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

[Kenny]

Good to see you posting in this section again. I know what you mean about New Vegas, it's been taking up my gaming time as well as of late. I'm pretty much at the point of no return, though I killed Mr House and will ultimately decide between the Independent/Yes Man and NCR endings on this playthrough.

I went down the same road as you, but I felt kinda guilty afterwards because of the notes that came up after that choice. As much as I liked the Brotherhood, it felt like the lesser evil option to kill them.

[Kenny]

10 Game Player Review

I decided this season I'd do it by position:

Centre

Robin Lopez

During the first few games, Lopez has been Denver's rock in the interior. He led the team in rebounds (8.7) and blocks (1.9) per game. Due to the way Denver play, his offensive game hasn't been required as much, but he has had his moments, including a game of 22 points and 16 rebounds against his former team the Phoenix Suns.

Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut's story is very similar to Yao's last season. After having a career with one team and being the main guy for the majority of the time he was there, Bogut now finds himself as a role player in the Nuggets system. His points per game stat has dropped dramatically to a point where after 10 games he was only averaging 2.3 points per game, but off the bench he is 3rd in rebounds (5.8) and blocks (1) per game. He has without doubt made the greatest sacrifice to his production out of everyone on this squad, but in doing this Denver remain to have excellent depth with their big men.

Chris Andersen

After starting for the entire 2017-2018 campaign, the 40 year old Andersen only played the 2 Houston games in the first 10. He managed to swat the ball away 4 times and grab 9 rebounds. While there is no doubt he can still compete at the top level, Denver decided before even giving him a contract that he would be sitting more this season to give Robin Lopez a shot at regular playing time.

Power Forward

Borislav Perko

Much like the other big men in the team, Perko's offensive game isn't utilised to it's full extent every game... in saying that though, he provides for his team in other areas. He is second in rebounds (6.2), assists (2.4) and blocks (1.4) per game. It could be argued that he should be putting up more points, but his game suits Denver perfectly. He's a big man that can pass the ball extremely well and is tenacious off the offensive glass. If he wants to become a go-to-guy, he may have to request a trade, but at this point he's a great complement to the team.

George Power

With the starting role going to the Kazahkstan Kid, George Power has seen a dip in just about every statistical category. Last season he averaged a stat line of 10.7ppg, 6.4rpg and 2.5 apg... this season? 3.7 ppg, 4.2rpg and 1.5apg. He has not been able to hurt the opposition with his mid-range game like he did last season and is possibly under threat of not being picked for the Rookie Challenge. Let's hope that his slump doesn't reach the same magnitude of T-Mac 2.0.

Crispin Erwin

Erwin has only played 2 games so far for the nummbers. There hasn't been enough to suggest he will cause any rotation dilemmas and will probably be beneficial if he had a stint in the D-League. Currently turnovers are his problem, picking up 3 per game.

Small Forward

Kevin Durant

Durant is another one of those players who has made a big sacrifice to be on a winning team. He is currently 3rd in scoring with 14.8, but I would expect that to pick up as the season goes by. Once again he leads the team in steals with 2 per game and is tied for 3rd with Andrew Bogut in blocked shots with 1.

Basil Richter

Basil has played 2 games so far and averages 8 points per game off 40 percent shooting. He has the strength to get the ball inside but seems to settle the outside shot that's currently not within his range.

Nicolas Batum

Nic has yet to make his debut in this campaign.

Shooting Guard

J.R. Smith

Although there hasn't been much written about him, J.R. Smith has been Denver's leading scorer with 16.5 points per game. Everybody knows that Earl is capable of more, but with the players around him, he's had to share the wealth. With Durant on the team, it's unlikely that he will contend for another scoring title, but he will always be a threat with his all-round offensive game.

Taylor MacKenzie

T-Mac 2.0 is currently shaping as the feel good story of the 2018-2019 campaign. After basically spending the whole 2017-2018 season on the IR, he has come back to prominance and is scoring at 10.4 points per game (4th). His field goal percentage... well, we don't talk about that all that often as he only shoots at 37 percent. Much like Jamal Crawford, the key to his game is his shot selection. The fact he's averaging over 10 with such bad efficiency proves he has the potential to score big points if he gets it right.

Ed Reed

Reed has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign so far. After playing 7 games, he averages 7.7 points per game and shoots 50 percent from 3 point range after taking 20 shots. At about 6'2-6'3, his NBA comparison with Ben Gordon is an accurate one. While he's an effective outside shooter, his defense lets him down and a good reason for that is because of his size. He's off to a good start though and I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the rookie game.

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings

Big Shot Jr is second in Denver with 15.3 points per game and natually leads in assists with 4.2 a game. What has been a highlight of his play so far is his play in the final quarter. When Denver have needed a spark, he has been electric in the 4th, including an incredible 31 in that quarter alone against the Sacramento Kings. While it's too early to say whether he can truly fill the void that Billups has left, he's done a pretty good job of it so far.

Jrue Holiday

Thanks to Jennings' superb play, Holiday's minutes have been rather limited. His jumpshot has been off but his ability to drive and get to the foul line have been key for him. He plays the pick and roll better than Jennings, so that gives Denver an alternative style at their disposal. Too early to say whether the Jrue Holiday experiment will continue or be aborted.

Patrick Mills

Patty is a great 3rd option at the point and over the course of his two games this season, he has proven that he hasn't lost any speed whatsoever. He's probably the quickest guy on the team, but like Holiday lacks an outside shot. With him being the third option, the point is arguably one of Denver's stronger positions at the moment.

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Next up will be the report for the month of November. Hopefully that'll be up soon.

[Andrew]

Nice write-up, as usual. I'm guessing the sim engine is the main culprit for some of those numbers being down.

[Kenny]

TNL Top 5
Ring Chasers

Over the course of this season I thought I'd have some retrospective posts in a top 5 format to pay tribute to the previous seasons. This time around it's my favourite players who came to Denver looking for a ring to end their career. Who were my favourite 5? Here they are:

#5: Shaquille O'Neal



Because of the fact that Shaq had won 4 already, I couldn't put him any higher than number 5 on this list. But the fact that he was tied with Kobe and had the chance to get one more without him... he made it on the list over Robert Horry. As much as I dislike the Lakers, I gotta love Shaq!

#4: Andrew Bogut



Perhaps I'm jumping the gun a little on this one, but being an Australian, I have to put Bogut on my list. After playing for the Bucks for 13 seasons, the next two seasons he will have a chance to win a ring on a more consistent team. That and he's reunited with Brandon Jennings; what's not to love?

#3: Yao Ming



I'll admit, I used to be Yao hater but my view on him has changed in the past 3 seasons. After having a wretched run of injuries towards the end of his career, he decided to start off fresh with the Denver organisation for what would be his last season. He picked up the 6th man award and provided a big (literally and metaphorically) shot blocking and rebounding presense off the bench.

#2: Grant Hill



It seems that anyone who knows the NBA is all to aware of the tragic Grant Hill story. The what if questions that are often asked as he could have potentially been one of the greatest of all time. However, moving on, not only did Grant play until he was in his 40s, but he was apart of title number 2 and 3 in Denver's three-peat. While the questions of what could have been will still be asked, atleast Hill wouldn't leave the game empty handed.

#1: Marcus Camby



As a Denver fan, I hated it when they traded away Marcus Camby. He's a great team player and patrols the lane as well as any big guy in the game at the moment. So when I saw him on free agency, I felt the need to right-a-wrong. While he probably wasn't the best performer on this list, he's one of my favourite players of the 2000s, so he gets the top spot. Anybody who cares to argue, you're not going to change my mind!

[Andrew]

Cool feature. That's something I've definitely enjoyed about this Dynasty, veterans getting rings. Especially those who may not get a good shot at one again in real life.

[kibaxx7]

Grant Hill would be my fav

[Houndy]

Shaq is my favorite. The Big Nugget was a boss.

[Axel The Great]

Over the years, Denver's been a retirement home in this dynasty, like the current Celtics. Great article as always, nice to see you back. Gotta say Yao is the best one on the list to me.

BTW, did you fix that PS3 trophy error problem you had before? If you have, would you be willing to play Adidas Live Run sometime?

[Kenny]

Nice write-up, as usual. I'm guessing the sim engine is the main culprit for some of those numbers being down.

I actually played the first 10 games... I think the numbers being down are a result of having such a deep roster and shortened playing time. I try to divide it as fairly as possible but in the end, it's a "feast or famine" system basically.

Cool feature. That's something I've definitely enjoyed about this Dynasty, veterans getting rings. Especially those who may not get a good shot at one again in real life.

Grant Hill would be my fav

It's something I've definitely enjoyed. I guess being on a winning team, it's a good way to distribute karma. Giving Hill his two rings was particularly rewarding and I guess some Homerism on my behalf was the only thing that stopped him from being number 1

Shaq is my favorite. The Big Nugget was a boss.

Without a doubt he was awesome. As soon as I saw him on free agency, I knew I had to get him.

Over the years, Denver's been a retirement home in this dynasty, like the current Celtics. Great article as always, nice to see you back. Gotta say Yao is the best one on the list to me.

BTW, did you fix that PS3 trophy error problem you had before? If you have, would you be willing to play Adidas Live Run sometime?

Hey, since the Celtics and the Spurs are no longer doing it, someone has to be a retirement home

The trophy thing has been fixed... I think I just needed to put in my PSN user details in my PS3 again and that got it going again. Feel free to hit me up on my username: kwyoung

[Kenny]

November 2018 review

After a season of domination, it was widely believed that this one would be the same for Denver. However in the first month, there were weaknesses in their game that were hardly visible during last season. Currently they're 3rd in the West on a record of 12-5. Even though they have lost the game at home, the biggest surprise of all is that they have lost to two Eastern Conference teams! With the West's dominance over the league, Denver being vunerable is a welcome sign for the other contenders.

Towards the end of the month, Kevin Durant became the go-to-guy and is currently sitting 4th in the MVP race as his points per game average continues to rise. While this is a positive development for Denver, J.R. Smith is on the last year of his contract and is looking to play for another one. With Denver possibly becoming Durant's city, will Earl become expendable?

Standings

EAST

Washington 13-3
Cleveland 10-4
Charlotte 11-5
Philadelphia 8-9
Miami 7-9
New York 7-9
Atlanta 6-8
Detroit 6-9
----
Milwaukee 6-10
Toronto 6-10
Boston 5-11
Chicago 5-11
New Jersey 5-12
Indiana 4-11
Orlando 4-11


WEST

LA Lakers 13-5
Minnesota 10-4
Denver 12-5
New Orleans 10-5
Oklahoma City 11-6
Sacramento 9-5
San Antonio 10-6
LA Clippers 10-6
---
Phoenix 11-7
Houston 7-7
Dallas 9-10
Memphis 7-8
Golden State 8-11
Utah 6-11
Portland 4-12

The standings at the moment kind of perplex me, so apologies if one or two are out of place.

Monthly Awards

Remember: It's the first month... the game doesn't recognise reason. Statistical anomalies galore!

East Player: [WAS] Reuben Walker (14.9ppg 11.8rpg 6.1spg)
West Player: [MEM] Stephen Curry (21.3ppg 13.8rpg 8.9apg)
East Rookie: [NYK] Theo Werner (2.7ppg 6.9rpg 0.9bpg)
West Rookie: [PHX] Augustus Ross (5.5ppg 2.4apg 0.6spg)

MVP Race

[LAC] Ollie Rose (24.8ppg 3.4apg 1.9spg)
[PHX] LeBron James (17.4ppg 3.8rpg 5.9apg)
[SAN] Rudy Gay (22.5ppg 7.2rpg 1.2spg)
[DEN] Kevin Durant (18.9ppg 3.4rpg 1.7spg)
[GSW] Rudolf Gibson (20.6ppg 3.1rpg 2.4apg)

League Leaders

PPG

[LAC] Ollie Rose 24.8
[SAN] Rudy Gay 22.5
[MIL] Eric Gordon 21.4
[MEM] Stephen Curry 21.3
[GSW] Rudolf Gibson 20.6

RPG

[LAL] Andrew Bynum 10.4
[IND] Stan Morgan 9.7
[HOU] Armando Ferrer 9.4
[TOR] Lawrence Coutts 9.4
[BOS] Brook Lopez 9.3

APG

[NYK] Rajon Rondo 8
[GSW] Jordan Farmar 7.3
[HOU] Liam Koch 7.2
[NOH] Chris Paul 6.9
[SAN] Aaron Brooks 6.9

SPG

[MIA] Jason Everett 2.2
[CLE] OJ Mayo 2.1
[PHI] Chuck O'Farrell 2.1
[LAC] Ollie Rose 1.9
[SAN] Johnny Gibson 1.9

BPG

[NYK] Grant Bernard 2.2
[UTA] Bart Harvey 2.2
[OKC] Luther Rutherford 2.1
[LAL] Andrew Bynum 2
[DAL] Josh Smith 2
[WAS] Zach Pearson 2

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All that was a long time coming I suppose but it's great to get back into things again. While the developers get a fix for my problem in My Player (hopefully it's fixable), this will become my priority again. Next up will be a 5 game round, unless I decide to throw another article in there. Stay tuned

[Martti.]

Wow, the East is really weak. Only 3 teams above .500

[kibaxx7]

at the League Leaders. I always forget we are on 2018 here!

[Andrew]

Definitely a strong Western Conference so far this year but the top seed is still very much within your reach. Hope you can hit your stride in December!

[rise]

Haven't checked this out for awhile. Didn't even realize you had Grant Hill on the Nuggets!

It seems that anyone who knows the NBA is all to aware of the tragic Grant Hill story. The what if questions that are often asked as he could have potentially been one of the greatest of all time. However, moving on, not only did Grant play until he was in his 40s, but he was apart of title number 2 and 3 in Denver's three-peat. While the questions of what could have been will still be asked, atleast Hill wouldn't leave the game empty handed.

I've got an entire story about this that I just started this evening! Interested to see what Grant Hill could have been?

The East/West POTW picks made me roflmao.

[Kenny]

Wow, the East is really weak. Only 3 teams above .500

I know... I think a big reason for that is they lack a big star. LeBron, Carmelo, Durant, Ollie Rose, Stanley Alston, Stephen Curry and basically all the other guys who essentially trouble the MVP race during the year are in the West... in fact, not one single player from the East is in it this year either.

at the League Leaders. I always forget we are on 2018 here!

Yes, in 2018 Mike Conley is a clutch player.

Quote me in 2018?

Definitely a strong Western Conference so far this year but the top seed is still very much within your reach. Hope you can hit your stride in December!

It's definitely something I can still achieve. It'll be interesting to see how much simulation will hinder me during the season.

Haven't checked this out for awhile. Didn't even realize you had Grant Hill on the Nuggets!

It seems that anyone who knows the NBA is all to aware of the tragic Grant Hill story. The what if questions that are often asked as he could have potentially been one of the greatest of all time. However, moving on, not only did Grant play until he was in his 40s, but he was apart of title number 2 and 3 in Denver's three-peat. While the questions of what could have been will still be asked, atleast Hill wouldn't leave the game empty handed.

I've got an entire story about this that I just started this evening! Interested to see what Grant Hill could have been?

The East/West POTW picks made me roflmao.

Grant Hill was on my team during years 3-5 I believe... I acquired him the same free agency I got Marcus Camby. At one stage him and Shaq were both on my team... talk about a 90s dream coming true

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

With an 8 game home stand coming up, all 5 of these were played, but it wasn't the result you might come to expect. Denver started this 5 game run with a 1 point loss at the hands of the Clippers thanks to a clutch shot by Ollie Rose. While they would bounce back to win emphatically against the Lakers, Kobe's old team would bounce back to win the second of the double header in convincing fashion as well. From there it was dominance once again, with wins over Phoenix and this one over the Bobcats:

Denver Obliterate Charlotte



Denver have pulled off their biggest win of the season, humbling the Charlotte Bobcats to the tune of 105-62. Kevin Durant led the brigade of 7 double-figure scorers with 29 points, receiving the player of the game. Taylor MacKenzie would be the next best with 11, while J.R. Smith, Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut, Cripsin Erwin and George Power all scored 10 each. In fact, it was a momentus occassion for the Nuggets as all 12 active players scored atleast two points.

For the woeful Bobcats however, they only had 2 double-figure scorers with Patrick MacNamara scoring 20 to be their highest. Kevin Love was their best player with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Timothy Banks had 7 points and 6 assists.

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CHA@DEN

DEN: 105 (Durant 29, MacKenzie 11, Bogut 10)
CHA: 62 (MacNamara 20, Love 16, Banks 7)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Kevin Durant 29 points 3 rebounds 2 assists 2 blocks 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Lopez 11
CHA: Love 7

Assists

DEN: Jennings, MacKenzie, Mills 3
CHA: Banks 6

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Last 5 Games

LAC: 72-71 L
LAL: 94-68 W
LAL: 89-74 L
PHX: 81-69 W
CHA: 105-62 W

Denver are now 14-6

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The New Headlining Act

Kevin Durant is seemingly becoming Denver's new go-to-guy as he scored a huge 42 points against the Clippers to go along with his 29 against the Bobcats. After struggling at times last season, it looks like he's finally finding his stride in the Denver uniform. Will he be the franchise's second MVP?

Continuing to Soar

Taylor MacKenzie continued on his storied comeback season with 34 against the Phoenix Suns off the bench. His outside shot is still missing, but he is being more aggressive and getting to the line a lot more.

Enter the Jrue

The first game Denver played against the Lakers was a blowout 94-68 win... and the key player? Jrue Holiday of all people! He scored 31 points and dished off 4 dimes. If Denver gets continued production like that from him, their lineup becomes even more imposing.

Denver's Hustle Guy

Stats of 9 points and 11 rebounds aren't particularly headline worthy, but Borislav Perko continues to do make the effort plays for Denver, and for that, he deserves a mention.

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Next 5 Games

MIL
NJN
WAS
@MIN
@OKC

While two of those games are away fixtures, I will play 4. The Minnesota game will mark the first game against them since the Anthony-Durant trade. It's always a tantilising matchup and this time, Durant will be returning to his old home.

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Quite an interesting round of results. At the moment I'm still trying to get used to the pace of the game after player 2k11. Also, the flaws in this really show up now I've played the proclaimed GOAT of NBA games. Anyway, another 5 game summary will be up soon.

[Kenny]

Trade News: Denver accept offer for Batum



Denver accepted an offer from Golden State for seldom used forward Nicolas Batum. In exchange the Nuggets received small forward Dennis Da Conceicao. While this move shouldn't have any immediate impact for the Nuggets, it does make them younger with Da Conceicao being only 24.

The 6'8 Lithuanian was the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, but has only played 42 games thanks to injuries and lack of opportunities from coach Don Nelson.

[Andrew]

Seems you made the right call on the Melo/KD trade last season. A couple of tough losses there but it's still early days. Hope the Batum trade produces results.

[Axel The Great]

Da Conceicao sounds Brazilian, but he's from Lithuania?

Looks like you either win easily, or lose while putting up a fight. You definitely spanked the Bobcats though.

[Houndy]

I personally would think that Don Nelson would be either retired or dead in 2018

Nice trade, whoever this kid is

[Phil89]

Da Conceicao sounds Brazilian, but he's from Lithuania?

One of his parents could be Brazilian or Portuguese and living in Lithuania.

Reminds me of regen players on FIFA games named Bob who are from Brazil.

[rise]

I had a Desagana Spencer from Spain once in Live 2003.

[kibaxx7]

Don't like Batum being traded, but acquiring a 2nd overall pick, it was a nice deal

[rise]

Wish I'd traded Batum (see my franchise) right after trading for him.

[Lamrock]

Can't believe you fucking traded Batum.