Is Nene the Best Defender on this Team?

(Boulder-CO) Well, according to www.82games.com 's new defensive composite scoring system he is! I strongly urge you to check it out and to be sure to pay special attention to the formula that creates the rankings. The Nuggets have three players, (Nene, Reggie Evans, and Eduardo Najera); with an overall rating of "90" or better, but surprisingly to me is how Marcus only scores an 86.

On a low note, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony do not break the “20” mark, meaning in everyday English that they play shoddy D!

The defensive composite scoring is a pretty cool way to measure how solid a defender a player is, but it is by no means, obviously, a perfect system. By the way, the best defender in the league by the DCS is Tim Duncan with a score of “100” on the dot. Others with a “99” are Tyrus Thomas and Renaldo Balkman. Somewhere Marcel Mutoni of Bench Renaldo is flabbergasted!

Happy Simpsons Movie Day!

(Boulder-CO) Today is the day. Not a day that will measure with Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's long-ball record or either one of Michael Jordan's retirements, but rather a day that all Simpsons fans have been waiting for for the better part of a decade. Today is the day that the Simpsons Movie will be released! Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa, and the rest of the gang will be on the big screen, finally, and I for one am pretty excited about it.

And on a blog related note...

Nuggets assistant Tim Grgurich will hold his annual player development basketball camp in Las Vegas next week. J.R. Smith, teammate Von Wafer and NBA free agent guard Coby Karl, son of Nuggets coach George Karl, are expected to be among the attendees, reports Marc Spears of the Denver Post.

Super!

It only has to be assumed that at this point, J.R.'s toxicology report came back clean and he will not have to face any charges involving drugs or alcohol related to the automobile accident that resulted in his friend, Andre Bell's, unfortunate passing. As for Von Wafer, I can't wait to see what this guy can do! As I see it, he is a lock to replace either DerMarr Johnson or Jamal Sampson seeing as neither player could find a way to contribute last season. Wafer addresses the Nuggets need for an efficient perimeter shooter at a reasonable price and word on the street is Denver's management loves him.

The Nuggets Should Have Won 50 Games!

(Boulder-CO) Many of you may remember that I predicted the Nuggets to win 50 games in last year’s season. And I do have to admit that my prediction was a touch optimistic as the Nuggets finished 45-37, one win better than in ‘05-’06, but not so bad, if I do say so myself, with all things (trades, suspensions, injuries) considered. But today when I was thinking about the team’s overall outlook it dawned on me that I may have been more accurate in last year’s prediction than my five-game over-estimation first seems.

For starters, allow me to preface that regardless of how persuasive my position may or may not be the fact remains that the Nuggets still only won 45 contests last year. However, it is my contention that the Nuggets really were a 50-win team, just like I predicted, despite five completely fluke losses.

Right off the bat we all have to remember the state of the NBA at the beginning of last year’s season. Commissioner David Stern was cracking down on whining, face-making, and politically correct discussion with the officials which led to what I believe was critical in the Nuggets losing the first of the five games that kept them from hitting the 50-win mark.

The first game of the season was mired in controversy as Sam Cassell was permitted to jaw with the officiating crew all night long, especially at a critical time in the game where he was whining at nausea, whereas Carmelo was hit with two quick technical fouls and the early shower. Cassell was never called for a technical which would have surely sealed the game for the Nuggets and they ended up losing that game by one point, 96-95. The record will always show the Nuggets losing this game, but for my purposes, let’s mark this one down as a win that slipped away.

The second game that the Nuggets let slide was their first match-up with the New York Knicks in the third game of the season. Denver had a five point lead with just over a minute to go, but after Stephon Marbury hit a desperation three and Eduardo Najera threw a soft outlet pass to J.R. Smith, one that would have led to the game winning dunk, Jamal Crawford nabbed the Najera pass and cashed it in for another three-pointer with only three seconds left and the Nuggets were left scratching their heads. It was a stunning way to lose the game and an even worse way to start the season 0-3.

The third case standing in the way of what could have been a 50-win season is the overtime collapse against the former New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on February 7th. The Nuggets displayed no understanding of the game’s situations and lacked the killer instinct to dispose of the Hornets on their way to blowing a ten-point lead with less than three minutes remaining. The Nuggets proceeded to lose in overtime, 114-112, after their spirit was broken. The only reason why I’m including this in my little rant is because this game SHOULD have been won quite easily, but rather will go down as a sloppy loss.

The fourth and fifth losses that were just plain heart breakers came in March and should still be fresh in Nuggets fans’ minds. The fourth disappointment came when a board crashing Tyrus Thomas tipped in the game winner at the buzzer in Chicago. It should be noted that Marcus Camby left in the third quarter with back spasms and did not return; thus leaving the Nuggets vulnerable on the offensive glass. Ouch! Needless to say, Nuggets fans could do nothing as an exuberated Thomas jumped up and down at half court after he had realized what he had done.

And not to be forgotten is the, “Prayer at the Palace”, when Rasheed Wallace went glass from 65’ to force overtime and the Nuggets lost in yet another heart breaker. When Marcus Camby threw that errant pass and the ball landed right in Rasheed’s hands I just knew that he was going to connect on the heave and just recalling that game puts an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Count ‘em up and discredit them if you wish, but you have to at least admit that the Nuggets were standing by the window sill smelling the fresh pie of what could have been a 50-win season! My premonition was actually more accurate than it first seemed and if it wasn’t for the aforementioned misfortunes I might have been dead-on-balls correct.

So, with the NBA dog days of summer officially upon us and FIBA competition still a few weeks away, the Nuggets Nation is forced to sit, wait, ponder, debate, and predict how this year’s improved roster will fare. I for one will take these five games into account when predicting how the upcoming season will unfold and let’s just say that 50 W’s is just the beginning of where I think this team is headed.

This post serves as an open thread for everyone's feelings about next year, so let’s hear some of your thoughts on last season and this year’s upcoming campaign in the comment section.

Go Nuggets!

Out with the Old Melo; In with the New

(Boulder-CO) Marc J. Spears has conducted a great interview with Carmelo Anthony that I urge any Nuggets, or ‘Melo, fan to read. Save the drama for your Mama because ‘Melo is ready to prove to everybody that the Nuggets are for real! And with a full cast of characters returning, (at this point), I would have to agree with Anthony when he says the NBA might be sleeping on the Nuggets.

Denver is basically the same team as last year and the upgrade from Steve Blake to Chucky Atkins, the return of Kenyon Martin from injury, and the pending development of both J.R. Smith and Von “‘Nilla” Wafer at the reserve shooting guard position has me counting down the days until opening night.

Go Nuggets!

Shame: Donaghy to Plead Guilty

(Boulder-CO) It is being reported by the New York Daily News that disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy is expected to surrender as early as Thursday and plead guilty to federal gambling charges, sources said yesterday.

Donaghy, who has had nearly everybody who has ever known him come forward and make comments on what kind of man he was, has also been reportedly receiving threatening phone calls at his residence. According to the report, one of the calls made by a male caller told the person on the phone, "You're fired and a dead man," and "You're done, you're dead." And the reasons for the threatening calls are obvious because Thomas Seigel, chief of the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office organized crime division, would prosecute the case and that a grand jury was expected to indict at least two mobbed-up gamblers in the scheme.

Note to Tim Donaghy: The Mob doesn’t like squealers.

The same story that quotes the threatening calls also goes on to say, “They think he'll be killed if he goes to prison, or even if he doesn't, just because he's probably talking, cooperating, and that's ratting on the mob," the source said. "I don't think (the Mafia) would take that very well."

My take is the MLB may have its own black eye of a scandal with steroids and the NFL may have its own collection of morons, i.e. Michael Vick, Tank Johnson, and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, but to have the sacred and most integrity-based position of the game be compromised in the way that Donaghy is suspected of is an absolute shame of which there is no parallel. We have all wondered if Steve Javie really does have a personal issue with Allen Iverson or if Joey Crawford really does dislike the Spurs, but to have this kind of scandal arise is an absolutely flagrant foul; on the league, on the game, and on the sacred craft of officiating.

Carmelo Once Again Leading Team USA

(Boulder-CO) In scoring that is! Carmelo Anthony finished Team USA Basketball’s Blue and White game as the game’s high-scorer with 28 points to fit in nicely with his six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. For now he is the USA’s leading scorer, again, as the team gears up for FIBA competition.

The official box score can be viewed right here.

The blue team, led by Carmelo and Kobe, came back from a six point deficit to start the fourth quarter to win off Kobe Bryant’s jump shot from the free-throw line with just six seconds remaining. When asked about the key to the comeback, Carmelo Anthony said, “Just will. We knew we were going to be tired, we knew they were going to be tired, but we had the will to win. We came into the last huddle and said we wanted to win the game and that’s what we did.” And when asked about Kobe Bryant’s final minutes of the game, Carmelo remarked, “I knew he was going to do something crazy. I knew he had a trick up his sleeve. I just knew it.”

The only commentary I’ll add is when I saw that Kobe and Carmelo were on the same team I knew they were going to emerge victorious. I mean, C’mon, the two most prolific scorers in the game today on the same team? Who would bet against that? Both men are the closest thing to, “uncheckable”, since MJ himself left Byron Russell stumbling off the top of the key. Just knowing that both of them will be representing our country makes me a lot more confident that he USA will regain international basketball dominance.

Holy Cow!!! Now This is a Scandal!!!

(Boulder-CO) It is being reported by ESPN that referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation by the FBI for allegations that he bet on games that he officiated over the past two seasons and that he may have made calls affecting the point spread in said games.

Holy cow!!! Now this is a scandal!!!

I can’t imagine that “Uncle” David Stern is all that happy right now. Stern has got to be wondering if Tim, who is innocent until proven guilty might I remind you, is the only referee in the league who needs to be investigated. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if more dirt, grime, and names are given up as a seriously deep investigation gets underway. It just always seems to be the way things go down once the pinch is applied.

More to come as this story unfolds.

Getting to Know Von Wafer

(Boulder-CO) I have been doing some homework on who exactly Vakeaton Quamar Wafer is and have learned quite a few things. Von is 6’5” and 195 pounds of sharp-shooting guard and Von, as he liked to be called, actually has another nickname. Wafer’s Wikipedia page lists, “Nilla”, as an alternate moniker. Mmmm, good stuff.

I also dug up some pretty impressive statistics from Von’s high school days. “Nilla” averaged 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists his junior season while in Lisbon, La playing for Pineview High School. His senior year, he transferred to Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas where he averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks per game. And for his achievements on the basketball court, Wafer earned All-America third-team honors from USA Today Newspaper following his senior season. Von also was named a McDonalds All-American and scored 29 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the field and had 8 rebounds. He matched up well with King James for much of the contest and finished second to James in the slam dunk contest.

He then played two years of college hoop at Florida State University before becoming an early entry in the 2005 NBA Draft. His freshman year at FSU Wafer averaged 7.9 points in 17.5 minutes a game. He ranked third among all ACC freshmen with 43 three-point field goals made and scored in double figures 12 times. As a sophomore, he led the team in scoring with an average of 12.5 points per game and three-point field goals made (65). He made more than one three-point field goal in 14 games and surpassed the 20-point mark on six occasions. When taking all these things into consideration the thing that you have to keep in mind is that Wafer played on a Seminole team that was one of the weaker programs in the always dominant Atlantic Coast Conference.

Many people at this point in Wafer’s career thought it was a mistake to enter the draft early and some experts didn’t expect him to be drafted at all. In fact, during one of the only pre-draft workouts he could arrange with the Phoenix Suns, Wafer reportedly was frustrated by the physical play from Jan Jagla and responded by swinging an intentional elbow to Jagla’s nose, walked off the court, and ended the workout at that point. Things at this point were not looking good for Wafer’s NBA chances.

However, Von proved all the pessimists wrong by becoming the 39th overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2005 NBA Draft. He was later waived, but then did some serious work in the NBDL while playing for the Colorado 14ers. Wafer finished last season as the D-League’s second overall highest scorer at a pitch of 21 points a night while grabbing 2.9 rebounds and dishing 3.3 assists.

Fast forward to this summer’s Las Vegas NBA Summer League.

Von “Nilla” Wafer led the Nuggets in scoring with averages of 24.2 points, three assists, and 1.9 rebounds while coming in third overall in the mid-summer classic's scoring race. Not to mention he capped off his summer showcase with a record-tying 42 points against the New York Knicks in only a mere 26 minutes of playing time.

I really like the potential future this young baller has with the Denver Nuggets. He is exactly what the Nuggets are looking for and would surely be a steal financially. He has proven at nearly every level of basketball that he can flat-out shoot the rock and you have to respect a man who continues to put in the hard work to make his NBA dreams a reality.

So start the campaign.

Von “Nilla” Wafer for a roster spot in 2007!

Iverson Late for a Good Cause

(Boulder-CO) Despite being reportedly over an hour late to his own charity softball event, Allen Iverson did appear at an ESPN Zone in Washington DC. He arrived in a polished black Bentley Azure and was dressed casually. The rest of the story can be found right here and it has a positive spin for Iverson, who has had enough negativity surrounding him this off-season already. Check out the article for all the details.

Von Wafer Approves this Message

(Boulder-CO) If there was any question whether or not Von Wafer is serious about making a NBA franchise, and more importantly the Denver Nuggets, all said inquiries were met with an emphatic answer in tonight’s final Sin City summer league meeting with the Knicks. Despite losing the game, 116-108, Wafer concluded this summer league quintet of games with a 42 point performance, in a mere 26 minutes of playing time, on 16-26 from the field, including 5-9 from downtown!

It was an offensive showing of professional caliber regardless of continent, league, or time of year and I think any basketball beat writer, player, or fan could appreciate the showing Wafer put on. And who knows? If he would have played more minutes he probably could have hit fifty easily!

The Nuggets now finish the 2007 NBA summer league 3-2 overall with tonight’s loss and the game two loss to the Mavericks.

Individually speaking, with his 42-point outburst Von Wafer moved himself into third place overall in summer league scoring average at a pace of 24.2 points per contest which trails only Marcus Banks of the Phoenix Suns, (who, by the way, only played one game and exploded for 42 points, respectively), and Louis Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers who posted an average of 34.2 points in a total of five games of action.

I personally think that a pending cross-over from the NBDL to the NBA by Wafer would be a fairly seamless one that the Nuggets could easily, and financially, afford to take the risk on. He addresses the Nuggets dire need for a three-point specialist and at 6’5” he is a big guard that the Nuggets could pull of the bench when the undersized duo of Chucky Atkins and Allen Iverson need relief on either offense, or more realistically, defense.

He’s at least got to be as good as DerMarr Johnson, right? So, why not move in another direction and give Wafer the nod?

I, for one, will be campaigning for Wafer to make next year’s roster. It seemed like the Nuggets had too many guys at the end of their bench that were not able to contribute down the stretch run , for one reason or another, and I think that Wafer is a guy that could really help this team. He has continued to shoot the lights out of the gym whether he is in the D-League or up against guys who are already playing role positions for other NBA teams and, as we all know, the Nuggets need help shooting the ball from distance. Last year’s 28th place ranking out of a total of 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage continues to prove that the Nuggets worst deficiency is the long ball and, plainly stated, Von Wafer is a player that could dramatically improve that standing next year!

Sign Von Wafer! He’d be cheap! He’d be fresh! He just might be the next big D-League player to cross-over and take the NBA by storm!

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Dominate Lakers; Wafer Consistent

(Boulder-CO) All things were competitive until the second quarter started in the Nuggets vs. Lakers match-up yesterday in Sin City. Denver went on a 30-6 scoring run in a twelve minute surge that left the Lakers scratching their heads going into halftime. Von Wafer only needed 19 minutes of playing time to record a game-high 22 points on 8-13 shooting, including 2-4 from long distance. And for those who care, ‘Tskeeter DNP as the Nuggets won easily, 120-88.

The win brings the Nuggets to 3-1 overall in summer league play and they will face the 3-0 Knicks in their final showing on Sunday. The game will be televised and I will be sure to be on the lookout for any riff raff that may be carried over from the last time these two teams collided. Thankfully, J.R. Smith will not be in attendance to body slam Nate Robinson nor will Carmelo be there to showcase his backpedaling skills!

Steve Blake Wants to Play with Greg Oden

(Boulder-CO) Dave over at www.blazersedge.com is reporting that Steve Blake has indeed signed with the Portland Trailblazers. Remember this day, Nuggets Nation, as it will almost certainly mark a pivotal point in next year's campaign barring any other trades that go through before all is said and done.

UPDATE: It's official!!! Best of luck to the Trailblazers and Steve Blake.

Wafer Doesn’t Waver; Nuggets Trump Pistons

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets summer league team is now 2-1 after a 92-84 win against the Pistons yesterday largely in thanks to Von Wafer’s continued offensive brilliance and Jelani McCoy’s efficiency. Wafer, who many believe is the forerunner to make the team if anyone from this roster does, scored a game-high 25 points on 11-19 in 31 minutes of action. McCoy extended his hot shooting by connecting on 5-7 of his field goals which brings his overall summer league efficiency to 92 percent (16-18 FG), with averages of 13.0 points and 13.0 rebounds.

You have to wonder about a guy who can put up offensive numbers consistently they way Wafer has so far this summer and all last season long down in the NBDL. The one thing that doesn’t change as the talent, competition, and skill level increases is the height and size of the goal; making shooters, along with defenders, of Wafer’s caliber the players with the best chance of succeeding in the NBA. And who knows? Maybe the Nuggets will finally climb out of the basement of the three-point shooting barrel next season with the recent addition of Chucky Atkins and perhaps the addition of Wafer later this off-season.

Leave your thoughts in the comments section. Over and out.

Denver to Sign Chucky Atkins

(Boulder-CO) The murky point guard situation in the Mile High City is starting to clear up with the expected arrival of eight year veteran Chucky Atkins. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that Atkins will be in Denver sometime today to sign a two-year, three million dollar per year deal with an option for a third. This pending deal also pretty much punches Steve Blake’s ticket for another NBA city.

Atkins is coming off of a season with the Grizzlies where the team struggled every night, but one where he had a solid year. Atkins averaged 13.2 points and a career-high 4.6 assists for Memphis. Chucky also shot a relatively efficient 37% from behind the three-point line, which is probably why he is receiving the nod from Nuggets management over other rumored point guards such as Brevin Knight of the Charlotte Bobcats or Jason Hart of the Clippers.

My feelings on the pending move are mixed for a couple of different reasons. First off, I do believe that Atkins’s veteran leadership is a solid up-grade from Steve Blake’s relatively new found role as a starter. Chucky has played on some very good teams throughout his career and has been a solid contributor despite not always being the starter for his ball club at the time. Another reason to applaud the pending signing is Atkins shooting. It is no secret that the Nuggets need a legitimate three-point threat that doesn’t put them at a disadvantage on the other end and I think that Chucky does that for this team. His career connection rate from beyond the arch is 37% which makes him by far the best threat from downtown that the Nuggets will have next season.

On the other hand…

I’m not so sure that Atkins is the kind of point guard that can really thrive in Denver’s up-tempo kind of pace. If memory serves me correct, Chucky is a guard that is more suited to playing in a slower, half-court, style of play. Not to say that Denver couldn’t use to improve in this facet of the game, but I’m not sure if their game plan in the immediate future is to slow things down too much. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.

But I do know this much…

The signing of Chucky Atkins is going to greatly alleviate some of the luxury tax pain Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke was going to be feeling come next October. Steve Blake is probably going to get his desired $5.5-6 million per year contract and had the Nuggets signed such a deal they would have been getting far worse of a shake than Atkins will give them. So, overall I give this move a thumbs up because the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Summer Loss Number One

(Boulder-CO) So the 87-83 loss to the Mavericks doesn’t amount to more than a pile of beans in all reality, but what was discussed by George Karl and Doug Moe in impromptu interviews may. During a real snoozer of a game riddled with turnovers and poor shooting Coach George Karl and Assistant Coach/longtime figure head of the franchise Doug Moe both discussed the players on this year’s summer league team and the outlook of next season for the Nuggets.

Basically, both Moe and Karl hinted that maybe, and Moe was even more pessimistic than Karl, just maybe one player off of this summer league team might hold down the last seat for the Nuggets in next year’s regular season. So, those sentiments alone make the remaining summer league games basically meaningless. Going into this summer we already knew that Von Wafer was essentially going to substitute as the Nuggets draft pick and I would have to assume that he is probably the player most under the microscope during the team’s stay in Las Vegas.

And tonight he didn’t disappoint.

Von finished the game’s high-scorer with 19 points that fit nicely with three rebounds. He also rebounded after the 0-4 performance from downtown in the Nuggets first outing to finish 3-4 in tonight’s game.

The Nuggets also got a solid performance out of point guard Will Blalock, which brings me to the next item of interest spoken on by Doug Moe and George Karl. Moe didn’t surprise anyone when he cited the Nuggets greatest personnel need is at point guard, but what is so surprising is how impressed both Karl and Moe were by Steve Blake last year. Both men expressed feelings that they wanted to keep Steve Blake for next season, but we all know that doing so is going to put the Nuggets in a financial quagmire as well as not improving the team as a whole.

The point guard of a team with this dynamic of a roster, (remember, the Nuggets have Kenyon Martin returning next year to along side AI and ‘Melo), has to command the respect of his troops and I just don’t think Steve Blake does that at this point in his career. He may continue to mature as a player and as he continues to play more and more minutes he may become a true starting point guard in the NBA, but at this point, I am not sold that he should be counted on as the starting floor general for the Denver Nuggets. All we can hope is that management feels the same way and is actively trying to maintain Steve Blake as a reliable reserve, while also trying to find a veteran, (preferably one with a ring), to commandeer this team.

By the way… Will Blalock finished with 17 points and two assists.

The last note of interest from the guys who run the sideline came from Doug Moe in regards to Kenyon Martin. Moe was reluctant to say anything definitive early, but did give in and say that, “From what he’s told”, Kenyon Martin will be ready to play next season with the Nuggets slowly working him into rotation with limited minutes to begin. At this point, one has to be optimistic when thinking about adding Kenyon Martin to last year’s roster. Not to mention he’s untradable, at least at this point, and if he could come back and make an impact it would add some much needed toughness to Denver’s frontline and gives them that third big who can defend and score with regularity.

Other than that, with the loss the Nuggets are now 1-1 in Summer League play and will face the Pistons on Thursday afternoon. No TV is available unfortunately, but there will be a box score to dissect.

Go Nuggets!

Anyone Else Watching This?

(Boulder-CO) The Nuggets and Mavericks are about to tip it off and if you are a true die-hard you're somewhere about to watch it. I'm very interested in watching how Von Wafer, Lamond Murry, and Nikoloz Tskitishvili play in particular. Jose Barea for the Mavericks is also a young point guard of interest. Should be really fun!

Go Nuggets!

It’s Just Summer League

(Boulder-CO) As the song states, “Summertime and the living’s easy”, certainly applied to the Denver Nuggets in their first Las Vegas Summer League showing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Denver won the game 108-104, but by the looks of the box score, this one was far more of a thrashing than the final tally indicates.

Denver launched out of the gate both offensively and defensively by scoring 31 points in the first quarter and following up that effort by posting 35 on the Clip-show in the second. They also held the Clippers to just 22 points in both of the first half quarters.

The Nuggets were paced offensively by Lamond Murry’s 17 points, also received great showings by Curtis Sumpter who scored 16 points, and both Jelani McCoy and (cringe) Nikoloz Tskitishvilis’ 14 points. Von Wafer played the most minutes for the Nuggets, but had a bad night from behind the three-point line finishing 0-4 with only 13 points in 27 minutes of play. Wafer also contributed four assists and three rebounds.

The next Nuggets summer league action is set for tonight at 4 pm MST and will be on NBATV. Don’t have NBATV? Don’t worry! I do and will be giving a complete breakdown of how the Nuggets look tonight against the Dallas Mavericks later this evening.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Summer League Roster and Schedule

(Boulder-CO) And the funny thing is Nikoloz Tskitishvili is on the roster! Why the Denver Nuggets would need another look at the ‘Tskeeter is completely beyond me. Maybe it was his 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds last season that have the Nuggets so intrigued. He did score a total of 33 points in the entirety of the Suns’ 2006-07 campaign in twelve appearances so maybe, just maybe, he is ready to be a big-time contributor in the NBA!

Wow, now that I have that out of my system. After scrutinizing the roster the only player on it that I foresee having any chance of making the team next year is Von Wafer. The 6’5” ex-Florida State University guard is coming off a solid year in the NBDL where he came in second in overall scoring with an average of 21.0 points while shooting 45% from downtown. I’m banking on Wafer making the team because he addresses one of Denver’s most blatant deficiencies at a discount price for next season.

The complete summer league schedule and roster can be found right here and the games which are televised will be broken down right here on The Nugg Doctor.

Nodding Off

(Boulder-CO) I know that things have been next to non-existent around here lately, but there is some cool stuff on the horizon. First off, a Nugg Doctor pod cast is in the works and hopefully will be jumping off real soon. Secondly, I finally finished reading, “Skywalker”, so a Historical Glimpse on David Thompson is set to drop any day now too. But most recently, I was asked by Chris over at www.sportprojections.com to give my draft day grade to the Denver Nuggets. I basically talk about the AI trade, seeing as how that was our big draft day move, and how it breaks down for both teams. Check it out by banging this link.