(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets haven’t even suited up for a preseason game yet, but the report from today’s Rocky Mountain News is that the players feel they can crush the current franchise win mark of 54 wins with a mark of 60 victories. A lofty goal indeed, but I must say that there are too many questions to be answered right now to be talking about winning 60 games. Especially when Denver isn’t even sure who is going to start at shooting guard or power forward.
Now, let’s say that ten games into the year the Nuggets are 8-2, or even better, with Kenyon Martin showing glimpses of yesteryear, Carmelo leading the league in scoring, AI averaging ten assists a game, Marcus Camby returning to his DPOY form, and Chucky Atkins shooting 40% from downtown. Then I might be more inclined to agree with the Nuggets optimism. But for now, the Nuggets are still a team that once again got bounced from the first round of last year’s playoffs. This kind of sobering thinking is reality, and until that reality changes, we would all be well advised- Nuggets included- to stay within the realm of reality.
3 comments:
Training camp is there to decide who's starting where. I think the Nuggets have the personnel to win 60 games. Would you expect anything less from the coach? What message would he be sending his team if he said anything less? If Denver put away teams like Memphis, Charlotte, and Atlanta last year, and played tough in the 4th quarter, they could have done it last year, as far as I'm concerned.
I think Denver is more than capable of winning 60. They need to establish home-court advantage and play well on the road. It's all mental. If they truly believe they can win 60, they will do it. That's what the Rockies just showed everyone these last 3 weeks.
While I'm all for optimism, I just do not think that the first day of camp is time to start talking about winning 60 regular season games. I would have talked about hard work, persistence, chemistry, and individual player roles before I mention anything about games won or lost.
Thanks for reading,
The Nugg Doctor
I think 55 is realistic, given how weak their division is. 60 is a nice thought, but a 15-game jump is a big deal for a team with a history of chemistry, depth, and injury problems.
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