NuggetsWY wrote:The Rebel wrote:NuggetsWY wrote:Totally agree with The Rebel's thoughts about our talent level being somewhat inadequate or at least reduced from the beginning of the season, but when you compare player-to-player with the Jazz, the Nuggets should come out on top IMO.
Please actually go look at the rosters and compare them, we do not come out on top talent for talent right now. With Harris and Barton on the court and them having their guys on the court than we would, but it is not nearly as clear cut as you seem to think.
I was assuming no injuries.
Unfortunately the injuries matter, they are the biggest reason we are getting blown out.
NuggetsWY wrote:NuggetsWY wrote:I've suggested before that the Nuggets need someone with attitude - someone that gets angry now and then (and I'm not talking about angry at the refs about a bad call). We are loaded with "nice guys". Jokic is our team leader and he is very nice. Yes he bangs, but even then it's not the "throw a man down now and then" type of banging. None of our bigs seem to "send a message" very often. Our small forwards are Barton & Porter & Bates-Diop & Craig - only Craig is considered a defensive player and even he doesn't seem to enjoy playing a physical game. Harris is a good defender but he's 6'4" and not a banger. Murray is the Nugget most likely to bang against someone (besides Jokic's mild banging), but Murray isn't big enough to intimidate much and he certainly doesn't have that obnoxious attitude of Rhondo or Beverly.
It has been too long that the word on the Nuggets is "they play soft - play them physical in order to win".
The Rebel wrote:Last year we overcame the physical play, but the issue is not our guys backing down, it is the fact that we have nobody to stop Mitchell. So we are forced to either let him get his, or change our whole defense and try to double, which is what we tried yesterday.
Our entire bench is depending on 1 spot up shooter, a pass 1st PG, and a guy on a 2 way deal to create offense and keep up with a veteran proven scorer surrounded by defenders. Our bench has been well below average since we traded Beasley and Juancho, if healthy and having either Barton or MPJ come off the bench than the whole dynamic changes and we have an average bench but as is our lack of depth and lack of scorers off the bench are going to keep killing the bench.
Every team in the playoffs has at least one player that has to be focused upon. If Mitchell beats us, we don't deserve to face the next level at all. There will be at least two players capable of that kind of game.
Not all the players are the same, the 2 guys who are best at guarding perimeter guys the run a lot of pick and roll you know like Mitchell are literally out of the game right now.
Not to mention how many teams can even be disappointed with losing in the 1st round missing 2 starters? I know everybody underrates defense, but this series is showing just how important Harris is to this team, and it showed last year in the playoffs when he was the only one that could cover Lilliard and White.
Now that does not mean we would have the same issues with the Clippers or Lakers, between Grant, Craig, and Millsap we have guys that can guard Kawhi, George, and Lebron as well as anybody.
NuggetsWY wrote:If healthy, our bench would be:
Defensive passing center
spot up active PF
Offensive SF + defensive SF
an SF or PG at SG
a consistent all around backup PG + a younger PG
Mix them with at least one key starter and another starter - the bench wouldn't be totally destroyed --- at least that's my opinion
You can title them any way you want, but the fact is our backup Center has shown 2 years in a row to be almost worthless, in the playoffs. A pass 1st PG that can really only pass to 1 or 2 guys to shoot on the perimeter, limited shooting, no slashing, nobody good at creating their own shots. You can keep starters on all you want, but who is the spark plug off the bench that can come out and hit a couple of shots? Just about every team out there has 1, but we don't right now. Who is our guy to counter Clarkson? IF you say Barton, well isn't he a pretty big loss then? If you say MPJ than Barton is still a huge loss.
Like it or not we are overmatched with our injuries. Our bench was decimated due to a bad trade and injuries. That has taken what should have been at least an average bench into one of the worst in the league. Back when we had real depth like during the Lawson/ Gallo years you could handle losing a guy or two to injury, now we just do not have that depth at the 2 or 3. Unless we get one of Harris or Barton back than I am not sure we win another game.