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After the sweet candy of watching the Lakers lose back-to-back contests, first to a Dirk Nowitzki -less Mavericks squad and then to the Portland Trailblazers in the always tough Rose Garden, we got some black licorice when the Nuggets were dismantled by the Philadelphia 76ers in Andre Iguodala's homecoming. Although we saw some good things in the fourth quarter by a finally-awakened and newly-signed Ty Lawson, and some overall excellent defense (which unfortunately coincided with some terrible offense) , the Nuggets east coast road trip to start the season looks to be off to a shaky start.
Going forward, the Nuggets will play Friday at the Orlando Magic (starting at 5:00 PM MST) to meet old friends Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington, followed up with a back-to-back date with the Miami Heat, LeBron James and newly-acquired Ray Allen on Saturday (5:30 PM MST). Let's go Nuggets!!
Daily Links:
Evan Fournier to battle Jordan Hamilton for playing time?
In a somewhat snarky article speaking to Karl's reluctance to play rookies, the DP's Benjamin Hochman postulates that Karl's ongoing ebullience for the French youngster implies that he's going to see some time in the rotation as *gasp* a 20 year old rookie! Maybe Karl realized that it was a mistake to keep the Manimal cooped up last year, and that given the chance, rookies can have an immediate impact on the game. We can hope.
The Knicks and Nets decided to do the smart thing and postpone their opener in the storm-ravaged northeast. With subways down and many roads impassable, right now the focus should be on cleanup and ensuring that everyone is safe and not fighting to get to an arena. The Knicks will still play Friday night against the Heat, although the Nets season opener will now not take place until Saturday, against the Toronto Raptors. A rescheduled game date is to be announced.
Derrick Rose rehab progressing slowly, still hampered by ACL injury
After suffering a gruesome playoff injury against the Philadelphia 76ers, Derrick Rose still has no timetable for a return to play. Rose's surgery on the ACL occurred on May 12th, and the timetable for a return from an ACL injury is 8 to 12 months - which would put Rose's earliest return as sometime in January. Ouch.
Mavericks tweak Lakers in season opener; Blazers defeat Lakers in the Rose Garden
Okay, so it's the first two games of the season, and let us not forget that the Miami Heat started the season last year at just 9-5 en route to winning it all. However, the schadenfreude of watching the Lakers collapse on opening night, at home, to a Dirk and Chris Kaman - less Mavericks team and then the next night to the lowly Blazers in the Rose Garden is too good not to savor for one day. Enjoy Dwight Howard's free throw shooting this year, Lakers!
Behind the scenes with the Memphis Grizzlies
Grantland has an amazing piece up about reporter Johnathan Abrams' week with the Memphis Grizzlies and has some very interesting observations. There's some strong language from Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, and it's a fascinating insight into the goings-on in preseason and early season practices and games. Definitely worth a read.
Finally, I hope everyone had a safe Halloween filled with candy and awesome costumes. Oh, and don't see Silent Hill 3D, it's terrible.
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Remember to attend this Saturday's STIFFS NIGHT OUT at Jake's Food & Spirits, located at 3800 Walnut Street, Denver, CO 80205. We will be gathering at 5:00pm to watch the Nuggets take on the Heat in Miami. We will play Nuggets trivia to win tickets to the Nuggets/Heat game and the Nuggets/Warriors game. We will also be giving away a signed basketball by JaVale McGee and new uniform Nuggets T-shirts! And all trivia proceeds will go to Denver Hooperz, a non-profit program that brings basketball to at-risk youths in the Denver area.
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