yards as a productive stat because it is just an indication that he threw a lot. He was second in the league with 616 pass attempts and that came partly because A) we had a very good passing offensive line B) we had no running game and C) we were always playing from behind so we always had to throw. Just to put this into perspective, if rookie Matt Ryan (who's an average NFL QB) would have throw the ball 616 times then his total passing yards would have been projected around 5013 yards. Not to mention that Jay Cutler had an Offensive line that only allowed a league leading 7 total sacks all season and a wide receiving core that arguable had the best one, two, three punch in Marshall, Royal, and Stokley.

2) Cutler is going to exposed in Chicago. You throw Cutler on a Bears ball club that has the worse wide receiver corps in the league and a questionable O-line and Cutler is going to struggle. Jay is a gambler and that’s the last thing the Bears need right now with their strong defense leading the way. Here an interesting stat to look at: during windy games Jay Cutler has a QB rating of 74.2, 55 % completion percentage and a 1:1 TD to INT ratio. Have fun in the Windy City Jay. Not to mention that Chicago is the second coldest city to play in right behind Green Bay. Especially in the playoffs, where history has shown that the average Bears game temperature is right around 10 degrees fahrenheit. Jay doesn't play well in cold weather. In games less than 21 degrees, Cutler is 0-2 with a 72.4 QB rating, 55 percent completion percentage and has never thrown a touchdown. Brrrrr.

Before the Orton injury last year, Cutler and Orton put up nearly identical numbers.
Kyle Orton, 2008 through seven games: 1, 669 yards; 10 TDs; 4 ints (5 games without an interception); 143 completions; 230 attempts; 62.2 completion %; 7.26 per attempt; 4-3 team record.

Jay Cutler, 2008 through seven games: 1, 862 yards: 13 TDs; 7 interceptions (2 games without an interception); 163 completions; 254 attempts; 64.2 completion %; 7.33 per attempt; 4-3 team record.

3) Cutler is not a leader. Period. Leaders are born, not made, and Cutler wasn't born a leader. He constantly lets his emotions get the best of him and it would get in the way of his play. How many times did you see him yelling at receivers for dropped balls or pouting by himself at the end of the bench when he should be firing up his teammates? Or how about overthrowing touchdown passes to Eddie Royal and Brandon "sure hands" Stokley in the final minutes of the Bills game that would have put the Broncos in the playoffs?

This whole month long "he said, she said" saga with the organization further proves my point that Jay Cutler is too emotionally unstable to lead an NFL franchise. You can't go cry and then lock yourself into your room when your names appears in trade talks. That's what Jay Cutler did and now he is being shipped to a big city that doesn't take that sort of crap. Broncos fans are very passionate but they are also very mild. Bears fans are very passionate but will throw you under the bus the minute you show signs of weakness. They did it to Rex Grossman and they will do it to Cutler. If football fans were hot sauces then the Bears would be Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce and Broncos fans would be the mild sauce at Taco Bell. If he doesn't grow up then he won't last in Chicago.



If he can't keep his cool in a post game interview after a game that didn't even mean much then how is he going to keep his cool when a playoff game is on the line? This is clearly not the guy I want in my huddle. Grow up.

Enough of Cutler, let's do what I do best and talk Bronco football. Now there are some things in this world that I just will never understand: trigonometry, The Big Bang Theory, George Karl, clouds, The Jonas Brothers, and the Davinci Code to name a few but I just don't get how we ended also landing Orton and third round pick. Not that I am complaining on bit but all the talks that I heard were for just either 1 first round pick and a player or possibly just 2 first round picks. But the Bears then throw in a quality third rounder and a quality veteran, SYSTEM, quarterback in Orton. I'm jumping for joy over here.

Sure Orton isn’t a long term solution but he is a mentally tough QB that can thrive in a McDaniels system. He won’t be anything too special but with if he can fully grasp the system and make good reads then our O-line and wide outs will allow him to move the ball effectively. Another thing I like is that Orton throws a softer ball then Cutler. Why is this a good thing? Well, because softer balls are easier to catch and when you have a wide receiver like Brandon Marshall who drops a lot of passes (third most drops in the league last year) then you want a QB with a Snuggles tissue soft touch. Ask Roddy White how much he benefited from Michael Vick's laser arm leaving the team:

Roddy White stats:
2 years with Vick: 952 yards and 3 TD's
2 years without Vick: 2584 yards and 13 TD's

And unlike Cutler, Kyle Orton is a winner. Orton is 22-13 in his career and has led a team to the Super Bowl. Yes, I know the Bears wonderful defense had a lot to with that but the fact is that Orton didn't screw up games. He's a system QB that follows instructions well and doesn't make high risk throws. That's exactly why Josh McDaniels was targeting Orton in this trade.


Plus, Orton is a mans man. He's a neck beard wearing, Jack Daniels swizzling, girl banging man. Lindsay Lohan even said he was "super hot" and she herself is "super hot" and Orton is not "super hot" by male standards. Playa? I think so. Meanwhile, Cutler had none of those traits. Cutler was the dorky virgin kid who sat by himself at lunch eating a PB & J with the crust cut off while he sat on his laptop playing War Craft. War Craft playing - PB&J eating - virgins don't translate into winners.
.
Finally, I love this trade because of the picks we got. We have FOUR first round picks in the next two years and at least three of them will be used on defensive players. Do you know how many former first round picks are on our starting defense right now? Three and those three are our best defensive players in Champ Bailey, DJ Williams, and Brian Dawkins. So building our defense, while McDaniels develops a young QB, sets us up for a promising future. Thus is why I wasn't Blinded By the Light of Jay Cutler and thought this trade worked out in our favor.

Nice knowin' ya Jay-C

According to DenverBroncos.com, Jay Cutler will now be shopped by the Broncos after numerous attempts by the front office to contact him had failed. Maybe Jay Cutler's gone over his cell phone minutes and texts and is worried about the cost? After all, he must be concerned after missing out on his $100,000 dollar bonus. Whether or not that's the reason for Cutler not answering, it doesn't matter because the words out of the rich man on top (Bowlen) seem to be sincere. 

For me, this lies on the shoulders of both McDaniels and Cutler. McDaniels shit the bed on the Cassell deal, and allowed it to get out. Cutler took it too personally, and cried like a baby for the past month. Ultimately, Cutler will regret the decision to whine like Scott Hastings puts it, "A little bitch," and McDaniels will regret ever contemplating the deal. 

McDaniels has every right to get the guy he wants for his new team, and Bowlen gave him that power when he made him equal to GM Brian Xanders. The problem is that McDaniels failed to get that guy. Now McDaniels has to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and try and get the best value out of a player that has asked for a trade. History shows that those trades don't go so well when in the Broncos' position. Regardless, McDaniels blew it when he didn't get the Cassell deal done, and in my opinion blew it when he even considered it. 

As for the Baby that will now get booed every time he comes to Denver, he will regret his rash decisions as well. Cutler may think that things are bad here, but wait until he freezes his ass off in a place like Detroit. But hey, at least he can feel at home when he continues to expand his losing record as a football player. Players go to die in Detroit, and I would be lying to you if I said that I hoped the trend stopped with Cutler.

Now the question for Broncos fans, is what the hell is next? Chris Simms? Please. He's not a starting quarterback. The Broncos need to find one in a trade, either by a pick or a player swap. Possible Draft pick possibilities are Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford. Both players are very risky picks, especially with the amount of guaranteed money they will be receiving. Possible trade possibilities can be Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, and Carson Palmer. Obviously the options are not very promising, and Broncos fans should start putting their nuts on the table as soon as possible, and wait for the spiked bat to come down... Hard! It's not gonna be pretty. 

As for my estimated guess on who we get? I have my money on Kevin O'Connell. The backup to Matt Cassell. McDaniels has to love this guy right? Hey, he knows the system.

So, we have just about seen the last days of Jay-C in Denver. Let's just hope Denver and McDaniels makes out of the breakup like Justin Timberlake did with NSYNC, and Jay-C follows... Well, JC. 

 

Carmelo Anthony

There are times when I wonder "Why isn't Melo one of the best players in the league?" Take the other nights game against the Mavericks for example. He was magnificent. He displayed his full arsenal of shots, moves, athleticism, and just star power that the Mavs couldn't stop. There was a time in the game when I said "Just give the damn ball to Melo. He's going to score." I have preached that Melo has the best mid range game in the NBA and when he exploits this, no one can stop him. You give him room, he splashes the jumper. You press him too tight, he drives around you for the layup. For example:



But unfortunately, this isn't always the case with Carmelo. The fact is, he is lazy and selfish. He can be up their with the NBA elites but he needs to work on his effort. When he wants to, he plays hard defense. When he wants to, he is a willing passer. When he wants to, he is a very good rebounder. When he wants to, he is a good all around player. See the trend? So do I. The problem is that he already believes that he is up there with LeBron and Wade when truthfully, he is nowhere in that ballpark. Those two are up for MVP and Melo couldn't even make the All-Star team. They have both made the NBA Finals and Melo has never even made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Melo needs to get his hed straight though, if we want a serious shot at making a playoff run. It's games like tonight (42, 11, 2 stls) where he reassures faith that he is actually trying to take his game to the next level. I thought maybe all the offseason trade talks and USA Gold Medal would help boost his confidence and motivation to step up but nothing has really changed. His numbers are slightly down from last season (25.7, 7.4, 3.4 last year to 22.8, 6.9, 3.3 for this year) but then again, our team is winning more games... The one thing that Melo has on LeBron (and statistically everyone in the league..) is that Melo is clutch. He thrives under the pressure and loves big games. It's not his fault that the Nuggets haven't made it out of the first round and I think this year is finally the year that the Nuggets make a run in the West. But were going to need a heavy dosage of Anthony.

So with all that, I leave you with a video montage of Carmelo's game winning shots. I also had the pleasure to be at the American Airlines Center in Dallas to watch Melo come through, yet again, on the Mavs to squash there hopes of moving up in the western conference and avoiding the Lakers. I must say there is nothing more gratifying then walking around with your Nuggets jersey on while in a crowded hallway full of Mavs fans, right after your team just stole a last second victory.



Take that, LeBron.

J where R U?

Well, it's almost been a full month since the Cutler feud started and Cutler is still not in a Broncos uniform. In fact, Cutler has now missed more than 10 percent of the Broncos’ offseason conditioning program, which means he misses out on a $100,000 workout bonus.

Not all the news is bad, though. This Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt relationship might be smoothing out after all. Word surfaced this weekend that Cutler and coach Josh McDaniels have been communicating, which is a good sign if they hope to work together in 2009 and beyond. BUT, they have only been communicated through text message. Now at least they're talking but text messaging? Seriously?? Sending text messages back and forth is a fine way to find your friends when you’re out drinking on a Saturday night but it’s a god awful way to run a professional football team. Perhaps the walls will finally come tumbling down when McDaniels apologizes on Cutlers Facebook wall and Cutler tweets a response. Then the two of them can share a teary I-chat before finally, FINALLY, talking in person. That's wishful thinking though.

Both men, and clearly the term should be used loosely, should be mature enough to just sit down in a room and figure out if they can work together. Maybe they can’t which would be a shame but at least it would enable everyone to start the process of moving on like adults.