OT: What is Denver's excuse?

[J_Ray]

I'd love to see Roy spend some time this summer watching video of how Durant does that. When he drives to the hoop, Brandon often doesn't seem to draw enough contact from his man to get rewarded with the foul call. I think the refs are tired of his act where he throws up his hands, let's out a grunt and expects to get the call.

Brandon needs a few more shoe commercials and "future of the NBA" accolades to get those calls. Durant gets breathed on and it's a foul. It's embarrassing that OKC didn't get higher than an 8th seed this year considering their lack of injuries and their advantage in getting Durant to the line more than anyone else in the NBA, by far.

If you guys compare the amount of shooting fouls drawn, Durant is @ 16.2% and Roy is @ 15%. They aren't all that different except Durant is looking to score everytime while Roy does find open teammates. The difference really is the amount of shots actually taken, and it just appears Durant is drawing a boatload of fouls because he's simply shooting much more than Roy or anyone else in the NBA.

 

[crandc]

OKC was in the playoffs for the first time and took the #1 seed to 6 games, losing the 6th in the last half second. They should feel fine.

Forget Denver, what about Dallas? They are getting the rep, deservedly, as post season chokers. A #1 seed, upset. A #2 seed, upset. Win the first two games in the finals, lose 4 in a row. Nowitzki is talking about not picking up his player optiont. And they are getting up in years. They are the team that needs a major overhaul, but Cuban is not the type of person who admits an error.

 

[maxiep]

One could argue, based on what you said, that the 09 Nuggets were like the 2000 Blazers. They kind of didn't pay attention to how to build a team, but just threw together a bunch of players. Their Pippen is Billups, their Rasheed is Martin, and their Damon is JR Smith (conversely, their JR Rider was Iverson...though our Rider wasn't traded for Pippen, whereas Iverson was traded for their Pippen).

Who is their Steve Smith? Not sure.

Anyway, their team went to the conference finals like the 2000 Blazers. Had loads of promise for the next season, but kind of had a similar finish to their season this year, that we did in 2000-2001. A lot of promise, only to fizzle out at the end, a complete and utter mess of a team. I don't think it's a coincidence that they have their own trader Bob (and former trader Bob clone) in Warkentein.

Denver should try to build around Billups and Anthony, and jettison some of the idiots on their team.

Your conclusion is exactly what I was implying.

 

[maxiep]

I don't entirely agree with that.

Nene is a nice complimentary piece. IMHO, his shortcomings have nothing to do with character. KMart is a jerk, but his health is more of a detriment than his occasional dirty play. Smith is just immature, and the jury is still out on whether he can be a contributor on a really good team. Anderson is annoying to the other team, but I don't see any indication he is a problem in his own locker-room.

You're missing the point. When the pressure of the playoffs is applied, those guys--for whatever reason--don't have the fortitute to keep from getting frustrated. It doesn't matter if they're an unmotivated underachiever like Nene, a punk like K-Mart or a weirdo like Birdman. Put them in the crucible and they crumble.

 

[hasoos]

This started way before the playoffs folks. I had subjects up of Denver imploding down the stretch weeks ago. I think it is fairly blatant what caused a lot of it, it started when George Karl had to leave the team. You can say whatever cold hearted shit you want, but I can guarantee you that George and his players are friends, and it is hard to keep your intensity up when you have a friend effected by a disease such as cancer. The injuries that effected the team hurt them too, but should have been manageable. No this was about team spirit, which more or less had been broken, by the reality of life.

 

[maxiep]

It's more than that. Karl is not only an X's and O's coach, he's a personality manager. Between he and Billups, they kept the team on an even keel. AD knows the game, but he doesn't really get the whole ego-management angle of the job.

Chauncey alone couldn't keep this team together against a disciplined team like Utah. Sloan's teams don't quit, they just keep fighting. Denver is like the hare--they play even with you, go on a run and then play even with you. The way you beat Denver is to attack them above the neck and don't let them intimidate you. Bump them, hold them, frustrate them and they'll start losing their composure.

 

[Nikolokolus]

It's more than that. Karl is not only an X's and O's coach, he's a personality manager. Between he and Billups, they kept the team on an even keel. AD knows the game, but he doesn't really get the whole ego-management angle of the job.

Chauncey alone couldn't keep this team together against a disciplined team like Utah. Sloan's teams don't quit, they just keep fighting. Denver is like the hare--they play even with you, go on a run and then play even with you. The way you beat Denver is to attack them above the neck and don't let them intimidate you. Bump them, hold them, frustrate them and they'll start losing their composure.

That certainly explains part of why the Blazers perform so poorly against them (in general)

 

[LittleAlex]

Apparently they are scape goating JR Smith.

Not a bad choice, to be honest. That dude can win you a game with his shooting but he can also knucklehead you to a bad loss.

I wonder what completely stupid team trades for that looser.

My money is on the Grizzlies. Actually, I just want that to be the case so I can see Rudy Gay, Stat-Bo and Smith get into a fist fight over the number of shots they get.