Nuggets Wrap-Up: Week 12/14-12/20

Denver

12/14-12/20

I was on my way to the blog when I decided to take a swing by centsports.com and see how my bets were doing. 

Bad call. 

Sometime around 12 or 1 last night, I thought it would be bright to risk two of my hard earned $3.74 on a soccer game taking place over in France. The problem? I couldn’t tell you a thing about soccer. So why did I do it? Easy, a -200 favorite seemed tempting.  

Needless to say I’m back down to $1.74 and find the road back up much steeper this time. (For anybody who hasn’t heard of centsports.com, I highly advise you check out this deeply depressing and drive-you-to-drinking-sports-gambling-site. Did I mention you bet with pocket change?) 

You’re probably wondering how this ties into the Denver Nuggets and the week of December 14^th? 

That’s the easy part. Watching the Nugs battle through easily the most difficult week of the season so far, was in fact, not easy.  After dropping a tough road game in Houston, the Nugs got an ass kicking via Cleveland (and a slash to my dignity) as well as another tough road defeat in Phoenix. But there was the one glimpse of daylight. A ten point win in Dallas. However, I’m pretty sure we’re living in 2008 and the Mavericks do not necessarily constitute an elite team anymore.  

Houston, Cleveland, and Phoenix? 

Much more, and I’m afraid the Nuggets have still proved they cannot win a big game since acquiring Chauncey. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE the trade and Chauncey is my boy, but the Nugs need to prove they belong in the elite status their record so far proves. 

They’re a solid bet, risky against upper-echelon teams.  

I’m loving how we’re destroying teams were suppose to destroy (unlike last year), but I’m hating how we cannot win a big game on the national spotlight. Maybe it’s the curse of Charles Barkley, but I just see him licking his lips the second Denver plays on TNT. 

There’s a few things I learned this week that are discouraging, given the Nuggets chances of a Northwest Division title this year and sub sequentially the Western Conference championship. 

1) Carmelo is much better when he drive to the hole. The Cavs completely shut down his inside game and no matter how high his 3-point shooting is this year, Melo is STILL much better when he plays inside. 

2) With that being said, Carmelo still can’t get a call the way Lebron, Kobe, or Dewayne Wade does. Anybody see the Cavs game? Did Lebron not get away with murder while guarding Melo? On the other hand, could Melo do anything NOT to foul Lebron. The officials still aren’t granting Anthony the respect his game deserves, but I guess that comes with playoff wins and championships.  

3) Despite Nene’s early success (and health) this season, Nene still struggles against elite centers. Nene was no test for Yao Ming, Z exploded for a huge offensive night, and even Shaq looked decent. Nene’s foul problems also worry me given the Nuggets shallow front court. 

On the positive, the Nuggets bench looked absolutely terrific this week. J.R. has found his touch, Kleiza is finding his game, Carter has been rock solid, and the Birdman continues to soar.  

This week provides an interesting back-to-back against Portland. Which reminds me, who the heck is responsible for scheduling these games anyways? Portland has looked solid so far this season and will provide a tough test. I diagnose a split, with the home team’s taking care of business.  

Which brings me to next week’s forecast… 

Mon PORTLAND

-Big game for the Nuggets. They need to snap the three game skid before they head back to Portland the following night. Brandon Roy is one of the most underrated players in the league and I look forward to seeing him for the first time this year. 

Tues @ Portland

-Back in Portland, where the Trailblazers are tough and hopefully will be looking for revenge from the following night. It should be a wild contest. A split in this series would be a good thing.