Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Lamrock]

JR's still got hops for a guy in his mid-thirties!

[Andrew]

Well deserved 2000 replies.

Agreed.

[Houndy]

Well deserved 2000 replies.

Agreed.

Absolutely

[rise]

Yup.

Congratulations on the 2000 replies. As Thierry said, it's well-deserved. unlike thierry's old associations. lol

[Warlock95]

Coz it's one of the best threads in this forum. EVER. This one inspired me to join.

[Axel The Great]

Yep. Well-deserved 2000 replies on such a high-quality dynasty story. Congrats on the milestone, Kenny! Anything special planned in celebration?

[kibaxx7]

unlike thierry's old associations. lol

"Old".

[rise]

Good to know.

[Axel The Great]

Yep, writing in small font size is old.

[Fresh8]

Congrats on the milestone, Kenny! Anything special planned in celebration?

Drinking with me

[Kenny]

5-0... That's not unusual for the Nuggets. Nice start

Thanks Houndy, I'm really liking the balance of the side at the moment.

I think you should keep Reed on the bench for that Jamal Crawford/Jason Terry role. Yung Buck should start.

Even though I still really don't know how to use Jennings as effectively as I should, I will tend to agree. Reed's been a nice development off the bench.

Pretty rough schedule to start the season, but really doesn't affect the team. Great to see DeAndre Jordan having a good run; him and Perko make a great, athletic frontcourt. Looking forward to seeing what Young has to bring to the table.

The frontcourt is probably my favourite part of the team at the moment. Jordan is an absolute monster in the post and could very well be a darkhorse for the all-star game this season. I think Perko is also an early candidate for MIP as well... I'm hoping he's my first.

Ed Reed for 6th Man Looking good man.

Thanks Thierry, he definitely does bring instant offense off the bench

Ed Reed AKA The Flute.

I wonder how many nicknames we can think up for him. I was thinking "Saxamaphone" as well. How funny would it be if every time he hit a three, Homer Simpson's voice came in on the speakers saying "SAXAMAPHONE"?

Great start to the season! I'm interested to see if Reed will end up with the starting spot, though it seems like he could be really good in a Jason Terry/Jamal Crawford-type role.

I dare say Reed will be on the bench for a while. He's a big scoring threat but Jennings has more of an all-round game and tends to get the team more involved. Reed is more of a combo guard at the moment.

Well deserved 2000 replies.

Agreed.

Absolutely

Yup.

Congratulations on the 2000 replies. As Thierry said, it's well-deserved.

Yep. Well-deserved 2000 replies on such a high-quality dynasty story. Congrats on the milestone, Kenny! Anything special planned in celebration?

Thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without you

And I didn't really think of doing anything until you mentioned it Axel, but I'll figure out something

JR's still got hops for a guy in his mid-thirties!

That he does. He's found the fountain of youth like Chauncey did.

unlike thierry's old associations. lol

"Old".

Good to know.

Yep, writing in small font size is old.

Come on now, Thierry's almost finished a full season, he's doing great

Congrats on the milestone, Kenny! Anything special planned in celebration?

Drinking with me

Sounds good to me

[Kenny]

Happy 2000!

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed feedback during the course of this dynasty. The reader enthusiasm has been something I've used to help keep my story rolling along. I didn't particularly plan anything to bring up the 2000, but over 10 seasons, one of my favourite aspects to this has been creating banners for the new season. It is a challenge to pick players who best represent the story and who will be prominant in that season for my opening banner.

What a lot of you don't know is, with the banners I've created, I also have alternates. Not every season has one, but there are a few that needed contingency plans. I thought I'd dig up 5 banners that didn't quite make it to the story.

Here they are:

Banners That Didn't Quite Make It

The New Point Rotation?

I created this banner around about season 6 I believe. I was certain that Chauncey Billups would retire during the simulated years. And my future point guards were Patrick Mills and Shaun Livingston. Patty at the time was one of the standouts during the Roster Player era and Shaun Livingston I thought would add a nice "comeback" story of his own.

But Chauncey Billups stayed around, Patty continued to be his backup and Livingston was later involved in the trade that got J.R. Smith back to the Nuggets. No regrets!

Another Future Plan

This was another plan I had to showcase a new era in Denver with Shannon Brown and Wilson Chandler. I guess the concept didn't really work out in the initial stages because Melo was still with the side and he's only 3 years older than Chandler. On top of that, Chandler only spent one season with the Nuggets before being traded to Orlando for Brandon Bass. Bass didn't pan out, but it did clear the rotation for J.R. and Shannon.

The Return

I was close to going with this one, but I felt like the emphasis needed to be more on the reunion of J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony, hence this was the alternate.

Another Billups Retirement Contingency Plan

"...and it feels so good" is a reference to the old Herb and Peaches songs "Reunited", with the previous year having the same name. I really liked this banner, but I felt that the emphasis needed to be on Chauncey spending 20 years in the league.

Finally! A Chauncey banner!

This was my first attempt at a 20 years of the Big Shot banner. I wanted to have Billups in the jersey of every team he played for and I found something of that description on NBA.com. For that reason, this banner got the flick.

[Andrew]

Cool. Nice idea for the milestone, thanks for sharing them!

[Martti.]

Very unique.

Congrats on the 2K, one heck of a milestone and more then well deserved.

[Kenny]

Cool. Nice idea for the milestone, thanks for sharing them!

No worries, glad you liked them

Very unique.

Congrats on the 2K, one heck of a milestone and more then well deserved.

I'd have to say a good share of that 2000 is yours, so thank you

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

After looking just about unbeatable through the first 7 games, the Denver Nuggets ended their winning streak after being blownout by Utah in Salt Lake City. While they recovering with their first win at home against Atlanta, the Nuggets went on to lose their second game against the Bulls in another close finish. The feature game of this round is in the city of roses:

Nuggets Blaze Portland in OT



They needed an extra period, but the Denver Nuggets came up with a 105-99 win against the Trail Blazers in Portland. The game was sent to overtime after DeAndre Jordan missed the layup off the post move that would have won it in regulation. J.R. Smith once again led the way for the Nuggets notching up 32 points to be the top scorer for both teams. However, it was Borislav Perko who was judged at the best player on the court. He's continued on his stellar early season form with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. Ed Reed couldn't quite find his range, but still managed to score 13 off the bench. DeAndre Jordan (12) and Kevin Durant (10) were the other two double-digit scorers in a well rounded game for the Nuggets.

For Porltand, comeback kid Jerryd Bayless continued his rise with 22 points on the night. He has taken the starting two-guard spot off Brandon Roy and is in all-star form. Point guard Dakota Barry had a productive night with 19 points and 6 assists, while Jeff Green once again won his matchup against Kevin Durant with 14 points. Centres Garth Kearley (12) and Hasheem Thabeet (10) both contributed as well.

With this win, Denver won their first 7 games of the season.

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DEN@POR

(OT)
DEN: 105 (Smith 32, Perko 24, Reed 13)
POR: 99 (Bayless 22, Barry 19, Green 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 24 points 17 rebounds 4 assists 1 block 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 17
POR: Divac 9

Assists

DEN: Watters 5
POR: Barry 6

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Last 5 Games

@SAN: 89-80 W
@POR: 105-99 W (OT)
@UTA: 84-69 L
ATL: 77-73 W
CHI: 84-82 L

Denver are now 8-2

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No Slowing Down Yet

Despite losing a close game to Chicago, J.R. Smith is proving there's still a lot left in the tank. He led Denver's scorers with 24 points.

A New Starter

DeAndre Jordan has been a monster for Denver so far. Not only has he taken the starting spot off Robin Lopez, but he's currently 5th in the league in rebounds with 9.5 per game. Not bad for a guy who spent his first 5 games on the bench. His first start of the year was against the Spurs, where he tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Sending A Message

Rudy Fernandez didn't come to Denver just as a retirement plan and possible ring collection; he wants to be a contributor. In the loss against the Jazz, he was the top scorer for the Nuggets with 19 off the bench. With his impact on the offensive end and his superior efficiency, he has jumped over Taylor MacKenzie in the shooting guard rotation.

Young Talent

Adrian Young played the first game of his NBA career against the Atlanta Hawks. On debut he scored 10 points and registered his first career rebound and blocked shot. At 6'10, he's reminiscent of an inaugeral TNL player by the name of Robert Horry. He has great ball skills, his size creates matchup problems and he can stretch the defense out with perimeter shooting. He has a lot of potential and if he can realise it, he can have a great future with the Nuggets franchise.

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Next 5 Games

CLE
PHI
MIN
POR
GSW

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Up next will be the 10 game player evaluation. It'll be an interesting one this season with a few surprise performers and disappointments as well.

[Andrew]

A couple of tough losses there but you're still off to a strong start. Hopefully Young does realise his potential as other generated players have so far in TNL.

[Justine.]

Loving the banners

[Houndy]

Nice banners. They look real good.

Adrian Young has a bright future

[Warlock95]

Whoa, is that Vlade Divac wearing a retired number for the Blazers?

[Axel The Great]

Great banners, love Chauncey's the best.

Excellent OT win against the Blazers, good to see Smith and Perko maintaining their form. I'll be damned if you let that flopping Spaniard Fernandez take MacKenzie's spot on the team.

[kibaxx7]

Just saw the banners, great idea. Chauncey's great.

And some tough setbacks. As Axel said, Rudy is a nice rotation player but T-Mac 2.0 should see more play!

[megarover]

Hmm it would be good to keep an eye out for Young kid.

[Kenny]

A couple of tough losses there but you're still off to a strong start. Hopefully Young does realise his potential as other generated players have so far in TNL.

Can't really complain with 8-2 and it's nice to know I can still lose. I tried mucking around with a few sliders so hopefully that'll make things even more interesting. Nothing major, just more so CPU pass accuracy, fatigue effect and little things like that. The plus with Young is that if he doesn't pan out as a small forward, his body is big enough to put in the post and it's a lot easily to overachieve when you're closer to the basket.

Loving the banners

Thanks Justine

Making banners is one of the most enjoyable parts of this dynasty.

Nice banners. They look real good.

Adrian Young has a bright future

Thanks Houndy

Hopefully Young can turn out more like Borislav Perko and less like George Power.

Whoa, is that Vlade Divac wearing a retired number for the Blazers?

That is actually Milan Divac... and great pick up there. I actually didn't notice whose jersey he was wearing until I looked it up. Particularly blasphemous since Lucas' passing was relatively recent.

Great banners, love Chauncey's the best.

Excellent OT win against the Blazers, good to see Smith and Perko maintaining their form. I'll be damned if you let that flopping Spaniard Fernandez take MacKenzie's spot on the team.

Thanks Axel, I thought you might like the Chauncey one the best

I'm doing my best to play people on form over homerism, and right now, that flopping Spaniard is kicking T-Mac's ass

Just saw the banners, great idea. Chauncey's great.

And some tough setbacks. As Axel said, Rudy is a nice rotation player but T-Mac 2.0 should see more play!

I'm really glad I did that before he was traded to New York... thinking about that still makes me a bit sad I have to admit. He'll always be #1 for Denver for me though

As for MacKenzie, his form this season has been horrid. Until he cleans up his game a bit, Rudy is going to be getting more of his minutes if he keeps playing well.

Hmm it would be good to keep an eye out for Young kid.

Small forward is a position that's probably the weakest at the moment depth wise. Kevin Durant is a star, but behind him there's two equally hot-and-cold players in Taylor MacKenzie and Dennis Da Conceicao. If Young plays well, he could cement a spot as Durant's backup.

[Kenny]

10 Game Player Review: The 2019 Edition

Every season I critique each one of my 15 players on the squad. I find 10 games is a fairly good indicator of how things can go, but it is by no means the be all and end all of the season. Once again I'm doing this by position. Here it is:

Centre

DeAndre Jordan

Jordan has arguably done what Andrew Bogut did last year even better. He impressed me so much in his first 5 games that I had to give him a start over the struggling Robin Lopez. It has paid off, with him coming 5th in the league in rebounding (9.5) and first in the team in blocked shots (1.7). His free throw form is still awful, but at 46.2% it could be thought of as an improving point of his game. Scoring just over 7 points a game, not much offense will be created for him, but historically the centres haven't been prolific scorers in TNL Nuggets.

Aaron Watters

Really not seen as a big piece to the championship puzzle, Watters' numbers don't jump off the page. Off the bench he is 3rd in rebounding for the Nuggets with 3.8 per game (he's played 10 games, so he qualifies for 3rd), but he's really more of an intangible guy. He boxes out and generally makes the hustle plays. Not a guy who would demand a huge contract, but generally a player that every team needs. Right now he's panning out as a Mark Madsen style big with the Nuggets, but as a sophomore he has plenty of room to grow. He's currently above Robin Lopez in the rotation, which is rather significant to the dynamic of the team.

Robin Lopez

After recording a 30-30 game last season, Fropez has been... well, awful to be honest. His first 5 games were so mediocre that I banished him to the injury reserve. It might seem harsh, but there is little room on this team for error. He has been deactivated so Adrian Young can receive an opportunity. Robin needs to find his game and fast.

Power Forward

Borislav Perko

This year appears to be the breakout season for the 4 year man out of Kazakhstan, as his numbers have been as impressive as anyone on the team. Perko is coming second in every category apart from steals, averaging 16.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block per game. Previously known as the team's energy guy, Borislav has emerged so far as a legit sidekick on the Earl show. Unlike Smith though, Perko is still only 24 years of age. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and Denver will have to do everything in their power to re-sign this star in the making.

George Power

As Perko rises, Power has fallen. I'm not saying he's a terrible player, but when you consider that he was the ROY 2 seasons ago, being a servicable bench player is a big fall from grace in such a short time period. A combination of decreased minutes and a struggling jumpshot has seen Power's production plummet. To get his career back on track, he might have to move on... but who would want to leave a situation that could give you multiple years of championship contention?

Crispin Erwin

After playing a surprisingly big role in the NBA Finals, Erwin has only seen one game this season. He's an effective rebounder, but right now his ceiling in a Nuggets uniform looks to be that of a 12th man. His opportunities will come sporadically, but while Borislav Perko is starring, his playing time will be limited.

Small Forward

Kevin Durant

While KD35 is currently leading the team in steals per game (2), he's coming 4th in scoring averaging 10 per game. Not bad for a starter, but when you consider his contract is worth 17 million this year, Denver could probably get the same amount of offensive production from Jeff Green. He has his moments of brilliance and is excellent in the clutch... I don't know, maybe I'm just not playing him like Kevin Durant should be played.

Adrian Young

So far out of the two games he's played, I've liked what Young has brought to the table. In a lot of ways, his presense is like having an extra post player on the court. He could likely play 3 positions on the floor with his height, which will make him an asset I believe. Hopefully he will pan out to be another draft steal, despite being labelled as a questionable pick.

Dennis Da Conceicao

Like Crispin Erwin, DDC has only played one game so far. While he has all the athleticism in the world, he is limited by a sketchy jumpshot. Trading for him was the right thing to do, but it seems like he won't be as useful as Nicolas Batum in the long run.

Shooting Guard

J.R. Smith

Earl has started the season in outstanding fashion, leading the Nuggets in scoring (22.9) and coming second in steals (1.8). With the criticism of him not being a big game player erased, J.R. is seemingly out to prove that he's one of the greatest players to play in this generation. A statistic that really stands out at this point is his three point percentage, currently shooting a career best .443 from beyond the arc. When all is said and done, Earl could very well go down as the defining player of this dynasty.

Rudy Fernandez

With little expectation on his shoulders, Rudy has done extremely well this season. The high point of his season so far has been a 19 point effort against the Utah Jazz and he's proving that he's not the corpse I originally thought he was going to be. With his handy stints off the bench, he's putting Taylor MacKenzie to shame right now and is liking to get a good share of T-Mac's minutes if he keeps it up.

Taylor MacKenzie

For those of you who love Taylor MacKenzie and think he should have the spot above Rudy in the rotation... I completely understand, because I love him too. Here's the rebuttal to your argument: 2.1 points per game, .333 FG% and 1/9 3PM/A. On his night he is explosive, but it seems like his lack of efficiency will haunt him for his entire career.

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings

Brandon's scoring has dried up a lot in his 30s, but he still runs the most potent offense in the league. Leads the team in assists (3.7), but it's his leadership on the fastbreak that Denver appreciates the most. He has a great feel for the game and has become a more traditional point guard. A somewhat Chauncey-like transition in his game in that sense, even if he's not proving to be as effective.

Ed Reed

Ed Reed has been the "instant offense" guy so far. It's hard to believe he is second to J.R. Smith in three point percentage when he himself is shooting at .407, but it's true. Off the bench he is 3rd in Denver's scoring with 14.7 a game and he arguably should be averaging more. His lack of defense and shoot first mentality are why he's currently limited to the bench, but his offensive game is unbelievable on any given night. Reed and Perko will become the heart of the franchise once J.R. Smith calls it a day.

Patrick Mills

Patty is another one gamer in this lineup. His problem is that he's a good player on a great team and manages to slip through the cracks for that reason. He fits in the system well, but when Jennings is the floor general and Ed Reed is having nights of 20+ points, it's simply too hard to find time for him on the floor.