Gold Gang: Round 1, Fight!

I just finished the movie, Wreck it Ralph and the classic video game, Street Fighter, makes an appearance.  In that video game I remember the classic line "Round 1, FIGHT!" right before you would begin the high flying karate style action.

Well, the "Gold Gang" aka "Blue and Yellow" aka The Denver Nuggets will certainly have a fight on their hands to begin round 1 of the 2013 NBA playoffs.

The opponent, the Golden State Warriors.  Yes, the team that can't make up it's mind on whether it wants to be called San Francisco or Oakland.  Just make up your mind already, Golden State.

I think this match up favors the Nuggets.  The Golden State Warriors try to play fast, they can't play a lick of defense, and they have no shot blocking threat to contain Denver's dominance in the paint.  With that being said, they are a dangerous 3 point shooting team and they are one of the best free throw shooting percentage teams in the NBA.  But if the Warriors think they can play a fast pace game, they will fail in this series.  No team plays faster than Denver, and the best shot the Warriors have to win this best of 7 series is to slow the game down and decrease the amount of possessions   It is also critical the Warriors take care of the ball and limit their turnovers.  No team is more effective at turning turnovers to quick fast break points than the Denver Nuggets.

If it is going to be a fight in round 1, give me the Golden State Warriors instead of the Memphis Grizzlies any day, all day.  I don't want any piece of those thugs in Memphis...and that is a compliment.

The main concern for Blue and Yellow?

A star in the making, Stephen Curry.  Probably the best pure shooter in the NBA, this guy can light up a score board quickly.  He has a quick release that makes it almost impossible for any defender to guard him.  However, if anyone can slow down Curry it is the Nuggets defensive anchor, Andre Iguodala.  "Iggnition" will be assigned the most difficult task of slowing down Curry coming off screen after screen after screen.  Oh by the way, Curry just set the NBA single season record for 3 point field goals made.

Health, it hasn't been on the Nuggets side lately.  Faried is most likely going to miss the first two games in Denver, but he should return close to 100% in game 3 when the series turns to San Francisco  I mean Oakland....actually "Golden State"....whatever they want to be called over there.  I wonder if the Warriors will wear those TERRIBLE "t-shirt" style yellow jersey's in this series...I sure hope not, they hurt my eyes.

Does missing Faried hurt?  Yes.  But the Nuggets are deep and should be able to win both games at home in Denver, because they really are the better team, even without Gallo or Manimal.

The most important play in this series?  Ty Lawson.  No doubt.  He has become the "star" everyone says Denver doesn't have.  Ty Lawson looked great coming back from the plantar fascia tear and he is primed for a big series, no one can guard him in this series.

Denver is ready, we have been ready since getting a taste of the Western Conference Finals in 2009.  The Round 1 fight will begin Saturday April 20th 2013 at 3:30 PM in the Mile High City.  Nuggets fans will be waiving thousands of gold towels, "Gold Gang" will be sporting their slick retro style yellow jersey's, Scott Hastings will be wearing his best suit, and the crowd will be loud....very loud.  All the while, the boys by the bay will be gasping for air 3 minutes into the game.

Round 1: FIGHT!!

Denver Nuggets will win this series 4-1.

Corey Brewer: Gone next year?

Is Corey Brewer the most underrated player on the Denver Nuggets?

In my opinion, yes.

What does Nuggets management think?

We will find out this off season.

The Denver Nuggets are in a great spot with their roster.  They have a core group of young players that are getting better each year and are growing with each other.  The Nuggets are the 3rd youngest team in the NBA and have a number of players under contract for years to come.  Nuggets management has done a great job of getting their core players contract extensions without overpaying and hurting their salary cap figure.  With the current roster, there are only 5 players that could be elsewhere next year (assuming no trades are done).

Those players are: Andre Igoudala (player option to return), Corey Brewer (free agent), Timofey Mozgov (free agent), Julyan Stone (qualifying offer), and Quincy Miller (free agent).

Of those 5 players, only two are vital pieces to Denver's success, that would be Andre Igoudala and Corey Brewer.  I think Andre Igoudala will pick up his option because he would then make close to $16 million next year (something he probably wouldn't get on the open market).

But will the Nuggets try to bring Corey Brewer back?

I think prior to the Danilo Gallinari injury there was a possibility that Nuggets management would have let Corey Brewer go and stayed away from paying another swing player, something they had an over abundance of with Gallo, Chandler, Igoudala (potentially), Fournier, and I will even sneak Jordan Hamilton's name in there.

Well with Danilo Gallinari most likely out for a large portion or perhaps all of the 2013-2014 season, the reality of Corey Brewer being important for the Nuggets next season is an understatement.  Corey is one of the Nuggets most important bench players.  He provides energy on both sides of the ball, a slasher without the ball on offense, and a turnover provider on defense.  Brewer fits in perfectly with what the Nuggets try to do most, and that is run on offense and try to get as many fast break points as possible.  Brewer has been responsible for a number of wins this season, whether it has been hitting late free throws or grabbing a late offensive rebound, the Nuggets would not have a shot at the 3 seed without him.

Why would Corey want to leave?  He has it made in this Denver Nuggets system right?

Well if Denver doesn't show that they want him back by either not negotiating with him or offering him a deal that is well below his market value, he could easily find a home somewhere else.

Wilson Chandler will be the starting small forward for the Nuggets next year.  That removes an important bench player for the Nuggets' rotation.  Has Evan Fournier shown enough to warrant a bid for an every game player off the bench for either the shooting guard or small forward position?  Maybe, but I trust Corey Brewer more than Evan Fournier at this point.

Plus, the more depth you have the better, you never know who could get injured next year...I won't mention who I am referring to in an effort to not jinx anything.

*crosses fingers and prays to the basketball gods*

With a healthy Danilo Gallinari and an emerging Evan Fournier, I think Nuggets management thought they could perhaps get away with letting Corey Brewer find a new home next year.  However, with Gallinari getting injured, it may be their biggest off season objective to re-sign him.

"C-Brew" might be overlooked on a national level among basketball analysts, however, with Denver Nuggets fans, he is a key ingredient that shouldn't be overlooked.

Denver Nuggets: No Gallo, what now?

On Thursday night, April 4th 2013, all Nuggets fans held their breath as Danilo Gallinari grabbed his left knee and fell to the floor in excruciating pain.  From the moment the first replay was viewed it was apparent he tore his ACL.  All the excitement and joy that had been building for a team with so much promise suddenly left the Pepsi Center silent and the fans watching on TV holding their breath.  It was as quiet as it has ever been this season at the big Pepsi can.

What now?

Is the hope of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in Nuggets Franchise history over?

Chances at winning an NBA title gone?

The Nuggets are already without leading scorer and best player, Ty Lawson, with a plantar fascia tear in his right heel.  Now they are without their second leading scorer.

Can the Nuggets reach the NBA Finals without a healthy Ty Lawson?  No.  He is the engine that makes it all work.

Can the Nuggets reach the NBA Finals without Danilo Gallinari?  Yes.

Wilson Chandler would be a starting small forward for over half the teams in the NBA, but when you have a talent rich squad like the Denver Nuggets, you can be a "starter" coming off the bench.  The Denver Nuggets are the deepest team in the NBA, so they should be able to fill the void of Gallinari seamlessly.

I am not saying the Nuggets are better without Gallinari, that would be ridiculous, but they are still a very good team that has the ability to make up for an important injured starter perhaps better than any other team in the NBA.  Just look at Saturday night's game against the Houston Rockets, a potential playoff opponent, Blue and Yellow put up 132 points.  That's right, without their top two scorers, the Nuggets pounded the Rockets with their highest point total of the season.

The Nuggets will fill the void of Danilo Gallinari with placing Wilson Chandler in the starting rotation and bringing Corey Brewer off the bench to give Chandler a breather.  With the recent emergence of Evan Fournier, it is possible "Frenchy" will play at the 2 spot to give Igoudala a rest in the playoffs, assuming Lawson is back in the starting rotation.  The real question is who will come in to play the power forward position?  That was usually the position Wilson Chandler would come in for, to replace Kenneth Faried, not Gallinari (that was Brewer).  My best guess is Anthony Randolph.  I believe George Karl trusts Anthony Randolph more than Mozgov, and certainly more than Jordan Hamilton coming in at the 3 and moving Wilson to the 4.

But I may be over analyzing the rotation.

We all know the bench gets shorter in the playoffs, and the Nuggets may keep it only 8-9 deep and expect more minutes out of Faried.  Prior to Gallo's injury the Nuggets would easily go 9 deep in a playoff series, something most teams wouldn't do.  Depending on how Fournier finishes the season or how much size George Karl will want off the bench, it is possible the Nuggets are still a 9 deep rotation in the playoffs.

If the Nuggets are able to hold off the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies for the 3 seed in the West, they will face either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the first round.  Neither team matches up well with Denver and they know it.  The games would be fast pace, high scoring, and nobody does that better than the Denver Nuggets.  The Memphis Grizzlies pose the biggest challenge for a first round opponent due to their top notch defense.  Nobody does defense better than Memphis, they are ranked #1 in the league in points allowed per game (89.7) and let's face it, Denver is not a team that likes to play the slow pace, under 90 points, beat-em-up style games.  That is why these last 5 games are so important to hold onto that 3 seed.

The Nuggets are two wins shy of 55, that would set an all-time franchise record for wins in the regular season.  They also have tied their franchise record for consecutive wins at home, 20.

This team is special.

The opportunity to do something no Nuggets team has done before is still there for the taking.