Nuggets News

Nugs, Birdman working on nest-case scenario
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July 4
Denver Post
 
"Though a deal isn't done, amicable negotiations are going pretty well between the Nuggets and representatives of free agent Chris Andersen. "The Birdman" is the Nuggets' top free-agent priority, and both sides are hammering out a fair multiyear deal. Andersen's camp is hoping for a deal around $25 million for five years. The Nuggets are hoping to backload the contract and have Andersen make around $3 million next season, an NBA source said. Denver is currently close to the $71.15 luxury tax line from last season, and it's possible, with the signing of Andersen and perhaps others with lesser contracts, that the team could start the season with a payroll around $77 million (teams can then ..."
ESPN: Nugs, not Broncs, best in show
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July 4
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
""Rockies win 11 straight games" "Avalanche fire GM, coach, assistants, front-office executive" "Nuggets have excellent chance at title next season" "Broncos' free-agent fifth-string tight end stubs toe" "Hickenlooper declares recession over" "Alien reportedly seen at window" Which story would be most read on denverpost.com? Of course. Which Broncos player hurt his toe, and how badly does it hurt? Next, does it look like E.T. or Mayor Hick? This newspaper tracks the number of reads of stories on its website. Any little thing about the Broncos overwhelms everything else - Nuggets, troop reductions, Pulitzer Prize candidate series, locust attacks. According, however, to ESPN The Magazine's ..."
Numbers game may play into Antonio McDyess' plans
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July 3
Detroit Free Press
 
"It will be interesting to see what the final salary-cap hit will be for free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, who made commitments to sign deals with the Pistons. Whatever the final number, it will go a long way toward what the Pistons can offer unrestricted free-agent power forward Antonio McDyess. The Pistons were working on the details Thursday. McDyess is expected to get offers from San Antonio, Cleveland, Boston and others. The San-Antonio Express News reported that McDyess was one of the first players the Spurs reached out to when the free-agency period began Wednesday. The Pistons would need an estimated $3 million to $5 million to make an offer to McDyess when the final ..."
Nuggets in L.A. to get Birdman back in Denver
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July 2
Denver Post
 
"After the first official day of free-agent negotiations, there is optimism that the Nuggets will be able to sign unrestricted free agent Chris Andersen. "I think it's fair to say that both sides are motivated," Nuggets director of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said Wednesday afternoon. "That's why we're in L.A. and meeting today." Warkentien is currently in Los Angeles meeting with Andersen's representatives, notably Denver-based attorney Mark Bryant and agent Steve Heumann of the L.A.-based Creative Arts Agency. Bryant said the goal is to try to get Andersen a five-year deal around the mid-level exception (in the $5 million range annually). "I think that's possible. But we're a ..."
Victim's mom forgives Nuggets' J.R. Smith
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July 2
Denver Post
 
"Moments after J.R. Smith was sentenced to 30 days in jail, the mother of the man he accidentally killed in an auto accident approached Smith with tears in her eyes. She hugged him. Squeezed him. "I told him I loved him," Wanda Bell said. "And then I walked away." The emotions have overwhelmed Bell ever since the Nuggets guard's reckless driving killed her son, Andre, two summers ago. Andre Bell and Smith were tight. Naturally, Wanda Bell was devastated by the loss of her son. But her actions since have been amazing. She signed off for her son's organs to be donated. The man who received Andre's heart survived his near-death experience, and is now happy and healthy with his wife and three ..."
Nuggets, Andersen working on deal
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July 1
Denver Post
 
"The negotiations between Chris Andersen and the Nuggets have begun. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien is currently in Los Angeles, meeting with Andersen's representatives, notably Denver-based attorney Mark Bryant and agent Steve Huemann of the Los Angeles-based Creative Arts Agency. Bryant said the goal is to try to get Andersen a five-year deal around the mid-level exception (in the $5 million range annually). "I think that's possible. But we're a team player," Bryant said this morning. "We'll make the necessary adjustments if we can and find the right fit." There are numerous teams inquiring about the NBA's No. 2 shot-blocker from last season, notably ..."
Nuggets' Smith must serve 30 days
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July 1
Denver Post
 
"Nuggets guard J.R. Smith will serve 30 days in jail and spend 500 hours talking to hospitalized children after pleading guilty Tuesday to reckless driving, a charge stemming from a fatal traffic accident in 2007 that killed his friend Andre Bell. Municipal Court Judge Debra J. Gelson sentenced Smith to 90 days in the Monmouth County jail but suspended all but 30 days provided he performs the community service. Smith, whose full name is Earl J. Smith III, was taken into custody immediately by state police when the hearing ended about 10:30 p.m. local time and was taken to the county jail. Because this was Smith's second reckless driving offense, the maximum penalties are 90 days in jail and ..."
Nuggets try making sense out of dollar days
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June 30
Denver Post
 
"It's hard enough to get deep into the playoffs, but staying at that level is even more difficult. What the Nuggets do in July might go a long way toward determining their staying power. Denver hit the fiscal jackpot last season, paring payroll while improving its talent en route to making the Western Conference finals after five consecutive first-round playoff exits. Cutting salary and improving on the court will be much more difficult this time around. The Nuggets have more than $71 million in salary committed to players for the upcoming season, not including a $2.7 million qualifying contract offer to Linas Kleiza. After signing free agents, the priority of which is their own big man, ..."
Nuggets set to tip the cap
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June 30
Denver Post
 columnist Dave Krieger
"Barely a month removed from their best postseason run in a generation, the Nuggets look around to see their rivals re-arming. The Spurs just added Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair and will probably get Bruce Bowen back. The Blazers are under the salary cap and are pursuing Hedo Turkoglu and Andre Miller. On the bright side, the Lakers are still the same team that knocked Denver out of the playoffs. So, what do the Nuggets do to keep up? That's the $9.8 million question. Or, given the hated luxury tax, the $19.6 million question. For the last year, the Nuggets have been on a serious cost-cutting campaign, slicing more than $20 million from the payroll to get below the luxury-tax ..."
Nuggets' Martin says 'Everything's Fine' between him, Cuban
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June 30
Dallas Morning News
 
"Decked out in a slick vest and tailored trousers, Kenyon Martin spent Monday night in Dallas chatting and glad-handing with friends and fans at his inaugural reception for his charity foundation. It was a side of Martin fans almost never get to see. What most of them remember are the issues Martin - a Bryan Adams High School graduate who plays for the Denver Nuggets - had with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the playoffs. Martin said the two have since buried the hatchet after Cuban and Martin's mother had words - and an ensuing controversy - after a playoff game at American Airlines Center. "He reached out to me," Martin said. "I didn't reach out to him. "But he reached out, and I'll ..."
Nuggets find a style that fits
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June 27
Denver Post
 
"Ty Lawson landed in the Nuggets' hands about an hour and half into Thursday night's NBA draft, but the process of getting the speedy point guard in pro powder blue was more than a year in the making. "Ty was one of the guys that we targeted early in the year to really watch closely," Nuggets director of pro scouting Mike Bratz said. "We felt like his style would fit in perfectly with us. When we went over a few names with Coach (George) Karl and talked about what they could do, he got excited about Ty." Lawson, who was in Denver on Friday to meet with the media, worked out with the Nuggets in May 2008 after he declared for the draft following his sophomore season at North Carolina. The ..."
Nuggets trade for Tar Heels' Lawson
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June 26
Denver Post
 
"This time, the Nuggets used the draft for its intended purpose - to get a player. The Nuggets stayed true to their history of trading draft picks, but Thursday night it was to acquire the reserve point guard help they sorely needed. As a result, North Carolina guard Ty Lawson is now a Nugget. The Nuggets traded a first-round pick in 2010, one they received from Charlotte, to Minnesota for the draft rights to Lawson, whom the Timberwolves took with the 18th pick. "I'm real excited," Lawson said via a conference call. "I came in last year and worked out, and hopefully if I stayed in the draft, I was getting picked by them. I'm real excited to learn from Chauncey Billups and just learn the ..."
Nuggets on scent of point guard in NBA draft
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June 25
Denver Post
 
"Mark Warkentien shuttled down to Norman, Okla., prepared to scrupulously bird-dog the big dog - Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin. "And it was about halftime when I said, 'Well, we don't need to go to Norman anymore,' " recalled Warkentien, the Nuggets' vice president of basketball operations, of his trip early this past season. "This guy's going to be fabulous." And in tonight's NBA draft, Griffin will go first overall to the Los Angeles Clippers, a franchise doomed for decades because of dismal drafting. "This is a no-brainer," Warkentien said of the Griffin pick. "This isn't going to take a whole lot of analysis." As for the Nuggets, they have just one pick tonight - the fourth pick ..."
DAC award noteworthy for Billups
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June 24
Denver Post
 
"When he reached the NBA, Chauncey Billups was asked to speak at a basketball camp. The former George Washington High School and University of Colorado star gladly accepted and prepared the best he could - even jotting down the outline of a speech and highlights of some of the points he wished to convey. However, while driving to the site, his notes flew out the window - literally - and onto a highway. "It was like saying the dog ate my homework," Billups said while accepting The Denver Athletic Club's professional athlete of the year award Tuesday night. As a result, Billups said, to this day he never writes down anything before he is to address a group. Still, the humble Nuggets guard ..."
Re-signing Andersen No. 1 concern
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June 24
Denver Post
 
"The Nuggets' top priorities are re-signing center Chris Andersen and likely working on a contract extension with coach George Karl, according to NBA sources. Andersen played last season on a one-year, $998,398 contract. He likely will get a multiyear deal, and Denver could give Andersen an extra year if it means paying him less money next season to help with the salary cap. The team has yet to sit down and make an offer to Karl, who has one year left on his contract. Meanwhile, the agent for unrestricted free agent Dahntay Jones said the "goal" is for Jones to return to Denver, but that Jones desires a multiyear deal. He signed with Denver last summer for one year at $926,678. "I think ..."
Hunter will not opt out of contract
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June 24
Denver Post
 
"Nuggets center Steven Hunter is not expected to opt out of the final year of his contract, his agent Mark Bartelstein said today. "As of right now we're not planning on doing anything," Bartelstein said. The deadline for opting out of a contract is June 30. But Hunter is due nearly $3.7 million next season, money that is hard to leave on the table, particuarly in the tenuous situation Hunter finds himself in. The Nuggets traded for Hunter two seasons ago, but chronic knee injuries largely have kept him off the court. He missed 30 games because of injury in 2007-08, and all of the 2008-09 season. Hunter said he would participate in summer basketball as much as he can to insisted he would be ..."
Guard depth top focus of draft preparations
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June 20
Denver Post
 
"The Nuggets have drafted or acquired just two players since 2005. But Friday, the organization hosted a group of 12 players, mostly guards, in the first of at least two rounds of workouts that could yield a player worthy of a selection. The Nuggets own the 34th pick in Thursday's draft. Whether they use it remains to be seen. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said it could go either way. "It's always in the air, what you're going to do," Warkentien said Friday. "Would you call? Well, it depends on who's betting. It depends on what hand shows up as we go through the draft process. And you're weighing the value of the different assets. If somebody comes in and ..."
Nuggets/Pacers to play preseason game in Taiwan
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June 19
Denver Post
 
"Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets are headed to Taiwan. The 2008 Olympian and his Denver Nuggets will participate in an unprecedented exhibition this October in Taipei, where the Nuggets will play the Indiana Pacers in a preseason game on October 8. The game will be the first NBA game in Taipei, and it will be played at the Taipei Arena, which seats 12,874 fans. "October 8th will be an historic day for the NBA and for the millions of basketball fans in Taiwan," said NBA Greater China CEO Tim Chen."
Staying course coach's aim for Nuggets
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June 16
Denver Post
 
""You must work a lot," George Karl quipped to the golfer, whose tee shot at 15 went sailing toward 16. The Nuggets' coach was the honorary chair of Monday's Hope Invitational, played at The Club at Pradera near Parker and hosted by the American Cancer Society. At the par-3 15th, Karl bet foursomes that if nobody's tee shot hit within a "flagstick's distance" of the hole, they must make a $100 donation to the ACS. But if someone's shot did, they got $100 out of Karl's pocket. Sure enough, another member of the man's foursome hit a brilliant drive near the pin, and Karl regrettably handed the man a $100 bill. Monday indeed was a fun day, and The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman caught up with ..."
Around the rim: Game 3 of NBA Finals
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June 10
Denver Post
 
"Hero: After looking dazed and confused during two games in Los Angeles, shooting a miserable 3-for-17 from the field, Orlando point guard Rafer Alston came alive in Game 3, scoring 20 points in a must-win situation for the Magic. Zero: Mr. Andrew Bynum, please pick up the white paging telephone. Are the Lakers so good they can win the NBA championship with their starting center averaging 6.0 points per game? Chalk talk: As Denver fans will recall, L.A. coach Phil Jackson took a league fine while trying to influence the whistle during the West finals. Well, here's a shocker: Jackson said the refs blew a key call in Game 2 of the NBA Finals by failing to cite Lakers forward Pau Gasol for ..."
Despite poor economy, NBA will not eliminate luxury tax
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June 5
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"Although several teams have taken a hit financially, NBA Commissioner David Stern said Thursday the league has no plans to eliminate the luxury tax until the economy recovers. With his team's player payroll projected to exceed $76 million, Hornets owner George Shinn could have to pay a luxury tax bill of more than $5 million next summer. The Hornets were one of the 12 teams that received loans from the league this spring. Since 2003, 17 of the league's 30 teams have borrowed $2 billion since the league began establishing a line of credit for loans used by teams. "There's a difference between choosing to and having a need to," Stern said at state of his league address before Thursday's ..."
Where'd Nuggets go wrong?
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June 4
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"Outside the inbounds passes in Game 1 and Game 3, what was the Nuggets' biggest mistake in the Western Conference finals? -- Steve S., Denver Steve - Excellent question. I'm sitting here thinking ... I'm through. I think double-teaming Kobe Bryant. He constantly, and early, distributed the ball in the Lakers' victories to the other players as soon as the second Nuggets' defender jumped him. Once he got Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol, particularly, involved, then he had more freedom and took over. I would have covered Bryant as the Nuggets did against Dirk Nowitzki. Let him get his 30, 40 or 50 and lock down the other guys. I also believe the Nuggets backed away from their hardball defense in ..."
Nuggets can't be timid if seeking championship
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June 4
Denver Post
 columnist Mark Kiszla
"We love the Nuggets. So get ready for hearts to be broken. In fact, if Denver intends to win an NBA championship, count on some painful breakups. Here are three players who could help the Nuggets be serious title contenders: Ron Artest: The 6-foot-7 shutdown defender and combustible personality from Houston is a free agent who figures to cost in excess of $8 million per year. But he could give the Nuggets an unbeatable backcourt. David Lee: This 26-year-old New York Knicks power forward could give Denver reliable scoring and allow Kenyon Martin to become the best sixth man in the game. Raymond Felton: Don't know if Charlotte would let him get away, but Felton is precisely the type of young ..."
Nuggets can't be timid
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June 2
Denver Post
 columnist Mark Kiszla
"We love the Nuggets. So get ready for hearts to be broken. In fact, if Denver intends to win an NBA championship, count on some painful breakups. Here are three players who could help the Nuggets be serious title contenders: Ron Artest: The 6-foot-7 shutdown defender and combustible personality from Houston is a free agent who figures to cost in excess of $8 million per year. But he could give the Nuggets an unbeatable backcourt. David Lee: This 26-year-old New York Knicks power forward could give Denver reliable scoring and allow Kenyon Martin to become the best sixth man in the game. Raymond Felton: Don't know if Charlotte would let him get away, but Felton is precisely the type of young ..."
Birdman doesn't want to fly away
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May 31
Denver Post
 
"On Saturday, Nuggets center Chris Andersen was asked the same forward-looking question all players whose season just ended must endure: What's the next step for the team? The Birdman's answer, however, was anything but routine. "Re-signing me," he said. Andersen is the Nuggets' most urgent priority in a summer that will test the organization's ability to continue to be frugal, yet field a championship-caliber team. He is one of possibly seven free agents. Andersen wants to return. "What better place to play than at home?" Andersen said. "I love this city, I love this state. I appreciate everybody in the whole town for backing us and helping us prove others wrong." But getting Andersen back ..."
Time for Nuggets to face future
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May 31
Denver Post
 
"A year ago, J.R. Smith embodied the Nuggets - immature, selfish, dismissive toward defense. And today, J.R. Smith embodies the Nuggets - maturing, team-oriented, embracing defense. A day after Denver's season ended in the Western Conference finals, Smith strutted out of the Pepsi Center seemingly taller than his 6-foot-6 frame. The new father and new golfer was dressed for the back nine, but stopped to talk about the new-look Nuggets for next season. "It could be unbelievable. If we get the right pieces to the puzzle, we could really figure this thing out," said the 23-year-old Smith, who likely will start at shooting guard. "We did a great job this year, and next year, people are going to ..."
Nuggets plant seeds of hope
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May 31
Denver Post
 columnist Mark Kiszla
"The Nuggets made us believe amazing can happen here. A band of basketball misfits learned to walk like heroes, and we went along with Melo, Birdman and the King of Park Hill every step of the way in their crazy pursuit of NBA glory. Was it magic, or the real deal? What can Carmelo Anthony, Chris Andersen and Chauncey Billups possibly do for an encore? Next time, nothing less than a championship will do. "We should have championship aspirations," Nuggets front-office executive Rex Chapman said Saturday. "One thing you know about (owner) Stan Kroenke is he wants to win, and he's not afraid to go after it." Turning 25 years old and playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference ..."
Nuggets lose advance scout to Memphis
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May 31
Denver Post
 
"Nuggets advance scout Jack Murphy has accepted an assistant coaching job at the University of Memphis, where he will work for his close friend from his Arizona days, new Memphis coach Josh Pastner. "Going to the University of Memphis is an unbelievable opportunity to have my first assistant coaching job, and at my age," the 29-year-old Murphy said. "It's a humbling situation I'm walking into, it really is. "I'm going to the winningest basketball program of the last four years. The Memphis name carries so much weight, whether it's what coach (John) Calipari was able to build there, and also what coach Pastner's going to continue there." A former student assistant at Arizona, Murphy worked ..."
Nuggets lose to Lakers: Have a long memory
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May 30
InDenverTimes.com
 
"Before getting into a few of the specifics from Friday night's hurtful 119-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and what lies ahead for the Nuggets, I want to share a quick story from the 2007 World Series. After the top of the 8th inning of Game 4 in which the Rockies found themselves down three games to zero and four runs to one to the Boston Red Sox, I couldn't hold it anymore and had to use the restroom at Coors Field. As I waited in line for an open urinal, I distinctly remember a Rockies fan in front of me saying to his friend: "What's the point of getting to the World Series only to get swept? I wish we hadn't gotten here in the first place." I thought that was one of the dumbest ..."
The Nuggets' great leap forward
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May 30
Longmont Times-Call
 
"OK. Now what?The Nuggets made obvious strides. They finally got out of the first round. They gave the hated L.A. Lakers all they could handle in this series, despite Friday's 119-92 eliminating loss. The 2008-09 team is arguably the best in franchise history - although Alex English and his '85 squad have something to say about that.But are these Nuggets just another Colorado Rockies-esque flash in the pan, here just to get our hopes up for one miraculous run?"This is not as far as I want to go," Chauncey Billups said. "This is still coming up short for me."The Nuggets certainly look to be built for the long haul.They have the budding superstar in Carmelo Anthony, who elevated his game this ..."
Lakers' best just simply too good
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"Order was restored in the Western Conference on Friday night. That cute little story bubbling out of the Rocky Mountains turned into just another footnote in the legacy that is the Los Angeles Lakers. In the Lakers' conference-clinching drubbing of Denver, they operated their offense as if they'd kept it under wraps until now. If Friday was a sneak preview of the NBA Finals, doubts about this up-and-down team disappeared in a wave of 3-pointers, pinpoint passing and stifling defense. "We saved our best game for last," beaming L.A. coach Phil Jackson said. The officiating, a dartboard for verbal harpoons from both teams all series, wasn't a factor. Wasn't one in the first half, either, when ..."
Nuggets' run is done
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May 30
Denver Post
 columnist Mark Kiszla
"A dream dies hard. And it hurts. But love beats all. A high-flying, awe-inspiring playoff run ended Friday night with the thud of a 119-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but how many hearts did the Denver Nuggets win along the way? Here is all you need to know about what it takes to be a hometown hero: Two hours before Chauncey Billups played the most crucial game of his season, the Denver point guard was laughing alongside a teenager in the practice gym at the Pepsi Center, trading jump shots with Tony Taylor, a kidney transplant survivor who befriended the Nuggets in a season neither he nor the city of Denver will soon forget. "I was shooting by myself. Then, Chauncey walked up to me ..."
Jackson will have chance to break Auerbach mark
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"Kobe Bryant has made this season his quest to prove he can win an NBA title without Shaquille O'Neal hogging the headlines, not to mention the rap stage. However, Bryant's thirst may not be as severe as his coach's. Phil Jackson has failed twice to win his 10th NBA championship ring. Losses to Detroit in 2004 and Boston last year kept him from breaking a tie with Red Auerbach. "As far as getting there, not winning, it's a very big disappointment," Jackson said after the Lakers' conference-clinching 119-92 win over the Nuggets on Friday night. "Huge. We feel like we failed our team as a coaching staff in both situations. You feel that way." Their choice of opponent is tricky. The Lakers get ..."
Anthony rises into high-status ranks
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"If Carmelo Anthony felt the aftermath of the Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, a humbling 119-92 defeat that eliminated the Nuggets from the Western Conference finals, was too soon to wonder about next year, it was because he had a hard time letting go of this one. Long after the final horn had sounded, Anthony sat in the Denver locker room, still in uniform. Eventually he took off his jersey, tossing it to a clubhouse attendant with a curse. But if the defeat wasn't quite the present Anthony had hoped for on his 25th birthday, he'll perhaps acknowledge how far he's come this season. Or even the last month. Chided entering the postseason for being unable to move his team beyond the ..."
Karl: Nuggets will look back at season with fond memories
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"Nuggets coach George Karl has coached 21 seasons in the NBA, and he will remember this team as fondly as any of them. "I've coached a long time, and this has been a pretty special season for me as a coach," Karl said. "I couldn't have asked anything more from almost every guy in the locker room. "I think every player on our team is a better basketball player than they were in November. I think they're a better professional than they were in November." The Nuggets tied the franchise record for victories with 54 and advanced to their second Western Conference finals in the NBA. Karl's team came up short, but he wasn't in a mood to characterize this season as anything but a success. "My whole ..."
Billups believes best yet to come for Nuggets
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"Chauncey Billups slapped hands with fans, even as he smarted on the inside. He walked off the court for the last time this season after the Nuggets' Game 6 loss to the Lakers, the book closed on a feel-good story no one is soon to forget. The final chapter was a downer, written in quicksand script. Billups' last four quarters of the series read as such: 2-for-7 from the field, 10 points. A team he was on lost in the conference finals for the fourth consecutive season. The Nuggets, a team he believed could get a shot at all the marbles, fell short. In time, the end of the story will fade away and what Billups meant to the team, and what returning to Denver meant to him, will be the enduring ..."
Denver a work in progress
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May 30
Denver Post
 columnist Jim Armstrong
"So notes, so notes and yet so far. . . Instead of one-and-done, they gave us fun-and-done. There's no small amount of frustration today in that Mile High air. At one point in the series, Nuggets coach George Karl looked into a TV camera and said the Nuggets were better than the Lakers. But once you get past the bitter disappointment, you can't help but see the enormous progress. The Nuggets are good. The Lakers were better, but the Nugs are good. "The process for me is it's been a heck of a year," said Karl after the Game 6 defeat. "Amazing. I know that's an NBA word. I wish I had another word because I don't want to steal their word. But this team has come and progressed and committed and ..."
Start enough to finish Nugs
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May 30
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"Alas, poor Nuggets, we knew them so well, and watched them play well. But there will be no NBA Finals this year for them. They were finalized Friday night by the Lakers. It is well to remember that another Denver professional team once was beaten by 45 points and would rise from that gorge to become champions. The Western Conference finals were lost by the Nuggets in the last 29 seconds of the first game and the first 2:59 of Friday's game. The Nuggets didn't close the opener and couldn't open the closer. The end of the beginning was the beginning of the end, and in their 98th game of a long, rewarding regular and postseason with 64 victories, the Nuggets finally, and abruptly, came to ..."
Lakers rout Nuggets, reach NBA Finals
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May 30
Denver Post
 
"One by one, the 2009 Nuggets slipped past heartbroken fans into the Pepsi Center tunnel, disappearing until October, leaving behind wonderful images for the devotees' memories, and what-ifs for their imaginations. On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers hammered the Nuggets 119-92, winning the Western Conference finals 4-2. It was Denver's first appearance in the finals since 1985, and that year, they lost to the Lakers too. "I think they're the best team right now in the NBA," Nuggets coach George Karl said. For so much of the season, the Nuggets played smart and smothering defense, but Denver's defense was deplorable in the biggest game of all. The Lakers finished with 57.3 percent ..."
Nuggets unable to prove they're better
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May 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"Kenyon Martin remained adamant, even after the Lakers defeated his Denver Nuggets convincingly in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals at his home arena. Martin wasn't bitter, just strong in his belief, which showed how far the Nuggets still have to go. The Lakers beat the Nuggets, 119-92, Friday night at the Pepsi Center to win the best-of-seven series 4-2 and to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year. How good are the Lakers? "I think we're better than them, actually, to be honest," said Martin, still stubborn. "But we didn't prove that. That's obvious, cause they're moving on and we're not. But I think we have a better team than they do. "Some people are going to ..."
Lakers beat the Nuggets to earn another trip to the NBA Finals
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May 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Los Angeles Lakers are going back to the NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets are done for the season. With precision on offense, with solid defense, with drive and determination, and with Kobe Bryant taking charge, the Lakers took apart the Nuggets, winning 119-92 in Game 6 to clinch the Western Conference finals, 4-2. Bryant had 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. His three-pointer right in the face of J.R. Smith gave the Lakers a 101-82 lead and forced Denver Coach George Karl to call a timeout. Bryant walked to the Lakers bench with 6:13 left, knowing that the Lakers were headed to the Finals for the second consecutive year. They had been called soft when the Boston Celtics ..."
Karl making few adjustments for Nuggets
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May 29
Denver Post
 
"Should be a big game - for just the second time in Nuggets NBA history, the team will play Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. The first was May 17, 1978, and Seattle's "Fast" Freddie Brown scored 26 points, leading the SuperSonics past Denver and into the NBA Finals. The Lakers lead the Nuggets, 3-2, heading into tonight's game at Pepsi Center. At the arena this morning for shootaround, coach George Karl said the Nuggets worked on tweaking a couple key situations: "The baseline cut on the post-catch, that hurt us. They had a pick-and-roll situation that I thought needed to be more precise. So you do 3-4 defensive things and 3-4 offensive adjustments. But I think we're at a stage ..."
Denver's whining means this series is over
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May 29
Orange County Register
 columnist Kevin Ding
"NBA commissioner David Stern watched Game 4 of the Rockets-Lakers series and summed it up as a "fascinating example of how a team can be motivated." That team he was citing was most certainly not the Lakers, who rolled over to the Yao Ming-less Rockets in the most memorable of the Lakers' lame road games this postseason when they've played with a series lead. In those games, the Lakers are 1-4. It's time for the Lakers to clean that up and wipe out a Denver team that isn't as tough-minded as Houston was and doesn't truly believe that it can win this series anymore. The way so many of the Nuggets - we mean the players here, not Coach George Karl, because what is most relevant is the ..."
Lakers' Odom takes pounding, endures questions
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May 29
USA Today
 
"Lamar Odom has an unsightly knot on his lower back that looks a little like someone whacked him a few times with a hammer.The Los Angeles Lakers forward has a kind of padded girdle he curses but wears anyway, the better to withstand bumps in the low post from the Denver Nuggets' Nene and Kenyon Martin. The constant barbs from the critics? There is no contraption to protect him from those. Injured back or not, the 10-year NBA forward remains an enigmatic figure in Los Angeles. Sometimes, as in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday, he is an inspirational force who can ignite his teammates and thrill Lakers fans - 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 103-94 victory. ..."
NBA Insider: Fisher's heard enough complaints about officiating
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May 29
USA Today
 
"Enough with the back and forth on the officiating in the Western Conference finals.That's the view of veteran Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who said Thursday that he has heard all he wants to about his team getting all the calls in Wednesday's victory in Los Angeles and the Denver Nuggets getting all the calls in their victory Monday in Denver. Lakers coach Phil Jackson began the discussion with remarks after Monday's Game 4 that resulted in $25,000 fines for himself and the Lakers from the NBA. Denver coach George Karl complained about the refs after Wednesday's Game 5, and an anonymous Nuggets player, according to a report in The Denver Post, said the Lakers "paid $50,000 to win ..."
Shooting, inside "D" get Nuggets' attention
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May 29
Denver Post
 
"After Thursday's team meal-and-film session, the Nuggets left the Ritz-Carlton to catch a 1 p.m. flight to Denver when a member of the team's traveling party joked about leaving behind some luggage. Indeed, the plan is to return to the Ritz on Saturday, in preparation for a Game 7 on Sunday against the Lakers. (If forcing a decisive game in the Western Conference finals isn't incentive enough, how 'bout this - the new menu at the Ritz lounge features carpaccio and charcuterie!) "You have to play every game as if it's Game 7," said Denver's Chauncey Billups, who knows a thing or two about "must-win" games. This is the Nuggets' first such postseason encounter with potential elimination. ..."
Odom's output seen as a bonus
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May 29
Denver Post
 
"Kobe Bryant visibly cringed Thursday when asked about the "knot" on the back of Los Angeles Lakers teammate Lamar Odom. "Have you seen it?" Bryant asked a group of reporters. "It looks like he's got a volleyball stuck inside there." Originally injured in the semifinal series against Houston, Odom had struggled against the Nuggets in the conference finals. That was until Game 5. Odom, who was averaging just 7.5 points and shooting 34 percent from the field entering the game, may have been the most dynamic player on the floor, scoring 19 points while adding 14 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. Now, all anyone in L.A. wants is for Odom to do it again tonight in Game 6. But ..."
Poor shooting takes toll on J.R.
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May 29
Denver Post
 
"J.R. Smith isn't hitting from the 3-point line, and it's starting eat at him. The streaky sharpshooter went 1-for-10 from 3-point range in Game 5 toto 26.3 percent in the series. He has made just 10-of-38 3-point attempts. "I'm getting good looks. It's just the shot is not falling like I want it to," Smith said Thursday. "It tends to go long. And missing free throws is taking a toll on me mentally." Smith was the Nuggets' best 3-point shooter, hitting 39.7 percent in the regular season. So, what did he plan to do about it? "Go into the gym as soon as I get home," he said. AWOL. In the fourth quarter Wednesday, Chauncey Billups turned from Mr. Big Shot to Mr. Not Taking A Shot. He took just ..."
Lakers look to end series tonight
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May 29
Denver Post
 
"Minutes before the start of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, Nuggets coach George Karl spoke of the game as a "free swing" for his team. Win, he said, and Denver would have the opportunity to end the best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Lakers on its home floor. However, he continued, should the Lakers win Wednesday night, the opposite scenario would apply, that L.A. would be getting the free swing tonight in Game 6 at the Pepsi Center with the cushion of an elimination game at the Staples Center. Which means instead of just introducing the starting lineups, the public address announcer could just as easily intone, "Ladies and gentlemen, now batting for Los Angeles, Kobe ..."
Denver, call out the reserves
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May 29
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"Call out, call out, call out the Nuggets' reserves. Attention, J.R., L.K., A.C. and The Birdman of Razzmatazz: In order for the Nuggets to defeat the Lakers in Games 6 and 7, you there, you four reservists, can make the difference. Simple as that. Hard as all get-out. In three of the five Western Conference finals games, the winning team's bench has finished with the higher total combination of points, assists and rebounds. L.A. had a slight advantage in the three critical categories in Game 2, but the Nuggets managed a win. In Game 3, Denver's bench had the edge, but the Lakers won. Want motivation, you four guys? The first four Lakers off the bench get paid $24 million. You guys have ..."