Former Nuggets coach - Dan Issel

Earlier this week, I had the fortunate timing of catching two-time Denver Nuggets coach Dan Issel on Denver’s local 104.3 The Fan morning radio show. Here are a few gems that I remember from the rambling conversation and the portion of it I heard on the drive to work:

• On the 1998 NBA Draft, in which GM Issel drafted Raef LaFrentz with the third pick, in a draft where Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison were still on the board… the Nuggets were ready to draft Paul Pierce on that day (who ended up going to Boston at the 10th pick) but Issel changed his strategy after a conversation with then-Kansas coach Roy Williams. Issel said that Williams basically told him that he wouldn’t touch Pierce with a 10-foot pole based on character issues he saw with him while at Kansas. On the other hand, Williams gave a glowing review of Raef LaFrentz, and since Issel frankly admitted on the radio that he saw quite a bit of himself in Raef, the Nuggets went ahead and drafted Raef with the third pick.  <sarcasm>Thanks Roy!</sarcasm> I had always suspected that Raef was drafted because Issel saw himself in him, but it was interesting to hear this straight from the Horse’s mouth, along with the input from Roy Williams. Of course, Raef might have turned out to be a better pick if he hadn’t suffered that knee injury early in his career - he was never the same player after that.
• In Dan’s opinion, George Karl has never had the kind of players he’s best at coaching during his time in Denver.
• Based on the moves we’ve seen so far from the Nuggets front office (Camby trade, letting Najera go to NJ) Issel feel’s that they are still planning to blow up the team further this summer.

Earlier this week, Woody Paige wrote an excellent article on finally forgiving Issel for his passion driven mistake during his second reign as coach of the Nuggets. I can’t think of an article that I have agreed with more from Woody. I’m becoming increasingly unhappy with the three-headed Nuggets brain trust that is running the show - getting Issel associated with the team again would go a long with with restoring a connection between the Nuggets organization and the team’s fans… something that has been getting steadily worse over the past season and a half.

As a fan at least, that’s what this deal feels like and amounts to. In actuality, it gets the Nuggets under the salary cap to avoid the luxury tax for a 2nd straight year, and it creates some options for this season and next. The Nuggets now have a $10 million trade exception, which basically means that if this season goes way better than expected, the Nuggets could sign som extra help before the trade deadline and up to 10 million of that player’s salary would not count against this year’s salary cap. The Nuggets also get the right to swap 2nd round draft picks with the Clippers in the 2010 draft, assuming the Clippers pick will be better than ours.

As a huge fan of Marcus Camby, I really hate to see him leave the Nuggets and the Denver community. He has been the Nuggets starting center for the entire time he has been in Denver and is one of the most genuine and most likable players that the Nuggets have had here in recent memory - exhibited by the fact that in my family of 4, we have three of his jersey’s.

Camby arrived in a draft day trade on June 26, 2002. He has led the NBA in blocked shots in each of the last three seasons and leaves as the second-leading shot blocker in Nuggets team history (1,126), second only to Dikembe Mutombo. He has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team in each of the last two seasons and was the Defensive player of the Year in the 2006-2007 season. In 372 games with the Nuggets, he averaged 10.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 3.03 bpg. From early in his career, Camby was classified as an injury prone player, but in his six seasons here, he has shown an increasing trend of shedding that moniker, having played 3 seasons of 70 or more games out of the max 82, with two of those coming in the past two seasons.

Marcus will especially be missed in the Denver community, where his Cambyland foundation and Thanksgiving and Christmas events were exemplary in showing how an athlete can give back. Hopefully part of Camby’s legacy will be carried on by the remaining athletes on the team, but they are huge shoes to fill.

Lastly, I wish Marcus the best of luck with the Clippers, except when they happen to play the Nuggets a couple of times each season.

Full article at ESPN

There should still be quite a few interesting possibilties available when the Nuggets turn comes around. The Nuggets could use help at guard and a big man with a post game. Two interesting names that could be available are:

Player	Photo	School	Position	Height	Weight	Age
Jason Thompson		Rider	PF	6-11	250	21
Mario Chalmers		Kansas	PG	6-2	170	22

Chalmers is a ready-to-play guy who has above average shooting and defensive ability, but has some question marks about being a point guard with below average ball handling and athleticism. However, he did prove at Kansas that he could get to the basket.

Thompson is another solid, ready to play kid who can score in the paint.

Tune in this Thursday on ESPN to see what happens.

This game was not close after the first quarter and actually broke several records for largest margin of victory in a closeout game, and 2nd largest margin of victory ever in the NBA Finals - 39 points. Ray Allen also tied an NBA Finals game record with 7 made 3-pointers, and a record 22 made in the Finals overall.

What happened to the Lakers, are team that steamrolled thru the tough Western Conference, including a sweep of our Denver Nuggets. The best player in the NBA was no match for the best team. Boston had their big three, who all contributed at different times during the Finals, smothering team defense, and an energetic and effective bench - in the end, it was way more than the Lakers could handle.

So, congrats to Boston, and bring on the 2008-2009 season this Fall!

The Nuggets won 50 games for the first time since in 20 years – that was 1988 for those of you not feeling the math. Yet, it was only good enough for the 8th seed in the increasingly strong and deep Western Conference, and it led to the most disappointing playoffs in the past 5 seasons - a sweep by the Finals-bound Lakers.

So, after a quick exit, the Nuggets brass (should) be looking to change things up and get things moving in a better direction to close the gap with the top teams in the West - namely, the Lakers, Spurs, Jazz, and Hornets. Take the Mavericks for example - just three years ago in the Finals, then knocked out in the first round the past two years. Other than the Spurs, few teams have been able to stay in the top echelon of the West for long. The Nuggets have great ownership at the moment - at least an owner that’s willing to spend top dollar on the team on the court, so they need to try to maximize what they have to vault themselves up into the top 4 teams. Let’s talk trade rumors…

June 6th - Boston guard Sam Cassell told the Rocky Mountain News before Game 1 of the Finals he “definitely will talk” to the Nuggets when he becomes a free agent on July 1.

Cassell wants to play one more season before getting into coaching, and he believes Nuggets coach George Karl can help.

“George is a hell of a coach, and he’s also a good friend,” said Cassell, who played for Karl in Milwaukee. — Rocky Mountain News

My take on Sam Cassell. Pass - I would have been up for it at the start of last season, but he’s just not been able to bring much to the Celtics. Rondo gets the majority of the minutes and sometimes Cassell has backed him up, but journeyman Eddie House has been getting just as much play as the backup as Cassell has.

June 9th - Jermaine O’Neal to Denver for Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin: All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson need a sidekick in Denver who can score in the low post. Camby will block shots and rebound — 13.3 a game last season. Martin’s injury problems — he played only two games in the 2006-07 season — and his contract — three more years with a player option on the third year — could worry the Pacers.

My take - no way would I do that deal. Jermaine is 29 and has shown an increasing issue with his knees. Sure, you could say the same about Kenyon Martin, but at least he appears to be heading in the other direction - after playing in 71 games last year, as opposed to O’Neal’s 42. O’Neal also has high mileage, after coming to the NBA directly out of High School.

June 10th - Melo to Motown?

So exactly what is the chance of Denver Nuggets franchise star Carmelo Anthony taking his gig to Motown?

“I would say nothing is happening. The Nuggets are not trading Carmelo,” said Calvin Andrews.

“People are interested in Carmelo. People are smelling blood. There are a lot of rumors out there and a lot of talk is happening, so people feel like they got to get there bid in there too.”

“You can’t jump up and down every time people make inquiries. Our understanding is that no trade is happening.” — MyFox Colorado

My take… so, the rumor is that GM Dumars is willing to part with Piston core members Billups, Wallace, and Prince for Anthony, Camby, Martin and a throw-in or two to even up the deal. That deal is really a proposal by local media member Woody Paige, but you get the idea for the type of deal that could be had this off-season.

This last one is actually tempting. I love Marcus Camby for the player that he is and for the contributions he brings to the community of Denver. He’s tough to part with, but his value is high and his name will be mentioned in many such deals this summer. Carmelo Anthony is Denver’s superstar and current future, but he has not shown that he’s willing to play defense, and at his position, it’s a hole that’s just too big to fill when the playoffs come around. I hate to give up on a 24 year old with so much potential, but the Piston core players live and breathe defense, and would change the face of the Nuggets. We’ll see how the summer plays out…

Let’s recap the previous 4 years first.

In 2004, then rookie Carmelo Anthony helped lead the Nuggets to their playoff series since 1995 - facing the Minnesota Timberwolves as the 8th seed. The Nuggets lost the first two games on the road, then won game #3 in convincing fashion at the Pepsi Center. The series was over two games later after two losses - both close games. The T-Wolve went on to lose in the Western Conference Finals.

In 2005, the Nuggets were the 7th seed and faced the San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets shocked the Spurs and won Game #1 on the road behind 31 points from Andre Miller. Game #2 was a blow-out win by the Spurs, and although the next 3 games were close (Game #4 went to OT) they were all Spurs wins, and the series was again over after 5 games. The Spurs went on to win the NBA Championship.

In 2006, the Nuggets won the Midwest and were the #3 seed, facing the #6 seeded LA Clippers. However, because the Clippers had the better record, they had homecourt advantage. The Nuggets won Game #3 at the Pepsi Center, but again lost in 5 total games - most games were not close. The Clippers lost in the next round to the Phoenix Suns in a series that went 7 games.

In 2007, the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson late in the season. They faced the Spurs again, this time as the #6 seed. The script played out eerily similar to 2005 with the Nuggets winning game #1 in San Antonio, and then losing the next four. Carmelo had a strong playoffs while Iverson played well in game #1 but then disappeared. San Antonio, as they did in 2005, went on to win the NBA Championship.

Finally, we arrive at the recently ended 2008 Nuggets playoff run. Expectations were higher than the previous 4 seasons, even with the Nuggets finishing as the 8th seed, and drawing the LA Lakers in round 1. However, the Nuggets were a strong 8th seed - going 50-32 in the regular season, and Carmelo and Iverson had a full season together. Instead, the Nuggets lost the first 3 games of the series in convincing fashion. For the first time in 5 years, the Nuggets were facing being swept right out of the playoffs. In Game #4 at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets finally played a competitive game with rising star JR Smith leading the way. However, in the final minutes, the Lakers got the stops they needed and pulled off the 107-101 win.

Frustration boiled over for me both during the 4th quarter, and afterwards. The Lakers had completely handled the Nuggets, who never really looked in the series at all. Comparing the 2008 statistics to the 2007 playoff stats reveals some of the issues. While the overall team shooting % was better in 2008, Carmelo Anthony played much worse while Iverson played slightly better. The defense was the bigger problem, as the Nuggets allowed 48% shooting and nearly 115 points per game by the Lakers while 44% and 94 ppg in the 2007 playoff series. Mainly, the Nuggets got outplayed, and other than Game #4, they never looked like they matched the intensity and focus that the Lakers brought each game. How exactly does that happen to a bunch of players that know each other well - some having played together in 5 straight playoff series? Well, we have a whole summer off to contemplate that one, as we watch the remaining playoff teams showing daily examples of the heart and effort that it takes to win playoff games.

I have it from a friend with direct contacts in the sports media world that the Nuggets brass are giving strong consideration to the suddenly available Avery Johnson.

I think Avery could be a very good fit here in Denver. I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, and his energy level and attention to defense may be just the thing that bring the Nuggets out of their 5 year postseason funk. I have a personal problem with his irritating high-pitched voice, but I could very easily overlook that if he is hoisting the O’Brian trophy as the Nuggets skipper.

I also have nothing but respect for George Karl as a coach and as a person. He’s done great things for the Denver Nuggets in the regular season the past 5 years, and the things that he’s gone thru personally (fighting cancer) and as a father (of a son that has battled cancer) make him the kind of guy that I root for no matter what. But, I do think it is time for a change in Denver. Unfortunately that means he might have to lose his job, but I think he could easily still coach elsewhere in the NBA if he wanted to. I do think that he coached one of his best games in the playoffs this past Monday night, by substituting his players more freely for matchups and flow of the game, rather than always having his star players in the line-up when it was their scheduled time to be on the court. He hasn’t been willing to do nearly enough of that, and I don’t blame him for not having the energy and fortitude required to make that kind of stand, but if he doesn’t anymore, he shouldn’t continue to coach the Nuggets.

It will be interesting to see what happens this offseason to the Nuggets coaching staff, just as it will regarding the Denver Nuggets players.

I’m a long-time die-hard Nuggets fan, and I was very depressed after the loss last night. It’s been a bizarre season. The Nuggets finish with 50 wins, their best season record in 20 years, yet barely make the playoffs and draw the #1 seeded Lakers. Then, the playoffs start and the Nuggets lose both road games and it feels like doomsday after the Nuggets never really threatened the Lakers in either game. The Nuggets have only won one game in each of their past 4 playoff series, yet they are in elite company in the Western Conference by being one of three teams to have even made the playoffs each of the last 5 years. (Dallas and San Antonio are the other teams)

I’ve reminded myself today though, that I’m just a Nuggets fan.  Whenever the Nuggets are done running up and down the court this season, life moves on. So, I’m determined to soak up the playoffs atmosphere this weekend when it comes to Denver, cheer hard for my team, but revel in the overall experience after the final buzzer sounds, whatever the outcome.

I wrap this post with a final reminder to just enjoy the NBA playoffs. With all the pressure George Karl and his coaching staff are under, they still found some time to have fun before the start of game 1:

Yes, Mr. Kroenke, I know that you have already dug deeply into your pockets this season - going $25 million over the salary cap and spending the third most in the NBA in keeping the core team together this year. I’m not going to ask for much more, but I have a plan as to how the Nuggets can give back on your investment.

As sports fans know - the home court is a coveted thing in the playoffs. The crowd is intense and you want it on your team’s side when the game is on the line, as it often is late in playoff games.

I’ve been to every Nuggets playoff game at the Pepsi Center in the past four seasons. Before each home game, the Nuggets organization has handed out “Bam Bams” (also known as Thunder Stix or Cheer Stix) to all ticket holders as they walk into the Pepsi Center. Last year, as many NBA teams were starting to do new and creative things like inspirational t-shirts emblazoned with marketing slogans, the Nuggets were still handing out Bam Bams. In fact, they looked so similar to the ones they handed out the year before, they were most likely left-overs recycled from one or more of the previous seasons since they have not had more than 2 home games in a playoff series since 1994. Then, the Nuggets went so far as to hand out more Bam Bam’s at the first game of the season this year. Ugh. If I have to see another Bam Bam… well, let’s just say that I’m a little tired of them.

So, back to thinking outside the box. I’m perfectly fine with the Nuggets following the lead of other NBA teams and printing t-shirts for the upcoming home game this weekend. I think the crowd would be more than happy about it and bring some extra noise and energy to support the Nuggets. That’s really what its all about isn’t it? Find a co-sponsor, throw their name and logo on the back of the shirt, and the whole thing doesn’t have to cost a whole lot. Wouldn’t an imposing sea of Nuggets baby-blue fans look a little imposing to the visiting Lakers this weekend and be well worth the $$’s it takes to print up 18,000 t-shirts?

So, here are a few quick ideas for the slogan on the front of the shirt, to help the Nuggets marketing staff:

Welcome to the Mile High City, where the air is rare

Always good to bring up our unique home court advantage.

Defense - it’s an altitude thing!

Poking fun at our own defensive liability that we all know about, but bringing up the high-altitude that the Lakers will be facing. It’s intentionally a play on the word “attitude”.

The Next Round will be Found

Please let this be true!

Now, you’re playing at Altitude

Remind that visiting team they are playing a mile high now.

So please, please, Nuggets organization… I hope you are listening and have already thinking about this since we secured our fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs!