Denver @ Houston

[sportsmikegm23]

[quote="MELO4MVP"]Carmelo will score less when A.I. leave? Dude was averaging 32 ppg until the idiot came.[/quote]

big damn deal...what is his points per game in the playoffs without AI?

what is his fg percentage without AI in the playoffs.... So he might score 33 per game in the regular season...as a 7th or 8th seed going to get knocked out in 5 maybe 6 games against a better team for the rest of his career?

[elbowthrower]

Going into the playoffs sober might be a good thing.

Only way to look at it positively?

What I want to know is what goes on between wins like Seattle and then games like Houston or the Clips.....maintaining focus seems to be.....there doesn't seem to be a method here for that at all.

You can't really compare Seattle to Houston. While I won't say Seattle's tanking this year, they're not exactly trying to get a lot of wins either. The main thing they're interested in is developing Durant and Greeen, and secondarily to decide whether Collison, Wilcox, Ridnour and Petro are worth keeping.

Houston's offense works like a machine. No wonder they're winning so much. McGrady is not afraid to pass the ball and the role players know where to be on the floor.

Compare that to Denver. Isolation play after isolation play, even when AI and Melo don't have the ball. Everyone's first instinct is to try and create and shoot. They didn't even go after many offensive rebounds tonight.

You know who hasn't been mentioned yet but was pathetic tonight? Camby. How can a DPOY disappear in a huge game like this? The only time I saw him fight was with KMart over a rebound. He didn't take charges, he didn't put his hands up when guarding a jump shot, he didn't even try for an offensive board, he looked like he was bored out there. I'm starting to agree that he should be traded while is rep is still so good.

[nashiscash]

Houston is a superior team to Denver, even without Yao. Rockets blew out Nugs first meeting, second meeting without Tmac at Denver Rockets took Nugs to the final seconds in 2OT, in which Nugs almost lost the game. This time in a game Denver had to win, never get closer than 9 points in the entire 2nd half. Enough said. See you in the lottery.

[noone]

Compare that to Denver. Isolation play after isolation play, even when AI and Melo don't have the ball. Everyone's first instinct is to try and create and shoot. They didn't even go after many offensive rebounds tonight.

That's the makeup of the team right now. Nobody outside of Iverson, Melo, and JR can drive the ball and dish. Kleiza can drive and dish, but he doesn't draw the defense enough for it to be effective, it's almost like setting the offense up over again when he kicks it back out. Camby on the drive can find Martin under the rim once every 5 games, but he can't kick it out. It's an attemped layup everytime. Martin hasn't made a pass all season. Najera doesn't drive. The players on the team (outside of Iverson, Melo, and JR) are extremely one-dimensional on offense. And they aren't one-dimensional in the respect that they can only do one thing good. Nobody outside of the 3 mentioned can do anything good. At best, everyone outside the 3 can do a couple of things average to below average. Add to that a coaching staff that doesn't want to go through the trouble of installing an actual offense. I can't believe people are actually surprised at how bad the offense is.

Whether it's now or 5 years down the road, until the FO decides to get good 3 point shooters, Denver won't be looking past the first round. Players like Iverson and Melo (as well as every other superstar in the league) NEED 3 point shooters and big men that can consistently hit from 18-20 feet out to be fully effective and have an efficient offense. Right now Denver has neither.

Melo and Iverson both iso a lot, I'd like someone to tell me what other option they have in this current system. If you blame the system, then don't blame Melo and Iverson.

[dunleavyjr]

That Shane Battier is such a stingy person. He only allowed 19 points for Melo.

[big123]

Compare that to Denver. Isolation play after isolation play, even when AI and Melo don't have the ball. Everyone's first instinct is to try and create and shoot. They didn't even go after many offensive rebounds tonight.

That's the makeup of the team right now. Nobody outside of Iverson, Melo, and JR can drive the ball and dish. Kleiza can drive and dish, but he doesn't draw the defense enough for it to be effective, it's almost like setting the offense up over again when he kicks it back out. Camby on the drive can find Martin under the rim once every 5 games, but he can't kick it out. It's an attemped layup everytime. Martin hasn't made a pass all season. Najera doesn't drive. The players on the team (outside of Iverson, Melo, and JR) are extremely one-dimensional on offense. And they aren't one-dimensional in the respect that they can only do one thing good. Nobody outside of the 3 mentioned can do anything good. At best, everyone outside the 3 can do a couple of things average to below average. Add to that a coaching staff that doesn't want to go through the trouble of installing an actual offense. I can't believe people are actually surprised at how bad the offense is.

Whether it's now or 5 years down the road, until the FO decides to get good 3 point shooters, Denver won't be looking past the first round. Players like Iverson and Melo (as well as every other superstar in the league) NEED 3 point shooters and big men that can consistently hit from 18-20 feet out to be fully effective and have an efficient offense. Right now Denver has neither.

Melo and Iverson both iso a lot, I'd like someone to tell me what other option they have in this current system. If you blame the system, then don't blame Melo and Iverson.

Good post. No one knows what their role is because there isn't any. It's just a free for all. It's hard to watch sometimes.

[T_mac_4eva]

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They didn't fire Phil Jackson the last two years that he and Kobe didn't do anything in the 1st round of the playoffs? It's a players league... yes, Karl is part responsible, but if Melo and AI tune his pleas for passing and better shot selection... what's he going to do, bench them...never. He can rail at JR, but not Melo and AI. The FO is responsible, this team doesn't fit...they couldn't cover Shane Battier....he's not a difficult cover...he camps out at the 3 pt line in the corners and knocks down wide open shots. Damn it, I am not thrilled with Karl either, but when are people going to see that this team has all the talent in the world, but they will never be a team....too many mismatched pieces. You keep hoping they will put it all together, and they will for a game or 2 even against great competition...but they will never be consistently great. They break your heart....

Everyone wants to blame the coach for everything...and I am not a big GK fan...but shouldn't they give an effort to play defense and rotate and react... they are grown men that make a boat load of money and the coach is always gotta babysit they to get them to play??? absurd. Does your boss have to always tell you want needs to get done at work or do you have a good idea what you need to do to be successful in your job.

AI experiment a failure....maybe..but if you put the right pieces around him and Melo.. I think it could work. It wouldn't be conventional, but it could... The FO had this off season to re-work this team to make it better and got Chucky Atkins.... are you serious? They could have made some trades that could have brought in better fits with AI and Melo, but instead of being bold they sold Kroenke that this team as constructed could be a champion... the three headed monster is as much to blame as Karl is....If Karl gets fired.... Bearup, Warkantien, and Chapman need to get the pink slip as well.

But have a look at the offense. there is no spacing. the ball movement is non-exsistent and defense there is no team work or any kind of team defense. for denver to be the 6th best team despite all that, just goes to show how talented they are. there getting by individual brilliance on defense. give them a coach like JVG or larry brown and they'll kick ass.

Some teams need a dictator. karl is to free sprited. again, i'm probaly going by what i saw against us(houston) but thats how i feel. get these guys to make that extra pass on offense and help eachother on defense and you got something pretty deadly. untill then, nuggets are gonna be underachivers.

[DNIsLeGiT]

The nuggets simply didn't come to play, knowing this is a big game for us and they simply got manhandled down the stretch was just sad.

Houston was the better team and resemble more of a team then the nuggets tonight, until the nuggets learn how to play team ball they aint going nowhere.

I'll wait and see how we fare the next four games before i'll jump on a conclusion whether we'll make the postseason or not, after this season this roster need a major overhaul period, players on this team doesn't fit and karl simply can't coach this team anymore, so a shake up should be the first step in the right direction.

[NOOB77]

in response to airchibundo in the players of the game thread...

defense: melo (did an excellent job guarding t-mac; it would show in the boxscore if not for the swtich on the pick-and-rolls)

part of playing good defense is not letting yourself get switched.
melo does.
on every single possession.

get through a pick.
fight through a pick.
fight under a pick.
do what you have to do to stick to your man.

do something other than just yelling switch and letting camby go guard tmac. that's p****y defense.

i was extremely frustrated with melo's d in this game.

Corona you know better than that. That is how the Nuggets have played D all year long. They switch every pick n' roll. That is on Karl not Melo or Camby

[NOOB77]

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big damn deal...what is his points per game in the playoffs without AI?

what is his fg percentage without AI in the playoffs.... So he might score 33 per game in the regular season...as a 7th or 8th seed going to get knocked out in 5 maybe 6 games against a better team for the rest of his career?

Better than not making the playoffs

[M.Balla]

But have a look at the offense. there is no spacing. the ball movement is non-exsistent and defense there is no team work or any kind of team defense. for denver to be the 6th best team despite all that, just goes to show how talented they are. there getting by individual brilliance on defense. give them a coach like JVG or larry brown and they'll kick ass.

Some teams need a dictator. karl is to free sprited. again, i'm probaly going by what i saw against us(houston) but thats how i feel. get these guys to make that extra pass on offense and help eachother on defense and you got something pretty deadly. untill then, nuggets are gonna be underachivers.

That's what I'm talking about! But all you're going to get on this forum except from some honorable mentions, it's going to be AI's and Melo's stans dissin each other outside from school.

[airchibundo507]

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Corona you know better than that. That is how the Nuggets have played D all year long. They switch every pick n' roll. That is on Karl not Melo or Camby

LMAO.

does corona not watch many nugget games???

[corona]

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Corona you know better than that. That is how the Nuggets have played D all year long. They switch every pick n' roll. That is on Karl not Melo or Camby

i realize that.
but it doesn't excuse melo from playing lazy pick and roll defense.
as much as i despise AC.....he fights through picks from time to time, and maybe a dozen times (on ball picks) a game...melo did it maybe once last night.

you can't tell me that's by design.

LMAO.

does corona not watch many nugget games???

i've watched every one for quite a few years now.
doubt that'll last much longer though.