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Looking healthy and energetic following his second defeat of cancer, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl finally has the team he has always wanted.  On any given night, the Nuggets could dominate with their starting five or cobble together a win with contributions all the way down the bench.

The Nuggets currently lead all NBA teams in points per game at 105.5 – a tick better than the Miami Heat’s 105.4 – and are perched firmly at second place in the Western Conference.  Only the division rival OKC Thunder are better in the West right now, but watching these young Nuggets you get the feeling that they are still a month or two away from playing their best basketball.

George is living in a coaching dreamland in Denver.  He’s got the kind of depth and athleticism that even most big market NBA teams lack.  Karl just has to decide who has the hot hand, who makes the best matchup, and which of his ten floor-worthy players get time each night.

Coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005, George was heralded as a matchups guru with the ability to challenge the best coaches in the league.  Now that Phil Jackson has retired from Lakerland, Coach Karl may be the best matchups coach in the league.  And with Carmelo Anthony slowing the offense to a crawl in New York, the Nuggets have the cap space and floor time to run the most dynamic, team-oriented style in the league.

In his early years with the Nuggets, Karl had the pitiable task of making sure Melo got his points every game.  Now George can watch five players score double-digits and have a half-dozen guys geared up to make big shots in the final minutes.  Plus, an increased load on the bench means the Nuggets can throw a relentless up-tempo attack at their opponents for 48 minutes.  No wonder Denver leads the league at 24.5 assists per game.

On Wednesday night Karl’s Nuggets will have a chance to close out an undefeated five-game road swing.  Four victories so far include overtime triumphs versus the surprising 76ers and the struggling Knicks.  Now Denver draws the defensively challenged Kings in Sacramento.  With six Nuggets averaging 10+ points per game, Denver looks strong to return home Friday with one of the best records in the NBA.

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By knocking off the 76ers in Philly on Wednesday night the Denver Nuggets grabbed their 10^th win in 15 games played and handed Philadelphia its first home loss.  The improved 76ers were 6-0 at home this season, and have played as well as any team in the NBA to this point.  The final score in overtime read 108-104 in favor of the Nuggets thanks to a breakout 28-point effort by backup point guard Andre Miller.

Denver’s 10-5 record locks them into a four-way tie for the third best winning percentage in the Western Conference.  That group includes the LA Lakers and Clippers plus the San Antonio Spurs, with Denver legend Chauncey Billups keeping the Clippers afloat while Chris Paul recuperates from an injury.

In a topsy, turvy NBA season the Nuggets are still getting their footing like most other clubs.  On Wednesday it was great to see the guard duo of Lawson and Miller pick up where Lawson and the departed Raymond Felton left off last year.  Against the 76ers Lawson and Miller combined for 84 minutes of floor time, 41 points and 17 assists.  Nene chipped in 14 rebounds and 20 points, including 4 of the Nuggets’ 12 points in overtime.

Denver still sits behind the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder in both the Conference and Northwest Division standings.  But the Jazz are playing over their heads thanks to a favorable opening schedule where 14 of their first 20 games will be played at home.  Brutal February and March road trips will bring Utah back down to earth.

The Thunder are another story entirely.  OKC stands at the top of the NBA with a 12-3 record following their first bad loss last night in Washington.  The young, athletic Thunder are primed for this fast-paced season, and it will take some incredible consistency from the Nuggets to keep pace.  Oklahoma City is bound to have its share of off nights – like losing to the 12 loss Wizards – but stand to be the NBA’s best club barring major setbacks or a surprise run by another young team like the Clippers.

Luckily Denver has a pretty smooth schedule through the rest of January.  If the Nuggets can keep ahead of both Los Angeles-es and the Spurs, they can put pressure on these depth-challenged squads as the unusual 2011-2012 NBA Season wears on.  Just as younger teams have a chance to jump ahead in the standings, older clubs like the Lakers and Spurs will be dropping winnable games come March and April.

For the Nuggets – who have a nice blend of veteran presence and ample young talent – it will simply be a matter of building offensive chemistry and playing the brand of aggressive defense that made Denver a tough out in last season’s NBA Playoffs.  With a healthy and energized George Karl at the helm, the Nuggets may not be far off from realizing their potential as an elite Western Conference contender.

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The NBA is back after a marathon negotiating session in New York City on Friday night.  Both labor and the league will have to sign-off on this tentative deal, but it looks like we will have NBA basketball on Christmas Day.

For the Denver Nuggets the shortened season will be both a boon and a challenge.  The Nuggets have an established coach and system, but many of their players are scattered across world leagues or likely lost to free agency.  Pulling together core players as quickly as possible will be key.

Fortunately, point guard Ty Lawson included an exit clause in his contract with Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas where he has been playing since early October.  That gives Denver their most important offensive cog as soon as a deal is signed.

Unfortunately, forward Wilson Chandler along with pending free agents JR Smith and Kenyon Martin are all locked into contracts with China’s top basketball league.  While most Chinese teams have indicated a willingness to let their American players return to the NBA, the Chinese league itself was careful to point out to incoming western talent that their contracts would be binding through the conclusion of the season.

Most likely the Nuggets will consider Smith and K-Mart lost to free agency anyway.  Rookie power forward Kenneth Faried will hopefully be a long-term replacement for Kenyon, and fellow draftee Jordan Hamilton is being touted as a dynamic scoring forward/guard in the mold of JR.

Replacing Nene, who the Nuggets cut ties with in the offseason, will be a taller order.  The best free agent option at center is Tyson Chandler – an athletic big man who would fit Denver’s up-tempo attack.  Denver has dumped considerable salary between the Anthony/Billups trade and the loss of formerly burdensome Nene/Martin contracts.  They should have their pick of willing free agents.

The Nuggets’ ability to get immediately into a groove (as they did after the big Melo trade late last season) should give them a boost over NBA competition once play starts in late December.  Denver’s youth and above-average conditioning will be a major plus as teams play 66 games – not far from the typical 82 – in just over half a regular season.  This will be especially true for Ty Lawson and other Nuggets who will come to Denver in mid-season form after playing in foreign leagues.

In the end, it will be up to head coach George Karl and his staff to get the Nuggets ready for this condensed NBA Season in less than a month.  And it will be up to Denver’s relatively new front office to get prepared for what will be a brief and intense free agency period starting December 9th.

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The Nuggets face the Northwest Division rival Thunder in an NBA Playoffs battle.  Two of the most athletic teams in the league will go toe-to-toe starting this Sunday, April 17th.  Dan Olson and Ian Cerveny take you inside this thrilling first round matchup with a series preview.  Also previewed are the other first round playoff series across the NBA.

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Before you read Carmelo Anthony’s parting love letter to Denver Nuggets fans, there are a few things you should keep in mind for perspective…

First, Melo played hard for seven solid years in Denver.  Many people never hold a job for seven years in their entire lives, and Anthony gave Nuggets fans seven good years in the prime of his career.  He even played hard most of this season while the Melodrama enveloped himself and his team.

Second, Carmelo brought Denver basketball to a new level of prominence.  His presence on the team, his personality, his highlights spins, shots and dunks all contributed to the Mile High City developing a youth basketball fan base that did not exist before.

Third, many of the players that came to Denver during the Melo Era either did so because Anthony was on the team or became better (JR Smith) by learning from a star player.

And finally, Anthony could have walked away from Denver in the offseason and left the Nuggets getting nothing in return.  Granted, a major motivating factor in forcing a trade during the season was that Melo got paid big money now before a new CBA lost him $20 million off his next contract.

Still, he worked with the Nuggets to make sure Denver got the best possible deal in a trade.  Melo didn’t run his mouth to the press about how he wanted out, he didn’t involve himself in shady backroom discussions with potential trade partners, and he generally operated with class and honor while defending his right to play basketball in another city.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – don’t hate Melo for making his way to NYC.  It was one man’s personal choice.  We fans don’t own Anthony, and the Nuggets may even be a better team without a superstar one-on-one specialist gumming up the works.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game… and be sure to give Carmelo Anthony due props when he comes to town with his Knicks next season.

And now, Melo’s letter to his Denver fans as posted on his website earlier today…

“A Note to My Denver fans

Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 11:35 AM by Admin

I had to let you know how I felt about you, the city, my fans, my friends. You’ve been supportive of me and my NBA career for the past 8 years and that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Drafted when I was 19 I called Denver and the Nuggets my home. The city and the fans embraced me and watched me grow as a man and a player.

There are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation I have for Denver, the Nuggets and all the fans.

You will always be a part of my heart.

One Love,

Melo

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Just a week after the Denver Nuggets went through a basketball game – from start to finish – with their entire lineup healthy and intact for the first time this season, it’s somewhat ironic that the trade rumors are once again swirling about how they’ll break up the roster.

The latest gust of wind that has online betting fans and basketball enthusiasts pondering once again is regarding their superstar, Carmelo Anthony.

With the NBA trade deadline approaching – and pending summer free agency looming – it’s becoming more and more apparent that Anthony will not be wearing a Nuggets uniform much longer. For a while, it looked like the New Jersey Nets were the biggest favorite to land Anthony but they bowed out. The key for them was that Anthony had to sign an extension but clearly Anthony wasn’t cool with that.

But now a new twist has come into play: renting.

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, didn’t mention Anthony by name (he’s not allowed to because of tampering rules) but he was clearly speaking about him when he suggested that he wouldn’t have a problem renting the superstar.

The Mavericks have had a big hole at small forward ever since starter Caron Butler was lost for the season.

We’ll see what transpires but regardless, there’s clearly more intrigue now. Few pundits considered renting to be an option but if the Mavericks are serious enough, the Nuggets may have another team to work with.

The key here is that Dallas is so close to being a championship team already that Anthony may put them over the top. Will that thought alone entice Cuban to offer up enough assets to Denver in return?

Stay tuned.

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With the late August hiring of General Manager Masai Ujiri, the Denver Nuggets gained an experienced emissary to the International Basketball community.

Ujiri is a native of Zaria, Nigeria and has long been a bridge between the NBA and the basketball talent pool outside of the United States.  He served as the director for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program in Africa, and continues to be active in the development of basketball culture in his home country.

Masai served as the Assistant General Manager of the Toronto Raptors for three years, largely as a result of that team’s desire to expand their international recruiting reach.  Now Denver has placed him in a position to build the Nuggets in his own image.  In his time with Toronto, Ujiri added Andrea Bargnani, Carlos Delfino & Jose Calderon to the Raptors roster.

No doubt, the Nuggets’ bench will take on more of a world flavor in coming seasons.

For now, Issue #1 is keeping star forward Carmelo Anthony in Denver.

Melo has been looking at moving on to the bright lights of a bigger city all summer.

While Anthony has been careful to maintain team obligations at every turn, he is also clearly more than a little interested in exploring the open market at the end of his contract following the 2010-2011 Season.  Denver watched Lebron spurn the winter snow fields of Cleveland for the sandy expanses of South Beach, and the Nuggets will do anything they can to keep Carmelo in town.

Masai Ujiri is undoubtedly the Nuggets’ Ace in that quest, and he is reported to have a positive prior relationship with Anthony.  More than that, though, Masai represents a positive movement by the Nuggets to advance the franchise beyond its present recruiting limitations.  Denver hopes that Carmelo values that club commitment to growth.

At 39 years old, Masai is a relatively fresh face in the dusty lineup of NBA GM’s.

And yet his experience in World Basketball is expansive.

In six years of professional European basketball Ujiri played in Belgium, Germany, England, Greece and Finland.  He started out as an unpaid international scout for the Orlando Magic, an assignment that lasted only a year.  Masai was quickly recruited by the Nuggets to spearhead their international scouting initiatives, working with the team from 2003-2007 before moving on to Toronto.

Now Ujiri is back in Denver to kick-start the Josh Kroenke Era… and potentially the Post-Carmelo Era as well.  If that is the case, at least Masai will be building a team designed to compete in the increasingly internationalized NBA.

Ujiri’s take on the global growth of basketball scouting?

“You cannot miss it. There’s no running away from it. You have to cover everywhere. Basketball globally has gotten better, the skill level has gotten better. What some of the international kids are doing in the NBA is amazing.”

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Mark Warkentien is on his way out of Denver after the Nuggets announced they are not interested in renewing the contract of their VP of Basketball Operations.  With him will go Rex Chapman, the Nuggets’ VP of Player Personnel, whose contract has also expired.

Mark & Rex took their positions at the head of the Nuggets’ front office before the 2005-2006 season, and have shown a proclivity for finding diamonds in the rough since.

However, the duo was never able to land a mega-acquisition to partner with Carmelo Anthony, and Denver may lose Melo as a result.  Despite the addition of Chauncey Billups in 2009 (a move fueled more by Chauncey’s desire to return to Denver than Mark’s negotiating chops), the Warkentien Era in Denver will go down as only slightly better than a failure.

The Nuggets did pick up JR Smith and Aaron Afflalo on Warkentein’s watch, and Denver reacquired fan favorite Chris “Birdman” Andersen as well.  But even as Afflalo quickly became a starter, all of these guys were role players on a team that needed a second star.  Even Billups, at this late stage in his career, was rarely able to hoist the Nuggets on his back over the last two seasons.

Read more about the Nuggets’ front office woes:

Denver Nuggets sit out another loaded NBA Draft

West competition gets bigger while Nuggets stand pat

That left Melo on an island, and Anthony’s initial refusal to sign a lucrative contract extension this offseason speaks volumes about the lack of faith he has in this organization’s ability to get him some help.

After all, through the most loaded free agent class in the modern history of the NBA, the best the Nuggets could do was grab… Al Harrington.  And Harrington almost ended up in Dallas before Denver came through with more money.

The top two executives in the Denver front office likely won’t be finished clearing out their desks by the time the next tremor hits in this huge shakeup.

The Nuggets have not announced any replacements, but a thorough reconstitution of the front office is clearly in the works.  Paul Andrews, President of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, announced in a press release earlier today that:

“We are in the process of evaluating and restructuring the Nuggets front office and have begun a search for possible replacements as we prepare for the upcoming season.”

The rumblings started mid-season when it was reported that Warkentien had been courted by the Portland Trailblazers.  Mark showed interest in the job, despite winning the NBA’s award for Executive of the Year in 2009 with Denver.

Now, with Stan Kroenke moving to transfer ownership to son Josh, the shakeup is in full effect.  There was always a feeling that Warkentien was Stan’s boy and that Josh, the Nuggets’ VP of Team Development, would find a replacement as soon as he could.  That may explain Mark’s early interest in the Portland job, although his interactions with the Blazers mid-season (and especially before the all-important 2010 free agency period) still border on unforgivable. The front office insecurity became a detractor for potential free agents as a result.

The only shame in the deal is that Rex Chapman, whose eye for talent is largely responsible for the Nuggets going after Afflalo & Smith, will be leaving with him.  Chapman, unlike Warkentien, knows the value of executives in the player-driven NBA:

“I feel like this league has always been about the players, coaches and owners, and the rest of us are highly replaceable.”

Read Josh Kroenke’s team bio

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A year ago the Denver Nuggets were dominant.

Five-game shamings of the New Orleans Hornets & Dallas Mavericks in the first two rounds of the 2009 Playoffs had Denver looking like a Finals contender.  An uneven showing against the Lakers proved the Nuggets lack of discipline.

See, the Denver Nuggets are as bipolar as NBA basketball teams come.

When they move the ball well, stretch defenses with a solid percentage from range, and make clean, responsible rotations on defense, the Nuggets are capable of beating any team in the league over seven games.  When they get bogged down in isolations, take contested threes, and fall asleep in the defensive paint… well… they lose in six games to the undermanned Utah Jazz.

Denver is Dr. Jumper & Mr. Drive – a constant contrast between raw individual abilities and the need for refined team play.

That’s why the Jazz were such a problem for the Nuggets in these 2010 Playoffs.

Jerry Sloan has put regimented, team-oriented squads on the floor for the better part of three decades.  His Jazz will never (repeat, never) win an NBA Championship because they lack exactly the explosive characteristics that make clubs like the Nuggets so dangerous.  Utah is too metered for ultimate success in the modern NBA (or even the 1990’s NBA, a shame for all those great Mailman-centric teams.)  Their ultra-consistent play will always find itself eventually lacking versus a big-play, big-potential team like Denver or Los Angeles.

And yet, the Jazz were the perfect Yin to the Nuggets’ Yang in 2010.  Where Denver was fundamentally deficient, Utah was fundamentally sound.

Bear in mind, of course, that this would not have happened in 2009.  The ot-nine Nuggets would have simply overwhelmed the Jazz with the same barrage of offensive firepower that defeated New Orleans & Dallas.  But without the commanding influence of one George Matthew Karl manually balancing Denver’s speeding keel, they routinely fell out of rhythm on both ends of the court.

Karl was the glue that forcibly held this band of powerful rebels together.

Adrian Dantley filled in as best he could.  But without decades of experiencing playing postseason chess with on-court matchups, Dantley fell prey to Sloan’s superior in-game coaching.

The Nuggets were still capable of forcing the issue, of course, their talent level being so far superior across the breadth of the team from starters to bench.  However, the misuse of available players by Dantley and the lack of a personality manager at the helm combined to doom the Nuggets to a series best quickly forgotten.

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After an embarrassing, mistake-filled, foul-heavy 3-point loss in Denver to the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets are in must-win territory over the next two games.  They travel to Salt Lake City tonight for tomorrow night’s battle with the Jazz, and will need to win an away game this weekend to stay in the series.

Monday’s loss means that Utah has stolen the home court advantage Denver earned by winning the season series between these teams.  With this best-of-seven tied at 1-1, this 1^st Round playoff series effectively becomes a best-of-five.  But with two games already played in Denver, three of the (potential) next five will be played in Utah.

That does not bode well for a team that has historically struggled in SLC.

Denver nearly scrapped out two wins in Utah during the 2009 regular season, but even their one win was a miraculous accomplishment.  The Nuggets have long used their play against the Jazz as a Litmus Test for their abilities against the better teams in the NBA.  Utah coach Jerry Sloan has maintained a near-constant level of competitiveness in his Jazz for decades, and Utah always measures up around the middle of the playoff pack.

That makes them an ideal 1^st Round opponent for Denver… but also a dangerous one.

Should Denver win this series, they will have earned it.  Utah will not go down without a fight in a single game, much less an entire playoff series.  The Nuggets have not played up to their potential in a solid month of regular and then postseason basketball.  If they have any real shot at returning to the Western Conference Finals, they will need to display the offensive consistency and defensive discipline that had them rolling over Dallas & New Orleans in 2009.

Denver had a unique opportunity to crush the Jazz in Game 2, and they let it slip away.  Utah is beset by injuries, losing Andrei Kirilenko & Mehmet Okur over the last few weeks.  Granted, Deron Williams & Carlos Boozer had outstanding games in Denver, but the Nuggets’ bench was absolutely useless on Monday night.  If Denver’s B-Team can’t beat Utah’s C-Team, the Nuggets don’t deserve to move on in these playoffs.

Game 3 will be the first test of the playoffs for a Denver team that has looked lost since George Karl departed for cancer treatment.

Karl was at the Nuggets’ practice this week for the first time since the chemotherapy dragged him away from the Denver bench.  And while Adrian Dantley will again head the Denver coaching staff come game time, perhaps the Nuggets will find strength in seeing their stricken leader pull himself willfully from bed just to see them shoot jumpers.

George didn’t speak much, a task that is undoubtedly still painful for him.  But Karl’s 15-minute presence speaks volumes about his unflinching commitment to this team.  Here’s hoping the Nuggets can win one for George in Utah.

Game 3: Denver @ Utah on Friday, April 23^rd 8:30 MST on ESPN 2 & Altitude

Game 4: Denver @ Utah on Sunday, April 25^th 7:30 MST on TNT & Altitude

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